Salthon Plain: Cracks

Friday January 5, 2024 at 9:00pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The group made their way west toward the fissure, deciding it was the better approach for the moment, making camp on their way up the ravine.  Upon reaching the enormous crack in the ice, they found that a strong, howling, and frigid wind coming from it.

- After making some preparations and pushing their way inside against the wind, they found themselves navigating a maze of cracks and tunnels in the ice, eventually coming upon a den of winter wolves and undead northern jackals.  One of the winter wolves - a very large one - seemed to understand the ancient language Jaydah tried speaking to it, but when she insisted they were trying to "help", it answered only "we are forsaken".

- After the wolf encounter, the group made their way into openings away from the wind, which was beginning to cause them problems.  They wandered around for some time in the ice, occasionally finding objects and structures frozen inside it.  Apart from a few small treasures and minor clues about the nature of the place, they found little here.  The group concluded that whatever was actively "going on" here was coming from the source of the cold wind.

- As they made camp and prepared to head back into the howling corridors, Jaydah received a short telepathic message from Fyndwhyr: a message from the witch Lesab saying they were not meant to enter the glacier...

Salthon Plain: Appearances

Saturday December 16, 2023 at 8:30pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The decided to make their way back south to the place where they'd seen evidence of a pixie gathering, hoping that the harmless fey would be able to take them to their queen.  The forest seemed to turn against them, however, and they soon found themselves lost in the black wood.

- They eventually stumbled upon a depression containing a small, faintly-glowing, snow-covered clearing like the one they'd seen earlier, but it appeared deserted.  As they investigated, they were greeted by a single small male voice that began asking who they were and what they were doing.  As they spoke, a strange silver mirror rose from the ground - and in its reflection, they saw the approach of a tall, majestic figure in green with eyes glowing like the sun.  The pixie they'd been talking to, desperately warned them to only look on the figure through the mirror - and not to turn around to face her.

- The fey queen announced her presence and demanded to know why the intruders had come.  She continued to badger them as they explained, and seemed only concerned with securing their promise to undo the "curse" on the land caused by the "forsaken" goddess.  Once Jaydah grudgingly acknowledged their agreement, the figure vanished, along with the mirror, and the aged Kugrash immediately collapsed.  The pixie flew over to Kugrash and touched his head - at that moment, the years began to dissolve off of him and his youth was restored.

- Jaydah, thoroughly annoyed, resumed conversation with the pixie.  The pixie seemed curious about what they would do to fulfil their promise to the fey queen, but Jaydah was in no mood to humour him.  A few misleading comments and some disparaging remarks about the queen of the fey caused the pixie to lose its composure.  Its form flickered and its gender and dress suddenly changed.  She began to sulk and glower at the group and their "spoiling everything".  It was Jaydah that then realized that she was, in fact, the fey queen herself.

- The group spoke further with the now more-compliant queen, but found that she knew comparatively little about the actual problem as its origin was from beyond her forest.  She did, however, tell them that she knew of two routes into the glacier - one by way of a great fissure at its base in the deep ravine to the west, and the other by way of a deep chasm atop the glacier much further east...

Salthon Plain: An Age Old Problem

Sunday December 10, 2023 at 9:19pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- Kugrash quickly sprang forward, smiting the bone serpent with his sword, but the ensuing combat seemed to disturb the ghost.  Its features warped, and it let out an unearthly howl that aged him 40 years.  As some of the bones animated into skeletons and began pursuing the party, the group decided on a strategic retreat into the forest.

- Kugrash began to hallucinate, seeing flashes of scenes from some other place and time: a marvelous city freezing, and falling into ruin.  The group made their way deeper into the forest.  Mido had also been aged by the ghost's wail, but his seemed to have "worn off" - Kugrash, however, seemed permanently weakend.  After some combination, Mido and Carmella could only think of one entity who would be capable of restoring their companion: and that would be the fey queen they had been avoiding...

Salthon Plain: The Curse

Friday November 17, 2023 at 8:30pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- As the group made their way northward toward the glacier that filled the pass between the two mountain ranges, they came upon a group of pixies curious as to the reason for their presence, and a frozen skeleton that "awoke" and demanded "where is it?".  They attempted to fight off the skeleton, but whatever force was animating it seemed to depart before it could be defeated.  Kugrash decided to smash the remains of the skeleton, just to be sure.  The pixies told them that the fae queen had said they were not allowed to be there, but they seemed hopeful that the "children" might end the "curse".

- The group finally located the ruin of the next tower - finding it was little more than a ring of foundation stones filled with bone.  In the center of it however, was a stone table on which were a number of scrolls and parchments, some large natural crystals, and a shrine to a goddess of magic or fate.  As they investigated, a ghost appeared near the table, seemingly in the midst of some prayer or ritual.  Jaydah attempted communication with him in the ancient langage she'd been studying, but this proved difficult.  She was able to discern that he was looking for some kind of "gift", and there was some urgency to the errand.

- As they were talking, the bones began to stir, and out of them rose a skeletal serpentine form.  It chided the ghost before turning to Jaydah and the others, telling them that they were meddling in affairs that were beyond them...

Salthon Plain: Consequences

Friday October 13, 2023 at 9:00pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The creature - a manticore - had come to ambush them with a trio of Kenku assassins.  The fighting was fierce, but in the end there were no fatalities.  The group managed to drive the monster away, the kenku retreated, an though Mido and Anders had sustained some serious wounds, Carmella was able to bring them back from the brink.

- The following day their companions continued their survey of the ruin site, but the group spent most of their energy debating what to do next.  Should they return to Ereland with Fyndwhyr to get paid and evaluate the next move, or should they continue north to the glacier to see what they could learn now, since they were so close.  They ultimately decided on the latter, trusting Stahzer and the dwarf Millek to get the others back to the city safely.

- As they left the ruin site the following morning heading northward, they were met by a pair of fox-like fae creatures.  They were warned that the forest queen of the fae held the humanoids of the plains in contempt for wrongs of the past - and that the "curse" the land was rooted in the judgement a "vile goddess".  If they were to continue on their path, they must face that past, or be forever lost...

Salthon Plain: Paths to the Past

Friday September 22, 2023 at 8:30pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The group spent some time discussing their next move.  Fyndwhyr and his group were planning to head back after the following day's observations in order to reassess and decide how to act on this new information about the lost city's location being covered by an enormous glacier.  Some of them, however, believed it might be better to continue on from their current location to see what they could see, rather than going all the way back to Erelan - not to mention the urgency expressed by some mysterious parties, and some concerns as to whether the paranoid Lord Velior would allow Fyndwhyr further leave and resources given the recent issues with gnolls, kobolds, and the dragon.

- The group spent the rest of the afternoon making a cursory examination of the ruins, finding only one other building that was much more than foundation stones.  It seemed to be some sort of hall or temple, and contained in its primary chamber a toppled statue.

- As the day waned, the group traveled a little way away from the ruin to make camp.  During Carmella's watch, a shadow crept silently into camp - a monstrous winged cat with a grotesque humanoid face...

Salthon Plain: Buried in the Past

Friday August 11, 2023 at 8:30pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The group spoke briefly with the strange old woman - whom Carmella suspected as a fae hag - but though she offered to reward or assist them in their exploration, her manner didn't inspire trust and she departed when they seemed disinclined to bargain.

- Within the ruin itself, the group found mostly foundational stones and overgrown cobbled streets.  The two largest structures that were more intact were a large hall or temple-like building, and the lower floors of a small watchtower positioned near a ravine containing what looked like supports for a bridge or pier.

- As they neared the watchtower, they were attacked by a floating creature with 4 tentacle-like eyestalks.  After brief engagement, they managed to subdue the creature and trap it within a web spell.

- Inside the tower, they found a great number of bones in piles and a large metal chest.  The chest was locked and trapped, but Jaydah was able to get it open, finding a sizeable treasure of coins and items inside.

- The real discovery however, was what they found upstairs: a wall-mounted etched metal map showing the entire region as it apparently was in a prior age: the entire Plain was apparently and inland sea, and a large waterway flowed through what was now the dark forest they were exploring.  More notably, the map showed a large star along the coast to the north - at a place now covered by a massive glacier...

Salthon Plain: Decay

Friday July 14, 2023 at 8:30pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- Following Mido's cries, they found him tangled in the vines of yet another blight, and being dragged toward the ruin of a stone tower.  They fought off the remaining plant creatures and decided to investigate the tower, which they believed to be the ruin they had been searching for.

- Only the first 15 feet or so of this tower remained, and it was almost entirely occupied by a large, twisted tree.  As they approached, the tree animated and began lashing out at them with snake-like roots and branches.  They engaged the creature long enough to decide they didn't have the resouces to destroy it - but not before Jaydah caught sight of a grotesque statue of a woman tangled in the tree's roots.

- Continuing much further west, they at last arrived at their original destination: the ruin of some sort of settlement.  As they approached, they were met by an old woman with a bag full of bones.  She told them there would be no treasure to be found in this place - only a mad demon and piles of bones...

Salthon Plain: Tangled

Friday June 23, 2023 at 8:00pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The group continue northward toward a tower mark they'd seen on maps of the region.  They avoided an area containing a giggling presense that unsettled them.  Upon arriving at the region, they found the discrepancies between the map versions they had were causing problems.  They discussed the direction they should take as Carmella turned herself into a squirrel to climb a tree and try to get a better look from above the forest canopy.

- The group decided to continue eastward toward their ultimate goal.  As they passed through an area of thick undergrowth, they found themselves attacked by animate vines and twigs.  The resulting skirmish separated the group somewhat, and as the last of the plant creatures fell or fled, they heard a call from Mido who was being dragged away...

Salthon Plain: Ghosts of the Past pt. II

Friday June 16, 2023 at 8:00pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The howling wind and the gathering of ghostly entities around the base of the tower - pounding on the tower's ghostly door - caused Eughenn and some of the others to hesitate, but Kugrash, Mido, and Jaydah pushed their way through the ephemeral forms and into the tower.  Inside they found the ghostly forms of soldiers attempting to barricade the doors against those outside.

- While they watched what was unfolding, their presense seemed to disturb something else present in the tower.  They heard a growling voice from above, and the rattle of bones as a number of humanoid skeletons in the room pulled themselves up and began assaulting them.  Outside, the ghostly humanoids pounding on the door began shuddering and transforming into ghostly, wolf-like creatures, which then began attacking.

- There were a number of ensuing skirmishes with ghostly and skeletal attackers.  On the upper floor, the group again was confronted by the ghost of a commander-like figure, and again they attempted to engage in conversation that, at times, appeared close to violence.  This was avoided successfully again, however - and subsequently, the ghostly forms disappated and the skeletal figures collapsed.

- The group spent some time searching the tower for preserved or magical items that may be of use to them, finding a few.  After a brief conversation about the best way to proceed, they began heading north toward their primary objective - only to be met almost immediately by the ghostly form of the wraith they had seen on the river (or one nearly identical to it).

- The wraith once again began questioning them in its harsh voice with words they could not understand.  The howling wind resumed, and snow and ice began building up and threatening to cover them as Jaydah did her best to understand any of its words.  As its pitch increased, she began hearing other voices - voices asking them why they had come into the cursed lands and if their intention was to defy the will of "the goddess".  Jaydah defiantly told it that they did, in fact, and the wraith vanished - along with the snow an ice.

Salthon Plain: Ghosts of the Past pt. I

Friday May 5, 2023 at 8:00pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- After a brief exchange, the ghost disappated and the group approached the ruined tower.  The inside was unnaturally cold, and they found the skeletal remnants of a number of humanoids.  As the investigated, they found themselves attacked by the ghostly forms of soldiers.

- On the upper floor of the tower, they found a table with an old map.  There was an imposing skeleton in rusted heavy armor in large chair at the far end of the table, and from it manifested a ghostly figure that attempted to communicate with them.  While they were unable to understand much of what was said, the "conversation" did not escalate to combat.

- The group compared notes w/ the map and discovered some discrepancies between it and the one they had.  They made a sketch and some notes before leaving.

- After a brief conversation, the group decided to make their way to the East tower before continuing north to their primary target.  They made camp about half-way, and approach the tower the following morning.  As they did so, they came upon a chaotic, ghostly scene...

Salthon Plain: The Dark Wood

Friday April 14, 2023 at 8:00pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The group met up with a man called Lethan Stahzer - someone Kugrash recognized from a posted one of his drinking buddies hand shown him.  He'd been told the man was not to be trusted, and his friends told him they'd give him 500 gold if Stahzer never returned to the city of Erelan - no questions asked.

- Lethan gave them some about what was happening in the forest.  He'd seen kobold patrols and found a sizable encampment.  Usually this tribe keeps to the Kanath Mountains to the west, but something was emboldening them or bringing them down into the forest.  He'd also seen recent gnoll tracks and had a run-in with a nasty giant boar.  Worse, ettercaps and spiders have been moving down from the north.  The territory was known to him, but they seem to be spreading south, which means the expedition may be moving through more of their territory than previously assumed.

- The group made some discussion of what to do, ultimately deciding to head toward the West Gatekeeper tower both to check it out and to avoid the kobold encampment.  As they traveled deeper into the forest, Carmella had the increasing sensation that the forest was full of hatred - hatred for humans specifically.

- As they continued, they began encountering mats of webbing, and some dead things: giant spiders, ettercaps, and a winter wolf.  As they neared, they found themselves attacked by ettercaps and giant spiders, which they successfully fought off after a brief skirmish.

- Making it to the ruin of the tower, they were confronted by the ghost of a soldier speaking an unknown language...

Salthon Plain: The Hive

Friday February 17, 2023 at 9:00pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- As the group made their way north toward the Matheye Forest, they became aware of a pack of norther jackals gaining size and approaching them from the west.  In order to avoid them, the group deviated from their route more and more to the east.  As they got closer, some of the company thought they saw at least one humanoid among the jackals.

- The course change, unfortunately, led them into an ankheg hive.  Due to Carmella's Pass Without Trace spell, however, the ankhegs were just as surprised as they were when a few fell through the mounds of loose earth and into their tunnels.

- The resulting skirmish was chaotic and unorganized, but those who had remained above finally managed to pull the others up and out of the holes and evacuate the area before they were completely overrun.  Before emerging, Kugrash noticed the ruins of masonry and possible carvings among the monstrous insects hive complex.

- Arriving at the edge of the forest by early evening, the group was introduced to the eighth and final member of their company: Lethan Stahzer.  Kugrash recognized the name and the likeness as someone his friend Joccan had warned him about back in Erelan...

Salthon Plain: Perils Ahead

Friday February 3, 2023 at 8:30pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The group made ready for trouble and, one by one, made their way outside.  There, they found the town under attack by kobolds while something roared and screeched overhead.

- After finishing off a group of kobolds that had crawled up to their area through the storm drains in order to start fires further into the city, they were met by a detachment of soldiers who urged them on to the gate where the bulk of the fighting was taking place.

- Down near the gate, in the thick of the fighting, something large suddenly fell from the sky, completely obliterating some nearby buildings.  Emerging from the rubble was an enormous white dragon and a giant, eagle-like bird - both injured and fighting one another.  While the group took a couple of pot-shots at the dragon, few of the soldiers had the nerve to approach, and all of the kobolds had fled.  It was only moments before the dragon grabbed the great bird by the neck, and slammed it into the ground.

- The wyrm declared its victory before letting loose and icy blast that froze several streets and leaping into the sky.

- The town spent the next couple of days trying to re-secure the gate (which had been burned through), restore the destroyed and frozen areas of town, and tend to the wounded.

- Fyndwhyr came to visit them a couple of days later, asking if they were still committed to his expedition.  They told him they were, and that they had received information from a mysterious figure that if the expedition was to be a success, time was of the essence.  The party set out the following morning, making their way north...

Salthon Plain: New Threats

Friday January 20, 2023 at 8:30pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- As the rest of the group began fighting the jackal in the street, Mido ran up and into the inn.  Inside, he found more jackals and the tavern area a complete wreck.  The  jackal there suddenly transformed into a monstrous humanoid-jackal.  I tried to grab Mido with its claws, but he slipped out of its reach.  Unfortunately, when he met it eyes he passed out and collapsed.  Waking in a dark chamber later, he found himself being addressed by someone else.  This person told him that they must abandon their expedition or they would all die.  There was a flash of light and Mido passed out again - but just before he did, he caught sight of the speaker: a creature with man's torso but the lower body of a great lion.

- Meanwhile, the others entered the inn and killed or drove off the remaining jackals.  They found the entire establishment wrecked, and the ominous words "we are watching you" gouged into the floors of their rooms.  They searched the inn and the surrounding area, but found no trace of their friend.  They helped the innkeeper clean up the place and stayed the night there.  Mido turned up around 4am, having awakened in the tunnel between the Hillside district and the Undercroft.  He woke them up and relayed what he had "learned".

- In the following days, they sent word to Fyndwhyr at the keep about this new possible threat to the expedition, ultimately deciding they would proceed but warily.  Mido, Jaydah, and Carmella all received thier 50% payment advance to prepare for the expedition, and the group decided they would pool and divide the 300gp 4 ways, so as not to leave Kugrash out.

- Kugrash met up with his friend Joccan a couple of times - once to "celebrate" their armwrestling match, and once more.... unplanned.  Kugrash questioned Joccan about the jackal creatures, and the man seemed to know something about them - suggesting they were part of a dangerous organization, and that Kugrash would be better off leaving town.  The second time they met, Joccan had actually come to find him.  The man was wearing a hooded cloak and acting wary.  He showed Kugrash a wanted poster of a man called Lethan Stahzer.  Joccan told him he believed this man was involved with the expedition or with Fyndwhyr, and was not to be trusted.  He offered Kugrash 500gp if he could get Stahzer arrested - or even if he could just "prevent" him from returning to the Plain.  No questions asked.

- It was a couple of nights later when the group was awakened n the middle of the night by the keep's alarm bell.  Looking outside, they could see a couple of flickering fires further down the hillside, as well as movement in the streets.  As well, they could hear the distant din of shouts and commotion - and a tremendous roar from overhead...

Salthon Plain: Intentions

Friday January 13, 2023 at 9:30pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The following day, the group spent some time cleaning up and getting ready for the banquet at the lord's manor that night - where they were to get some details about the expedition they'd been hired for.  Kugrash meanwhile, went looking for an instrument-maker who could "fix up" his axe-flute and ended up in an arm-wrestling contest with a man called Joccan in the Avenue Tavern.  He lost the contest, but barely - and his opponent's reaction to the victory seemed a little overly-humble for his demeanor.

- At the banquet - after a "fine" meal and more casual conversation with those present - their host, the archivist Eughenn Fyndwhyr, explained their objective.  He had found some old maps which contained some markings of unknown structures deep in the northern wilderness.  Their intention was to travel to these locations and investigate.  His hope seemed to be that one may be the remains of an ancient and unknown city.  They were to depart in a week's time.

- Returning from the banquet later that evening, they found the lights in the street near their inn mysteriously extinquished, casting the street into darkness.  Remembering their encounter from the previous evening, they approached cautiously.  As they did so, they could hear occasional shouts, crashes, and breaking glass coming from the inn - and they saw a  wolf-like creature emerge from the shadows coming toward them - baring its fangs and growling...

Salthon Plain: Invitation

Friday November 18, 2022 at 8:30pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The group left Sims' Camp the following morning and sailed the remainder of the way to Erelan. On arrival, the captain Satwi had the Jovossa pulled out of the water for inspection and found that it had sustained damage she was unsure how to fix.  She and Hemmet would be in town for a few days at least - and were a little hesitant to make the return journey on their own.

- They made their way to the top of Erelan's bluff to the Lord's Keep where they spoke with Regulus Brandt, the keep's quartermaster.  They were given letters of invitation to a banquet to be held soon, and notes for accommodation at a local inn called the Cardinal Arms.

- The group spend a few days in town, exploring the place and looking for such things as smiths, shops, libraries, and so on.  One evening as they were on their way to the inn from the Red Elk Tavern, they came upon a stretch of road darkened by covered lamps.  Here they were attacked by a pair of grey oozes that had come up from the storm drains.  They saw the movement of some small humanoids - possibly children - in a nearby alley, but were unable to get a closer look before they'd disappeared into the maze of side streets.

Salthon Plain: Out of the Woods

Friday October 28, 2022 at 8:30pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The group fought off the kobold attackers while Satwi and Hemmet attempted to navigate the boat through the shallows to the right of the stone outcropping protruding from the center of the river.  The effort required dumping some cargo and quickly emptying some ballast tanks but still resulted in a couple of hard hits on the bottom, resulting in some moderate damage to the underside of the vessel.  The fight against the kobolds and a couple of worgs was tough, but they ultimately fended enough of them off that the rest declined to pursue them further.

- Some time later, as they made their way further up the river, they were suddenly hit by a strong, cold wind from the west, and witnessed the river ahead of them freezing over, they attempted to turn the boat around to escape, but found themselves froze in the river before they could.  Across the ice, they were approached by a ghostly horse and rider, which Jaydah believed to be a wraith of some kind.  It seemed in command of the howling wind and the intense cold, but rather than attacking aggressively, only approached, talking to them in some unknown language.  Jaydah thought it sounded something like an antiquated common dialect, but was only able to pick out a few probable words.  When they were unable to respond to the creature, it disappated and vanished - and the frigid wind subsided.

- The group was delayed significantly by having to cut themselves out of the ice, and Satwi told them they wouldn't quite make it to the capitol that day - instead, suggesting they make for the edge of the forest and a small hunting and logging camp that sat by the river there.  They reached the camp just after sundown, and spent the evening talking with the locals about the gnolls, the frost wraith, and other local events - before heading out again the following morning.

Nettlewood: To The Source

Sunday October 9, 2022 at 3:00pm d&d, nettlewood, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela

- The two engaged the Harpies with spells and clubs, killing one just before their pet ankheg arrived.  They immediately focused on the large monster and managed to take it out in only a couple of rounds.  The last harpy was beat down considerably and decided to flee. 

- Ithaca had realized that they had no real way of knowing how many harpies might remain to come after Mulner's cattle, and they needed to track them down to where they came from.  She hit the fleeing harpy with a Faerie Fire spell and the two tracked it through the night...

Nettlewood: Webs in the Dark

Friday October 7, 2022 at 7:30pm d&d, nettlewood, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela

- The two pursued the harpy through the night, into the southeastern badlands area.  They could still hear the creature screeching in teh canyons when the made camp in a shallow cave for the night.

- The following morning, they unexpectedly encountered a pair of armed skeletons patrolling the canyons, and managed to destroy the undead without too much diffiuculty.  From there, they moved further into the canyons until they came to a large, pillar-like structure with holes throughout near where they thought the harpy had gone.  The lowest holes were about 20 feet up, and the two climbed up the rock and into them.  The small cavern they found themselves in had a number of tunnels, all of them with varying amounts of webbing inside.

- The two crawled into one of the lower tunnels and eventually fell into a larger cavern, which was home to a monstrous spider and numerous smaller ones.  After killing the biggest spider and a few of the smaller ones, the others retreated and the two found some discarded treasures among the bones in the webs below.

Salthon Plain: Up The River

Friday September 30, 2022 at 8:00pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The group spent the rest of the afternoon around town until the log-roll contest that evening, when they headed to the docks along with most of the rest of the town.  Carmela joined a local fisherwoman called Satwi in challenging captain Walthon for possession of the coveted river ship.  Dockmaster Holluk explained the rules: there was a very large, round log suspended and floating between two of the docks.  All three contestants would step onto it, and the last one to fall would be declared winner.

- The contest began.  While captain Walthon was doing quite well at the start and Satwi almost immediately faltered, the tables soon turned as the challenger recovered.  The crowd gathered around the docks cheered and called throughout the competition.  All three did very well overall, and captain Walthon was the first to fall, followed almost immediately by Carmela, leaving Satwi the victor.  The crowd cheered and then headed to Gallen's pub for their "reward" - drinks bought by the losers.

- While the PC's representative wasn't able to win the contest, they hadn't given up on using the river ship to sail north to Erelan rather than walking through the potentially-dangerous Nembrill Wood.  Mido and Jaydah both spoke with Satwi about making the trip and letting them buy their way along, and she eventually decided it was a reasonable idea.

- The group set sail a couple days later up-river.  They hadn't made it an hour north of Onara when they began seeing disturbances along the far shore, eventually catching sight of a kobold astride a worg.  Shortly after the river entered the forest, it began to narrow and ahead they could see a large rock protruding from the center of the channel, and rough water on either side - indicating shallows.  It was at this point that arrows began flying at them from the kobolds along the shore...

 

GM's note: The 'log roll' and possession of the ship was meant to be an interesting bit of setting detail for the tiny Onara riverside village - an event that they could maybe watch and talk to the locals about and would give some life and color to the place.  I had in no way intended or expected them to try to join the contest.  Because of this, I was just going to narrate the outcome with whatever seemed most interesting at the time.  Once they said they wanted to be part of it however, I knew I'd have to make up some rules mechanics to make it fair - and I wanted it to be more than just a single roll-off, because they all seemed excited about this.  I came up with a set of rules that broke the contest into combat-like rounds where the primary actions related to maintaining their own stability or trying to weaken others'.  I think it worked well, and it was quite the nail-biting competition.  They came close but didn't end up winning - though through some other rp and actions, still managed to get themselves on the ship sailing north.

Nettlewood: Another Attempt

Sunday September 25, 2022 at 3:00pm d&d, nettlewood, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela
Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela

- The twins continued their fight against the giant constrictor snake and trying to keep Bellin out of harms way.  Just as they killed the monstrocity, the goblins that had given chase arrived and began their attack.

- As they fought off the goblins, they heard Averen - Bellin's brother - call out from somewhere above "Bellin! Grab the rope!".

- Once the goblin threat had been addressed, the group exited the cave and returned to the farm.  Rik Mulner was glad his boy was ok and offered the two the 50gp promised for solving the harpy problem as thanks for rescuing Bellin.  He told them that he'd still pay out another 50gp if they could eliminate the harpies as well.

- The two spent another couple of nights in the rancher's fields, patrolling for signs of the harpies.  On the third night, they heard the haunting singing again and found the flying devils had returned...

Salthon Plain: Local Culture

Friday September 23, 2022 at 8:00pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast
Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The group headed toward the river village of Onara along the road now muddy with water from melted snow.  As they made their way into a flooded lowland marsh, they could hear some commotion some distance ahead.  As they approached, they found themselves attacked by a swarm of stirges.

- The group fought off the flying pests as best they could, becoming aware of a small group of kenku fighting them as well.  When the last of the stirges were killed, they spoke with the kenku, who invited them back to their camp.

- The group spent the rest of the evening with at the camp, talking to some of the kenku about their nomadic tribe and the party's plans to go to Onara and then north to Erelan.  The kenku cautioned them on some dangers of travelling through the Nembrill wood.

- The next day, the group finished their journey into Onara.  The small village sat on the edge of a bay-like protrusion of the Dobec river along a slow-moving section.  They made arrangements for accomodation at the simply-named Riverrest Inn, and proceeded to the one tavern in the tiny village for an afternoon meal - which they found to be so crowded as to be overflowing with locals.

- The group caught word of a "log roll" contest of sorts to be held that night at the docks and went to inquire further.  Speaking to the dockmaster, they learned that this was a something of a local ritual that would determine the captain of "The Jovossa" - a large fishing boat owned by the town and that most regarded as something special.  Noting the comment that it was the only vessel in town capable of making reasonable headway up-river to Erelan, the group asked if they might participate in the contest - and if they won, could they use it for a trip up-river.  The dockmaster, who seemed to regard the whole thing as tiresome, was amused by this plan and told them that that seemed reasonable - but cautioned them that a losing challenger had to buy a round at the pub for every fisherman in town...

Nettlewood: Struggle for Dominance

Sunday September 18, 2022 at 3:00pm d&d, nettlewood, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela
Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela

- The two tell the goblin chief they came for the boy - threatening to continue fighting the goblins if they didn't release him.  They managed to intimidate the chief who gave the order to release the boy.

- One of the chief's guards, however, apparently didn't approve of the decision, and challenged her authority.  This resulted in a fight between the two, during which time Ithica and Varant managed to sneak over and release Bellin.

