MordeanGrey's page

I found myself in a horrible dream where I was being chased down a narrow alley through a thick fog, pursued by some unnaturally thin creature wielding a wicked razor. I wasn't alone in the dream. There were others there, some running, some turning to fight, all of us dying quickly at the hands of the creature. I reached for my sword, and found it in my hands. I moved forward to attack as another of the strangers fell with a sickening crunch that no one could survive. It attacked with a savagery that tore heads from bodies and covered the walls in blood. There were words, both whispered and scrawled in blood ... save me, wake up. They were spoken by the severed heads, and shaped from the blood of my companions as they died, until it was my turn. The creature stepped forward from the concealing fog and I had just enough time to see the flash of the razor and feel the cut and the resulting warm spray of blood... save ... me ... wake ... up!!!!

I awoke from the dream, into an even worse nightmare. It was the screams of a man tied to a table in front of me, barely visible in the dim light from a candle, that woke me from the dream. He was being cut and prodded by a woman who seemed to be enjoying the process all too well. It was his voice yelling for aid, for someone to save him, that had brought me back to consciousness.

As my senses recovered, I became aware of my surroundings. Cold stone, darkness, metal bars. A bleak cell of some type. I grabbed the bars and started yelling for the woman to stop the torture. I shook them and screamed until she finally looked up, seemingly annoyed by the interruption.

"You're next," was her icy reply. (I swear her face twisted into the visage of a demon as she spoke the words.)

I began to yell that she was a devil and a monster and once again shook at the bars holding me captive.

I saw the man use the break in her concentration to kick wildly with a free leg. His blow struck her solidly and drove her back into another cell. At that time I became aware that I wasn't alone as other arms reached to grab at her through bars of cells previously unseen in the dim light. The woman fought herself free from the grabbing arms, only to be kicked again by the man on the table. The second blow spun her again into the metal bars behind the table, and I heard and saw shadowy voices and arms reach out again to grab at her.

She again broke free in an angry outburst, driving herself forward to the side of the tortured man on the table and stabbing him repeatedly with the rusty metal instrument in her hand. In the confusion I saw that other prisoners in the cells behind her had freed themselves. Some were running to escape, while others moved to strike at the woman with improvised weapons from the torture table near the man.

The next moments were complete chaos as shapes clashed and people yelled in the flickering light from the only candle. It was hard to tell what happened, but I found myself face to face with a stranger who used a key to open the lock on my cell. I immediately joined the fray, trying to overpower the devil woman in a wild melee.

I can't say exactly how it happened, but someone handed me a rapier that I used to attack the woman. My senses were still blurred from whatever had affected me and I stumbled through the fight, eventually surrendering the rapier to another man who said it was his.

The woman managed to flee through a heavy wooden door that stopped our fight briefly. We shoved and pounded and eventually broke through. The room on the other side was almost completely dark and smelled of rotting flesh and was filled with the buzzing of flies. The devil woman was unnaturally strong and fought like a cornered animal. The darkness seemed not to affect her as she landed blows with wicked claws as her appearance shifted from a woman to the gaunt creature from the dream. The result was the same as I found myself wounded and staggered, and falling in and out of consciousness again as the fight continued without me.

Eventually my companions must have been able to kill the creature, as I awoke again to find one of them crouched near me, asking if I was able to stand. My mind was still fogged with all of the events and the battle, and it was hard to tell what was real and what was a dream.

I became aware that there were three others with me in the room, along with a large feral cat of some type. The cat seemed to be the companion of one of the men, and wasn’t a threat. The four of us asked questions and all struggled to remember even simple things beyond the recent fight. None of us could even recall our names, but we all agreed that we seemed somehow familiar to each other.

A brief search of the rooms resulted in the discovery of our personal items, including clothing and weapons scattered in a dark corner away from the cells. We each equipped ourselves as best as possible before attempting to escape the prison by climbing up a soot-filled chimney in a room that had been used as a furnace to burn bodies. It took some time and effort to make the climb, but we eventually found ourselves on the main floor of some stone building or keep. We could hear the sound of a rainstorm outside.

I volunteered to check the surrounding hallway and found myself confronted immediately by soldiers armed with crossbows. I ducked back into the room and yelled that we meant no harm. It took a few minutes of tense conversation but we eventually convinced their leader that we were not the enemy. However, they refused to let us pass because of the threat that one of us was another of the shapeshifting devils. They stated that the only way we could prove it to them was to bring them three heads from the creatures. The first one was easy, as I climbed back down the chimney and retrieved it from the basement prison. The second and third would require more work, so we set off back down the hall away from the soldiers in a bid to prove our worth and trust.

Nobody cares. Nobody gives a damn! (I'm thinking bumper sticker for you...)

Hot damn! Lucien finally gets a statue!

Entering one of the columns with nearly the same group of friends, but more than 10 years later, was a strange feeling for me. My mind ran back through our first experience as we fumbled through the dark and found the dried pieces of the giant spiders and eventually disturbed something that chased us out of the pillar, running scared like only little kids can accomplish.