- The duel between the goblin leaders was still going on as they made their way out of the cavern, but they were spotted by some of the spectators and pursued. 

- Running back up the tunnels into the cavern, they were confronted by the giant snake whose skin they'd seen eariler.  They began battle with the snake while they could still hear the goblins approaching from behind - and the snake wrapped itself around Varant...

Salthon Plain: A Detour

Friday September 9, 2022 at 9:00pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

- The group met up at the Cup & Hearth in the village of Bhurk and enjoyed a bit of a reunion over a meal.  As they discussed their common purpose, Mido informed his friends that there was an issue with the way north toward their destination of Erelan: namely, that the gnoll tribes had become particularly aggressive and were explicitly watching the roadways for targets to waylay.

- Due to the situation, no other traffic was heading north, and while the local Borderguard had sent word for support to address the situation, it was likely a couple of weeks from resolution.  As they wished to reach their destination as soon as possible, they decided to take another's advice to head west to the river village of Onara, and then follow the river north through the Nembrill Wood toward the regional capital of Erelan.

Salthon Plain: Winter Wolves

Friday August 19, 2022 at 8:00pm d&d, salthon plain, game session notes, new campaign Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast
Dungeons & Dragons logo artwork © Wizards of the Coast

Since our Cyrran Reaches game is having some difficulty meeting these days, we decided to start a new 5e game with a slightly different player group that might be easier to keep going at the moment.  We met for a session 0 some weeks ago.

 

Characters:

- Jaydah Orez [Sheri] :: human rogue

- Carmela Nailo [Edie] :: elven druid

- Mido Bagu [Tony] :: human wizard

- Kugrash Damaris [Tim] :: half-orc fighter

 

Highlights:

- The characters had been childhood friends, but had gone their separate ways and hadn't seen each other in many years.  Each had seen an adventurous job posting and decided to check it out,  This took them to the Salthon Plain, a northern region of their kingdom of Aanashalor known for its harsh climate. 

- As they made their way independently to the village of Bhurk, an early-spring blizzard descended suddenly on the region.  Kugrash and Carmela were caught in the storm along with a wagon crew Kugrash had been accompanying.  Just outside the gates of Bhurk, the group was attacked by snow-white wolves - including one enormous specimen.  Soldiers from the settlement came to help them, along with Jaydah and Mido. 

- The ensuing fight was rough, but the group survived and made their way into the village...

Nettlewood: Goblins' Clutches

Sunday August 7, 2022 at 4:00pm d&d, nettlewood, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela
Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela

- The two briefly considered whether to follow the fleeing harpy or go look for the missing kid, and decided on the latter.

- Averin, the older brother, said Bellin liked to play in the woods at the eastern edge of the farm.  He suggested they start from the south end, as he and their father were looking in the north.  They would meet in the middle and hopefully find Bellin.

- After wandering the woods for a while, they found a small cave that looked like someone had spent some time around.  Inside they found a wooden sword and some copper coins next to a dragon statue, and a collpased tunnel leading further down.

- They both ended up falling down the rocky descent into a small cavern with a massive snakeskin.  Continuing on into the tunnels, they eventually found their way into a goblin warren.  In a large chamber, they saw Bellin in a metal cage next to a boiling cookpot.

- They considered how to approach the situation for a while, until one of the goblins began making its way up to their position.  At that point, the fighting began.

- The two fought off several goblins, but were getting worn down when the chieftess of the tribe stopped the combat and demanded to know who they were and why they were invading...

Nettlewood: Where's the Beef?

Monday July 25, 2022 at 9:34am d&d, nettlewood, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela
Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela

- The two returned on their guild HQ in Granton where they gave their report about the mystery location and contributed their appropriate loot percentage.  The next day they went out to Rik Mulner's farm to investigate his disappearing cattle problem.

- Apparently something has been eating the cows - something with wings that made a strange, singing sound.  Mulner told them they always came at night and that their best bet on catching them was to camp out in the cow pasture.

- They spent the rest of the day setting up camp in some bushes at the top of a rise and talking about their plan of counter-attack.  A kid named Bellin came out to see what they were like, since he wants to be an "adventurer" too.

- Late in the night, the two began to hear a haunting song calling in the distance - and a little while after, heard the frantic mooing screech of a cow.

- As they ran down to where the sounds had come from, they were called to by someone from the farm - just as they began to be attacked by harpies.

- The two were able to drive off the harpies, after which point they met up with Bellin's older brother - apparently the kid is missing...

Nettlewood: Uvnasser's Tomb

Saturday July 9, 2022 at 3:00pm d&d, nettlewood, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela
Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela

- A couple weeks after their trial adventure to Etlon's Tower, Matheus brought them a couple of new opportunities.  The first was a farmer complaining that "devils" were attacking his cattle - dragging them off and eating them.  The second was reports from a plains hunter saying he found an odd entrance to an underground complex on a hilltop in the foothills to the northeast.  The debated for some time before deciding on the latter.

- The directions the hunter provided were not especially clear, and they wandered for some time before they were able to find the hilltop in question.  During this wandering, they ran afoul of a monstrous toad that did its best to eat them.

- When the finally reached the entrance, they found it to be a spiral, stone stairway leading into a set of chambers with skeletal motifs - and something like a crypt.  While they investigated, they were attacked by skeletal warriors.  After fighting them off, they found a smashed chest with a number of coins (which they collected). 

- Down in the lowest level, they found the tomb of some kind of wizard character - holding a wand and wearing rings.  It was there that they were attacked by a more powerful skeletal warrior who almost got the better of them.  After destroying it, they decided to try to take the wand and rings the dead wizard was holding.  As they removed one of the rings, the skeleton became animated and began howling.  The two took their spoils and ran - making it out of the tomb just before the entrance collapsed.

A New D&D Campaign: Session 0

Friday July 8, 2022 at 8:00pm d&d, new campaign Comments (0) »

Since we haven't been able to play our main Cyrran Reaches game regularly due to current life situations, I decided to start a side game with our friend Edee.

When spent this session talking about a new 5e game and making characters.  So far we have:

 

- High adventure / exploration

- Group are childhood friends about to meet up again - all having decided to pursue the same opportunity in a new territory.

- Human wizard (Tony), Elven Druid (Edee), Half-orc Fighter (Tim), Human(?) Rogue (Sheri)

Nettlewood: A Trial

Sunday June 26, 2022 at 3:00pm d&d, nettlewood, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela
Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela

- Ithica and Varant approached the ruined tower and found themselves attacked by giant centipedes.  With the wolf's help, they were just barely able to fight them off.

- After a short rest, they entered the table.  Inside, they found the remains of the stone statue of a human warrior, and also some strange stone stone centipedes on the stairway.  Following the stone stairway up, they found a room full of wooden debris where they encountered a cockatrice. 

- During that battle, Ithica became petrified, and did not revert even after they'd killed it.  Varant then went back to Granton for assistance. He promised the priests of the Sunfire Temple a favor in exchange for an ointment that could return petrified creatures to normal.

- Meanwhile, after about 24 hours, Ithica returned to her normal state to find her wolf had killed a couple more centipedes.  Exploring the rest of the tower, she found the chest that was supposed to contain the green gem, but just found a parchment that read "Matheus is a liar."

- Ithica met up with Varant about half way back to Granton.  The two returned to the guild and reported what Ithica had found.  Matheus told them congratulations - they'd completed the trial successfully.

Nettlewood: The Big City

Sunday June 12, 2022 at 3:30pm d&d, nettlewood, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela
Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela

- After chasing off the bandits, the twins continued on their journey eventually reaching the city of Granton.  As they made their way to the watch HQ - a place called 'the Spearhall', they found themselves on the street where monstrous tentacles were reaching up from sewer grates and attempting to grab people and pull them down.  They assisted an guardsman in fighting off the tentacles before continuing on.

- At the Spearhall they informed Captain Pommel of the kobold situation in the forest near Nettlewood, but he seemed unconcerned with problems outside the city.

- Having performed the task they were assigned, they two decided to seek out the Adventurer's Guild Tenlo had told them about.  They eventually found it - a small place on a backstreet on the south side of town.

- The two paid Varant's fee and spoke with a man called Matheus who seemed to be the guild leader.  He cautioned them that they would face real dangers if they chose to join.  When they said they were ready, he gave Varant an initial "assignment" and suggested he speak with one of the other guild members who may be able to teach him the magic he wanted to learn.

- For a couple of weeks, Varant studied with a wizard called Tyra - also a member of the guild.  In that time, she managed to teach him a few cantrips, noting that he possessed "the gift", at which point the two decided it was time to pursue the initial "mission": to an abandoned watchtower on an old road 4 days north through the forest to recover a gem.

- As they approached the overgrown towner deep in the forest, they heard insectoid chittering sounds...

Nettlewood: Trouble in the Forest

Sunday June 5, 2022 at 2:00pm d&d, nettlewood, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela
Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela

- The following day, Tenlo's parents asked him to go and see Mr. Applewood, the local healer/apothecary to make sure his wound would heal properly.  Knowing Ithicca was something of an apprentice to Mr. Applewood, he came to ask her to show him the way to Applewood's cottage in the woods - and Varant decided to come along.

- Ithicca took him along the path to the recluse's house, where they found him in the back garden apparently frustrated with the state of some of his plants.  He took the three of them inside and treated Tenlo's wound and then asked them if they would accompany him further into the forest to speak with someone called Selena.  Tenlo decided he'd better return home, but Ithicca and Varant said they would go.

- When the three of them reached a remote hilltop deep in the woods, they found a small band of kobolds holding a dryad hostage.  After fighting them off and freeing the forest guardian, Mr. Applewood introduced them to Selena.  He told her that he had been wanting Ithicca to meet her for some time, as the girl showed "great promise".  Selena embraced Ithicca and bestowed a small measure of power upon her.

- When the three of them returned to town, the told more people about the kobold threat.  Most of the villagers seemed to think the encounters had happened too far away to be of any concerned, but agreed that someone could go alert the watch in the nearby city of Granton to see if they might send a military hunting party to deal with the problem.  The twins agreed to go.

- As Ithicca and Varant were preparing to set off early the next morning, their aunt gave them a satchel with some potions and special food in it, and their friend Tenlo arrived to give them their portion of the coins they'd found in the ruin.  He also told Varant that he should join the adventurer's guild in Granton.

- Along the road to Granton, they were accosted by a starving wolf.  They briefly traded blows with it before Ithicca offered it some dried meat they'd brought along with them, which it took and then ran of into the woods.

- A short time later, they were met by a pair of bandits trying to get them to pay a "toll" for the road.  The encounter turned violent, and the twins found themselves fighting some older, tougher opponents.  With some fortune they'd managed to incapacitate one, but they were extremely worn down and still facing the other when the wolf they'd met earlier leapt from the forest onto their assailant...

Cyrran Reaches: Back from the Dead

Saturday June 4, 2022 at 2:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group continued to make their way down toward the bronze door.  A few hours into the trek, their elven scouts alerted them to something going on ahead.  They were met by a middle-aged woman running desperately through the corridors, followed by a young man who seemed very dazed.  Once their demonic pursuers had been defeated, the group began speaking to the fugitives.  After a few minutes, Lily recognized the woman as her father's sister - one that had been captured by slavers more than a decade ago.  She remembered very little, but seemed to vaguely recognize Lily and remembered her brother's name.  The young man was much less responsive, and Taryn and Ravina came to the conclusion he had been contaminated by the Gray Wasting - a disease or curse originating from the plane of Hades, where the Night Hags dwell.

- They decided to find an out-of-the-way place for the fugitives to wait while they continued downward.  As they were having this conversation, Kael suddenly appeared among them.  After some questioning to determine whether he was really Kael, they asked him what happened.  He said he remembered being attacked by the demon and flung into the abyss, but he wasn't sure what happened next.  He had awakened in a kind of prison cell where someone claiming to be his father had helped him escape - but was too weak to accompany him.  He had also seen a demon his father called "Syn-Vaask", and the two of them seemed to be having a...disagreement...about what his father should be doing.

- Now reunited with his companions - even though somewhat weakened - Kael was ready to go rescue his father.  As they descended the way Kael had come (using his ethereal armor ability), they noted a large number of demons gathering around them, but giving them a wide berth as they approached the building that contained the prison.

- Once inside, Kael approached his father's cell, where he could just make out a dark humanoid shape inside.  He father asked why he came back - and that 'he' had been waiting for him.  At that moment another voice spoke from the darkness saying "Of course I have..."

Nettlewood: A First Adventure

Sunday May 29, 2022 at 3:00pm d&d, nettlewood, game session notes, new campaign Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela
Dungeons & Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Forest Village artwork © Kimmo Kaunela

The kids have been wanting to play D&D again, and it was suggested that I start a game for the two of them that didn't require Sheri to be present.  I made them some classless characters that have mostly-average stats and no real skills or abilities.  They're teenagers only recently of-age, and the idea is that they will find NPCs to teach them the skills of the class abilities they want.

 

Characters:

- Ithicca [Hannah] :: Human (prospective druid)

- Varant [Micah] :: Human (prospective wizard)

 

Highlights:

- As the twins were finishing some work in the Nettlewood orchard one summer evening, Varant's friend Tenlo came to him, exitedly reporting that he'd manage to break into an old, sealed "mine" and found it wasn't a mine.  He convinced Varant to come with him to explore it, and Ithicca went along.

- At the site, they encountered an illusion of a giant figure bellowing at them and some giant rats.  They also found a hidden room that contained some old, rusty weapons and a chest filled with coins that had been hidden in some rubble.  It was then that they were attacked by kobolds and their friend Tenlo was injured.

- They returned to the village and told Tenlo's parents about the kobolds.

Cyrran Reaches: Forbidden Door pt. III

Saturday May 14, 2022 at 2:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group retreated from the opening onto the broken bridge in an effort to avoid the notice of whatever was lurking outside.  Quietly, they investigated the stairway up and found that it dead-ended in a room with some sort of rift or portal into some abyssal plane.  They also found two adjoining rooms - one which contained a few dretches devouring some rotting flesh, and another that was little more than a hole through the complex into lower levels.

- As they were doing so, they heard the sounds of other demons approaching from the corridor through which they'd come.  The portal/rift vomitted a number of dretches down the stairs just as a group of babau rushed into the room.  The PCs ducked into the nearby rooms as the bebelith outside entered from the bridge doorway and began attacking the other demons, chasing them down the corridor.

- The PCs emerged when all ways quiet and devised a plan for crossing the chasm where the bridge was broken.  Lily summoned a celestial hippogriff which began flying the PCs across the gap.  Unfortunately, it also attracted the attention of a pair of vrocks which were flying through the currents outside.  The PCs fought off the vrocks as best they could, but the already-injured Kael was KO'd by one of the vrocks who then hurled him out and into the void.

- The other PCs fled into the structure on the other side, and began making their way along the path down into the wall-city area of the ruin - unsure of what they could possibly do to save Kael or recover his body.

- They eventually found a place far enough from the main thoroughfares in the wall-city to rest.  Afterward, they made their down the road-like corridors toward the mines below where the door was supposed to be.

- Several hours later, they finally saw it: a massive bronze door set into the deep rock.  It sat on a ledge above a deep gash of a mine descending into the darkness below.  On the ledge were a number of shadowy figures, some seeming to be arranged in a circle around glowing or burning sigils in on the ground.  Others of which seemed obviously demonic.  Floating before the door was a pulsing, purplish glyph and a whisp of blackness it seemed to be pulling through the metal door.  As the glyph shimmered, tremors rippled through the stone of the city...

Cyrran Reaches: Forbidden Door pt. II

Saturday April 23, 2022 at 2:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- After regrouping, the party made their way through the collapsed gate into a system of partially-naturaly, partially-hewn tunnels leading into the dwarven city.  They hadn't even reached the city proper before their first demonic ambush - and they fought off several more as they made their way into the ruins.

- After clearing the first few chambers, they party had a brief discussion with the elves that had accompanied them about which way to decend.  The options were to go through the heart of the city, taking the mechanical lifts which *might* still be functional from when they'd repaired them years earlier, or to head around the outskirts to the far cavern wall and descend through that area of the city.  The former would likely encounter heavier resistance, but the latter would take several times as long.  Ultimately, the group decided on caution over speed, and made their way to the far end.

- As they made their way, they found their progress halted by a bridge with a 20' gap just outside a large chamber with a crumbling stair from the top of which came a bright orange glow and a discernable heat.  From outside, they could hear a scraping sound approaching...

Cyrran Reaches: Night Coven's Curse

Saturday March 12, 2022 at 2:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Kael returned to the rest of the group to report what he'd seen at the end of the mountain road.  As the group approached, they were halted by the three old women who frantically warned them to leave before attacking them with teeth and magic.

- The group engaged the hags, but soon discovered something odd about them: they didn't seem to be "living" exactly, but nor were they undead - more like constructs of some kind.  When killed, they tended to fall into pieces.

- When the hags were incapacitated, the group looked around - quickly finding the crevice that would allow them entrance into the mountain had been obstructed with small rocks.  As they began clearing it, a magical darkness suddenly descended on the mountainside and voices began speaking.

- The group now found themselves isolated in the darkness and engaging a coven of night hags.  Lily and Taryn were ferociously assaulted by one whose head and hands were covered in fire.  Kael and the elves found their way to the fat one who was distressed at the distruction of her "dolls" and was trying to mend them.  Tyrrox and Ravina found themselves attacked by shadowy creatures in the dark.

- When Kael killed the fat hag, the encounter took a turn.  The haze in the darkness clearned, and they could all clearly see the tall, thin hag who'd been keeping to the edges of the fray.  Enraged, she began to disappate - bestowing a dying curse upon the group for the death of her sister...

Cyrran Reaches: Forbidden Door pt. I

Saturday February 5, 2022 at 3:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- As the group began to speak with the elves that had approach their table, they found themselves suddenly assaulted by several other bar patrons.  As Kael and Tyrrox held them off with varying levels of force, Lily identified the cause of the attack as being magical compulsion and was able to employ her music to counter the effect.

- Realizing they needed somewhere more private, the elves led them to a place called the Garden of Telanthius - the magical willow-like trees of which provided shelter and soundproofing.  There, they told the group their story.  They had been friends of Kael's father, and the group of them had disturbed something in an old dwarven ruin up in the mountains - a massive bronze door that had been sealed, but that seal is now breaking.  They had assumed Kael's father had gone home, but when the PCs arrived looking for him, they feared he instead went back to the ruin, which they now believe to be crawling with demons.

- The group decided to go with the elves to the dwarven ruin.  After a couple of days travel through the wood (where they noticed signs of disease and corruption), they found themselves outside the mostly-collapsed entrance to the ruin where three grotesque old women huddled near a large cauldron dangling over a campfire...

Cyrran Reaches: HIdden City

Saturday January 15, 2022 at 2:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group was hailed by an elven hunter called Rey Piestrann who seemed to be concerned about their presence "this deep" in the wood - telling them they were at least 4 days travel from the nearest edge of the forest.  Piestrann didn't seem to know anything about the city they were searching for, nor the "path" they were currently on, but she didn't make any move to impede their progress. After a brief conversation, they parted ways.

- As the group continued deeper into the forest, they noticed the trees getting larger but also the undergrowth becoming significantly more dense.  They continued to follow the lightes through the darkness before they finally stopped at a vine-like archway just before dawn.  As they approached, the ghostly forms of elven warriors began to appear around the path and a voice spoke to them - asking who they were and why they had come.  Lily answered for her companions and was instructed to proceed to a pool called Sum'mshar.

- Once through the archway, the group was finally able to see the city of Osada Reil, which resided in a deep canyon that plunged into the forest floor.  The tops of stone spires and great trees could be seen within it - and a few truly massive trees reached from the canyon floor far below them into the canopy over their heads.  A narrow pathway led down the ledges into the canyon.

- The group was met by a number of suspicious elves but also a few friendly faces as they made their way through the city.  Once at the pool at the far end of the city, they spoke with an elder called Kessanna Ben'Faedrus.  The elder welcomed them conditionally, and listened to their concerns about the mythical tree called Ola Tannanum as well as their search for Kael's father.  While she did not remember Kael's father specifically, she did recall hearing the stories about how Baness Cer'd'nye and he were said to have seen it - and seemed more open than most to the possibility that the tale was true.  She also told them that, while she could not verify the tree's reality, she had sensed an unusual sort of corruption or decay even within their city that was greatly concerning to her should it worsen.

- Making their way to a human-run inn that was somewhat more friendly to travelers, the group discussed what to do next. While they were there, a pair of elves - one of which Kael recognized as someone they met on their way into the canyon - approached them saying "We need to talk..."

Altea's Scepter: A Hostile Wood

Sunday December 5, 2021 at 2:00pm d&d, altea's scepter, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang
Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang

- As the ogres moved forward to smash the three adventurers, Rocky moved up to stab one of them with his swords while Ari and Hope engaged it with damaging cantrip spells.  One of the ogres reacted to the party's use of magic by pulling a wand from its bag and attempting to use it on them, with no success.  The other two ogres took turns clubbing Rocky, eventually knocking him unconscious, but not before taking significant injury themselves.  When one of the ogres collapsed, the other two decided to run away.

- After a short rest and recovery, the group decided they would make their way to the graveyard site Sevren had told them about.  Heading northwest through the forest as evening settled in, they happened to come upon a logging camp near the edge of the Harkenwood.  They enjoyed some stew and conversation before resting for the night.

- The next morning, they were approached by the foreman of the logging operation.  She told them that one of the woodcutters had gone missing last night and hadn't returned, and while she believed he was probably just passed out under a tree somewhere, she asked if they might look into it.

- Rocky tracked signs of passage north from where he was last seen, eventually discovering a man's boot that had some blood on it, and a large hunting knife with a green, sap-like substance on the blade.  He told the others that there were Blights around, and that he suspected they must have abducted the missing woodcutter.

- The group followed the trail deep into a dark ravine where they found a man wrapped in vines and calling for help - and a number of vine covered creatures emerging from the wood around them...

Cyrran Reaches: Obstruction

Saturday December 4, 2021 at 3:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Before Lily and Ravina could attempt to withdraw, they found themselves under attack by a monstrous crab creature.  Their struggle with it apparently alerted local sentries which soon descended upon them.  They nearly managed to escape through the use of invisiblity magic, but weren't able to get quite far enough away before it wore off.  Lily spoke with the merfolk captain and an elven "ambassador", eventually agreeing to accompany them to the merfolk city and speak with the priestess there regarding their presense and intentions.  Fortunately, the priestess did not seem to be overly suspicious of them.  The two spent some time speaking with the elven ambassador about ways of reaching Osada Reil before returning to the surface.

- While Taryn, Tyrrox, and Kael awaited their companions return, they witnessed and impossibly huge bear emerge from the forest some distance away from them, surrounded by dozens of agitated specimens of a more normal size - a few of which attacked them on their way to join the massive creature.

- When Lily and Ravina returned, the group decided to follow the "Moonlit Path" that Lily and Kael were able to see.  After travelling along it for some time, Kael spotted a large green dragon prowling the area ahead of them, eventually settling directly on the path.  They tried to distract it, but it didn't seem to notice them.  As they approached, the dragon became obviously aggressive - setting fire to the forest around them - but did not speak.  Lily suspected that the dragon might actually be an illusion, and decided to approach it directly.  The dragon image immediately attacked Lily - but since it was, in fact, illusory, nothing actually happened.  Tyrrox and Kael, however, not yet able to see through the illusion, saw Lily horribly mangled and began attacking the figment.  As the battle unfolded, all eventually became aware of the dragon's artificial nature, and continued down the path.

- A while later, they came upon a section of the path that had been obstructed with magically animated vines.  Ravina cast a spell to break the enchantment on the vines, but a number of lumbering earthen creatures emerged from the ground around them.  As some of them hacked their way through the now-inanimate mines, others fought off the shambling mounds lashing them with vine-like tendrils. 

- When the last was destroyed and crumbled into earth and rock, the group continued onward...

Altea's Scepter: An Unfortunate Turn

Sunday November 28, 2021 at 1:30pm d&d, altea's scepter, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang
Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang

- Realizing that the woman who was the werewolf may be unaware of her actions, Rocky decided to attempt to subdue the beast instead of killing it.  The resulting struggle alerted the innkeeper, who eventually helped Rock tie up the creature.  The innkeeper was quite distressed to hear that one of his staff was a monster and decided to go fetch one of the priests.  Returning a short time later, the group of them discussed what should be done until daylight came and the poor woman reverted to her normal form. Rocky returned to Midrus' library and told the others about what happened.

- The group then took the pin the hag had given them - which they had determined was a "hag eye" - to the minister.  They cautioned him that it was given to them by a green hag who may be able to see and possibly hear through the gem.  They suggested he not put it where it might give away something important and perhaps they should surrender it to the dragon when it returns.  The minister seemed somewhat hesitant to take the item until he saw it, at which point Hope noticed a covetous glint in his eye - along with a subtle sparkle that might have been a magical effect.  When the group tried to warn a clerk about the minister's apparent "attachment", the clerk stormed into the office, loudly claiming bewitchment on the part of the party - particularly Hope, the tiefling.

- The party took their leave, deciding to return to the Smiling Griffin to speak again with Sevren.  They had to wait around for him well into the evening, durning which time they were approached by an intoxicated quarry worker who told them he heard a howling sound coming from inside the caves.  When Sevren did arrive, he was concerned about Rocky's report of a werewolf and went to speak with the Innkeeper.  On the way, the party got directions from him to the overgrown graveyard he'd mentioned - believing the site might be related to one of the temples.

- The next day, the party decided to return to the 'grand avenue' ruin and speak with the hag again.  The creature did answer some of their questions, telling them among other things that the last queen, Marcella, had intentionally destroyed Altea's Scepter and had her priests seal the pieces away. 

- They were trying to get more information out of her when Ari mentioned Vuldas' name, whereupon the hag became agitated and paranoid.  She turned on Hope, accusing her of seeking Vuldas out, and ranting that she would not be replaced.  It was then that the hag commanded her ogres to attack...

Altea's Scepter: Things Not What They Seem

Saturday November 27, 2021 at 2:00pm d&d, altea's scepter, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang
Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang

- The source of the cackling began engaging them in conversation, asking them questions about who they were and why they were there - and continue prodding them until they gave her a clue as to what they wanted.  As they conversed a trio of ogres casually approached the site.  It wasn't until Hope mentioned Altea and the scepter - asking if the voice knew why it had broken upon the queen's death - that the speaker appeared, revealing herself to be a hideous green hag. 

- She appeared delighted and promised them answers to their questions if they would do something for her: she wanted them to take a silver pin containing a big blue gem to Minister Gillyn, the leader of the town of Braydon Point.  The hesitantly agreed and left the site without scuffling with her or the ogres.

- Before returning to Braydon Point, the group decided to make a detour to another ruin they'd heard about: a large stone manor that was said to be mostly intact in another part of the forest.  There they found evidence of habitation, which Rocky seemed certain was a giant.

- The group investigated the inside of the stone manorhouse, finding the giant's "nest" in the entry hall, a rotten tapestry on the wall from which they could just make out a stylized rendering of an ancient, white-stone city, a locked metal door in a tower, and a few books with still-discernable passages.

- Whilte they searched, however, they heard the clattering sounds of something returning to the manor.  Hearing the commotion, Hope moved out to investigate while trying to stay hidden.  She spied a large hill giant bringing in its latest kill - a large dear - and generally rummaging around the entrance hall.  Seeing a possible means of escape through a rotten doorway at the other end of the hall, Hope inadvertently caused it to collapse, alterting the giant to their presence.  By scattering in different directions and employing some diversionary magic, the group managed to get away with a few damaged books - but without thoroughly exploring the site.

- Back at Braydon Point, the group met back up with Midrus who told them he'd found a tiny scrap of info on the entity "Vuldas" they'd mentioned to him before - apparently it was the name of a priest of Wee Jas in the service of Marcella, the last queen of Del'Celestine.  Ari then presented the books she'd found at the manor, and the group of them spent the night looking through them for discernable texts that might be of use.  The most pertinent details seemed to be passages related to the "three great temples" - one to the West, one to the East, and one to the North - each with their own role.

- Meanwhile, however, Rocky returned to the Angel's Ox Inn to get some rest.  There, he chatted with Vedsa, one of the inn staff, as the last of the evening patrons departed for the evening.  During their conversation, however, Vedsa seemed to become physically uncomfortable.  She eventually excused herself but, on the way to the kitchen door began to convulse.  When Rock got up to help her, he found himself face to face with a werewolf...

Altea's Scepter: An Ancient Ruler

Sunday November 21, 2021 at 2:30pm d&d, altea's scepter, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang
Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang

- The group ran outside and made their way toward the center of town, where the most commotion was coming from.  They didn't intend to engage the dragon, but did want to see more specifically what was going on.

- In the center of town, the massive dragon paced back and forth within the town square, bellowing threats and burning the surrounding buildings with her firey breath.  She was demanding the people bring her their treasure - and was apparently dissatisfied with what they produced.  Ari was able to hear some of her draconic mutterings and discovered that she seemed to be debating whether to destroy the town or let it prosper so that she could plunder any wealth it gained.  She also seemed to be concerned that it might somehow ally with someone or something she named as "Vuldas".  Ultimately, the dragon took what was offerend and departed - warning that the town had better muster a more satisfactory tribute the next time she returns.

- The following morning, the three were "asked" to accompany a pair of guards to the slightly-singed town hall to speak with some of the lords gathered there.  An abrasive middle-aged woman present was ranting about how the militia should be called upon to fight the dragon and even accused the party of leading it to the town.  Minister Gillyn asked them for more details on their initial sighting of the dragon and whether they knew anything else about it, but they could offer little.

- From there, they made their way to the Smiling Griffin tavern to try to find a huntsman called Sevren.  They had to wait around a while, but he eventually did arrive.  He was able to tell them of several ruin sites in the area - including the vault-like "Stonehall" in the mountains, and an overgrown stone courtyard he called the "Grand Avenue".  The latter caught their attention particularly due to his mentioning of a tiefling-like statue it its center.

- After acquiring specific directions, the party set out for the Grand Avenue ruin to investigate.  As they neared the site, they were attacked by a trio of gricks, which they fought off without much trouble.  At the site of the ruin, they found the an over grown street and surrounding columns made of the familiar white stone, but noticed that the tiefling statue was not composed of the same material.  An inscription at the statue's base read "Our Indominable Lady, Queen Marcella"...

Altea's Scepter: A Buried Power

Saturday November 20, 2021 at 2:00pm d&d, altea's scepter, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang
Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang

- The group returned to the main level of the temple ruin and ascended the stairs up to the lofted priests quarters.  Their search didn't turn up much and was interrupted by some of the smaller spiders from outside coming to investigate, but they did manage to find a rusted key ring containing a key that opened the crypt below.  Rocky had climbed a ladder up to something like an old bell tower from which he saw the form of an enormous red dragon perched on the cliffs some miles to the west.

- In the crypt below they found rows of shelves with skeletons laid out upon them.  At the far end however, they found an odd tiefling-like statue holding a metal chest with the inscription in infernal reading "None shall weild this foresaken power".

- Upon prying the chest free, a number of the skeletons got up and began attacking them.  While Ari and Rocky fought them off, Hope found the key to the chest on the keyring and  opened it.  Inside she found a 6" long rod that looked to be broken off of something.  It seemed to be made of gold and a silvery metal and decorated with diamonds and glowing yellow gems.

- The group fought their way out of the crypt and left the temple ruin, continuing on toward the town of Braydon Point.  They spoke with the priests at the temple of Pelor, asking questions about the ruin they'd found.  They also mentioned the dragon and discovered that the town knew of it.  The dragon was called Keldrexa, and she had apparently plagued the town for some generations but had been absent for long enough that the locals were hoping she was gone for good.

- After alerting the authorities to the dragon's return, the group proceeded to the home of an elf called Midrus who owned something of a library.  There they were able to discover a bit more about the lost city of Del'Celestine, the angelic queen Altea the Graceful, her daughter Marcella, the fall of the city in a great war, and a little more about the legend of Altea's Scepter: specifically that it was made of gold, platinum, diamonds, and glowing yellow sapphires - and that upon Altea's death, it broke into pieces that were then given to the high priests of the three great temples.

- As they studied late into the night, they were disturbed by sounds of commotion outside - and the distant roar of a dragon...

Altea's Scepter: A Web of Mystery

Sunday November 14, 2021 at 3:00pm d&d, altea's scepter, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang
Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang

- The three fought off the giant spider and its webs, eventually overwhelming it with Ari's holy light.  Investigation of the altar room suggested that the temple had perhaps been repurposed during its history, as it bore some obscured markings of Pelor, but more recent symbols and references to a darker entity with the title Lady of Death.

- The door at the far end led them to the temple basement where they were attacked by a small horde of giant rats.  They found a small tunnel behind a collapsed wall large enough for the rats, but too small for any of them.  They also found the remains of a bunk room, a storeroom with more cast-off pelor emblems, and the locked entrance to a crypt...

Altea's Scepter: A New Adventure

Saturday November 13, 2021 at 2:00pm new campaign, d&d, altea's scepter, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang
Dungeons and Dragons logo © Wizards of the Coast. Temple ruin artwork © Wanxing Wang

The kids asked it we could start a new D&D game - so, of course, we obliged.  Since it's a bit simpler overall and I'd not run it before, we decided we'd do a 5e game this time.

 

We finished making characters this afternoon, and got rolling with the game.

 

Characters:

- Hope [Hannah] :: Tiefling Sorceror

- Rocky [Micah] :: Wood Elf Ranger

- Ari [Sheri] :: Half-Elf Cleric

 

Highlights:

- The party made their way toward an area called Simon's Vale, and the far northeaster Braydon Point, pursuing the partial legend of a marvelous artifact called Altea's Scepter.  It was apparently owned by a power queen or sun priest and was said to reside in a temple treasury.

- On a tip from some locals in the last village they stopped in, they decided to investigate a hilltop ruin a few miles off the road, said to have been the remains of an ancient temple.

- They found the hilltop covered in webbing, and had to watch their step around some dog-sized spiders.  It wasn't until they got inside the ruin that they found the largest spider - a massive, 12' beast in the webs of the main altar room...

Cyrran Reaches: Finding the Way

Saturday November 6, 2021 at 2:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Lily engaged her cousin Ansley in conversation, but the girl quickly became distraught, screaming or mumbling nonsense, and eventually collapsing.

- After helping Ansley back into the house, the group spoke with Elder Dynn for some time.  She seemed friendly enough, but insisted she really couldn't help them in their quest to find and reach the elven settlement of Osada Reil.  Sensing she was keeping something relevant from them, they eventually badgered her into agreeing to speaking with "someone else" who might be able to help them.

- Later, Kael sought out Elder Selka, whom he found to be quite different form her sister.  Like her sister, however, she insisted she didn't know anything about the elven settlement and couldn't help them reach it.  She also insisted there was nothing weird about the lake and certainly nothing dangerous at the bottom of it.

- Ravina decided to user her Find the Path spell to determine the location of Osada Reil, and then use Wind Walk to fly out that way for a while to see what she could find.  What she found was that Find the Path led her out over the massive lake, and then pointed straight down toward the bottom - toward a point that must be thousands of feet submerged.  The sun was setting as she was starting to turn back to return to Tonler and she suddenly noticed Find the Path change its indication - this time, to a point between two large, rough-hewn stone obelisks on the far shore of the lake.

- The next day, the group decided they would fly across the lake an examine the forest a bit more thoroughly.  The elven woodsman Lertas had warned them that, if they entered the wood, they would become lost almost immediately.  It took them some time to find the obelisks, but eventually they did.  They didn't find any magic on the obelisks themselves, but there was a pervasive background illusion aura seemingly on the entire forest.

- Believing the obelisks might be some sort of portal to Osada Reil, Kael, Tyrrox, and Taryn decided to walk through them into the woods, and despite an initial "good feeling" about the direction, they quickly became disoriented and lost, just as Lertas had told them they would.

- The three wandered the woods for some time, seeking to find their way back to shore - a location they believed couldn't possibly be more than a hundred or so yards away.  They eventually found themselves in an overgrown ruin of strange white towers that had long-since collapsed.  Among the remains, they ran afoul of a spirit naga intent on devouring them.  After fighting off the creature, they made their way back into the woods, still seeking the lake shore, which they eventually found.

- Meanwhile, Ravina and Lily decided that they shouldn't venture into the forest and get lost also.  Tired of waiting for the others to find their way back, Ravina suggested they investigate the lake bottom using her Water Breathing spell.  The two left a note for the others, along with the packs, and ventured out into the lake.  After hours of descending into the blackness, they noticed a pale blue glow coming from far to the northeast - and a significant distance below them.  Following the lake bed as best they could, they slowly approached it - eventually catching a distant site of a spire-filled chasm in a glowing bubble, populated by a large number of merfolk.

- When Kael, Taryn, and Tyrrox eventually found their way back later that night, they found Lily's note and Kael found that he could see faintly glowing lights between the obelisks, leading deeper into the forest...

 

--

 

GM's Note: It has been nearly 20 months since we've played this game.  This game started back in 2013 and we've put it on haitus before, but always intentionally - always to play other games.  This time, it was out of caution regarding the pandemic we've been dealing with.  Having finally decided it would be ok to get together occassionally, we decided to start it up again.  We led off with an hour or so of discussion about what had been going on when we left off, but that was fun and necessary.  After that, they actually did quite a bit.  It was a great session.

Looking at the header for the *previous* session, I really feel like that was either prophetic of premature - THIS session really should be called "It's Different Now".  Other things have changed since we put the campaign on pause, and our current "plan" now is to play once a month on a saturday instead of every week on a weeknight.  Honestly though, we might get to play for the almost same length of time, since this game got a solid 4+ hours, and we'd previously been doing 1.5-2 hour games 3 times a month or so.  And I actually prefer the saturday schedule.

Anyway, here's hoping this works well.  Next game is slated for early december.  It's great to be back.

Lost Talisman: A New Direction

Saturday December 26, 2020 at 3:00pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- Iris & Ivy spoke to Jass for some time about his crystal, his version of the Elam Nethley tale, and his plans to get to the dwarven city of Unver Gaul to continue his search for the Heart of Shadow - as well as some discussion as to what they might do next themselves.  When they said that the Nethley they had been pursuing was supposedly searching for a lost temple, he told them he had heard of a site called the Skytemple Ruins from one of the hunters.

- The shopkeeper Delna came to ask them if they could retrieve some special ferm leaves from the Blackwood Forest for her, as her normal supplier hadn't been to Laduun in some time.

- A couple of days later, Jass came to their inn at breakfast saying that he'd managed to get permission to enter the gate to Unver Gaul and asked if they wanted to accompany him.  They had decided, howver, to pursue the lead at the Skytemple ruins and so parted ways.  They agreed to leave word at the Cliffside Inn should they discover anything new regarding Elam Nethley.

- Iris & Ivy left Laduun an headed east along the cliffside to the place where a path wound through a massive cleft in the cliff.  A few miles into the journey as they made their way through another narrow canyon, they were confronted by a winged, lion-like creature demanding all of their treasure...

Lost Talisman: Cliffside Shadow

Saturday December 12, 2020 at 3:00pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- As Iris & Ivy fought the shadowy creatures descending from the cliff, they were joined by some of the town watch and the man Ivy had spoken to earlier in the day - and found that he also had a crystalline warrior that would appear to aid him in combat.  Once the last of the creatures were destroyed, the two crystal warriors shook hands and vanished.

Lost Talisman: Commonality

Sunday December 6, 2020 at 2:30pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- The man with the glowing gem - a tall warrior dressed in hides and carrying a large sword - abruptly got up and left the tavern.  Ivy pulled Iris outside and the two spotted him heading down a nearby alleyway, where he seemed to be looking quizzically at the amulet he was wearing.

- As he made his way back through the alleyway, they attempted to tail him with mixed results.  Splitting up, Ivy ended up confronted by the man who seemed somewhat suspicious and confused.  After some explanation, he seemed willing to talk to her. 

- He was currently working in the mine as a guard, but had originally come to the city hoping to travel to Unver Gaul.  He was looking for something called the Heart of Shadow that had belonged to a sorceror called Elam Nethley - apparently, there was a prophecy in his home village in a neighboring kingdom that that artifact would soon cause widespread districution in the area.  He had also been given a gem by a man that mysteriously appeared in his camp one night.  He agreed to meet them later to talk more.

- After meeting back up, Iris & Ivy decided to look into an advertisement they had seen about a shop called "Delna's Enchantments".  The proprietor of the establishment clearly had some measure of elven blood herself, and seemed quite eager to serve them - giving them a significant discount on her services.  She was able to help them indentify the properties of some magical items they had recovered from the hilltop ruin on the plain to the north.

- Ostra's tavern was every bit as crowded around the time of the evening meal, and dinner took them longer than expected.  By the time they were headed to the Cliffside Inn to meet with the man called Jass they'd spoken to earlier.  As they approached, Ivy noticed some shadows moving down onto the buildings from the cliffs - just as Iris looked up to see a long, tentacle-like claw reaching out for her...

Lost Talisman: The Buzz in the City

Saturday December 5, 2020 at 3:00pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- The hunting party escorted Iris & Ivy back to the Laduun Inn in the city, where they spent the remainder of the day resting.

- The following day, they spent some time getting a feel for the city and to gather some information.  It was a large, walled community tucked into the foothills at the base of a massive cliff where mines bored into the mountainside. 

- They learned that the gate leading to the tunnel road to the dwarven city Unver Gaul had been closed due to monster activity, and that one of the mines was similarly affected, causing some unrest: miners were striking and counter-striking around the issues of creatures in the Ironhold mine.  They even found a posting requesting guards to help defend those working in the mine from unknown creatures.

- The two also spoke to a local elven scholar called Elivius Thorrel who told them he had also heard the story of Elam Nethley, though the version he told was somewhat different from the legend they knew.

- As they attempted to make their way to a prominent tavern for lunch, a swarm of black bee-like creatures began pouring into the city, seemingly coming from the cliffs.

- After fighting off the blackbees, they continued to Ostra's Tavern, where Ivy caught site of a glowing gem around one patron's neck which seemed to echo a blue glow now coming from Iris' backpack...

Lost Talisman: Full Boar

Sunday November 29, 2020 at 3:00pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- The leader of the goblins stepped forward, seemingly surprised to see them emerge.  He asked in broken common whether they'd killed the ogre and what they wanted.  Ivy managed to convince him that the ogre was dead and that they could have their lair back and they slipped away before the other goblins turned violent.

- On the road southeast to the city of Laduun, they were caught-up-with by the blue creature who attempted to communicate with them, but had a great deal of trouble doing so.  It seemed to want them to help it get home, though it couldn't articulate where its home was.  In the end, it simply accompanied them on their journey.

- As they entered the foothills near the cliffside and the city, the group was attacked by a number of diseased wild boars.  The fight started to turn ugly when a group of hunters from the city arrived - just after Ivy was incapacitated by one of the creatures...

Lost Talisman: Foul Ruin pt. II

Saturday November 28, 2020 at 2:00pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- Iris & Ivy descended into the ruin of the tower and the caverns beneath it - encountering a carrion crawler and the ghost of a goblin warrior tied to a magic sword.  The ghost wasn't happy to see they were elves, but told them they could keep her sword if they killed the ogre who dwelled in the caverns.

- The two ended up finding and destroying the ogre, who turned out to be a servant of Erythnul, in some kind of old throne room.  There they also found a chest full of treasure.

- As they emerged from the ruin, they found a group of goblins waiting for them...

Lost Talisman: Foul Ruin

Friday November 27, 2020 at 1:30pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- Iris & Ivy spent the next couple of days in Helok's Ford awaiting to give their testimony in the trial of the theives they'd caught. During this time, they did look at some local records in the local temple.  They didn't find anything relating specifically to Elam Nethley, but they did find some odd discrepancies in the records around the same time.

- The two gave their testimony at the trial and remained to see what would happen.  The two theives were given a lenient sentence of hard labor.  As came to light during the trial, there were some local tensions between some of the fishermen - which the theives cited as the reason for their actions.  Some of the local authorities are looking to resolve those issue.

- The following day, Iris & Ivy left Helok's Ford heading east and south toward Laduun, planning to head to the dwarven city of Unver Gaul from there.  As they traveled across the plain, they caught site of an old ruin on a small hilltop.

- As they made their way to the site to investigate, they were attacked by a few goblins looking for food.  After fighting them off and continuing to the site, they found a collapsed tower - the basement of which was littered with various bones and pools of foul-smelling goo...

Lost Talisman: Element of Surprise

Saturday October 10, 2020 at 4:00pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- Ivy and Iris spoke with Typhel at the Hall of Light, and managed to get some healing for Ivy.  From there, they made their way to the encampment they had found outside of town.  As they approached, they heard the voice of a man shouting at someone.  Sneaking closer, they saw the other suspect yelling at the blue creature.

- The two were spotted, and a chaotic battle ensued between them and the blue creature, the man, and one of the guards from town who had apparently also been nearby.

- They eventually drove the blue creature off and captured the man, and are currently heading back to town with the guardsman.

Lost Talisman: Finding Evidence

Sunday September 20, 2020 at 4:00pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- Iris & Ivy took their captive back to town and turned him over to the local militia.  Later they took the captain and a few others to the camp they'd found and recovered the rest of the stolen valuables, though they hadn't been able to find the other suspect - a man called Dav.  The captain asked them to stay in town for a few days as they would need to speak to the magistrate regarding the incident.

- The pair then went over to the docks to find a man called Haelmare, whom they'd been told may have been around when Elam Nethley came through around 50 years ago.  He agreed to meet with them that evening at the tavern and told them about his encounter with the man.  His description of Nethley wasn't at all what they'd expected.

- Iris decided they should try to catch the other thief, but Ivy was fairly worn down from their previous encounters.  They decided to stop by the local temple before returning to the camp to see if Dav returned...

Lost Talisman: Recovery

Sunday September 13, 2020 at 3:00pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- The winged blue creature who had taken Iris' sword snapped its fingers summoning a few tiny air elementals and leapt out the window.  While Ivy chased after it, Iris ran out of the room and outside.  Unsure of the best course of action, she decide to find one of the town guards who took her to speak with their leader.  The guards listened to her account, but were unconvinced that the creature was the theif they had been looking for.

- Ivy, meanwhile, had followed the creature just close enough to catch site of it diving into a wooded area on the riverside about half a mile north of town.

- The two met back up at the inn and finished resting.  Early in the morning they made their way to the place Ivy had seen where they found a small camp with a sleeping man, a pair of bedrolls, and Iris' sword leaning against some heavy-looking packs.

-  As they made their way to the packs and grabbed Iris' sword, the man awoke and the blue creature came flying into the camp shrieking frantically.  The man attempted to frighten them off while the creature swooped in swinging at Iris with its claws.

- The pair fought off the man, eventually severely injuring him while the blue creature became more distressed.  Its howling seemed to summon winds from off the river which coalesced into a massive air elemental.

- Iris grabbed one of the packs while Ivy picked up the injured man and then they quickly exited the area, taking their captive back to town...

Lost Talisman: Thief in the Night

Wednesday September 9, 2020 at 6:30pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (1) »
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Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- Ivy & Iris helped the travelers right their cart and collect their horses and then continued to the river town of Helok's Ford.  When they arrived, they were questioned by a couple of guardsmen about who they were, what their plans were, and how long they'd been in the area.  Apparently there had been a recent rash of break-ins and thefts and the leadership suspected a transient or new-comer.

- Looking for an old fisherman called Haelmare who might have been around when Elam Nethley entered the area, the two went to a tavern he was said to frequent: a dockside dive called the Backwater.  They didn't find him, but they did speak with a half-elven server who told them another man had asked about Elam Nethley nearly a year ago.

- The two decided they would try to find Haelmare at the docks in the morning, and went to get some rest at the Stonebridge Inn.  As they rested, Ivy became aware of something moving in the room - when she roused herself, she saw a strange, whispy blue figure perched at the window as if about to leap out - holding the scimitar their grandmother had given Iris...

Lost Talisman: Into Elionde

Sunday August 23, 2020 at 2:30pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- Headed back to the village of Bolgrove.  Camped on the way.  During the night, a man calling himself Eli appeared to Iris, asked her questions about their quest, and gave her a purple crystal.

- Upon returning to Bolgrove, stopped at the tavern and the home of the druid Saffa.  Were not able to find any info on the "heart of shadow" or the other man who seemed to be looking for Elam Nethley, but the druid told them that the "dwellers of the deepest darkness" might allude to the dwarves of the Galloth Mountains.  There is a gate to an underground passage to the dwarven city of Unver Gual from the mining town of Laduun.

- The following day, they set out for the kingdom toward Helok's Ford to cross the river and then continue south to Laduun, as this was their best lead.  On the road, they met with a caravan being attacked by giant insects - and they ran in to assist.

Lost Talisman: The Serpent's Lair

Saturday August 15, 2020 at 1:30pm d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

- The sisters continued on toward the Sunken Shrine.  The found a broad, submerged avenue lined with broken columns leading up to an overgrown and crumbling stone structure.  They noticed a couple of humanoid skeletons partially-submerged as well.  While Ivy was examining one of them and Iris was looking over the statue, the two were attacked by and aggressive pack of rats and one giant dire rat.

- After fighting off the rats with Aelrah's (Iris's wolf companion) help, the two entered the building.  While attempting to dismantle the barrier between the antechamber and the main hall, they heard a creaking overhead and scraping sounds outside.  Outside, they found the skeletons had animated and were coming to attack them.

- Ivy's quarterstaff made short work of the skeletons and they returned to the structure.  After gaining access to the main chamber, they discovered a naga - an enormous snake with a reptilian woman's head.  She told them that Nethley wasn't there, but that another had come looking for him.  He had mentioned something about a "heart of shadow" and the naga had told him to seek out those that "dwell in the deepest darkness".  After some conversation that nearly turned violent, the naga succeeded in convincing the two to leave its lair.

- Level up to 2

Lost Talisman: Journey of Discovery

Sunday August 9, 2020 at 1:00pm new campaign, d&d, lost talisman, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Ed. logo © Wizards of the Coast

Hannah has played No Thank You Evil and enjoyed it, but we may have reached a point where it's simplicity and whimsy aren't quite as enticing as they used to be.  Not that she doesn't like kid things, but she's 9 now and has been into Harry Potter, Avatar, and some fantasy books that aren't quite as "for small children".

Trying to think of some more creative things to do during this pandemic thing, when we asked if she would be interested in playing D&D, she was adorably excited.  Because I'm me, I spent way too long conceiving of a setting (and WAY too long drawing a map for it).  We ordered her some dice of her own, and this last weekend spent an evening and an afternoon rolling up characters and starting an adventure.

 

System: D&D 3.5

Setting: The Kingdom of Elionde

Players: Sheri, Hannah

Schedule: Weekly?

 

Characters:

- Iris [Hannah] :: Elven Druid

- Ivy [Sheri] :: Elven Monk

 

Session Highlights:

Twin sisters Iris and Ivy had happened upon the mostly-forgotten mystery of a famous druid from their country called Elam Nethley.  Nethley possessed a potent magical talisman said to have been blessed and empowered by the angel Saphrielle.  Around 50 years ago, he had traveled north in search of a lost temple and never returned.  Magical attempts to contact him or discern his fate failed, but a divination suggested that if any were searching for him, they should travel to the Kingdom of Elionde.

Iris and Ivy had been travelling along the west road through the White Ridge Forest for more than a week when they arrived at the tiny logging village of Bolgrove.  Stopping at the tavern for food and lodging, they learned from a local hunter about the existence of a ruin the locals called the "sunken shrine" in the swamp to the southeast.

The next morning they headed toward the shrine, having decided to investigate it for clues.  Just as the knight statue they'd been told about came into view, they were attacked by a large and unusually-aggressive constrictor snake.

Cyrran Reaches: It's Different Now

Monday March 9, 2020 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Taryn once again found himself in his recurring dream of a card game between himself, his patron Olidammara, and an entity he is sure was a representation of death.  As the game progressed, Taryn began to fair better, ultimately playing cards that ended the game in flames.  All that remained was a single, glowing crystal.  As he tossed Taryn the crystal, Olidamarra once again told him that he had, in fact, done all he could for him - but his tone this time was more bemused than grave.

- The group met downstairs for breakfast and discussed how to proceed.  They talked with a halfling called Landon a bit about some oddities of the local plant and animal life, and asked Baillin where they might be able to find the elders.  The group made their way to the elders' house among the reeds on the western edge of town.  As they approached, they saw a pair of figures standing just outside the building: one was a black haired elf, and the other was a young girl in a tattered dress - a girl whom Lily amazingly recognized as a cousin who only would have been 3 or 4 when their family's caravan had been attacked by slavers almost 12 years ago...

Cyrran Reaches: The Way Forward

Tuesday February 18, 2020 at 8:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group discussed for some time exactly what to do next, even using a Divination spell to try to determine the best way forward.  They ultimately decided they would use their lyre to repair the city's fractured wall, and then head southeast to the fishing village of Tonler looking for info on the Osada Forest and the secluded elven settlement said to be there.

- Despite evidence of orc raiding on their way down, they found the village of Tonler still mostly at peace.  Guards did keep watch on the palisades for orc activity, but they hadn't experienced any direct attacks - though they do suspect an overdue caravan may have fallen victim to them.

- Most of the few that they talked to in the village seemed wary of the forest to the south, and were generally less-than-eager to talk about it.  The one elf they encountered told them of the locals' superstition and that he had spent some time in the forest and did find it a little..."off".  While he didn't have much specific information on the elven settlement, he did mention that, despite their denials, the two elders of the town were commonly rumored to be from it.

Cyrran Reaches: Is This Our Fight?

Tuesday January 28, 2020 at 8:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Lily continued distracting/entertaining the people outside.  As she moved up onto the steps of the tavern's porch, she became aware of the shouting coming from the argument inside.  Giving looks to her companions, Ravina and Tyrrox made their way closer to the building.

- As their conversation with Respina concluded, Kael mentioned to her that he and his friends were needing to leave the city.  She seemed surprised and a little concerned by this, but advised them that, if that was their intent, they should probably leave sooner rather than later.  Taryn gestured to the unfolding altercation between the thugs and the tavern owner behind him, and told Respina that the man was part of a cult that had been causing trouble for the city - all the way back to the incident at the Festival of Thorns.  She asked whether he should be taken into custody, but Kael said he would follow them to see where they went.

- When the argument in the tavern finally came to a head, the thug made some threats, flipped over some tables, and stormed out.  Joining the man on the porch, the three of them headed away from the area.  Kael and Tyrrox followed them to another tavern near the docks called the Siren's Cask.  After a few minutes, they followed them inside, but didn't see any of them within the small establishment.  They had a brief conversation with the gruff bartender before rejoining their companions to decide what to do next...

Cyrran Reaches: Enemy Within

Wednesday January 15, 2020 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- On his way to meet the others at the temple where Rothan had awakened, Kael was met by Eliot Jaand of the Watch and told that the Prime wanted to speak with them.  She would be at a tavern in the south market district from noon.  They should be as inconspicuous as possible.  After the group finished talking with Rothan, the decided to go see what this was about.

- While Lily, Ravina, and Tyrrox waited outside in the busy market, Taryn and Kael went into Sasha's Tavern.  They made acquaintances with the bartender and the owner herself before Respina arrived.  The Watch Prime told them that she had grave concerns: someone was attempting to undermine their efforts to prepare the city for the orc horde.  There was a evidence of sabotage in several areas and she was suspicious of the origin of whatever malady had afflicted the Constable and his Second.  She was planning to recommend the city be magically sealed but needed someone she could trust to investigate to find the culprits.

- During this conversation, a couple of thugs entered the tavern and began harassing the owner.  Taryn noticed what appeared to be the bottom of a Many Eyes, Many Teeth insignia tattooed on the back of one man's neck...

Cyrran Reaches: Awakened

Saturday January 11, 2020 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Rothan had been healed, but was still unconscious.  The priest and his guards flew back to the city, and the group decided to continue on through the night.

- As they neared Rolessi the next morning, Tyrrox saw something like the mirage of a signpost and somone sitting by it - though it turned out to be a tree stump.  Tyrrox heard someone's voice coming from somewhere.