This time, it was different in that we were now young adults and we had a real purpose and real weapons and skills.

We fought our way through a group of harpies that appeared as little children. (somewhat disturbing considering our past adventures in a similar location...)

We eventually reached a room where the others told me they had found Edwin Aclips, yet another tie to our childhood adventures. Evidently he did something that angered Vex and Vex struck him down. His dagger's "special" ability activated and left nothing but a pile of bones behind.

At this point I entered the doorway to the left and went up the stairs until they reached a landing with a closed door. I yelled down to the others who were still in the room below to tell them what I had found. At that time, the door opened and I saw a large room that appeared to be some type of religious sanctuary filled with people and other things that were all observing a ceremony of some type that involved a sacrifice.

Seeing that the others were running up to follow me, I activated my teleportation helm and appeared behind the startled priest at the altar and grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms in an attempt to stop the ritual. I was immediately struck by mind-altering suggestion spells that caused me to lower my sword and nearly forget my purpose. I fought these feelings and managed to keep a hold on the priest and wrestle him to the ground.

I've spent much of my free time during the past few days checking on Epher and making sure he is still being held safely in the cell we arranged for him. I'm not sure what to do with him at the moment, but figured that we have all the time in the world to decide, and that he can wait patiently for his fate to be determined.

We've also been out patrolling the streets of Magnimar to keep an eye on the doom cults and street preachers that are fleecing the locals and preying on their fears caused by the comet.

For the most part, the ones stirring up trouble seem to be the average shysters taking advantage of the situation to make money or gain power for themselves. However, a few have caused some concern that they represent more sinister forces at work. We'll have to keep an eye on those in particular.

Rumors of murders near the old clock tower from our youth led us to return there to investigate. It was odd returning to the place where it all started for us more than a decade earlier. My thoughts were filled with memories of the long climb and the battle with the goblins that we found there. That truly was a pivotal moment for our little group of friends. It felt strange being there without Sam and Felu. They had been a part of us for so long that their absence left me feeling remorseful about not being able to save them and keep the group together.

It didn't take long for Birgun to find the golem that immediately moved to attack him. They exchanged mighty blows until the combined efforts of our group brought it down.

It didn't stay down long!

A dark, skeletal creature (demon?) appeared to crawl out from inside the mismatched parts of the golem, much like a moth emerging from a cocoon. The shape was hunched at first as it appeared, but stood upright and towered over us as the last of the golem's flesh dropped away.

Back to battle!

The party was going well until Birgun moved up beside me and whispered that my sister had marks that looked very much like the bite of a vampire on her neck.

"What!"

With that I took a direct path that led toward the back corner of the room where my sister was standing. As I approached, I noticed that Vex was already there with her. They saw me approaching and stepped back against the wall as they could tell I was in no mood for pleasantries.

I questioned her and she admitted to seeing Epher who had pursued her romantically. (ugh!) While in the process of explaining all of this to her, Lugh and Birgun also made their way up to us. Lugh confirmed that Epher himself was the vampire.

"What!" (again)

We gave my sister a vial of the blue liquid and had her drink it in front of us. The change in her attitude was immediate and obvious. She went from being confrontational to confused and unhappy. Epher had definitely been using his dark powers to influence her and cloud her mind.

That no good, scheming little jerk from our childhood was suddenly my top priority!

I left the party in a foul mood, thinking of what I would do to him when I caught him.

That attitude lasted for nearly two weeks while I searched nightly for any sign of Epher. I finally caught a glimpse of him one night but he quickly disappeared into the shadows. It was at this point that we decided to contact Baga and see if he had heard or seen anything about Epher.

We found Baga with some of his Scarni friends. He hadn't heard anything or seen Epher, so we warned him about Epher being a vampire and asked him to contact us if he saw him.

Following this, we began searching for Epher as a group at night, using Oona as bait in the dark streets. It took a couple of days, but we finally succeeded in luring Epher out. He appeared close to Vex who was quick to take out his own anger about the situation the best way he knows how ... with sharp knives! (Good dragon!) I heard Vex ask him if he could feel pain, and Epher just smirked, indicating that he did not feel it.

Ether then attempted to flee but was blocked by Lugh who magically branded him on the forehead with a religious mark that seemed to lower his defenses somewhat. Following that, the party swarmed him and struck several blows until Epher attempted to flee by flying straight up into the air above us. He was pelted and blasted by spells and various projectiles in his retreat, but we were unable to stop him.

However, Birgun was flying above us all in bird form and quickly followed him. Nina began casting flying spells on several of us and we began an aerial chase. Vex was in the lead and followed Epher and Birgun to a building several blocks away. By the time the rest of us got close, Epher had been reduced to the misty fog that vampires use to escape their enemies when grievously wounded. However, we were able to follow his gaseous form back to Oona's old house.