- Once at the city, they found the gates had been sealed and so needed to traverse to the far side - though they did convince the guards on the wall to pull Rothan over.

- The city seemed to be making preparations for a seige by the orc force, which scouts indicated was moving closer.

- Taryn continued having his strange dream about some kind of  card game with his former patron and a mysterious dark entity.

- The group was notified when Rothan awoke.  When questioned about what had happened, he told them about arriving in Kelsguard, meeting up with a treacherous man called Aulthust, the portal in the bowels of the keep, and the demonic entities coming through it.

Cyrran Reaches: Bring the Light

Wednesday January 1, 2020 at 4:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group left the keep and returned to the abandoned village, setting up camp for the night in the empty Dark Pine Inn.  During the night, they were visited by the strange old woman looking for her son, whom they'd seen at the keep some weeks ago.  Kael tried to get her to leave, but she appeared inside his room, near the injured Rothan.  Unnerved by the intrusion, Kael called for the others and continued to yell at her to get out.

- The group found a wagon they could use to transport their unconscious patient, and started off toward Rolessi in the rain the next day.  When they made camp that night after a hard day, they found that Rothan's corrupted injuries seemed to be worsening.  Afraid he wouldn't make it to the city, Kael and Ravina wind-walked to the Temple.  Ravina brought one of the priests back while Kael attempted to retrieve horses but found that the gates were being barred and reinforced - and the guards were refusing to open them.

- After arriving, the priest consecrated the area and suggested the use of a magical artifact to concentrate their healing magic to a potency that might be sufficient to clear the cursed wound.  As they began, however, they found themselves attacked by demons, and the writhing wound itself seemed to be resist their efforts.  The ritual was ultimately successful, healing the corrupted wound and bleaching everything in the area a brilliant white.

Cyrran Reaches: What Eyes Have Seen

Tuesday December 10, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Having fought off the attacking sigil and eventually dispelling it, the group passed through the door and descended into a round chamber connecting three large tunnels and containing a misshapen arch they believed was probably the former portal to Ver'Sheole.  In addition, they found a large demon corpses, and a living and possibly conscious but completely unresponsive Aegis Rothan - a man that had disappeared from Igveston months ago.

- As the group tried to bring Rothan out of his stupor, they became aware of a number of lesser demons converging on their location.  They closed what doorways they could, and carried Aegis back up into the keep.

- Noting some supernatural wounds that resisted healing, the group decided they needed to get Rothan back to Rolessi - for healing and, hopefully, answers...

Cyrran Reaches: Within Grasp

Saturday December 7, 2019 at 3:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The next morning, the Watch Prime came to escort them to the White Hall.  Once there, they met again with Mayor Dale and Lord Magnar as well as a couple of the Talonwings who had recently returned from a scouting mission.  After reports were exchanged, the Mayor asked if the group had any particular advice with respect to where to focus their energies.  While the party admitted the rise in recent violent crime was troubling, they felt that ensuring the city was as prepared as it could be to deal with the orc horde was the most critical concern.

- The group then went to the Iron Hall to speak with the assassin they'd captured after the previous night's ambush.  He didn't have much info for them, other than to say that they had been hired by someone called Black Shade specifically to kill them - and that he expected additional attempts soon.

- Meanwhile, Kael had received a letter from an elder in the elven settlement of Velgrin detailing a past relationship and a clue as to the possible whereabouts of Kael's father.  Kael told the group he would be pursuing this lead, as it was his reason for being in the region in the first place.  Lily, however, saw another troubling aspect to the letter: it mentioned a great "mother tree" with large, reddish, 7-pointed leaves.  Leaves identical to the one the pixie had shown her which was starting to become brown and brittle.  If the corruption was also in the south forest, that would suggest it was nearly everywhere.

- Feeling there might be some connection between Ver'Sheole, the events at Saint Orvusk, and what they first encountered at Fort Kelsguard, the group decided to return to the latter.  Within the bowels of the keep, they found a green, glowing icon of a two-headed serpentine creature shimmering before an iron door.  As they approached, the walls around them began to crack and decay, and, just before it lashed out at them, they heard its words: "My power is growing"...

Cyrran Reaches: Sending a Message

Tuesday December 3, 2019 at 8:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- On their way back to the inn from the White Hall, the group quickly found themselves under attack on a street in the Shops District by a coordinated force of assassins.  The resulting skirmish was brief and intense, but they managed to stay on top long enough to outlast their assailants.  When representatives of the Watch arrived and inquired as to what had happened, the group explained the situation.  One of the attackers that was alive but had been knocked unconscious was taken into their custody.

- The group continued back to the inn where they asked the innkeeper who had delivered the message Ravina had received.  The innkeeper told them it was one of the city couriers who usually worked for House Magnar.

Cyrran Reaches: Taking the Opportunity

Tuesday November 19, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group split up in the gallery and spoke to a few others present, including the Watch Second Wencia Naldibar, and Osiris Knell, a resident wizard.  Also in attendance were a few nobles they recognized, including a young man who has a beef with Kael over his interest a certain member of House Barens, and a woman they'd seen acting strangely at the Magnar City Social earlier in the year.

- When the hearing concluded, the group met up outside the gallery where they were approached by Heglan Foula, one of the nobles in opposition to Julius Nevarg's push for increased internal focus.  He offered the party a substantial sum to "investigate" House Nevarg in search of conflicts-of-interest that might call into question the house's motivations.

- Meanwhile, Lily had been "called" back into the darkened gallery by a pixie who came to ask her about what she and her companions did up at the monestary at Saint Orvusk.  He told her that their actions had had some effect on the ongoing corruption, but that it wouldn't be enough to prevent its worsening.

- The group then left the White Hall and headed back to the Baron's Tower to ask the innkeeper about who had given him the false message when they suddenly found themselves under attack...

Cyrran Reaches: Here Or There

Monday November 4, 2019 at 8:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Kael and Ravina went to the Temple of the Golden Sun to report the situation at Saint Orvusk to the clergy there.  The priest they spoke to was a little confused about their reports of Orvusk's grave being broken into because, he told them, Warult Orvusk was buried there in Rolessi.

- Lily returned to House Dyn'Talor to request they send a message to their members in Igveston about the growing orc problem, and they had a short conversation about the fey of the Charothi Forest.

- Later, the group received a message from Tyless Vallane requesting their presence at the ongoing hearings at the White Hall that night.  The hearings were a part of the continuing debate between where enforcement resources should be allocated: within the city where violent crime was rising, or focused outward where reports of orc activity had people on-edge.  When they met up with Tyless Vallane in the gallery, however, he told them he hadn't written the message and wondered what duplicitous entity wanted them at the White Hall...

Cyrran Reaches: Harbingers

Monday October 28, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- After a brief conversation with the captain of the military caravan, the party contined back to Rolessi.  There, they split up and made reports about the gathering orc horde to Kael's contact at the House Vallane Adventurer's Guild, the Watch Prime, as well as Mayor Dale and Lord Magnar.  Overall their reports seemed to be believed, but questions remained...

Cyrran Reaches: Prying Away

Tuesday October 22, 2019 at 8:15pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group descended to the fleeing caravan and engaged the orcs and monstrous wolves attacking it.  They were just starting to gain the advantage when one of the orcs, apparently a druid, turned into a massive bear and toppled one of the wagons.  The group managed to fight off the bear and the remaining orcs, allowing the remaining wagon to continue toward Rolessi.

Cyrran Reaches: The Gathering Horde pt. I

Tuesday October 8, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The following morning, the group had left Igveston and was travelling toward Rolessi when they spotted smoke rising some distances to the south.  Knowing they were seeking signs of the orcs they'd been told were massing in the region, they decided to detour and investigate.

- Upon reaching the locale, they found a massive orcish encampment on the borders of the Charothi Forest, spilling onto the western Cyrran Plains some miles east of the village of Etteseph.  Among the orcs they found ogres, monstrous vultures, and signs of seige weapon construction.  Perhaps most interestingly, they found that the horde seemed to be commanded by a group of hobgoblins who themselves were lead by a human.  Using his ethereal ability, Kael entered the commander's tent and saw a dwarf there he recognized from the Magnar City Social some weeks previous.

- Having attainted this intelligence, the group left for Rolessi.  Travelling eastward across the plains, they came upon a small detachment of the Reaches Military being harassed by orcs and monstrous wolves...

Cyrran Reaches: Old Haunts

Tuesday September 24, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The party regrouped and decided they would make their way back to Rolessi.  Figuring that Igveston was on the way back to the larger city, the decided to stop in and have a drink at the Laughing Jack - and to take a look around to see if there were any further signs of disturbance there.

- They spent some time talking with Jack about recent goings on, and learned that overall things were calmer than they had been.  Taryn asked Jack about some divine "issues", Kael danced to the amateur musician playing that evening, Ravina played cards with some locals, Tyrrox met up with some old buddies from the Briglau House Guard, and Lily made her way to the Magus Academy to check in on Valthious.

- Despite the overall urgency of their present situation, the group realized they were all pretty tired (and that Kael was pretty drunk) and so decided to go ahead and stay the night in Igveston and head home in the morning.  That night, Taryn once more found himself in a dream he's been having more and more frequently - a revisiting of the afterlife...

Cyrran Reaches: Buried In Time

Monday August 26, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- While Lily and Taryn inspected the dagger they'd found in the abbot's back, Kael, Ravina, and Tyrrox descended into the catacombs.  There they found the bodies a few orcs and hobgoblins and a number of scattered bones decorated with golden runes.

- Meanwhile, Lily and Taryn heard a banging sound which they traced to a set of large double-doors that had the familiar eye-tooth symbol painted over them.  When they called out to whatever was inside, the pair received a two-word reply: "save us".

- Scouting ahead, Kael descended to the bottom of the crypt, where he found more bodies and a group of five glowing, skeletal guardians positioned near one of the far tombs that had apparently been broken open.  The whispered chant they'd been hearing seemed to be coming from these beings.

- Taryn pulled the door open.  On the other side they found a large meeting or dining hall containing dozens or hundreds more bodies, all of it shouded in a thick, ghostly mist.  The distressed spirits of the deceased seemed trapped and confused.  Taryn and Lily performed a kind of musical 'last rites' for them, and felt the ghostly presence fade from the room.

- Having decided not to engage the skeletons without their companions, Kael, Ravina, and Tyrrox made their way back into the monestery.  After some discussion, the group decided to head to a library they'd found while searching the place.  While Lily and Taryn spent some time learning about the history of the place and the saint for whom it was named, Kael, Tyrrox, and Ravina took one of the volumes recording who was interred into the catacombs and returned to them, trying to determine who might be buried in the far tomb.  As they examined the grave sites, they heard growing whispers and something scraping against the stone drawing near...

Cyrran Reaches: All Must Burn

Tuesday August 20, 2019 at 8:15pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Standing over Lily as she climbed out of the blood pool was a massive stone giant, accusing her of the evil twisting the place.  He called down magical fire upon her as well as the ghosts and bodies, banishing the corrupted spectres and sending Lily diving for cover. 

- Ravina and Kael made their way back to the courtyard to see if they could find Lily.  Taryn and Tyrrox were still upstairs in the abbot's chambers when his ghost appeared - unmoving and floating over his body slumped over his desk.  They spoke to it and it answered, but they couldn't understand it.  When it made no aggressive move, they looked at the dagger in his back, noting that it bore a symbol of Many Eyes, Many Teeth.

Back in the courtyard, Lily attempted to convince the giant that she and her friends were not responsible for the state of the place as he pressed his attacks - eventually convincing him to stop.  After a final threat, he and the two other giants that arrived began burning the blood and bodies - turning the entire courtyard into an inferno.

- Once the fire burned out and the giants left, the group discussed what they had seen and tried to piece together what happened here.  Making their way to the broken-down door leading into the catacombs beneath the monestary, Lily heard a voice echoing up from it: "The sacred ground has been broken, and now the living must return to it."

Cyrran Reaches: Mad Spirits pt. II

Tuesday August 13, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- As the voice echoed through the stone courtyard, red lightening began to arc from the floating ghost to several of the bodies, which seemingly spawned horrifically corrupted ghostly creatures which floated, oozed, and clawed their way toward them.  Taryn, Ravina, and Tyrrox headed deeper into the settlement after Kael, who was following the trail of blood.

- In the uppermost room, the group found a sigil oozing blood and burning brightly on the wall.  Its potency was so great that even looking at it was difficult and disorenting.  With some guidance from Taryn, Tyrrox was able to enter the room and smash through it - disrupting its magic but producing powerful electrical discharges and a gush of blood.

- Meanwhile, Lily found herself in a room of complete darkness with a pair of voices asking her who she was and what she wanted.  The voices spoke some form of ancient draconic and identified themselves as a "great serpent". They didn't get far in the conversation, howevern when she suddenly found herself submerged in blood.  Swimming up and out, she found herself back in the (relative) bright light of the Saint Orvusk courtyard, with a booming voice demanding answers of her...

Cyrran Reaches: Mad Spirits pt. I

Tuesday August 6, 2019 at 8:15pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group continued away from the forest up into the mountains.  As they approached the settlement, they began to discover signs of violence.  When they reached the monestary, they found it littered with bodies.

- They noticed a pool of still-liquid blood standing in the area, with streams connecting to most of the bodies in a somewhat odd fashion.  As they investigated, ghosts of some of the dead monks and townsfolk began to appear - obviously maddened.

- As the ghosts attacked, the party reacted.  Ravina was able to turn several of the ghosts, and Tyrrox managed to obliterate another's manifested form.  Kael set one of the bodies on fire, resulting in a ghost that burned with ghostly flame.  Taryn discovered that by separating a body from the pool of blood, the ghosts would calm. 

- Lily then attempted to dispel any magic on the blood, but when her spell completed, she vanished.  Also convinced the trailing pool of blood was at the root of the "problem", Kael took off into the monestary, following the "trail" to see where it led.

- Back in the courtyard, Taryn, Ravina, and Tyrrox were still dealing with a couple of lingering ghosts when they heard a booming voice from above them...

Cyrran Reaches: What Is To Come

Wednesday July 24, 2019 at 7:48am d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group resupplied and headed out of Rolessi to the woodlands to the west using Ravina's Wind Walk spell.

- The Charothi Forest is old, thick and has a very heavy canopy, so they weren't able to see much from the air.  When they caught sight of a wisp of grey smoke, the descended to investigate, finding a couple of humans breaking camp in the late morning.

- They spoke with the humans - Eddard and Frennel - for some time, and learned that they and two previous traveling companions had been attacked by orcs on their way to Velgrin.

- While they spoke, a number of fey creatures appeared - warning them of a darker threat to which the orcs are merely an overture...

Cyrran Reaches: What Looms Beyond

Wednesday July 10, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- After camping for the night, the group made it back to Rolessi.  Their plan was to see if they could find someone to implement a more permanent solution to the problem at Ver'Sheole and then find some way to move against the growing orc presense.

- Rolessi, however, seemed to be in a state of social and political turmoil.  In general, much of the populace seemed to be a little on-edge.  The PCs reports of orcs to the west had developed into all sorts of rumors, and several sudden assassinations had made many feel unsafe.  The leaders of the city were apparently engaged in heated disagreements about whether the primary focus should be on internal or external problems.

- Lily and Taryn spoke with Lady Wyrra of house Dyn'Talor about the nature of the rift they'd found in the ruined keep and the anti-magic field that was currently containing it.  She told them that her house would see what they might be able to learn and hypothesize about possible solutions, but that few would be as capable as they (the PCs) were in actually acting against the forces at work.

- The city had sent out several militia parties to investigate reports of problems in the region - and some had not returned.  After some discussion, the group decided they would head to the remote settlement of Saint Orvusk, which had been cut off from outside contact for some weeks amid reports of unusual orc activity...

Cyrran Reaches: Closed Doorways

Tuesday June 11, 2019 at 8:15pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Lily, Tyrrox, and Ravina were upstairs battling the hordes of demons rushing out of the previously-sealed room.  They were managing to keep most from escaping, but some managed to push their way through.

- Trying to stay focused, Taryn dropped the key and headed deeper into the room - trying to get closer to the rift before triggering the anti-magic effect.  He was unexpectedly pursued, however, by a pair of devils that suddenly appeared.

- Kael, meanwhile, played as though he accepted the hezrou's offer for aid in defeating the more powerful demon while he too maneuvered further into the room.

- Fighting broke out between the two most powerful demons in the room, but the most powerful demon present seemed intent only on tempting Kael - presenting him with powerful artifacts and an implicit promise of great power.  Taryn, on the other hand, was struggling against the devils to get the orb out of his pack.  Seeing Kael less harassed by enemies, he threw his pack to his friend.  Kael caught the bag, which interrupted interaction with the demon.  Within that brief moment of clarity, he pulled out the orb and shattered it.

- The resulting shockwave plunged the room into darkness as all magical and supernatural effects were extinguished.  The group hurriedly withdrew, occasionally being buffeted by demons also escaping.

- Near the surface, they reached the edge of the anti-magic effect.  Outside they found a dense magical fog and the distant sounds of battle.  As Ravina cast a Wind Walk spell to aid in their flilght from the region, they caught site of the bronze dragon, still very angry at the intrusion...

Cyrran Reaches: Who To Trust

Tuesday May 28, 2019 at 8:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- After some discussion and further study of Lily's map, the group decided to explore another possible entrance to the dungeon vaults: a secret passage that seemed to originate from another building.  After finding that route impassable, they resigned themselves to the "main" entrance and decided to rest for the night.  Passing through the streets again the next morning, they found them thick with an unnatural fog and could hear the sounds of some commotion in the distance - at least some of which was certainly the dragon. 

- The plan for the dungeon vaults was this: they would break the seal and fight off the demons just long enough for someone to get near the rift and shatter their anti-magic orb (an object they'd picked up back in the horde of the dragon they'd fought in Velgrin) - believing that rift to be the source of the "wrongness" and hoping that the anti-magic field would seal it up at least for a while.  They would then do their best to flee on foot until they escaped the magic-void area and could use spells and magical equipment to enhance their escape - hopefully avoding the dragon.  They would then return to civilization and tell others what they'd found and what they'd done, and advise them that they had no way of knowing how temporary or permanent their "solution" might be.

- The warding seal on the vaults seemed ready to give and it collapsed immediately on contact with Lily's Dispel Magic spell.  The door itself unexpectedly disintegrated, and demons began pouring out - though most seemed more interested in escape than combat.  While Lily, Tyrrox, and Ravina fought with the fleeing hordes, Kael and Taryn fought their way down to the dungeons below.  There, Taryn found himself with a familiar red key and a mental nudge toward the malfunctioning portal, and Kael was addressed by a Hezrou telling him he would need its help to destroy the Glabrezu now approaching them...

Cyrran Reaches: Secrets of the Past pt. II

Tuesday May 21, 2019 at 8:15pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Though they could still hear the pounding of the dragon above them, the group decided Lily should cast her Legend Lore spell to learn more about the place they've found themselves in.  In so doing, they learned that the deep interior of this keep was once the lair of Lochthuun, the legendary hydra, and that its death apparently tore open a rift into the lower planes which was the origin of the contaminating evil of the region.

- Deciding they needed to see what was actually going on in the dungeons below, Kael activated the ethereal ability of his armor and passed through the door.  On the other side, he found several dozen demons, a malfunctioning portal, and the abyssal rift floating above the perfectly-preserved body of a massive hydra.  The group now needs to decide what to do about the situation to prevent the situation from worsening and to keep the cult from abusing it...

Cyrran Reaches: To Go Deeper

Tuesday May 14, 2019 at 8:45pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- As the Mafka zealots launched their attack and the roaring creatured bellowed from outside, Ravina began her spell to de-petrify the goblin leader.  As the creature's warnings grew closer and more angry, the zealots retreated.  Ravina completed her spell and managed to restore the goblin chief to life, though he was not too happy to see his saviors.  As the building shook, they all moved further into the structure away from whatever was outside.

- The goblin chief stopped his aggression against the group, but insisted they part ways.  At Lily's convincing, he indicated the way toward what the goblins called the "Deep Evil" - which was down in the lower dungeons and vaults of the keep.  They made their way down, hearing the furious pounding overhead, and found a sealed door bearing an evil, pulsing rune...

Cyrran Reaches: Enemies of Enemies

Monday April 29, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group awoke to find themselves surrounded by goblins.  They were approached by one of them - Tofkag - who turned out to be the leader of one splinter of a local tribe.  In exchange for their help in de-petrifying their leader, they told the PCs they would lead them to the keep by ways that would avoid the more hostile goblin factions.  They spoke with Tofkag for some time about his tribe, the keep, and the "Deep Evil" he said dwelled beneath it.

- Making it to the keep the following day, they made their way into the ruin.  Within the CourtHall of the primary tower, they found the statue of the former leader of the goblin tribe - as well as some of the Mafka zealots Tofkag had warned them about.  The altercation was only beginning when the building was shaken by a tremendous roar from overhead...

Cyrran Reaches: Into the Curse

Saturday April 27, 2019 at 2:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- After a considerable conversation, the rest of the party managed to convince Taryn that going after the Orb was too dangerous and put the rest of their mssion in jeaopardy - though Tyrrox tended to think they could defeat the goblns.

- The group continued northward to the Navlin forest - a cool, pine-covered region leading into the foothills of the Elmhine mountains.  Inside they found the slaughter of a village of some kind of humanoid mushroom race and had a run-in with some territorial canine humanoids.  Deeper still, they found that the forest was corrupted and diseased, and they began encountering bloated, corrupted, undead, and unusually aggressve animals.

- On the far side of the forest, the group located the old elven road up into the mountains that would take them to Ver'Sheole.  As they climbed, they found evidence of several recently-used humanoid camp sites and even caught site of someone else on the road.

- Near the top, as they pressed on into the night, the group was ambushed by a goblin warband, which they managed to fight off.

 

GM's Note: This session had two pretty serious combat encounters, and I was very entertained by how much terrain factored into both of them, as well as the previous river-ambush encounter.  We also did an interesting encounter-setup-contest between the PCs and the opposing force for one of them to determine who started with the high ground and prep time.

Cyrran Reaches: Green Warren

Saturday April 13, 2019 at 3:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group fought with the goblins on the high bank and the monstrous elder water elemental that had appeared in their midst.  The tactical advantage the goblins had proved to be very effectve, and the tide of the combat didn't turn until Taryn pulled out his orb and used its powerful breath weapon.

- It was then that the sole surviving goblin in its area - a spellcaster of some apparent power - took notice.  Using a potent stunning spell, he froze Taryn, took the orb from his hands, and disappeared into the grasslands before any of the others were aware of what had happened.

- Now deprived of his second source of power, when he came to the panicked Taryn insisted that they follow the thief.  Kael quickly found that the trail suddenly vanished a few hundred feet from the site of the encounter, however.  The group interrogated one of the subdued goblins and found that the spellcaster, called Akrisk, had taken over their tribe some months ago - though he couldn't tell them much about his abilities.  After releasng him, the group tailed him back to his warren - Ravina's divination having suggested this would be the best way to recover the artifact.  There they found a large triibe inhabiting a cavernous hollow in the ground in a small, hilly region of the grasslands...

 

GM's Note: Ever since Taryn had found that Orb of Dragonkind and I ruled it had actually be held for some of ts abilities to be used, I have been mindful every time he uses it.  Sooner or later, I knew that something smart enough to recogniize its power would take interest and try to deprive him of it.  As this particular NPC spellcaster was very powerful, I knew if he saw it, he would make a play for it - and I'd given him a couple of spells that would give him a shot.  Even so, several things had to go just right for him to be able to pull it off - and I didn't expect it to actually work.  So now the players are on a little detour from their time-sensitive misson, and they're having interesting coversations about how and whether to try to get it back.

Cyrran Reaches: The Crossing

Monday April 8, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Lily had a conversation with the innkeeper Helia, giving her a few more details than they'd told most of the townsfolk.  She also asked if anyone unusual had been through town, and after talking to a local farmer, they discovered that someone matchng the description of the missing Aegus Rothan had been seen several months ago.

- Using some magic from Ravina and Kael's sense of direction, the group headed north toward the Navlin Forest and the road into the Elmhine Mountains that would lead them to the abandoned Ver'Sheole keep.  The river, however, kept pushing them further west, and they eventually decided to cross at a ford, where they found themselves ambushed by goblins...

Cyrran Reaches: Unrevealed

Tuesday April 2, 2019 at 8:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- As the group left the library, they found a young elven woman weeping at a run-down shrine originally devoted to Corellon Larethian.  As Lily engaged in conversation with her, it became increasingly clear that something was wrong with her.  The woman became increasingly agitated, and apparently reached a breaking point when an unearthly shriek came out of her.  The sound was loud enough to vibrate the surrounding structures - and attract the attention of the bebilith that had entered the Courthall.

- Lily attempted to ignite the webs the spider-demon had constructed across the street, but found that they would not burn well.  The party had just begun hacking their way through when the spider burst through the large, half-open doors of the building.  Kael fired arrows and Lily summoned a celestial creature to distract the monster as they made their escape.

- Back in town, the group rested at the inn and told the townsfolk some of what they found at the keep on the hill.  Most were troubled at the news, but few seemed surprised.  Taryn had another chat with a strange but familiar swordsman, and Lily also was visited by a strange old woman whom she later decided must have been the hag she and her friends had encountered when the first arrived in the region.  Apparently she came to tell them that orcs were massing in the western corners of the area, organized by something claiming an eye/tooth symbol...

 

GM's Note:

This game has been going for a while, and I found it very satisfying to (finally) get to bring in a hook from all the way back at the start of the campaign.  This narrative thread was so old that we've added 2 players to the group since it was on-screen.  When the PCs had spared this hag and saved her "pet" hydra, she told them she would not forget their kindness - and has now made good on that by alerting them to a growing problem they otherwise had no way of knowing about.

Cyrran Reaches: Secrets of the Past pt. I

Tuesday March 26, 2019 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Though wearing down quickly, the group continued the fight against the demons until their leader noticed the monstrous demonic spider trying to gain entry to the hall - at which point it fled and its remaining lackies went with it.

- After taking a moment to regain their strength, the party decided they would make a search of this main structure of the keep.  Its upper floors contained the bodies of quite a few dead demons, the most of which were piled before the door of a small study.  Having discovered there was someone inside, they had a brief conversation through the locked door before he vanished.  It wasn't until later that Lily realized who it was: Aulthust, the marked man.

- The group picked the lock and searched through the room, finding that the man was apparently concerned with books on elven lore and history and something pertaining to a dwarven settlement - and they learned a few tidbits from the open books they found and decided they would head to the keep's library.  There they found more info about the keep they're heading to - Ver'Sheole - and saw more evidence of Aulthust's search for information on a place called Ur'Galek...

Cyrran Reaches: Smashing The Way In

Tuesday March 19, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (2) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Unable to trace the tattooed man (suspecting he was an illusion) and aware that demons in the streets around them were closing in, they made the decision to smash their way through a window of the large, central building.

- Once in position, Tyrrox shattered the glass and metal of the window and everyone scrambled up and through it.  Though their efforts were well coordinated, they soon found themselves under attack and pressed between a gang of demons from inside the building, and the monstrous, demonic spider from outside...

Cyrran Reaches: In The Webs

Tuesday March 12, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The party gathered themselves together and made their way deeper into the keep.  They found the central building structure - likely the lord's manor and court they were seeking.  Between them and the entrance, however, was a great deal of webbing they believed was probably from the massive demonic spider Lily had seen earlier.  From the attic of a nearby tavern, they were able to get a slighly better view of the area.  They were deciding whether to go through the webs, traverse the rooftops over them, or smash their way through one of the high windows when they caught sight of someone moving in the abandoned city: a tall man with a curling tattoo of a two-headed dragon on his face...

Cyrran Reaches: Demons & Devils

Wednesday March 6, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group was continuing its struggle against the Gelugon and its Bone Devil minions when a small horde of Babau demons were alerted to the situation.  Taryn had managed to distract and anger the ice fiend - which was both good and bad.  As the Babau rushed in, the Gelugon once more blasted the entire area with a wave of frost, further wearing down the already-battered PCs and the demons alike.  The PCs collectively decided to let the mortal enemy fiends take out each other while they disengaged. 

- Unfortunately, the injured Kael found himself pinned down against one of the buildings in the street as the fight between the outsiders raged around him.  Taking aim at the Gelugon's head, fortune smiled on the desperate ranger - giving him a perfect shot that felled the devil.  As it exploded into shards of ice, the Babau horde chased after the remaining Bone Devils, leaving the PCs alone on the frozen streets...

Cyrran Reaches: Bedeviled

Tuesday February 19, 2019 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- As the group proceeded deeper into the fort, Kael found a town-square area that contained a fountain - all of it frozen over with a thick layer of ice.  The bodies of dozens of devils and other monstrous humanoid creatures littered the ground.  There was a sudden tremor and a red, electric glow "awakened" the ice devil lying in a far corner, which then summoned several more fiends to its aid.


- The group struggled to reunite and coordinate its efforts against this threat, but a building collapse resulted in something of a bottleneck in the street. Ravina was KO'd attempting to keep the creature from concentrating its attacks on the injured Kael, Lily is having some difficulty getting into position, and Tyrrox has been tied up with a pair of bone devils. The gelugon has proved itself a formidable opponent, and while the acid breath from Taryn's orb was effective, the ice devil returned in kind with a blast of frigid air...


The battle continues...

Cyrran Reaches: The Silent Keep pt. II

Tuesday January 8, 2019 at 8:15pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- After fighting off the orcs, the group stayed the night at the Darkpine Inn as local celebrities.  The next day they made their way into the pine forest and up to the sealed keep.  The forest was unnaturally dark, devoid of animal life, and host to shadowy beings that lingered just at the edge of their perception. 

- Upon arriving at the keep's walls, they found that the doors of the gate had been broken but wedged back in place, and that something had gouged abyssal words into the stone wall.  Lily was able to read the writing, but when she tried to tell Kael what it said, something began to affect her mind or perception.  Believing him to be a threat, Lily attacked Kael - stabbing him with her sword.  As the others attempted to discern what was happening and talk her down, she appeared more and more disconnected from the present situation.  An enchantment-breaking spell from Ravina eventually returned her completely to them.

- Meanwhile, Taryn had found a way into the keep.  Climbing a tree that had fallen against the wall, the group was able to easily bypass the gate and the 15' wall it was set in.  Once inside, they found the streets littered with half-completed statues of people (which they suspect may be victims of some unusual petrification effect) and the dead bodies of several devils.  The only living thing they encountered was a senile old woman who didn't seem to know much about what was going on.

- After the old woman wandered off, the group decided to press further in, searching for the lord's manor...

Cyrran Reaches: Village Beset pt. III

Monday December 17, 2018 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The party continued to engage them undead leaders as the orc horde descended upon the village.  Some well-placed blows, a summoning spell, entangling vegetation, and a breath weapon kept the raiders from reaching the town and sent them fleeing back into the wilderness.

- After the battle, Taryn once again noticed a strange flash in the dragon orb he had been carrying - it was accompanied this time by a voice and a summons.  What he found when he answered was a sort of meeting place for the current owners of the orbs - though this was not at all to say they were "friends".

- One of the villagers did give them a bit more info about the keep - but mostly they weren't sure what was going on.  The keep had suddenly ceased opening its gates and no human sounds are heard coming from within.  The darkness that has settled upon the pine forest has kept most of the villagers away from it.

Cyrran Reaches: Village Beset pt. II

Thursday December 13, 2018 at 9:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- As the party continued more earnestly engaged the raiders, they found the two lead orcs to be a considerable challenge.  By the time the rest of the band was reaching the village, only one of the wolves had been killed.  Lily sent a sonic bolt through the remaining wolf and its orc rider.  The stroke felled the latter, but then that a strange, red static seemed to pull it back up from the ground, it's eyes glowing bright as arcs of brilliant red electricity shot between the tall spires of the keep on the hill behind them...

Cyrran Reaches: Village Beset pt. I

Tuesday December 4, 2018 at 8:15pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- The group was talking a bit more with the locals - trying to get a feel for the village and whatever is going on there - when they suddenly found themselves under attack by some raiding orcs from the plains to the west, and by shadows from the pine forest at the edge of town...

Cyrran Reaches: The Silent Keep pt. I

Tuesday November 27, 2018 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Having discussed their next move, the party made plans to seek out the keep called Ver'Sheole: if Many Eyes, Many Teeth had interest in the location, they wanted to reach it before the cult did.

- They consulted with Tyless Vallane again about what the House Vallane Adventurers' Guild knew about Ver'Sheole, which, unfortunately, wasn't much.  It was an elven keep located in a pass up in the Elmhine Mountains that has long been abandoned.  An old "road" leading up and out of the Navlin Forest should take you to the keep if you can find it. 

- Tyless was a bit more help in planning their route, however, knowing more about the Reaches than any in the party.  He told them the fastest way would likely be to go north through the town of Blosam and then east to the Navlin Forest and the mountains, but, he said, if they took a slightly longer route through Fort Kelsguard, they might be able to find useful information in its library.  Feeling like they might need more info to find the place, they opted for the latter option.

- On the way to Kelsguard, the party found the remains of a wagon and the bodies of two men apparently attacked by orcs.  Tyrrox happened to notice a letter among the tattered clothing of one of the men - it was addressed to the constable at Rolessi and detailed a call for help from Fort Kelsguard, saying that the keep had cut itself off from the village outside and that they suspected their paranoid ruler had finally gone mad.

- They arrived at the village of Kelsguard just after dusk and made their way to the only establishment that seemed to contain any activity - a reasonably-sized inn called Darkpine run by a somewhat cantankerous woman by the name of Helia Twill.  Lily did a good job of presenting the party to the suspicious strangers in the best possible light, but while Helia did tell them that something was certainly wrong, she refused to go into any detail.  Instead, she told them that if they wanted to find out what was going on, they needed to go to the keep and look for themselves...

Cyrran Reaches: The Social Scene pt. III

Monday November 19, 2018 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
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Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Tyrrox brought the nearly-unconscious Eliot Jaand to the watch-captain Wencia, who was sure that he'd been drugged.  She asked Tyrrox some questions about the situation and was alarmed at the mention of demons.

- Taryn caught up with the woman in the purple dress talking in an alcove with a dwarf.  He heard parts of their conversation, including mention of Malefes, some sort of deal, and an elven keep in the eastern mountains called Ver'Sheole.  Tyless Vallane later brought up this name again, and wondered if it was another designation for the same keep Taryn had been researching.

- Lilly spoke to Lord Magnar about the magical mark on the floor of the hall, which turned out to be the symbol of Many Eyes, Many Teeth.  She suspected a woman in a yellow dress as the source of the mark, and was able to learn that she seemed to be connected to lesser-noble house of Nevarg.

- Fredrick Thullus of the Reaches Arms approached Taryn, Tyrrox, and Kebrand Brightwinter about some help the House Vallane Adventurers' Guild could be to him.  Apparently a contact of his at House Briglau in Igveston had news of increased orc activity and an intentional rock-slide bearing the eye-tooth mark.

Cyrran Reaches: The Social Scene pt. II

Tuesday November 13, 2018 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- As Lily was beginning her performance, Taryn found his way into the library where he spotted a woman in a dark purple dress apparently stealing a book from the library.  He did his best to apprehend her, but some confusion with the guards and some subtle magic allowed her to slip away and he lost her in the crowds outside.

- Lily noticed some unusual activity from the stage involving a woman in a bright yellow dress, who was apparently leaving the party as she was finishing her set with Julius Nevarg.  As they neared the exist, she saw a young woman in a dark purple dress approach and hand her something.  She also saw Taryn apparently searching urgently for someone or something - and he was a cloaked in shadow, meaning he had activated one of his more potent magic items.

- Meanwhile, a fight broke out near Tyrrox between a dwarf and a drunk, and he spotted two men escorting an apparently-drunk guardsman out of the hall.  When he approached he was able to see the that guard was more dazed than drunk and so intervened.  The two men made it into the hall outside before Tyrrox caught up with them and, when pressed, revealed themselves to be quasits and flew away - causing a small amount of commotion with the nearby guards.

- After spotting some strange marks appearing on the floor, Kael - who'd previously been enjoying the evening with Gella Barens (a young noblewoman he'd met in Igveston) - began to get a hunch that something was wrong.  He met up with Lily as they approached the Balcony where Taryn was scanning the room for his quarry...

Cyrran Reaches: The Social Scene pt. I

Monday October 29, 2018 at 8:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

New Character:

[Keara] Ravina - Dwarven cleric of Moradin

Highlights:

- Six months after the attack at the Festival of Thorns, the PCs find themselves invited to the Magnar City Social - a yearly gathering of the nobility and honored guests - for their efforts in stopping the rampaging beast and the subsequent investigations into the activity of the cult known as Many Eyes, Many Teeth.

- Lily and Tyrrox were greeted as local celebrities, Ravina chatted about her home city with a dwarven jeweler called Pierless Gray, Kael ran into an old friend, and Taryn spoke with some of Dyn'Talor's court, a man concerned with Magnar's defense of the city, and Tyless Vallane, who told him a particular book Taryn was looking for might be found in the Magnars' library.

Cyrran Reaches: The Head Of The Beast

Saturday May 2, 2015 at 8:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (1) »
 Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 
Dungeons & Dragons artwork © Wizards of the Coast 

- Several groups of NPCs present managed to hold off the demon hordes long enough for the group to engage and defeat the massive, half-demon hydra and close the portal in an epic battle.  Taryn was slain in the fighting, however, and the number of other casualities is as yet unknown.

End Chapter Two

Cyrran Reaches: Many Eyes, Many Teeth

Monday April 20, 2015 at 7:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (1) »

- While the group was still investigating the safehouse they'd found, a local street gang arrived and attempted to give them some trouble.  They failed.

- The group learned from the gang's leader that a man called Dralt seemed to be behind a few recent incidents.  Dralt told his gang to "take care of" anyone messing with this house.

- The group returned to the main part of the city and met with Respina, the Watch Prime.  During the conversation, the group Many Eyes, Many Teeth came up.  The Watch was aware of a gang that used that symbol (and that they'd been responsible for some festival vandalism in previous years), but didn't know anything that made this group any different than any other group of troublemakers.

- The next day, the final processions began with Tyrrox playing the part of Cyrus Thorn (an honor he'd won by winning the tournament).  Lily found Gable Magnar at a table with Phicious Vallane and, having finally cornered him, found out a bit about his previous association with Many Eyes, Many Teeth.

- They were still talking when "Cyrus" and the illusory hydra representing Lockthuun arrived in the town circle.  People were beginning to crowd the area, anxiously anticipating the final drama and the banquet to follow.  When the hydra reached the top of the hill, however, it winked out of existence.  There, a gate opened and out came a massive, demonic hyda - all too real.

Cyrran Reaches: Gone Sour

Friday April 17, 2015 at 7:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The group spent the evening partying and celebrating the victory, though Lily left a bit earlier than the others.

- The second day of the festival was a massive collection of street parties characterized by large amounts of inexpensive food and drink and accented by flashy illusions.

- During the festivities, the group noticed certain individuals contaminating the drinks of the party-goers.  These seemed to coincide with unexplained bursts of anger and street brawls.  The helped to break up the disturbances and relayed what they knew to the Watch.

- The group pursued a couple of the perpetrators, but failed to capture any.  They did discover a chest and magic circle in a condemned building in the northwest area of town.

Cyrran Reaches: Hail the Champion

Friday March 20, 2015 at 7:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The Festival of Thorns began.  As the first day progressed, the street party became more and more active, but the main attraction was the Knight of Rolessi tournament held that evening.

- Tyrrox entered the tournament, which was an officiated series of duels that were more and more augmented by magical/illusory "special effects" as the rounds progressed.  Tyrrox won the tournament, defeating a local half-orc bouncer by a narrow magrin.  Due to his victory, he is to play the part of Cyrus Thorn in the upcoming reinactment on the third evening.

- The rest of the party spent most of the day relaxing and enjoying the festival.

Cyrran Reaches: Follow Up

Friday February 27, 2015 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Lily and Tyrrox went to meet with high priestess Heldrith Gedra about recent events and to ask about the Marked Man (whom they'd learned had met with her).  She told them that he'd been asking about the nature of 'godhood', specifically how gods ascend and/or fall from godhood.

- Taryn and Kael went to the Black Bottle & talked to a card shark about the fight (which had involved the Marked Man) that had happened a few months previous.

- The party learned from Phicious Vallane that, if they wanted to talke to Gable Magnar (a "black sheep" of House Magnar whom they believe may have had connections to the Marked Man and/or Many Eyes, Many Teeth), their best bet would be at the banquet held on the last night of the Festival of Thorns.

Cyrran Reaches: Following Leads

Friday February 13, 2015 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The group fought off the wyverns and met a man called Xerxes Palias, who was apparently a griffin-rider associated with Rolessi's forces.  He invited them back to a place called the Armsyard, which was something like a permanent army encampment / training ground outside the city.

- The group met Anthaan Vallane and Silas Wilhelm there, and the group talked about recent issues and current concerns.

- The party then continued into Rolessi.  They met up with Ubrus Marc at the Temple of the Golden Sun.  He hadn't seen the Marked Man, but his "friend" at the temple said he'd come to discuss some theological issues a few months back.  The party also spoke to the Watch and learned that the Marked Man had been involved in a nasty fight at the Black Bottle, which resulted in three deaths.

- Kael visited the House Vallane Adventurers' Guild and has decided to join it.

Cyrran Reaches: Scavengers & Predators

Monday February 9, 2015 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (2) »

- Feeling the time had come to follow their leads toward Rolessi, the group finished up with their immediate concerns in Igveston and set out, leaving some advice to a few in the now politically-unstable settlement.

- They had been following the road south into the night when they came upon a two-headed giant sifting through the remains of what was probably a caravan.  They had a brief encounter with its "piggy", and ultimately circumvented the scene rejoining the road further south.

- The party continued travel for another day and a half when they came upon an injured griffon-rider trying to fight off a small group of wyverns...

Cyrran Reaches: Unravelling Loose Ends

Saturday January 24, 2015 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- After pursuing a couple of individual goals, the party decided to return to Nephrim Keep the following evening, looking for the old man they'd met previously.  They didn't find him, but they did find a black cat that turned out to be one of the bird people.  She told them that House Meric had instructed her associates to kill all members of House Xerus.  Taryn had reason to suspect that they might not all be dead, and the bird woman suggested that perhaps her sister had used "the artifact" to transport them to another plane instead.  The party has no particular way to determine where that may have been, however.

- The next day, the group rescued a very intoxicated but alive William Xerus from the dungeons below the burned-out estate - doing so invisibly so as not to attract attention.  He was brought to House Dyn'Talor at the Academy as well.  After pastries.

- Feeling pressed for time on other fronts, the party decided to leave Igveston in a couple of days.

- Tyrrox was asked to help rebuild morale at House Briglau after the werewolf attack had resulted in the deaths of several important figures.  He was later honored with a give from the founder's armory.

- Taryn had a somewhat awkward reuinion with Celia at The Corner House - a dining establishment for very private meetings.  She continued to try to convince him to stay in Igveston and became fairly upset, but ultimately resigned to his departure and attempted to enjoy the evening.

- Lily was asked to perform at The Silver Stag (a social club of the nobility of Igveston).  She managed to convince the performers' liason that she had very limited time, and he made some drastic cuts in the schedule to fit her in the following night.  Lily performed amazingly well, and her fame in the city continues to grow.

Cyrran Reaches: Up In Flames

Saturday January 10, 2015 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Lily and Tyrrox talk with Valthious who tells them of the difficulties in curing lycanthropy.  While they're talking, a bell begins ringing and they go to investigate, seeing many of the guards heading back to House Briglau.  They get there in time to stop a wounded werewolf from escaping from the estate - suspecting that it may be guard who was previously feverish.

- Kael and Taryn are with Miala Xerus at her estate, and find that it is on fire and crawling with fire elementals and assassins - one of which was a humaniod bird of some kind.  As the three tried to escape the burning keep, the bird-woman managed to stab Miala in the back.  There was a green flash and she burst into flames, leaving behind only a few ashes.  After this happened, the attackers began to disperse, leaving the keep in flames.

- The party reassembled and discussed what to do next.  Valthious is concerned about the political turmoil these recent events will cause.  He suggests keeping Tievain's wereabouts and the existance of William a secret.  Kael seeks vengeance, and Taryn seems inclined to agree. Lily and Tyrrox however, are still keen to follow the tenuous lead on the "marked man" that they recently discovered.

Cyrran Reaches: The Curse

Friday December 19, 2014 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The party arrived in Igveston, where they were greated by Alphast awaiting his report on the mine, as well as some of the House Briglau guards were informed Tyrrox that the captain needed his help.  Tyrrox and Lily went with the guards, Taryn and Kael went with Alphast.

- Taryn and Kael reported what they knew of the mine, and enjoyed some hospitality at House Alphast

- Tyrrox and Lily learned of some problems at Nephrim Keep and some strange attacks elsewhere in the city - some creature which they were to hunt down.

- As the evening wound down at House Alphast, Miala Xerus interrupted and requested the presence of Taryn and Kael.  Once at their estate, she told them that Lord Tievain had been missing.

- While investigating, Lily and Tyrrox were attacked by a beast, which Lily recognized as a werewolf.  They eventually brought it down, and, realizing it was a "person", Lily suggested they take it to the Academy (which was nearby) to see about restoring it.

- At House Xerus, Taryn and Kael investigate a wrecked room where Tievain was last known to be.  When the absence of signs of struggle prompted Kael to suggest that perhaps Tievain became something, Miala told them of the house's lycanthropic curse.

- Miala, Taryn and Kael were in the dungeons talking about William (who'd been comfortably confined there for his and others' protection).  When the were heading back up, they found the house on fire...

Cyrran Reaches: What's Ours Is Mine

Friday November 14, 2014 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- As the group surveyed the mine full of troglodytes, they encountered another trog hunting party returning to the caves.  There was a brief skirmish during which one of the trogs yelled to the others that they were under attack.

- A dominant troglodyte figure appeared at the mine entrance telling whoever was out in the woods to leave or be hunted down and devoured by his tribe.

- There was brief, shouting exchange of questions between the party and the troglodypes, during which the tribe came under attack by a giant, black worm-like creature.

- The party decided to assist in killing the beast to aid in parlaying with the trogs.

- After killing the worm, a brief conversation ensued (mostly with a shaman of the tribe called Mikka).  The trogs had been lead to the area by the dragon Mishveera and, while they weren't particuarly thrilled about it, they weren't in a position to make the long journey back to their homelands (even if they wanted to).

- The group told them of human interest in the mine and suggested some future bargain could be made, but got no commitment from the trogs who still seemed decidedly unfriendly if not outright hostile.

- The party decided to return to Igveston.

Cyrran Reaches: Scouting Party

Monday November 3, 2014 at 7:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Paks arrives in Velgrin and meets up with the rest of the party

- The group ties up loose ends in the village and then heads north through the dense, swampy forest toward the site of the mine Reynold Alphast had tasked Taryn with investigating.

- A few miles from the mine, they are attacked by a small troglodyte hunting/ambush party; the group fights them off without too much trouble.  Lily spots one running away into the marsh.

- The party arrives at the mine and, from a distance, is able to see that it is now inhabited by an entire tribe of troglodytes.

Cyrran Reaches: Fortune and Glory

Sunday October 19, 2014 at 3:08pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (2) »

- The party reunited in Velgrin, each glad to see the others were still alive.

- Lily organized a grand performance of the tale of their defeat of the dragon Mishveerra.

- The group examined the treasured they'd recovered from the dragon's hoard

Cyrran Reaches: From The Depths

Monday October 13, 2014 at 7:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Taryn, Kael and Tyrrox were confronted by the leader of a tribe of some sort of amphibious creatures who seemed unhappy with their presence.  The group agreed never to return if the creatures assisted them in returning to the surface, though that meant leaving some of the treasure behind.

- From the caverns, Lily found her way into the buried ruin of an ancient elven city.  There she was confronted with some bitter elvish ghosts.  Lily was able to talk her way out of any hostilities and told them of some recent events.  Nearby, she met up with Voru - the great cat they had seen previously - who guided her out of the caverns by way of passages beneath the lake, and into the Charothi Forest to the south.

- On the shore of Lake Eire, Paks met up with Orvia and her force who were pursuing the kobolds, driving them away from the elvin settlement.  She cast some blessings upon them and opted to wait at the shore that they may all return to the village once their work was done.  When nightfall came, however, they still had not returned...

Cyrran Reaches: Green Eye pt. III

Friday October 3, 2014 at 7:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (2) »

- Having fended off the kobolds, the party took some time to catch their breath and plotted to confront Mishveerra.  Working with a druid and a cleric of the village, they made preparations the following morning to descend to the dragon's lair beneath the island.

- On their way into the depths, they encountered a giant eel-like creature which offered information in exchange for a strong magical item.  The party gave it a magical dagger (the one that had been used to kill Elivius Morran) and it warned them of a "dark power" possessed by the human who was with the dragon.

- When they arrived at the bubble that encompassed the lair, they witnessed a gate opening to one of the lower planes and several vrocks came through.  As they engaged the vrocks, the dragon attacked them from behind.

- Taryn decided now was the time to use his orb, and successfully dominated the dragon, directing it to enter the portal.  When it crossed to the other side, however, his control over it was broken.  She called back through to a man called Lurathi.  The two agreed to some sort of deal, and the man appeared, shattering a black sphere on the ground just as Mishveerra leapt back through the portal.

- When it broke, the black sphere sent out a shockwave which created a massive anti-magic field.

- As Taryn, Tyrrox and Kael engaged the dragon - now all stripped of any magical or supernatural abilities - Lily chased after Lurathi, who left the bubble and began to swim.  She wasn't sure how she did it, but she swam for a great distance, eventually catching up with and killing him in a cavern above the submerged ruins.

- The group just managed to kill Mishveerra, but they are now trapped beneath the lake with no magical aid.  Curiously, the clearly supernatural bubble that they occupy has not collapsed, and is only very slowly leaking...

Cyrran Reaches: Under Seige

Friday September 19, 2014 at 7:30pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

New Character:

[Steve] Paks - Human Cleric of Pelor

Highlights:

- The party fought off kobolds while Mishveerra stalked Kael

- The dragon caught and attacked Kael, but by way of some considerably luck, he survived while the dragon believed him to be dead.

- Taryn had a brief altercation with the bard in the dragon's lair before swimming out to rejoin the others - with the dragon's crystal ball.

Cyrran Reaches: Green Eye pt. II

Monday September 8, 2014 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (2) »

- The party talked with the people of Velgrin, trying to convince them to act against the dragon now that it was wounded.  Some seemed to agree, others seemed to think it was too risky.

- Meanwhile, the dragon, knowing Taryn was a cleric, was demanding he heal her - suggesting that he owed her for sparing his life.  After some stalling, Taryn did what he could, but when he was unable to repair her eye, she left in a rage.

- The party was preparing the town for an offense against the dragon when she suddenly arrived, demanding the town turn over the "hunter" that had shot her eye.  About that time, another scout came running into the gathering circle, reporting that the kobold tribe was, once again, launching an attack against the settlement.

Cyrran Reaches: Captive

Saturday August 30, 2014 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Not wanting to abandon the town, the party discussed what they could do about the dragon.  It seemed unwise to confront it directly.  They considered trying to convince it to leave - perhaps with tales of the treasures they had been seeking themselves.

- The party spent the next day looking around the town.  Unfortunately, spending so much time in the town, coupled with some particular things Taryn happened to say out loud gave away a certain secret.  They had just met a girl called Sedine at a place in the village called the Well of Shadows when the dragon crashed through the canopy and demanded the artifact from Taryn.

- The encounter started with some uncertainty, but, seeing few other options with respect to protecting his companions, Tyrrox began attacking the beast.

- Mishveerra - the dragon - largely ignored all of the PCs except Taryn until a Kael put an arrow through her eye.  Worn down, and now significantly injured, the creature decided the advantage was, surprisingly, no longer hers and remaining was a significant risk.  She had pinned her quarry to the ground, and so simply took the the air with her prisoner, and soon was out of sight.

- Mishveera dove back into the lake, and swam to her lair beneath the elven village.  When Taryn awoke there, he found himself in an air pocket within a large, ruined building with the dragon and two others: a sly-looking human musician, and a stern, elderly elven woman.

Cyrran Reaches: Green Eye pt. I

Saturday August 2, 2014 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The party left the city of Igveston, heading to the elven settlement Velgrin which is located on a lake bordering the Charothi Forest.

- In the forest, encountered a kobold hunting party which had partially trapped a large feline.  Defeated the kobolds and freed the cat, which lead them to a kobold encampment on the lake shore.  Bypassed encampment, group was able to activate the "way" to the elven village - a path which rose from the water

- Settlement showed signs of recent damage, and many of the townsfolk seemed nervous or wary.  The group learned from a young priested named Sedine that only recently an odd, combined force of kobolds and troglodytes had attacked the village.  The elves were overwhelmed, but were saved in the end by a huge green dragon - who has since all but declared herself ruler of the settlement.

- The dragon soon came looking for the party, demanded they present themselves to her, and proceeded to interrogate them as to who they were, where they came from, what they were doing, etc.  The party told her they were looking for Kael's father (which wasn't untrue...).  The dragon told them they were permitted to remain in the village "for now"...

Cyrran Reaches: Refuse

Saturday July 12, 2014 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Kael found his wolf and a treent (who turned out to be a dwarven druid) fighting cultists in the Banshee's Wood.

- The group met an old, poor man claiming to own Nephrim's estate living in the sewers underneath the keep.  The party agreed to, at least mention the case to the local magistrates.

- Once confident the city has itself in order, the group plans to leave Igveston.

Cyrran Reaches: Almost

Monday June 30, 2014 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Taryn tried to salvage his date at Hilleston Hall, but was unsuccessful as he was called away.

- Lily exhausted herself fighting rogues and an illusory dragon at Nephrim Keep, holding them off just long enough for Taryn to arrive.

- Tyrrox patroled the Common Quarter for more basilisks, and rejoined the other two as they investigated a concealed passageway beneath the abandoned keep.

Cyrran Reaches: Rocks

Friday June 13, 2014 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- party talked, spent a couple of days pursuing individual angles

- Taryn made preparations and took Celia Rynowen to the Hilleston Ball (as they had agreed).  Toward the end of the night, Taryn gets stabbed by the vengeful doppleganger that had taken her place.

- Tyrrox and Kael are accosted by the House Briglau guard as they needed assistance.  Found portion of common quarter that was too quiet and full of statues.  Encountered a feindish basilisk and evidence that it may have been summoned by the ritual of a few imps.

- Lily totally rocks the house at the Laughing Jack and makes money before she, too, was found by the Briglau guards whereupon she went to investigate some commotion at the Nephrim Keep.

Cyrran Reaches: Putting Pieces Together

Friday May 30, 2014 at 8:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The party regroups.

- Lily assists with rebuilding the civic district and pursues mysteries surrounding Many Eyes, Many Teeth and the marked man - which she learns is called Aulthust.

- Tyrrox assists House Briglau with training and bolstering their militia - which is now the main military presence in the city.  His efforts result in the Caprinae, a sort of brotherhood within the house militia.

- Taryn boosts morale and his pockets, and impresses some locals.

- Kael unwinds and makes a "friend".

- The party talks to Celia - a psychometrist - about the unusual crossbow bolt that was shot at Tyrrox back in Ettaseph.  They find out that it was owned by a man called Maff, who seems to be connected to Many Eyes, Many Teeth as well as a group of bandits.

Cyrran Reaches: The Devil You Know

Friday December 13, 2013 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The group decided to make their way up to the place where they believed the current head of the Academy was being held.  When they found her, she suggested they should follow her to where Jekri had gone - to retrieve some kind of artifact that would help him use the Arch.

- The party decide instead to try to find the power source of the machinery, which now seemed to be operating out of control.  They found what would have been the power source swarming with Formians, which seemed to be colonizing the upper levels of the Academy.  A massive gear portruded from some sort of portal, but it didn't seem to be driving the machinery as much as the machinery was now pushing against it.

- Deducing that the machinery was now powering itself, they followed it back down to the Arch itself, where they found Jekri, the headmistress, and quite a few devils.  The arch seemed to be partially powered, but Jekri clearly wasn't happy with its progress.

- The party shattered a kind of spiritual energy repository which was a part of the machinery as the devils and Jekri began to engage them.  The portal deactivated and a massive and maddeningly deformed skeleton crashed through the wall of the Academy, collapsing around it.

- Seeing that his plan had failed, Jekri fled the Academy.  Reinforcements from House Briglau arrived.

- The next couple of days were spent doing cleanup on the city from the aftermath of these events.  Both the Academy and the Hall of Three were significantly damaged, and lost a number of notable leaders.

- Following, the party were guests of honor at a party held by Miala Xerus.  The noble houses seem to be gaining prominence in the city.

End Chapter One

Cyrran Reaches: The Devil's Nest pt. III

Saturday November 16, 2013 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The party left Jekri's presence and had a brief meeting.  While bringing others to "inspect" the premisis might be a good idea, they felt the situation was more urgent that that course of action (alone) suggested.

- The party decided to search for a person called Vex, who supposedly knew where to find a man called Valthious who was imprisoned.

- The group caught site of a person matching Vex's unusual description outside some sort of devilish counting house.

- Vex told them Valthious was being "kept" in a library of one of the other academy towers.

- The party found their way to said library, where they found a large book with a carved resting place for a bronze key...

Cyrran Reaches: Machinations

Friday November 1, 2013 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

Guest Player:

[Brandon] Jekri - villain

Highlights:

- Deciding the machinery they saw was attempting to activate or power the Arch, they decided to try to hunt down its own power source.  After a brief altercation with a formian taskmaster and its servitors, the group began ascending the tower, following the machinery.

- The party encountered several more unusual rooms where mortals were engaging in a variety of distorted behaviors, carefully watched by devils.

- Eventually, the party found themselves in a great hall-like room several floors up.  It was populated with a number of well-dressed mortals, but no devils were seen.  The hosts of the room flattered and begged the party to stay and socialze with them.  Kael and Taryn seemed particularly persuaded, Kael by a man lauding his obvious leadership, and Taryn by a beautiful young woman who desired his company.  In the end, it was Lily that all by dragged the others from the room.

- It was on the 15th floor that Taryn happened upon an ice devil standing guard outside a significant-looking room.  He was accompanied by Jekri.

- Around this time, Lily had met a mephit who gave to her a key, asking her to "rescue" a professor by the name of Valthious.  It mentioned that a person(?) called "Vex" would know where to find him.

- The group parlayed with Jekri for several minutes - at a safe distance of about 70 feet.  Jekri told them he had no interested in Igveston itself, but that the Academy was rightfully his.  He also promised them his activities would not affect the surrounding city, and that, if they truly could not be persuaded otherwise, they could bring a small contigent in to "inspect".  Tomorrow.

Cyrran Reaches: The Devil's Nest pt. II

Friday October 18, 2013 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- as the angel, called Ceria, had burst in, the meeting erupted with outbursts, which continued until a new figure appeared - some kind of fiend called 'Lavarent' - operating as an ambassador for Jekri.

- Ceria's cohorts began to assault the newcomer once his nature was revealed, but Miala demanded Taryn and the others stop it - which they managed to do, after a fashion.  The fiend did little more besides warn those present that any attempt to interfere would be met with resistance.  This did little to shake Ceria's resolve.

- At this point, the meeting began to fracture.  Rothan, seeing little more he could do, departed after being confronted by Tyrrox.  Reynold and Miala were still unhappy about the interlopers, but recognized they could do little.  The PCs seemed inclined to, if not join the angel, at least operate in tandem.

- The angel informed them that she and her forces planned to march on the pit immediately.  The party then decided to try to find their way into the academy from the underground.

- Ona called for volunteers at the Hall of Three to aid in the assault on the pit.  It so happened the Batu, after being instructed to deliver a letter to the Hall, had managed to secure a room there for the night.  Upon hearing the summons, he eagerly joined the cause to show his strength.  

- Sensing some cunning in him, Ona discussed their strategy and the two decided a flanking maneuver would be most beneficial.  Since Ceria and her forces were drawing most of the attention, Ona, Batu and their guard managed to scale to the bottom of the pit from the opposite side - where they encountered the barbed lord devil the party had previously encountered.  He was standing near two, twisted bronze columns which had some sort of metal clamps fastened to them, with ropes trailing into some sort of mirror-like object.

- The party managed to break into the Academy from below.  Inside they found that it had been completely infested with devils who seemed to have forced or enticed the mortals within to engage in all manner of unseemly behavior.  In the main hallways, the encountered massive, infernal machinery into which some unlucky mortals had already been grafted.  Beyond it, in a large open chamber, they could see the Galdzuri arch, a golden-purple aura pulsing around it...

Cyrran Reaches: The Precipice

Saturday September 21, 2013 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

Guest Character:

[Kevin] Batu - Sylvan Elf Barbarian

Highlights:

- The party spent some time discussing what to do with Morran's body.  They quickly decided they wanted to use 'speak with dead' to try to learn more, but they were considering certain logistics.

- The group ultimately decided they wanted to use the spell in the presence of the Hall of Three as well as some of the local nobles in an effort to unify them against whatever was going on.

- After some doing, they convinced Miala Xerus to arrange for a midnight council meeting.

- The party asked Morran about what was going on at the academy and what it could mean if the devils' efforts were successful.  Most of this was stuff that the party had already learned, but they wanted the others to be able to hear it straight from Morran.

- While they were still talking, representatives from House Briglau burst in, lead by a wild and angelic figure - saying that if the local law would not cast out the devils, they would take matters into their own hands.

- Aside: An elf called Batu (Kevin) arrives in town, only to find the gates closed.  He has a brief altercation with a racist bartender and meets up with a dwarven cleric.

 

Next Session Theory: Friday, Oct 18th.

Cyrran Reaches: Cloaks

Saturday September 7, 2013 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The party heard some hell hounds approaching and decided to split up and make their way back to the Laughing Jack

- Kael went to the temple to speak with Ona Macrath about what was going on in the Undercity (but not about Morran in particular).  On the way there, he met a young woman who seemed interested in him.

- After discovering where Kael was staying, the woman - actually a doppleganger - took on Kael's form and went back to the Laughing Jack, where it killed Elivius Morran.  Before it could escape, however, the party caught up and killed it as it fled.

Cyrran Reaches: Wayward

Saturday August 17, 2013 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Tyrrox finished his community service and returned to the Hall of Three to retrieve his weapons that were being held.  Upon arriving, he was challenged to a duel by Aegus Rothan, one of the more militant priests of the hall.  After the fight, Tyrrox was invited to eat and drink with the hall soldiers.  During the conversations, Rothan mentioned that he'd encountered an ibixian before - a man he called Kiveg, who was supposedly Tyrrox's uncle.

- When the group reassembled, Taryn told them he'd had a dream about Morran in the undercity and thought he knew where to go - a place called The Junk Room.

- Kael helped the group find the market that was near the place.  When they arrived, they found the proprietor, and old woman, being harrased by a few armed thugs.  Taryn managed to talk them down.

- The group found out from the woman that Morran had come to talk to her, and that he wanted some help healing a kind of magical wound.  She didn't seem happy about the visit.

- Kael decided to see if he could find out where the thugs went.  The group caught up with them near their hideout in the Undercity, and a fight ensued.  After defeating the thugs, they found a familiar tattoo on their foes, and someone in an old cloak and fine robes tied up inside.

Cyrran Reaches: Regrouping

Friday August 9, 2013 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The group shut themselves in the tavern, hoping they weren't seen by the hell hounds and bearded devils running by outside.  In the back room, they found a crevince in the earth behind the loose wall paneling.  They began to tear off the boards and squeeze through the narrow passage when one of the bearded devils burst into the building.

- They managed to fight off the devil and escape into a vacant alleyway and head back to the nicer section of town.

- The group went to the Hall of Three and spoke with Ona Macrath about the devil incursion.  She says it will take a few days to prepare to march on the invaders.

- The group then dispersed.  Lily wanted to study some about an ancient arch Ona had mentioned, Taryn decided to try to divine a course of action, Kael decided to return to the Undercity to gather more information about the devils, and Tyrrox still needed to finish his "community service".

- They met with Ona the next afternoon, and she told them that there were some in the hall that were a little less hurried to engage the devil forces - so there may be delay as powers-that-be decide on an "appropriate" course of action.

Cyrran Reaches: The Devil's Nest pt. I

Saturday July 20, 2013 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

New Character:

[Tim] Kael - Half-Elf Ranger

Highlights:

- The group catch sight of one of the men they'd overheard heading back to the Civic district.  They followed him back to the Knight's Chamber, but didn't directly talk to him.

- The following day, the group encountered him talking to one of the local nobles, and they spent some time chatting with an elderly man of House Alphast.

- The group decided to return to the Undercity in search of information.  They end up in a small hole-in-the-wall tavern, but find the patrons dispondent.  They were still trying to get them to talk when they were attacked by a pair of imps and their lemure minions.

- Taryn had taken the bartender outside for some fresh air, and happened upon a giant hole in the middle of the undercity - filled with devils and enslaved commoners.  The two hurried back to the tavern, but not before raising the alarm in the pit.  Back at the tavern, they were met by Kael, an old acquaintence of Taryn's - just before they heard the baying of approaching hounds...

Cyrran Reaches: Secrets and Rumours

Saturday June 1, 2013 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The party met with Miala Xerus, who paid them some gold up front and offered a bounty on any particularly relevant information they could uncover.  She wants to know what is going on in the city. 

- Miala has heard some interesting rumours - including that Morran was seen heading into the poor quarter and that the Hall of Three might have set up the bombing on their temple themselves.

- The group is to perform for house Xerus in 7 days - and deliever their news to Miala.

- After meeting with Miala, the party decides to start by heading to the poor quarter to see if they can get some trace of the schoolmaster.  They ended up at a run-down "inn" in the poor quarter called "Rest for the Weary"

- Lily overheard a meeting between two locals and someone from out of town mentioning Devric

Cyrran Reaches: Lingering Spectres Pt. II

Saturday May 11, 2013 at 6:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- After hearing the Hall guard was entering the premesis, Devric ran out of the room downstairs; Lily and Tyrrox followed him.

- Taryn lingered behind long enough to encounter the ghost they'd previously seen.  They had a brief conversation about the now-departing intruders, and it seemed to go well until Taryn mentioned a woman he'd seen in a painting downstairs.  This upset the ghost terribly and caused it to wail uncontrollably.

- Downstairs, Devric used some sort of potion to activate the arcane circle, and images of rocky prominences jutting up from a fetid sea began to take shape in the mists above the floor, eventually revealing a massive hydra and a pair of disembodied voices.  The barrier between the worlds seemed to weaken, and water began pouring onto the manor floor - along with several small demons.

- Meanwhile, the Hall guard arrived outside and were busy attempting to cross the courtyard while the keep's guardian seemed disinclined to allow them.

- Taryn caught up with the others downstairs in time to be mutated by corruptive energies which were now pouring from the circle.  Lily tried to convince Devric to end the ritual, but the man seemed to be becoming more and more mad.

- When the ritual did finally end a couple of rounds later, Devric collapsed on the floor, chuckling madly to himself.  The Hall guard finally gained entrance, searched the place and took all those present into custody.

- The party was taken to the holding cells in the basement of the Hall of Three, where they were held until trial.  The trials were held individually, and involved each of the accused accounting for his/her actions to a group of assembled clergy whereupon one was called to make a final and swift judgement.  In general, the judges agreed that the party's statements were basically true and that they were only guilty of breaking and entering. 

- After the trials, the group encountered Miala, a noblewoman who had previously attempted to contact them, and they agreed to meet with her later that evening.

Cyrran Reaches: Confronting the Unseen

Saturday April 27, 2013 at 6:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The party followed the others' lead into the abandoned keep.  They avoided the treant guardian in the courtyard and made their way to the large manorhouse between the two large towers.

- Inside they found the place had been disturbed recently, but only on certain places.  A noteworthy feature of the entry/foyer area was the fact that the carpeting and furniture had been shoved to the edges of the room to make way for an arcane circle which had been painted in red on the floor.  There was also a red eye painted on the wall in once corner.

- The group was making their way upstairs, when they were ambushed by some invisible rogues.  They fought them off enough that the rogues retreated.  Upstairs, they found a room that was strangely undisturbed, clean and in good order.  Upon leaving the room, however, they were ambushed again, this time by a more coordinated attack.  The ensuing fight proved difficult.

- As the encounter was wrapping up, another man arrived upstairs.  He seemed startled to see them, but quickly regained his composure.  He seemed to be the "leader" of whatever was going on, and he offered them a considerable sum just to walk away.  While the party was still interrogating him, another man came running in, telling them that the Hall guard was coming..

Cyrran Reaches: Breaking In

Saturday April 20, 2013 at 5:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- A message had been left for the party from Miala Xerus, a noble of the ruling House.  She had something she wanted them to do and that they would be paid for the efforts.  The message stated they were invited to the Xerus Estate, but the Hall guards outside insisted that Miala was no present and that they would not be allowed inside.

- Encountered a bit of a commotion outside the the Hall of Three, where a priest or paladin called Ona was irate - insisting on taking a contingent of armed guards to the Magus Academy, forcing entry and demanding answers from those who were clearly responsible for the previous night's attack.  She was arguing with another priest she called Ivan, who insisted she should not act rashly.

- The party had written a letter to the Master about the magical crossbow bolt that had been shot at Tyrrox in Ettaseph - wanting to know more about it and if who had fired it could be tracked down magically.  They decided they'd go and see if they could get anyone's attention from outside.  They managed to attract the attention of an old priest called Occulous. He seemed a little crazy, but was generally conversive.  He apparently had nothing to do with the sealing of the grounds and was interested in the crossbow bolt, though the wards on the grounds prevented them from passing it through to him.  He did say he would try to get Master Morran their message, but he didn't expect it would be paid much attention.

- The party returned to the Xerus Estate to try again, but they were once more told Miala was not present and that they would not be granted entry.  They then decided to take a closer look at the unoccupied keep Bradley Durn had told them about (and where they expected the ghost they'd encountered previously had come from).  While looking around, Taryn witnessed some suspicious figures sneaking into the keep by way of the second floor of a neighboring house.

- The group entered the house and were attacked by some thugs with a tattoo of the symbol of the eye with the tooth they'd seen before.

Cyrran Reaches: Local Factions

Saturday April 13, 2013 at 5:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Spent some time at The Laughing Jack making friends with the proprietor.

- Did a little poking around town.  Planned to go to the Magus Academy, but discovered it had been unexpectedly sealed off following a heated argument at a counsel meeting the previous night.

- Talked their way into the Keep District of the town.  Escorted by a young guardsman by the name of Bradley Durn who seemed to be connected to House Briglau.  He told them some basic info about the estates in the district, and about the nobles who live there.

- Lily talked to a priest called Salemnor at the Hall of Three (a temple to St. Cuthbert) about getting some historical info on the town and its nobility.  He told her it would take a few days and told her of the fees required.

- Later that night, they witnessed a couple of large explosions at the Hall of Three.  They rushed to the scene and attempted to help the efforts to contain the insuing chaos.

Cyrran Reaches: Lingering Spectres Pt. I

Saturday March 9, 2013 at 7:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- the party tied up some loose ends in Ettaseph after having aided in solving the treeant problem.  they stayed for a couple of days to help with some aftermath and to talk to a few more locals.

- one man they met was Ulbrus Marc, a cleric of Fharlanghn, who was traveling through the area.  By the end of their conversation, however, his jovial spirit had become worried and he informed them he was heading back to his homeland of Uldul Ferrik immediately.

- the party caught up with the cleric again the next day, whereupon he told them he was concerned about their description of the man with the two-headed-dragon tattoo.  Apparently there was some lore in his town related to multi-headed serpent - regarding it as an ancient evil.

- the group, however, continued to Igveston to see if they could find out anything about a man they'd heard of with a different mark: an eye and tooth motif, as well as to, perhaps, seek information about the lost dungeon they're seeking.

- shortly after arriving the in the city (late that night), they were accosted by a ghost who behaved oddly and was complaining about intruders in his house and insisting the group do something about it.

Cyrran Reaches: Gaining Notice

Saturday March 2, 2013 at 6:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- party returns to town and, with the help of a young woman called Relia, tells the tree lord what they had found, pleads that the humans are not responsible, and negotiates for the release of the remaining women the trees are holding captive.

- party enjoys and evening at Loreth's tavern, where they are harolded as heroes by the locals

- On the way back to their inn, Taryn and Tyrrox are attacked by a sniper using and explosive crossbow bolt and several shadowy goblinoid figures - all seeming to be orchestrated only to leave a message: "You have wandered into our midst; we are always watching"

- The party questioned some locals about some iconography they've encountered (an eye with a tooth), and also some involvement in recent events.

Cyrran Reaches: Sweet Tooth

Saturday February 16, 2013 at 6:00pm d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The party learned from some of the townspeople that the bandits were suspected of having taken up residence in the exhausted silver mine a few miles outside of town.  That didn't make much sense for what was known about the bandits, but if the dryads were being held anywhere nearby, it seemed the most likely.

- They headed out to the mine to investigate, and encountered kobold traps and a small band of the creatures as well as some malnurished wolves they seemed to have been keeping.

- As they were finishing up, a dryad came stumbling out of the cave, begging them to return her to her tree far to the north.  They led her out of the canyon, but they became suspicious when she insisted on the group escorting her all the way to her home tree, refused to return to town and claimed to be too weak to use any of her own abilities.  Lily cast Dispel Magic on her, and her dryad visage dissolved revealing a hideous hag, which shrieked and then vanished.

- The party returned to the mine.  Inside, they were attacked by more kobolds before they stumbled into the mine's primary denizen - a massive, 6-headed hydra.

- The ensuing fight was viscious, but ultimately the massive beast was brought down, whereupon the hag came shrieking from one of the side tunnels, cursing the party for killing her pet.  Knowing they were in no shape to continue fighting, Taryn offered the hag a deal - he would keep her pet from dying if she would give them the dryads.

- The hag told them she only had one dryad, and, after retrieving it, she and the newly-revived hydra disappeared into a deep pool of water.  It wasn't until after they'd gone that the party saw pieces of finely-polished wood, punctured with massive teeth marks and oozing sap, scattered around the beast's lair...

Cyrran Reaches: The Balance of Nature

Saturday February 9, 2013 at 6:00pm new campaign, d&d, cyrran reaches, game session notes Comments (0) »

System: Dungeons & Dragons v3.5

Setting: The Cyrran Reaches

Players: Sheri, Tony, Adam

Schedule: Near-weekly

 

Characters:

[Adam] Tyrrox - Ibixian Fighter

[Tony] Taryn - Human Cleric of Olidammara

[Sheri] Lily - Human Bard

 

Highlights:

- Party traveling with small caravan (lead by a man called Ruglan), is waylaid by bandits.  After fighting them off, they arrive in the settlement Ettaseph

- Spend some time talking to people in town, learning some interesting things about the Old Oak Inn, Loreth's Tavern, the Orchard and the settlement in general.

- The town is attacked by treants, who seem intent only on capturing the women of the village.

- When the treants' leader comes to the village, it wants to speak with someone no knows.  With the help of a local druid, they learn that the person in question was a centaur who helped establish the old "accords" between the humans and the fey of the Charothi forest.  More pressingly, however, it seems that some dryads had been kidnapped and would soon die if they were not found...

Sandstorm: Beginnings Within Ends

Saturday August 27, 2011 at 2:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

- the party continued speaking with human resistance and specifically emeric

- Alina noticed Fae was tending to someone who was, presumably, injured in the next room and tried to convince Fae to allow her to see the patient.  Fae seemed hesistant, but went to ask.  When she returned, she told Alina she had been summoned.

- Emeric took Tisroc and Glitch to his mansion after they learned many of the lizard men had suddenly left it.  Upon finding the proper room in the basement, Emeric began to adjust the summoning circle.  He had told Tisroc that the only way to reverse his "condition" would involve speaking directly to the entity to which the vow was made.

- As they began the ritual, some of the lizard men found them and threatened to interrupt it.  Glitch had found a shovel like his in a hole in the corner and, upon retrieving it, began to hold off the attackers.

- Tisroc finally managed to pull the demon to the surface of the circle - which was now something like an ice-covered pool.  As he spoke his words to defiance to the being below however, Emeric stabbed him in the back, causing him to collapse into the circle.  Glitch saw Tisroc fall, but not exactly what had happened.

- A moment later, the demon burst from the circle and, forcing its way thorugh the ceiling of the chamber, out into the streets above.  Emeric told Glitch that if he didn't bury Tisroc, the demon would roam free and uncontrolled forever.

- Glitch put Tisroc in the hold he'd found, and covered his body with the soil which had been dug up - seemingly for this purpose specifically.

- Meanwhile, Alina was speaking to a mysterious figure lying on a darkened bed.  Its voice was female and it asked Alina to perform the last rites.  It wasn't until the ceremony was almost complete that the room began to lighten and Alina could see the figure's form lying on the bed - unmistakably that of Bast - before it disappeared in a burst of radiant light.

- There were tremors.  Lava was beginning to well up from beneath the earth into the city, which was already nearly 1/3 engulfed.  A chaotic battle was raging all over the city - gnolls, hobgoblins, kobolds, giants, humans and some jackal-like beings were all fighting each other.  There were no clear sides.

- At the highest point in the city, the figure of Set stood surveying the chaos.  Across town, another figure - a jackal-like humanoid was floating some feet off the ground, making its way toward the hill.  Glitch and Alina were also heading that way.

- Tisroc awoke submerged in something like a strange, dark ocean - a tiny pinpoint of light lay far below him.  Filled with the conviction that this light was important, he dove toward it only to encounter a massive squidlike creature which defiantly declared that "this world" belonged to it.

- Alina an Glitch engaged Set & the jackal figure on this hill just as a massive dragon burst through the ceiling above, adding to the chaos of an already unfathomable battle.

- Tisroc descended to touch the glowing sphere he had seen before.

- The world around Alina, Glitch and the other combatants began to shift.  The mountain crumbled away revealing a vast plain surrounded by mountains - aspects of the landscape occasionally flickering through various states of health and decay.  A solid black sphere appeared before them, immediately capturing the attention of Set and the jackal.

- Tisroc had engaged the squid-monster and had managed to move the globe away from it, but had grabbed ahold of him in the process.  After some struggle, he managed to free himself.

- Alina began injecting light into the black sphere using her magic, and the sphere reacted violently.  Set and the jackal were fighting each other over it and the jackal eventually gained it when Set was distracted by Alina - it was as though he recognized her.  He even claimed to have killed her already.

- Wisdom's form began to grow uncontrollably in response to the darkness as Set bore down on Alina.  She fired two more bursts of light: the first at the sphere and the second at her attacker, and suddenly the world ceased to exist.

- Tisroc finally made it to the surface with the globe to find himself standing in an open, grassy field which was, even as he saw it, dissolving into a blank, white nothingness.  He stood there alone for a few minutes and then other figures began to appear - figures he knew.  Alina and Glitch were there of course, but there were others.  Emeric, A harpy that had tried to kill them, the massive dragon (now comical in size because it was no larger than they), as sphinx they had rescued, a wise-woman's granddaughter, a constable, a barmaid and others.  They were the last remnants of a now-dead world.

- Tisroc looked down at the now crystal clear globe in his arms and understood: It was a new world.  Void.  Formless.  Full of potential.

[end story arc]

Sandstorm: Inner Demons

Saturday August 20, 2011 at 2:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Party continued with their new lizard companions, though their relationship was a bit tenuous.

- the group was split by some kind of illusion as the lizard men began walking through the corridor walls and eventually even the party found themselves somewhere wildly improbable.

- the party continued through a variety of unusual locations including an outdoor(?) garden lined with worn deific statues, a massive library dedicated to esoteric demonology and the burial site of an ancient being responsible for the creation of Glitch and the other automatons.

- eventually, they ended up in a large bronze chamber filled with gold where a giant minotaur was waiting for them - promising only death at the labrynth's center.  After the insuing battle, the group dove out through the opening behind the cracked, bronze throne as the chamber collapsed and found themselves once again in the Deep Road corridor.  They were shortly joined by Kthkash, the lizardmen leader, and one other of his group.

- Kthkash began speaking of a dragon they had fought together and asked how the party managed to esacpe from it.  The group was confused, but Kthkash seemed to be a bit warmer to them due to this "event", and they decided not to push it since they would need his help to enter the city.  They also decided that perhaps not everything was as it seemed in the labrynth so little could be safely trusted or doubted.

- the group continued to Makarth where even Kthkash was surprised at the "security measures" being taken.  The party was forced to surrender their weaponry before they would be granted entrance to the town and the number of armed reptiles on active duty was surprising.

- just inside, they were approached by a young boy selling apples.  Tisroc found this odd since he clearly didn't have any apples on him and there was no realistic way for him to acquire them deep underground.  

- After conversing with him further, the boy led them through some back alleys of the city to a hidden room where they encountered members of some kind of human resistance group - among them was a man called Emeric...

Sandstorm: A City Fallen

Saturday June 11, 2011 at 3:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

- once back in Belurn, the party quietly returned to First Light to get some rest.

- the next morning, Marl came to talk to Tisroc - the menacing army was approaching and he thought he knew a way to circumvent the Stone Door by going through the mines.

- Alina was troubled by some and the realization that Nephthys' power had left her.  She insisted they go to speak with Danhon, a local priest of Anubis.

- While they were speaking with him, they heard a sudden roar as Perol's barrier gave way.  Running outside, they saw the monstrous army pouring into the city.

- As they descended from the crypt entrance where they'd met Danhon, they saw Perol and a few of his mysterious followers running toward them.  

- the Thoth-like figure they had seen before suddenly flickered into existence ahead them.  Its presence seemed to surpress the light around them to a degree, and it seemed to be drowning in the thick, black sludge which was oozing from its eyes, mouth and various wounds.

- Perol's men began surrounding the figure and invoking some sort of ritual as it lashed out at them.

- When the encounter began to go poorly, Perol knelt and invoked another sort of rite, which seemed to dilate time as it called forth another being.  The figure that appeared was tall and muscular with the head of a donkey.  Like the Thoth-like being, it was surrounded by faint, glowing runes and it, too, oozed a black viscous liquid - though to a much lesser degree as it bled only from wounds in its forarms.  As the figure approached, it didn't seem to walk so much as blur and fade from one position to the next.

- The new figure ignored Perol and his supplications, making some comment that he was of no more use.  Instead, it approached Alina.  It showed her the masses of people cowering in buildings all around them and told her that he cared nothing for them - but that he would save them if she would swear her allegiance to him.

- Alina skeptically asked who he was, a question to which he only responded "I am the only one left."  Tisroc, however, recognized his form immediately as that of Set.

- After Alina's rejection, the figure departed suddenly and the roar of battle poured back into their senses.  They ran with Marl toward the mines.

- At the mines they discovered most of the town taking refuge in this slightly-more-defensable area.  Feeling there was nothing more they could do to help the citizens of Belurn, they followed Marl deep into the mine shafts.  As they located the gap Marl was sure would lead them to the Deep Road, the party knew that whatever was to befall the poor people hundreds of feet above them was already happening.

- The group climbed up and through the hole into a hewn chamber, and collapsed the wall behind them.  They then followed the corridor out to the Road.

- They traveled for some time before having to deviate into an adjoining natural cavern due to a cave-in.  As they tried to circumvent the rubble, they encountered a group of reptilian humanoids fighting off some giant scorpions.  The group decided to aid the lizard men.

- After the battle, they learned that their new "friends" were from a place called Makarth - a city deep under the ground.  They'd been scouting when they were cut off by something that arrived in the tunnel and reshaped it into an impassible maze.

- It took only a little more conversation for the group to learn that Makarth had been Gullow - apparently "reclaimed" by a large tribe of these lizard men who felt their territory was rightly theirs.  Humans still dwelled there, however, and the leader told them he would ensure they were granted entry if they could help he and his men return.

Sandstorm: Desperate Times

Saturday May 7, 2011 at 6:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

- As the rasping growling continued issuing from the new gash in the earth, a black mist began to rise from it, lit from within by flashes of white light and accompanied by a listless voice 

- The party attempted to flee the area, but the ground beneath them began to break and collapse and it was only by some incredible good fortune that they survived.

- After some recovery, the party continued on their recon mission.  The camp on the plateau seemed to be composed of several hundred hobgoblins, gnolls, some kobolds and even a few giants - all being directed by some jackal-like humanoids.  

- They also found some oddities within the encampment - most notably a strange and supernatural form near the back of the camp.  It hovered motionless above the ground, oozing a thick, black liquid from its eyes and down the long bird's beak which protruded from its head.  Light seemed actively surpressed in the area, yet the being cast several unnatural shadows and seemed covered with subtlely shifting runes.  It reminded Tisroc of some kind of avatar of a deity called Thoth, but Alina was quite certain it could not be an avatar - or, if it was, it was severely cursed or distorted by something.

- After gathering their information, the set out for Belurn once more.  When they arrived, however, they found the city cavern sealed off by a prismatic force wall.

- Using Glitch's innate teleporting abilities and some of Tisroc's magic, they were able to get back inside where they discovered the city had been sealed and all but taken over by a man called Perol - a local tailor who, apparently, had some rather impressive magical talent as well.

Sandstorm: Skeletons of the Past

Saturday April 23, 2011 at 6:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Alina heard some commotion outside the following morning, and went to investigate.  She discovered a scout who'd returned to town with the tale of a massive army gathered about 1 day away from the city.

- The group reassembled and spoke with the scout and the Director of the settlement (who seemed intent on not causing a panic).

- With some convincing, the scout agreed to take the party out to a point near where the force was reportedly gathered.

- The going was difficult and in the dark among the rocks near the plateau, they got separated.  Tisroc ended up falling through a thin rock shelf into the lair of a deceased dragon, now infested with tiny but aggressive lizards with and electrical affinity.

- The crash and the insuing chaos alerted the rest of the party to his location and predicament, but unfortunately also gained the attention of a nearby hobgoblin patrol which the party was forced to fight off.

- As the battle ended, the brief moment of silence was cut short by an echoing, hollow growling sound coming from the lair.

Sandstorm: No Longer Safe

Saturday April 9, 2011 at 6:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

- with the help of the sphinxes, the party continued their journey over the Jagged Crown mountains toward the settlement called Belurn, the Stone Door.  From there, they intended to take the tunnel road down to Gullow.

- during the journey, Alina realized she had contracted some kind of infection - probably as a result of her injuries from the rats of the Tanir tunnels.  She was able to shake off the illness in a couple of days, however, and there was no real problem.

- they party did realize, however, that they would need to be more careful with their supplies of water from now on as Alina informed them that creating it magically was no longer easy.

- upon arriving at their destination, the sphinxes wished them well and thanked them again for their previous aid.

- as the group entered the settlement, they spoke with some sort of guardsman about the town and recent events. 

- they learned that the structure which was being built outside the town was the work of "The Avatar" - a creature sent by Anubis - who had said the settlement needed a proper temple and that the temporary walls they had noticed were constructed to help fend off an attack by a force of hobgoblins and gnolls which they'd resisted a few weeks earlier. 

- they also learned that the Stone Door itself had been sealed about 3 years ago.  Apparently it was "no longer safe" and that some reptile-like savages had come out and attempted to raid the settlement.

- the group entered the town, heading toward an in called First Light.  as they crossed an open marketplace, Glitch noticed another automaton standing motionless near its center.

- Glitch approached and examined the figure - it was in quite a state of disrepair.

- as he looked at it, the automaton seemed to wake up, and began talking with him.  Glitch asked the other golem to come with them, and the group continued toward the inn.

- the group enjoyed some food, relaxed for the evening, and talked with one of the miners who had been present when the lizard-men attacked.

- Alina later went to see the mines and the Stone Door - listening to see if she could hear anything like what was described by the miner.  She could not.

- Tisroc and Glitch went to the debris field outside town to scavenge for materials with which to repair the damaged automaton.

Sandstorm: Lurking Below

Saturday April 2, 2011 at 6:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

- party continued deeper into the tunnels, saw more bodies - some seeming to have been dead longer than they had been lying in their current location.

- found open are with zombies crawling out of a well. fought some, attempted to keep more from emerging.

- noticed approaching massive swarm of insects, took cover in a nearby building

- building contained a passage back to an altar room to some unidentifiable deity.  a woman's body was lying at the foot of the altar in a pool of blood.

- the party was unable to keep part of the insect swarm out of the building, and Alina eventually fought it off by setting herself on fire - relying on her faith to save her from the flames.

- once the swarm had passed, party continued deeper into the tunnels.

- encountered a group of people attempting to fight off more zombies, aided

- continued into the deepest parts of the tunnels, found a long street that seemed to narrow as they went until rats burst out of adjacent buildings in a giant swarm.

- the party fought off some of the rats, but generally made a run for it in the direction they were heading - this took them to a place where the street narrowed into a more natural cave tunnel which terminated in a cracked opening into a large cavern.

- inside the cavern was a short man they'd seen before, when he noticed them the skeletons of the bodies that lay around him shrugged off their flesh and began shambling toward the party.

- in the midst of the resulting chaos, the party noticed the giant ooze-like demon clinging to the ceiling.  It slid down, opening a huge jagged-toothed maw in an attempt to devour them.

- as they made their escape, the entrance to the cavern collapsed, sealing itself off from the rest of the tunnels.

- the party returned to the Sandstone Tower, discussed what they had encountered with each other, and made ready to leave the following morning.

- the next day, they saw to one or two errands in town, and then met the sphinxes to continue on their original journey.

Sandstorm: Attack on the Baron's Estate

Saturday March 26, 2011 at 7:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

Lord Verran had been summoned to a political meeting at a rival's estate, only to be involved in a sudden attack by a group of unknown assailants.  The presence of Verran and his lance was probably all that prevented the entire place from being destroyed in the assault, but their victory explained nothing of the motives behind the attack...

Sandstorm: Sorrows of the Ghost of Grandpa Horace

Saturday March 26, 2011 at 12:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

Margaret Graham was always a little afraid of her grandmother and so was not particularly happy about the fact that she and her brother would be staying with her for a few days while their parents went on a little vacation to a neighboring state.  Despite the fact that her 3 cousins were also to be staying with them, she didn't expect to have much fun - and it turned out to be even worse than she expected.  As she slept in her grandparents' old bedroom the very first night, the ghost of her deceased grandfather appeared and pleaded with her about things she couldn't quite understand.  Worse still, his visit was revealed to be disturbingly prophetic the following day as the farm itself began to take on nightmarish characteristics...

Sandstorm: Scion

Friday March 11, 2011 at 7:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

- The party calls for Rynbel and requests that she visit the Vigilants' HQ and attempt to find out what was going on.

- The rest of the party head down to the Temple of the Stars.  After knocking on the door but getting no answer, Tisroc causes the sound of bells to erupt inside the temple until the door is finally opened.

- The high priestess denies any knowledge of anything occuring in the tunnels involving her brothers, sisters or followers.

- The party returned to the Sandstone Tower where Honch asked them what they would do about the giant.  The group asked him to explain or elaborate on what the giant was or what he meant, but he didn't seem able to.

- The group gathered their gear and headed down through the city.

- About halfway down, the group encountered a rioting mob of individuals who seemed to be moving upward through the streets, burning structures as they went.

- The group avoided the mob as best they could until they encountered a group burning down a house and yelling angrily at the man inside.  

- The group decided to intervene. Glitched battered some of the men with his shovel.  Alina attempted to douse some of them with water, but found that conjuring it had become very difficult.  Ultimately, they were driven off after Tisroc wandered into their midst and shot fire from his hands into the sky, which was more than sufficient to scatter them.

- The party continued and eventually encountered what Honch must have referred to as "the giant".  It was a massive, 50-foot-tall woman.  She glowed with a faint light and was blindfolded with a strip of cloth in the center of which was a glowing rune.  She was gracefully but randomly weilding a massive halberd and wherever it struck a building, the stone and wood exploded in a shower of debris.

- The group decided the giant needed to be stopped.

- Tisroc and Alina decided that it might be some kind of summoned or conjured being and that perhaps the blindfold was some form of anchor.  Tisroc gave Glitch the rapier they'd taken from Naglish's body, and he teleported up to the giant's shoulder.  He started to fall, but as he did he managed to cut the blindfold which fell from the giant's face.

- The giant's eyes were glowing white orbs.  Her expression became angry and her voice boomed "you are all guilty!"  Beams of light seared from her eyes to the city streets and buildings, exploding stone and wood wherever she looked.

- Tisroc reacted by conjuring a blasting wave of sand which he directed at the giant.  The sand pierced her glowing eyes.  As she stumbled and attempted to wipe the grit from them, she began to fade into nothingness saying "you have all betrayed me; my people, my world, have forsaken me"

- The party continued to the Tunnels where they encountered the horror Tovi had told them about - the bodies of dozens of people littered the ground just inside.  Among them were some wearing priestly robes and the purple capes of the Vigilants.  However there was something strange about them - Alina was able to determine they had certainly been dead for weeks...

Sandstorm: Decay

Saturday March 5, 2011 at 5:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

- Rynbel showed Tisroc The Array - a sensitive monitoring device showing shifts, trends and relationships between various aspects of magic.

- The wizards pointed out the erratic behavior of the representation of the Water aspect.  Also, they have noticed some aberrations in Fire, Cold, Conjuration and Transmutation.

- A tremor shook the Tower; Honch (the butler) informed them that it was caused by an explosion in the Upper Halls.  The blast had killed three prominent members of the Merchant Guild.  He also told them that the cause of the explosion was fleeing the area, heading in this direction.

- Upon questioning, the wizards told the group that Honch is what they call a Puremind - a rare type of individual who can pull information from some aether of the cosmos, especially relating to partiularly consequential events.

- The party goes down to the street where they see a group of the Vigilants running downward; Alina also heard a voice call out for someone called "Garkov".

- In the street, two of the Vigilants were standing watch over the body of one of the men fleeing the scene of the explosion whom they'd shot in the back with a crossbow.  Upon closer examination, it turned out to be Olin.

- The following morning, the group returned to the Ledge looking for Tovi, but the place was empty.

- Tisroc spent most of the day researching magic, attempting to expand his knowledge.

- Alina visited the Temple of the Stars where the priest presiding over the daily service was speaking about being watchful against the evil that had crept into the city and how the faithful must drive it out.  It reminded Alina of the rhetoric she heard in Rynthis after the high priest's death.

- Alina and Glitch visited The Lodge where they spoke to a man about crafting a special bow for Glitch.

- Alina and Glitch returned to the Sandstone Tower where they attempted to occupy themselves while Tisroc studied.

- Honch came to tell them that they had a visitor just before there was a knock on the front door.  Upon answering, they found Tovi, nearly in tears, pleading with them to do something about the Priests and Vigilants who were killing innocents down in the Tunnels.

Sandstorm: The Sandstone Tower

Saturday February 19, 2011 at 6:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

The group slept through the rest of the night undisturbed.  The next morning they discussed the nights' events with Olin and Tovi over breakfast.  The tavern owners seemed very concerned at the existance of such a creature in their part of town.

Tisroc had heard about a place in the city called the Sandstone Tower.  It was reputed to be home to a group of wizards, and Tisroc was interested in what he might be able to learn from them.  After they finisehd their morning meal, they decided to head that direction.

The tower itself was a large, cliff-side structure.  It was so massive, in fact, that the group wondered how its foundation supported it.  They were greeted at the iron gates by an elderly caretaker called Honsh.  He asked them why they had come and directed them inside.

The large entry hall was full of books and objects which could only be described as "wizard-y".  They were, in fact, a little over-the-top and played to every myth or superstition about magic one might hear among the common people.  Tisroc had even begun leafing through a book about "dangerous magical creatures" when Rynbel descended to meet them.

Rynbel was a young woman, perhaps in her early thirties, with dark features.  She asked Tisroc what he thought of their wondrous hall and the artifacts in contained.  Tisroc attempted to be diplomatic, but couldn't in good conscience endorse what he had found fully.  He instead suggested that perhaps some of her materials weren't completely accurate.  She frowned at this and asked him if he might elaborate on his criticisms.  He did so.  It wasn't until after 10 of 15 minutes of needling him that her expression softened, and she welcomed them into the tower.  She explained to him that this room was a kind of competence test for would-be associates, and she looked around the room with some satisfaction at its tackiness.  Anyone who embraced anything they found here was most likely not worth their time.

Rynbel and her colleagues Nalves and Oldesule explained their scholarly nature and their pursuit of knowledge - particularly knowledge of the arcane - and they showed him their massive libraries dedicated to all of these things.  Tisroc realized the vast depth of what he could learn in a place like this, and they offered him access to everything they had if he would be willing to do something for them.  What they wanted was for him to take some time to write down his experiences, adventures and observations.  They explained that much of what they had learned had involved building and combining the experiences and observations of wizards who had come before them.

Tisroc agreed to write his experiences down for them, and he was directed to a small room with a single chair and a desk with a nice leather and iron bound book and a quill and ink well.  The walls of the room were lined with bookshelves closed and locked behind glass doors.  Tisroc sat down, picked up the quill and set it to the first blank page of the book and began to write - and he wrote uninterrupted for 8 hours.  As he closed the back binding of the book after completing the last page, he felt as though he came out of a daze.  Tisroc had no recollection of exactly what he wrote, only that it was the truth of his life and experiences - not down to the smallest detail, but surely everything that would be relevant from a scholarly perspective.  Tisroc turned the book over and went to open it, only to discover that it would not open.

Rynbel then entered the room and thanked him for his contribution.  He asked her about the book and its unwillingness to open, and she explained that the books would not open for just anyone, and that they were only used in certain circumstances.  She explained that knowledge of the life and thoughts of a person should be private and not accessible to just anyone.  She placed his book on one of the shelves and locked it.

The group spent what remained of the day at the tower.  Tisroc began studying some magic that might make their travels easier.  Alina, however, was worried about something else.  She'd never had a chance to tell Tisroc about what Melna had told her back at the Crag.  She hadn't figured out how to say it, but now was the time.  She went to him and said he should send time in this vast repository of knowlegde looking for information about demons and the pact he'd made - specifically how the pact might be broken and, most importantly, what might happen if it was.  Melna, she told him, seemed to think that if he undid the oath, it might effectively end his life.

That revelation made a terrible kind of sense to Tisroc.  Of course Alina was right - he needed to concentrate on this.  He needed to know all he could.  Tisroc told the wizards of the Sandstone Tower about his problem, and asked where they might look.  The wizards admitted they hadn't heard of a story such as his before, but they pointed him in the direction of similar things.  

The reference they found the most closely tied however, wasn't where they were looking at all.  It was in a historical reference from the world before it began to dry out.  In the ancient forests of Kethir were said to dwell beings called Verdant Princes - fey creatures known for capriciousness and trickery would had some ability to bind fate into powerful oaths, holding both sides to the bargain.  Assuming they did once exist, however, they had long since died out with the lush forests in which they dwelt...

Sandstorm: Tovi's Ledge

Friday February 11, 2011 at 6:30pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

It was just after nightfall when the group approached the gate of Tanir, The Summit.  This settlement was built in a spiral around the one of the highest peaks of the Jagged Crown mountains and was all but inaccessible to the rest of the world.  The forest they had landed in seemed very dry, but it was the largest stand of trees any of them had ever seen.  As they walked across the bridge and toward the gates, it occured to them that this was more wood than they had ever seen in one place.

The guard in the gatehouse was a man called Hanley.  He came down through the cutout door in the main gates to speak with them, asking them who they were, where they came from and why they had come to The Summit.  Upon warning them not to cause any trouble, he saw no harm in letting them in.  The party asked Hanley if he knew of a place they might find a meal and some shelter, and he directed them down toward the lower areas of the city - to Tovi's Place.

There were very few people on the streets at this time.  They passed only a couple of pedestrians and a man pulling a large handcart.  When they were about halfway down, however, they were hit from behind by a large man in a heavy cloak running through the street.  He collided with Tisroc, and both of them fell to the ground.  The large man regained his feet as quickly as possible and continued running.  As Alina and Glitch helped Tisroc back to his feet, they listened and looked for any pursuers or anyone else, but saw nothing.

Near the bottom of the spiraling streets, they found one of the larger buildings of the area with a large wooden sign which read: Tovi's Ledge. The road continued downward a little ways, and then began to slope back upward for a few hundred feet before coming to and end.  From a cliff-side alleyway near the lowest part, Tisroc noticed a small figure watching them.  As he took a few steps toward it, the group saw the figure dart across the road into an alley adjoining the mountain.  The group walked down to the place to discover a large, round hole into the mountain.  Carved into the worn stone above were the words "Tanir - Lower Halls".  Some dim torchlight flickered deeper inside, but the tunnels they stared into were very dark.  As they contempated entering to find the spying figure, a voice called to them from further up the road - someone on the porch of Tovi's place.

The group returned to the tavern's entrance and met a man called Olin.  He advised them not to enter The Tunnels - it was a dangerous place, especially to the uninitiated.  After a brief conversation, he invited them inside the establishment.

There were perhaps a dozen people in the tavern - some card players, some people in deeper conversations, some people simply enjoying the evening.  A young, red-haired woman sat at the far side of the bar - on the counter itself - idley strumming a lute.  As they entered, Olin called to Tovi, who set down the instrument, slid off the counter to the floor behind it, and came around to ask what they all would like.

They party spent the rest of the evening talking with Olin and Tovi about themselves and the settlement, asnwering questions and asking some of their own.  Alina in particular spoke with Tovi for some time, and later in the evening, eventually drew out of her something interesting about the local religious climate.  Tovi (and apparently, Olin as well) didn't care too much for the local Pharonic clergy of The Temple of the Stars.  They also mentioned another entity - called Skadi - who seemed to be a sort of legendary "hero of the people".  They described this figure as local inspirational folklore, but Alina noted some rather religious undertones.  By the time the conversation was over, Tovi had all but admitted (somewhat reluctantly) to the existance of a cult of Skadi in the city.

Before the conversation could come to a natural end, however, the sound of loudly peeling bells exploded in the tavern hall.  By this time, most all of the patrons had left and Tisroc had gone to bed.  Tovi exclaimed in surprise and Alina ran to the front door.  Outside the sound seemed quieter, though like it was coming from somewhere above them.  "Tisroc!"

Alina ran up the stairs with Glitch behind her and burst through Tisroc's door to find him grappling with a dark figure - the dark candlelight illuminated the room just enough for them to identify the harpy digging its claws and fangs into the struggling wizard.  They had seen this one before.

The resulting combat was rather chaotic.  The struggle between Tisroc and the creature in the darkness made targets difficult to discern and hit.  Alina accidentally clubbed Tisroc on the back of the head as the harpy unexpectedly shifted.  Tisroc was bleeding badly and when it raked its claws across his head, he lost consciousness and fell to the ground.  As he collapsed, the harpy turned it's attention to Alina.  Glitched noticed a strange, black smoke beginning to rise from Tisroc's form as Alina blasted the creature with a potent beam of searing light, hurling it back against the far wall.  Winded and covered with viscious burns, the creature leapt through the broken window in which it had come and soared away into the night.

Alina quickly returned to Tisroc's side, manifesting further miracles to heal his injuries.  When Tovi and Olin arrived, it was already all over.  They were shocked that someone had broken in and attacked their guests.  They offered the party a different room and went about boarding up the window.

Sandstorm: To the Summit

Friday January 21, 2011 at 6:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

After the remnant of the kobold tribe had been driven out of the settlement, the party discussed what to do next.  They had acquired some new information from Melna, but Gullow was a long way away and they were all but out of provisions.  Further, Drakol was now in even worse shape than when they had arrived and it would be some time before they were back on their feet - much less had enough surplus to spare for their trip.

The group ultimately decided they would stay for a time and continue helping to restore the settlement.  Almost a week later, a small contingent of the kobold tribe returned - this time under a banner of truce.  They seemed interested only in Alina, asking her if she knew where Durtaxsteingakila had gone.  Apparently they had come looking for this thing(?), but had found the human settlement instead.  Tisroc told them later that he thought they may have been alluding to the legend of the Dragon.

Weeks went by.  Between the party's magic and prodigious amounts of physical labor, The Crag was well on its way to recovery - though it had a long way to go yet.  It was at dawn about 6 weeks later that the group was awakened by a nervous guard calling them to the bridge area.

Upon arriving, they found Radley waiting (rather uncomfortably) with two of the creatures Tisroc had identified as sphinxes.  One of them was the creature they had rescued on their way to the settlement, the other looked very similar, but was slightly larger.  It addressed them, asking for the feather they had been given.  When Alina produced it, Thesaeya stepped forward, reached out and took hold of it, but kept it out-held toward the party.  The larger sphinx spoke again, thanking them for their favor and asking what they would have the sisters do in repayment of this debt.  After some questions and conferring, they asked if the sphinxes could take them to Belurn, the human settlement on the far side of the mountains.  The sphinxes agreed and said they would appear at dawn the following day to depart.

The party then began making ready, saying their goodbye's and attempting to gather the provisions they could.  Radley and the others were somewhat loathe to see them go, but seemed to understand.

At dawn the next day, they departed.  They had been flying high above the mountains for a couple of days, stopping at night to rest, when the larger sphinx - called Marshalla told them that she and her sister required more rest than a simple sleep could provide.  Below them was another human settlement which the party knew must be Tanir, The Summit.  Marshalla asked if they would mind spending a couple of days there while she and her sister recovered.

It was after dark, so the group felt relatively safe with a close landing.  They touched down in a dry but living forest on a plateau near the spiraling peak-city of Tanir.  It was nearly midnight as they approached the large gates of the city's lowest level.

Sandstorm: Attack on Drakol

Friday January 14, 2011 at 7:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

Second avalanche.  Fought kobold tribe.  Pushed an Umber Hulk into a river.  Maybe demons.

Sandstorm: Heralds of Things to Come

Saturday December 11, 2010 at 6:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

The party began telling the man who had approached them - a guard captain called Radley - who they were and why they were there.  He gave them a nominal welcome and began to suggest what they should do.  Alina was sent to The Hall to aid in tending to the wounded and he asked Tisroc to have his guarding help with the digging effort - breaking up the rocks and moving them out of the settlement.  Tisroc also alerted the captain to a particular shelf of rock above that looked as though it might break off soon.

Radley also lead Tisroc to a place above the settlement where he had seen a strange print and asked him if he'd seen anything like it before.  In truth Tisroc had.  He told the captain that he'd seen the print in the mud a few days ago, but wasn't sure what it was.  The captain seemed concerned because the location of the print happened to be a perfect overlook of the settlement - almost as if whatever it was was watching them.

Later, as Glitch and some of the other men of the down are picking through some fallen rock, Tisroc notices a hissing sound that he alerts Radley to.  Before they could return to the scene, however, a large section of rock crumbles and falls down into a hole and steam begins to bellow out, burning everything it touches.  With it came strange partially-visible steam-like creatures that began attacking those present.  Glitch fought them off fairly well, but could do little about the steam rushing out of the opening.  It was nearly an hour before it stopped.  Inside they could see the remains of a house which seemed to have collapsed through into and angled tunnel heading down into the mountain.

Meanwhile, Alina had been assisting in the Hall, tending to the wounded and using her miracle capability on the most gravely injured.  During this time, she met a young girl called Senya who was also helping treat the injured.  Senya was upset because she was concerned about her grandmother who lived near an old shrine inside the mountain.  Unfortunately the tunnels leading in had partially collapsed, no one could get in and excavation priorities were elsewhere.

The group decided they should try to get in to help her - she may be someone they would want to talk to.  Glitch was assisting with the primary excavation efforts during the day, but decided to begin clearing the tunnel at night - still, it was going to take some time.  Tisroc used his gaseous form ability to float in through some of the cracks to bring food to the woman and to inform her of their intentions.  Eventually, the whole party is able to meet with her.

The woman was called Melna.  She was a short, broad woman and was a keeper of the shrine in the main chamber of the caves.  The shrine was a statue of a large, winged, female figure holding a disc over her head.  Well, not "holding" exactly -he disc was simply suspended in the air between the statue's raised hands.  The shrine was dedicated to Nephthys.

Tisroc tells Melna of his problem and, after taking some time to think about it, offers him the following information:

Melna says she thinks there is hope for his future.  The oath that was made was sort of "bent" or "stressed" on its binding.  As such, it is perhaps more pliable.  It may be possible for the oath to be "bent" again, or even completely undone.  To do this, however, would require "unsaying" the words of the oath in the presence of the entity with which it was made.

She also told him she knows of a man called Emeric who resides in The Deep.  He knows much about the denizens of the Hours of Night and she believes he has even had dealings with them.  She warns them to be careful, however - he is not the type she would trust.

Melna then asks to speak with Alina privately.  Tisroc begins to head down the tunnel with Glitch, pondering this new information.  Melna and Alina meet up with them at the tunnel entrance just in time to hear the canyon in which the settlement resides fill with echoing sound of dozens of horns from the surrounding mountains.

Sandstorm: Things Are Changing

Saturday December 4, 2010 at 6:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

The human population having left, the Party then set about deciding what to do about the gnolls.  On the one hand, they wanted to show their sincerity by offering a little help but they weren't sure that another encounter with the tribe would be prudent...or safe.  The group therefore decided to fill the spring pool with water and to leave a notice which would indicate its temporary nature.

The party decided to head north out of the Dead Forest as they had originally planned.  Running low on provisions, they decided to risk travel across this area of the March but they decided they would avoid the oases where the gnolls, hobgoblins and whatever other power had arisen might gather - relying instead on their magic to produce the water they needed.

On the 5th day through the March, the group begins no notice a foul smell on the air - like something dead and rotting.  As they continued, the stench grew stronger until they came upon a massive battlefield.  Remains of hundreds of armor-clad figures littered the ground, picked at by desert carrion birds and other small scavengers.  As they moved into the battlefield and began to look around, they noticed a group of jackals on the far side, moving in their general direction.

The figures turned out to be gnolls and another grotesque humanoid creature which Tisroc guesses are hobgoblins.  Tisroc began to look through possessions - it seemed that nothing of note had been salvaged from any of the corpses.  A few of the hobgoblins had some small packs with moldy but edible rations.

As they investigated the scene, they noticed the jackals moving closer and eventually noticed they were eyeless - they had seen jackals like this before.  They were considering this when Tisroc happened to glance behind them and saw a blue-robed figure only 5 feet away.  He was tall and dark, his head was like that of a jackal but he seemed well groomed and refined.  He had a crimson scarf around his head covering his eyes.  Before he could react, the figure spoke, asking them what had happened here.

The party, startled, responded that they didn't know what had happened or why.  The figure seemed mystified.  He told them that he had watched these tribes for many years and what he saw here was not consistent with his knowledge of them.

The group asked the figure who he was and he obliged them, informing the party that he was called Oorshal, and that he was "one of the last three".  The party told them that they had heard a rumor that someone who looked like him was unifying the tribes of the March and that maybe this scene had something to do with it.  This seemed shocking to the figure.  He mentioned something about the others seeking to supplant him.  He asked them many other questions about this rumor, but that was all they knew.

Oorshal seemed disturbed.  He suggested that the party leave the area as quickly as they could and advised them not to linger in "cursed places" such as this.

The party continued north toward the Jagged Crown mountains of the north.  When they reached the foothills, the turned east to head toward the Sula river that they would follow to The Crag.  The foothills were rougher going, but offered a bit more cover and shelter.  It had been a few weeks since they set out when they finally encountered the river and began the final leg of their journey.

The trip up into the mountains was arduous even when following the riverbank.  They would often have to deviate from the river and head up into the rocky areas above before coming back down to rejoin it.  In addition, they were running out of provisions and had been operating on half-rations for some time.  Tisroc attempted some fishing with sparse results.

They were still a few days from Drakol when they were forced once more from the river side.  Climbing a narrow path to a pass between rocky peaks, they began to hear an echoing screeching sound accompanied by a metallic rattling.  They were still contemplating this when they were suddenly met by a huge creature that resembled a lion with a falcon's head and wings.  "You are not welcome here!" it growled and began approaching.  When they told it they only wanted to pass through, it asked them with what they would pay the "toll".  When they could apparently offer nothing it wanted, it decided to attack them, but the group was able to drive it off.

Upon reaching the crest of the hill, they saw the source of the noise:  There were 4 of these creatures (one of which they had already seen) in a basin below them.  Leading down to this depression were rock ledges something like massive stairs.  One of the creatures was bound with a metal collar connected to a chain which the largest of the group was holding, attempting to drag it along.  The bound creature looked a bit different than the others - its head was humanoid instead of falcon-like.  Its shrieking cry echoed through the canyon and, when it saw the party it cried out to them: "help me!"

The resultant combat was rather savage.  The group did alright fending off two of the creatures, but the larger one proved to be quite powerful.  It had all but shredded the metal plates from Glitch before Alina got its attention by attempting to heal and free the bound creature.  After a brief standoff in which the party was able to regroup and Alina was able to restore a part of the bound creature's strength, it decided to flee as its companions had done.

The bound creature was called Thesaeya - one of the Sphinxes.  She thanked them for rescuing her from her captors and rewarded them by giving them one of her feathers.  She told them that they had the gratitude of her and her sister though they had certainly made enemies of the other detestable creatures.

The group asked Thesaeya a few questions, but she didn't seem to know much about anything that might be happening outside of the mountains - of Oorshal or any of the others.  She was able to tell them that they could probably reach the mortal settlement in perhaps a couple of days.

The party continued on their journey and, sure enough, about 2 and a half days later come upon The Crag.  As they looked out over the settlement, they could immediately tell something was not right.  The movements of the people seemed rushed and there was an air of urgency and danger.  They had only just moved into the settlement when they were approached by a man who began asking them who they were and all but ordering them in different directions - there had been a massive rock avalanche less than 24 hours ago and the town was still picking up the pieces.  Anyone not injured was required to assist where needed.

Sandstorm: Us or Them

Friday November 19, 2010 at 7:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

The group decided they would make their way to The Crag.  Tisroc attempted his uber Locate Water spell again, and got a rather bizarre result - a water source indication which seemed to flicker a few days to the north.  As they approached, they could smell cooking meat and near the peak of a slope between some piles of boulders, they were stopped by a man with a crossbow who asked them who they were and why they were there.  The group told him and the other man present that they were travelers and, after a few questions, they were welcomed into the camp.

In the valley on the other side of the hill there was the remains of what was once a verdant oasis.  Dessicated trees lined a scorched valley, amongst which there were about a dozen tents and about 35 people, some of which were children.  They accepted the hospitality of the people there, and spoke with them for a while, learning several things.

The inhabitants of the valley were the remnant of a village further west called Rulloc.  Rulloc's well had dried up and they were forced to leave.  They were making their way toward Adther but had in mind to stop at this oasis and possibly settling here.  Upon seeing its state, however, they decided that would be impossible.  Unfortunately, before they were able to continue on their way, they were attacked by a group of gnolls.  After that, many of their able-bodied men were injured, they'd used up more supplies and would be severely slowed down - so they were kind of stuck.

Alina spoke with the village's leader, a man called Gilad, and asked if they might want her to help with their wounded.  He accepted her help, but didn't realize what she was about to do.  Over the next couple of hours Alina healed all of the injured people in the camp and had become quite a bit of a local celebrity.

The group spent the next day at the camp as well, resting up a bit, enjoying some real food and waiting to see if the camp had any further trouble with the gnolls, who were thought to still be in there area.  Alina also discovered that the spring - which was now little more than a trickle - seemed to have some sort of persistent, very faint magical aura.  This was puzzling to herself and Tisroc.

That evening, they were approached by Gilad who wished to go out on a recon mission and asked if they might help fill in during their absence in the even of trouble.  They agreed.  When Gilad and his men returned, they seemed troubled.  Come to find out, the gnoll camp in a nearby valley was much the same as theirs - containing a number of elderly, non-combatants and cubs as well as a number of injured adults.  The majority of men present wanted to go attempt to wipe them out, but Gilad wasn't sure how he felt about killing the non-combatants - and killing their able-bodies would certainly doom them in much the same way.

At this point, the group interjected, suggesting that Tisroc try to go and talk to them, to see if some compromise could be made.  Under some protest, the men present agreed to try it.

Accompanied part of the way to the gnoll camp by friends, Tisroc made his way to the camp.  He was initially beset by a group of gnolls who, despite (or perhaps because of) his passive posture in approach, began pushing him around and growling incomprehensible questions at him before the "leader" approached.  He was a massively huge gnoll who walked with a bit of a limp.  He growled at Tisroc for a while and Tisroc began trying to communicate by drawing on the ground - trying to indicate where other water sources might be found.  The leader however, lost patience, pushed him down, growled angrily at him and eventually stormed back into camp - only to return a few minutes later followed by a hunched figure in a ratty cloak that hobbled rather slowly up to him and asked him, in common, why he had come.

Tisroc was relieved to be able to actually communicate with one of them directly, and he began explaining the situation.  The elderly gnoll, in return, proceeded to tell him of their troubles.  They had been part of a tribe which had been at war with a rival tribe of hobgoblins for nearly a century, but now that war was over.  A new power had risen - powerful beings resembling jackal-like men - and dominated the hobgoblins, insisting that the gnolls unite with them for some unstated purpose.  Those that had refused were forced to flee the Salt March and were attempting to find a new life in the Dead Forest, but water was difficult to come by - the only meager source they'd found was possessed by the humans.

Tisroc returned and the group formed a plan: they would create enough water for the now-healed human village to continue on their journey to Adther, then the gnolls could come and occupy the dying oasis and the two need not wipe each other out.

The party passed this plan on to Gilad who agreed that it was a good idea now that he knew it was a possibility.  The human tribe packed up and, after profusely thanking the group for all of their help, headed out into the waste once more.

Sandstorm: Moving On

Friday October 29, 2010 at 7:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

Naglish, the ghost of an abandoned prisoner, had waylaid the party.  He was threatening Tisroc with revenge for wrongs perpetrated against him by the noble house to which Tisroc was attached.  As Alina attempted to talk him down, the ghost animated the chains of the dungeon to begin attacking and attempting to bind Tisroc and Glitch.  Alina's line of reasoning was not able to satisfy the ghost, but it did convince him that his attack on the party wasn't worthwhile.  He eventually ceased manifesting and disappeared into the ether, but not before piercing his ghostly sword through Tisroc's heart.  The metaphysical attack seemed to affect Tisroc's mind and eventually caused him to fall unconscious.

After reviving Tisroc and taking a few moments to recover, the party headed up to exit the citadel.  Alina decided to take Naglish's remains out of the citadel and bury them.  Upon entering the great entry hall, they called up to Selkin that they were leaving.  As they approached the exit, however, they were attacked by a group of hobgoblins who began firing upon them from the far side of the drawbridge.

Glitch immediately ran out to engage them and Alina followed shortly, but Tisroc (who was already worn down from previous encounters) decided to hang back in the entry hall.  It was at this point that he was ambushed by Jask, one of the bandits.  Putting a dagger to Tisroc's throat, he demanded the gem Selkin had given to the party.  Tisroc willingly gave up the ruby, and Jask took off - running past the hobgoblins and out of the area.  Not too long afterward, there was a great impact upon the citadel from some unseen source which caused the rotten drawbridge to give way, taking a few hobgoblins with it as it fell down into the gorge.  After the hobgoblins had been completely routed, the party contemplated how to get down with the bridge missing, eventually deciding on the use of Tisroc's Feather Fall magic.

The party camped at the base of the citadel, recovered the rest of their strength and began discussing what to do next.  Selkin and the remaining bandits bid them fairwell as they left the area.  Alina was able to bury Naglish's remains and the group began planning what to do next.  They contemplated traveling to Adther, The Dead Forest, to see what had become of the refugees from the abandonded settlement, but the information they had gained from the epitaph in the crypt mentioned the settlement called Drakol, known as The Crag.  Perhaps more could be learned there...

 

party levels to 6

Sandstorm: Doomed Souls

Friday October 15, 2010 at 5:30pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

The group spent the rest of the night speaking with Selkin, planning their assault on the occupied citadel the next day.  Their plan involved an initial phase wherein after they were noticed by the flying creatures, they would lure them into the ruin of the village below the citadel, taking shelter under bits of rubble, forcing the creatures to land an engage them on the ground.  Hoping to take out a decent percentage of them at this point, they would then take their chances on the spiraling ledge which led up to the citadel gate where they would make their final assault.

Selkin told them that the area that contained the ruins was about 3 hours to the north, so they would need to leave the following morning if they planned to being their assault after the midday rest.  Upon approaching the shallow pass which lead into the village area, Selkin signaled to a scout he'd had posted.  A slight creature descended from the cliffs above the village and joined the group.  Her name was Mira.  She was heavily cloaked and wore gloves and goggles.  Tisroc seemed to get the impression that she wasn't human.  Mira reported to Selkin that she'd heard some commotion the evening before last, but wasn't sure what it was about.  Further, the prior morning, she had observed a band of hobgoblins enter the area and then move out of the far side of the valley.  She suspected that they had some interest in the citadel, but she hadn't seen them since.

Selkin reviewed the plan with Mira and his men, and then they jumped into action.  Sure enough, the flying humanoid creatures noticed them almost immediately and descended from the citadel.  The group fled into the village and, by employing some geurilla techniques and with some considerable good fortune, they were able to kill several of them before the remaining ones fled.  After a moment's regroup, they hurried to the pathway which led up to the gate of the citadel.

They'd made it about a third of the way up, when the second wave came out to meet them, this time somewhat more coordinated.  An initial group began flying around near the pathways, pelting the groups with arrows while a couple others performed flyby maneuvers, attempting (and sometimes succeeding) to grab members of the party and throw them off the ledges.  Finally, two of the creatures flew out a bit further away, and began to sing a haunting sort of song.  The song pried open the minds of several of the bandits, causing them to walk off the ledges toward the source of the sound, ultimately falling to their deaths.

The group was finally able to make it to the top and enter the citadel.  The inside of the citadel was very tall and hollow.  There was a large statue of a robed man in the middle of this vast circular entry chamber, and there were many doors and balconies on multiple levels.  Skirmishes inside were brief and somewhat sporadic.  Selkin told his (remaining) men to spread out and find the statue with the rubies.  The party began looking around also.

Tisroc found a barricaded door which he suspected led downward, but decided against opening it right away.  The group ultimately ended up joining Selkin and his group on one of the higher floors - he had found his statue.  It was a massive, brass carving of some demonic creature.  It did, indeed, have two fist-sized ruby eyes.  One of the bandits was attempting to pry them out when they all felt a brief pounding that caused them all to freeze.  Tisroc began questioning Tisroc as to whether defacing the statue was wise, but he seemed rather unconcerned.  When the bandit had actually pried the first gem loose, a terrific impact was felt by all present, nearly knocking some of them over.  When nothing further happened, Selkin smiled.  Tisroc asked if they would wait a while before prying the other gem loose - to give him and his friends time to find what they were searching for and leave.  Selkin agreed.

The party descended into the sub-levels.  The first one they found seemed to have been some kind of laboratory.  It contained the remnants of rotted tables and broken glassware as well as several skeletons that had been bound to some of the larger tables.  At least one of these skeletons was decidedly inhuman - being nearly 8 feet tall and possessed of a canine-like head.

The level beneath this was a dungeon area, full of crumbling stone walls and rusted metal gates.  It was generally empty, but there was the remains of one skeleton still chained to the wall in one of the cells.  This skeleton had rotted clothing and what looked like some kind of leather or hide armor and a rusted old rapier still in its scabbard fasted to its side.

Descending from the dungeon led into the crypts.  They followed some winding passages around until they found their way to the newest graves - which were about 600 years old.  It was here that Tisroc found the grave of Lord Artal Al'Kim that his mentor had mentioned:

"Here lie the mortal remains of Lord Artal Al'Kim - If only his spirit knew such rest."

Underneath this in smaller text was the following tale:

"Artal bargained for some favor with a demon called Acklex.  Coming later to regret this decision, he sought the counsel of Makalo, the wisewoman of Drakol, and gifted of Nephthys.  Unfortunately, she informed him that, since his oath had been made in full knowing and without hesitation, its binding would not fray.  His soul would sadly overbalance Ma'at.  Let his fate be a caution to all who seek unnatural gain."

Tisroc wanted to examine the remains of the body and, after some convincing of Alina, got Glitch to help him remove the nameplate and the stone sarcophagus.  The remaining bones were frail and disjointed.  The burial clothes were all but dust.  The skeleton did bear a brass ring which Tisroc supposed to be a house seal and some rather unusual protrusions on its head above its eyes.

After having seen all they could find, the group began heading out.  As they were crossing the dungeon, however, a glowing, incorporeal man appeared before him.  Drawing a ghostly rapier from his side he proclaimed to Tisroc: "Allakim!  I have much vengence to repay, and I'm afraid the responsibility falls to you!"

Sandstorm: Common Goal

Saturday October 2, 2010 at 7:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

The party camped at the oasis and headed out the next day.  During the late morning shortly before they were to make camp, they entered a large flat expanse of the eastern Salt March.  The quality of the sand covering ground and the fact that the sun was directly ahead of them and low in the sky combined to produce a near blinding effect.  They were unable to hold their eyes open for more than a second or two, and though the terrain was easily traveled, their pace was slowed.  They decided to tie themselves together to keep from being separated.

They had been trudging through this dazzling field for about half an hour when their heard a strange howling sound coming from somewhere ahead of them.  As they continued they heard the sounds of clawed feet tearing through the sands around them and they found themselves under attack by a pack of dog-like creatures.

The party was doing their best to fight off their attackers, but they found determining the creatures' locations to be difficult at best in the dazzling light and they were being pushed around by the continuously circling and attacking beasts.  About half-way through the fighting, Glitch was pushed into a large, jagged crater he was unaware was in front of him.  This had the side effect of dragging Alina to the edge of the pit and pulling Tisroc down into it by the ropes that bound them all together.

As Glitch righted himself at the bottom of the pit, a massive, purplish serpent-like creature emerged from the sand in front of him and let loose an echoing shriek which had the immediate effect of frightening the remaining dog-creatures away.  Glitch began attacking it, but Tisroc and Alina decided to run for it.  Cutting themselves loose and getting out of the pit, they called for Glitch who had, by this time, managed to anger the beast to the point that it had him in its mouth.  He twitched and immediately disappeared from its jaws, appearing on the edge of the crater next to them.  The group made a run for it as the creature began to slither up the edge of the crater after them.

The party traveled for a couple more days, entering the bounds of the Dead Forest.  Tisroc discovered that there was no magically-discernable water source in the area where the village of Duront was supposed to have been, but after some travel, they did find a sign indicating it was nearby.  The group proceded to the edge of the village.  They didn't see much movement or any lights aside from a large bonfire on a terrace on the far side.  This seemed strange, but they decided to check it out.

As they made their way across the village, Tisroc caught a glimpse of someone behind them - maybe a few people.  As they approached, they noticed movement on the terrace and they could see several men holding crossbows at its edge.  At this point, Tisroc stopped, turned around, and yelled for whoever was behind him to come out.  There was a loud bellowing laugh from behind him on the terrace, "Well Jask, you seem to be losing your touch." it said as a man skulked out of the shadows, "leave these alone - they don't have anything good anyway."  Then the voice addressed them, "Please, friends, come and speak with me." as it gestured toward a slope which led up to the terrace where he stood.

Upon entering the light of the bonfire, they could see the man who had called to them.  He looked a little unusual - his skin had a golden hue and his eyes were a vibrant blue.  Tisroc recognized him as having some genie ancestry.  The man, called Selkin, asked them why they had come to this abandoned village.  When they mentioned the citadel, he seemed to become suspicious until they told him their full motives.  At this point, he disclosed to them a little more fully.

He too, was wanting to go to the citadel, but he and his company were after a pair of large rubies said to be set into the eyes of a statue in one of the upper halls.  There was a problem, however.  The site had become home to a nest of vicious, flying creatures that had some skill with bows.  His group had tried to enter the citadel several times, but were driven off each time.  Selkin suggested that they should ally their powers.  This seemed like a good idea to the group, and they spent the rest of the evening strategizing how they might approach their common problem.

Sandstorm: Unrest

Friday September 24, 2010 at 7:00pm d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

The party reunited the following day as the As'Kim estate.  Elmnal had gone to the Hall of Sands for an emergency session due to the previous night's events.  When he returned, they exchanged some information.

Elmnal told them of some surprising political events.  It seems that Sasha Odala (acting head of House Odala) had resurrected a tabled motion put forth some years ago by one of the lesser houses to mandate government sanctioning of all magic - the reason cited was the "magical" mayhem that had just befallen the city.  What was particularly surprising about the discussion that followed was Emir Revnii's support of this motion.  House Revnii had long been on good terms with House As'Kim who was, for obvious reasons, vehemently opposed to such meddling.  A vote on the issue was to be held the following dawn, and it looked as though this proposition may pass into law this time.

In turn, the party told Elmnal of the cloaked figures they'd seen in the alleyways around Tisroc's apartment where one of the fires started and of the abandoned house they'd tracked him to as well as the encounter with the man outside it. Elmnal seemed interested and decided that the three should take him to the place so that they could investigate it more fully in daylight.  If they found anything, perhaps it could relieve the political panic and keep the sanctions from passing.

The group proceded across the city to the abandoned house and carefully entered and descended through the large hold in the floor into the basement.  After some searching, they found an area of the stone floor which was actually disguised wooden floorboards, and they were loose.  They had just pried them up to see nothing but packed earth beneath them when they heard an ominous laughing from above them.  "So you did return", the voice said, "Jigav said you would.  I personally though you wouldn't be so stupid."  At this, several thugs jumped down through the hole in the floor/ceiling above them while others pelted them with drugged darts. 

The resulting skirmish was intense, but rather brief.  The party was able to hold their own against the thugs, but there were simply too many of them and they were only able to shake off the darts' effects for so long.  Eventually, they were overwhelmed.

When they awoke, they found themselves in a shallow basin somewhere obviously outside the city.  Night had passed.  It was after dawn and the heat was picking up.  Their hands were bound and around the edge of the basin were cloaked figures.  They were then addressed by an uncloaked woman who basically simply threatened them to stay out of the way.  She then seemed somewhat startled to see Elmnal's unconscious form among the group.  She hissed to the man standing beside her that she wasn't informed that he was among them.  Tisroc recognized the woman as Sasha Odala.

The woman then disbanded the gathering and, with another thinly-veiled threat to "stay out of it", she left them in the basin.  Several of the cloaked figures around her seemed to protest at the abrupt and anti-climactic ending to the gathering - the party guessed that they wanted blood - but she silenced them.  As they were walking away, Tisroc noticed one of the cloaked figures had a snout like that of an animal protruding from the shadows of its cloak.  After the figures disappeared, Elmnal began to regain consciousness.

It took the group a little while to determine where they were, but eventually they were able to find their way back to the city.  It was approaching mid-day, however, and the oppressive heat had all but caused them to pass out by the time they reached the As'Kim estate.  They all needed rest.  Elmnal pointed out that he had missed the vote and that it had almost certainly passed.

After they had rested, they learned that this was, in fact, true.  The state of Alina's temple was also somewhat chaotic as the death of the high priest had left a man called Sulab in charge and he was taking it upon himself to begin a crusade against whoever had attacked the temple - going so far as to call for "holy warriors".  These factors, combined with Elmnal's prior mentioning of a location to investigate far to the east, led the party to believe that now as a good time to leave The City.

They spent the rest of the day recovering and gathering supplies for their journey.  The next day, they headed out.  Before they left, Elmnal gave Tisroc a secret spell - something unique to House As'Kim.  It was a sort of oasis-detecting spell, lasting all day, and constantly indicating the direction and distance to the nearest significant water source within a 180 degree arc.

Mere hours after they had left the city, they encountered what seemed to be the remains of a patrol of savage humanoids - probably gnolls.  There was known to be a tribe of Gnolls in the Salt March, but they were thought to be far to the north and none of the party had ever seen one.  The creatures had met with a violent end, and were probably killed by each other or some other force bearing weaponry.

They camped to wait out the midday heat and continued on that evening.  It was a while after dark and they were very close to the oasis to which they were headed when they entered an area littered with bones.  It seemed to get significantly colder as they traversed this area, and after a short time they began to hear strange, disembodied whispers: "Water...", they said, "Water..."  At this, they began hearing footsteps around them, and skeletons began walked out of the darkness and into the shadowy light cast by their lantern. 

The group began smashing the skeletons but they kept coming.  Then Alina got the idea to try giving them what they wanted.  Concentrating, she used her miracle-working abilities to create a deluge of water over a couple of the skeletons.  There was a loud hissing sound and they collapsed into the sand.  Tisroc, seeing this success, created a cloud of mist around the area and when the skeletons entered it, they became inert for a moment, before collapsing back into the sand.

After this encounter, the party continued on to the oasis.  It was a very small area, possessed of only a little grass and a few trees.  It was home to a small spring which slowly fed a pool of water which in tern flowed out into the waste and was swallowed by it perpetual dryness.

Sandstorm: The Witch Fires

Saturday September 18, 2010 at 12:00pm new campaign, d&d, sandstorm, game session notes Comments (0) »

First Session

Game: Dungeons & Dragons 3.5e, Sandstorm, Unearthed Arcana

Characters: Alina [Sheri], Glitch [Adam], Tisroc [Tony]

--

 

It was an evening in late spring. Alina, an acolyte of the Temple of the Sun, was to meet Tisroc, a young, local wizard at an inn called Mavani's. She had told Tisroc she had a book that may be of some help to him.

Alina happened to know that Tisroc had a small problem - his soul had been inadvertently bargained away by his parents in exchange for his mortal life when he was very young, and since he learned of this he has been tireless searching for a way to undo what had been done. Alina herself had lost her mother some years ago and knows her to be living happily in the Offering Fields - and it troubles the acolyte to think that anyone's immortal soul could be stolen from them so unfairly.

Glitch was a guardian "assigned" to Tisroc by one of the few others who knew of Tisroc's dilemma: Elmnal, his mentor in house As'Kim. As the inn was only just down the street from Tisroc's second-floor apartment, and as he would likely simply stand outside anyway, Tisroc decided Glitch should remain at his residence. Tisroc made his way down the street to Mavani's Inn. It was mid-evening by this time - after dark - but it was still quite warm.

The inn was relatively empty at this time, so the innkeeper, Erik, noticed him as he entered, giving him a hearty wave and calling out his greeting. Both Erik and Loren (Erik's wife) were friends of Tisroc's and were almost always jovial and outgoing. Their 7-year-old daughter, Isha, however, was somewhat less so.

Tisroc had taken a seat at one of the many empty tables when Isha approached him. "Good evening," she said, her expression dour, "...so far. What would you like to eat tonight? I'm fairly certain none of it has been poisoned." Tisroc asked for some bread and cheese with some dates (meat being rather expensive), and Isha informed him that it was probably moldy, but she'd check.

Alina arrived sometime later with a large, leather-bound book. Its weight was such that it took some effort on her part not to slam it down onto the table. The book, she explained, was full of religious tales and fables - several of which contained instances where demons were out-witted by particularly clever or pious mortals. She had hoped something in its pages might be helpful to Tisroc.

Tisroc doubted that anything in the book would be relevant enough to his cause, but he agreed to look through it anyway. Isha returned a bit later with his food, remarking that it appeared he hadn't been "stood up" after all. by this time, the Inn was beginning to become more crowded and the environment was no longer conducive to their discussions. Tisroc and Alina decided to return to his residence to continue their discussion. The two were walking back down the street toward his apartment when they heard a loud pop from further north in the city and saw a strange, spiraling flame erupt into the sky. For a moment, they simply stared at it, unable to comprehend what they were witnessing - then they heard the sound again, from another place in the city. Then again in another.

Tisroc began sprinting down the street, Alina behind him, when there was a loud boom from the street in front of him, which sent tendrils of flame out to the surrounding buildings - including Tisroc's apartment building - and a spiraling column into the sky.

After the first pop, Glitch had moved to the apartment window and so when the flames erupted in front of him, the firelight illuminated a shadowy cloaked figure in an adjacent alleyway. Tisroc and Alina saw a pair of similar suspicious figures moving along a parallel street.

Glitch leaped out of the apartment's window into the street, causing several nearby people to gasp in shock. The cloaked figure took off running away down the alleyway. Tisroc heard some nearby shouts accusing Glitch of starting the fires and, subsequently, heard his name mentioned under suspicion.

The party took off down the alley after the cloaked figures, and saw a group of three of them gathered at a dark intersection. When they were spotted, however, the group took off. The party gave chase, but the figures eventually split up. Deciding to stay together, the party followed one of the three up to a large, abandoned mansion in a largely ruined part of town.

The group approached the building, climbed the front stairs and, when no conflict came, kicked the door in. Taking a look around, the dark and debris-filled room, Tisroc noted the rotted state of the floorboards. While he and Alina might possibly be able to negotiate it without falling through, Glitch almost certainly could not.

As they were discussing this, Tisroc suddenly exclaimed in pain. Looking around, a cloaked figure was holding a hollow reed which he had used to fire a poisoned dart into Tisroc's neck. Alina immediately leaped into action, jumping off the porch and clubbing him in the back of the head with her mace before he could get away. The figure collapsed, unconscious. Upon examination, he was an ordinary looking man in a dark cloak. He had a reed in his hand and a pouch of darts on his belt. He did have a strange tattoo on the back of his neck - an image of a black serpent. Alina recognised this as the symbol of a demon lord called Set. As she looked over the unconscious body, she told the others, "I don't think this is the one that went into the house."

Tisroc decided to put his magic to use. He assumed a gaseous form and began floating around the house. He found no trace of the cloaked figure, but he did find two other automatons - very similar to Glitch, in fact - standing in the basement. When he returned as assumed his solid form, he and Alina decided to move over to a large hole in the floor to look into the basement with the help of a magical light Alina had manifested.

This plan may have been helpful if the floor hadn't given way, dumping the two into the basement. The automatons called out: "Why have you come into the darkness?" Tisroc gave them an answer, but it did not seem to satisfy them. "You are not welcome here!" they shouted, raising swords and beginning to attack.

At first, Tisroc thought to flee and ran for the stairs, but Glitch had jumped down into the basement and engaged one of the automatons in combat with his large shovel. Alina had pulled out her mace and attempted to bash the other with it.

The three fought off the robotic beings as best they could, Tisroc providing some magical support to the physical combat the other two were engaging in. When both automatons had collapsed, they looked around at each other. Before they could suggest a further course of action however, they heard footsteps on the stairs outside.

Tisroc began running up the stairs into the house. Alina and Glitch stood and waited. The dark prevented them from making out more than the silhouette of the figure that appeared. They could see a tall, thin form, unhooded and with long hair. The figure seemed to stair into the house and then down through the (now larger) hole in the floor before simply turning to walk away. By the time Tisroc reached the entry hall, the figure had gone.

Confused, the party left the building. The unconscious man they had tied up and left outside was gone. Looking out over the city to the east, they could see the dim glow of fires.

They hurried back east to aid the firefighting effort. Tisroc's apartment, however, had burned to the ground - along with several other buildings. By the time the fires were brought under control, dawn was approaching.

Alina returned to the temple to find that it had been attacked and several of the priests killed. The attackers sounded like the cloaked figures they had seen earlier. The high priest himself was gravely injured and his wounds seemed to resist the miracle healing.

Tisroc returned to the As'Kim estate to speak with his mentor and ask if he could stay there for a day or two. Elmnal obliged, also mentioning something else to him: Elmnal had found an old genealogy record of a man called Lord Artal Al'Kim. The record mentioned that he had "come to regret a deal he'd made with an evil power". The record comes from a time when the house resided in a citadel in what is now the Dead Forest - and his grave is certainly located in the catacombs beneath it. Elmnal isn't sure if there would be anything helpful there, and certainly a journey into the Dead Forest would be very hazardous, but it's the best lead he could find.

Later, after the fires were out, Glitch returned to what had been their apartment building. He had been staying out of sight during the firefighting efforts, trying not to draw attention to himself. In the wreckage of the building, he was able to find Tisroc's spellbook - damaged, but mostly intact.