We marched right in like we owned the place, and the hired help didn't dare to oppose us with more than words. We found Epher unconscious in a coffin in the basement and quickly carried him back out of the house, lest Oona's father return and catch us in the act.

I looked down at his helpless figure and thought only of my sister and what he had done to her. At that point the party began to discuss what to do with him. I suggested that we show him his final sunrise the next morning! Lugh added that we should do it out on a boat so Oona's father could not intervene.

After some debate caused by Birgun's suggestion that we not kill him, but attempt to help him since he was once our friend (but still a jerk even then!), we decided to take him to the cell in the basement of the Dawnflower temple. There, we placed him in magical manacles that would keep him from using spells to escape. We eventually agreed to use two of the blue vials to bring him back to the living.

I stood there, waiting for him to awaken as I hoped to be the first thing he saw. It turns out that he awoke and immediately tried to use his mind control on one of us. He found out quickly that it didn't work as I walked up to him and said, "Hello Epher. You remember when you said you couldn't feel pain earlier today?"

I then backhanded him across the mouth with my metal gauntlet and split his lip open. SMACK! (It felt good and was SO deserved!)

I looked him right in the eye and gave him a nasty smile and said, "Welcome back to the living!"

My vision finally returned ... just in time to see Birgun having a conversation with the empty air by the side of the road. What the???

Birgun then warned us that a spirit would appear and speak with us. It did!

It spoke of a history with all of us and that we had changed our appearance but were at heart the same band that had been together through history. I had no idea what this meant, considering that our group had all been friends since we were children.

The apparition told us of a great need for our group to come back together and travel with him to a town far to the North that needed our help. Upon saying this, a ghostly carriage and extra horses appeared at the edge of the road.

His incredible story seemed to appeal to all of us. I found myself looking at the others carefully, trying to remember them from some other form in the distant past. While I found no immediate recognition, the feeling that we were destined to be together seemed to ring true. I thought back to the miraculous timing of my friends appearing in Magnimar within hours of the same time after being gone for years. Maybe something more than luck was guiding us in our adventure?

We eventually agreed to travel with him to the town. Most of the group climbed aboard the oversized coach, while I chose to ride one of the spectral horses. We were soon off on our way, traveling through what could only be some other dimension as the outside world seemed to bend around us as we moved unnaturally through it. Our rapid pace continued and the surroundings became a foggy blur. I found myself dozing in the saddle and completely lost track of time.

I awoke as our pace slowed and we found ourselves emerging on the outskirts of Fort Donner. A normal trip would have taken us weeks, but we somehow had arrived much faster with the spectral coach.

We said farewell to the spectre, and made our way into town, stopping to secure rooms at an inn. We then split up to gather more information and planned to meet later that day to discuss our options. I went directly to the barracks that housed the local guard.

I'm used to the camaraderie that those in military service shared, but was shocked to see that it was completely missing here. A few disinterested individuals told me the captain was missing and that I could wait to talk to the lieutenant in his place. The lieutenant proved to be an unlikeable fellow who told me our "help" wasn't needed here. I persisted in questioning him until he finally agreed to meet me on the road outside of town this evening to show me the problems in person.

I left him then and went to tell the others of this dubious arrangement. It smelled like a trap to me!

On the way back to the inn, I heard yelling in the distance and saw Birgun running into a side street, calling for help. I followed him as quickly as possible while being slowed by my full suit of armor. (Cavaliers have horses for a reason, but mine was still back in Sandpoint!)

I saw Lugh and others also running to follow Birgun as he entered an herbalist shop. I continued to run and entered the doorway later after several of the others. I heard the sounds of combat and moved down a hall through an illusionary wall to find the group in combat with yet more demons. What is going on??!!!

I jumped into the fray, faring much better this time with my restored vision and ensorcelled iron weapon that stripped the unnatural protections from the demons.

The combat was short and vicious (oh wait, that was Vex!). Poor Vex was controlled by one of the demons and compelled to stand uselessly during the combat. We finished off the demons, and were left with an injured, armored fighter who turned out to be the missing captain of the guard.

Something is definitely rotten here!

I should post that we jokingly invented a new Swallowtail Festival event in the aftermath of the Rise of the Runelord campaign.

We called it "The Paladin's Path." Its a race for kids to follow the path taken by Rikert the day the giants attacked Sandpoint. The first to follow the long route from The Rusty Dragon Inn up to the north gate and back down through and crossing the bridge wins. The prize is a small stuffed animal of a warhorse.

The idea came about as we gave the player that played Rikert in the RotRL game a hard time about getting back to his horse Hickory who had been stabled in Sandpoint for multiple weeks in our new campaign.

Ah, yes. Poor Rikert and his long run (in plate armor no less) to the far gate of Sandpoint and back trying to keep up with the attacking dragon and giants. I think his blisters had blisters!

I found the naming of the new event very funny when Lint and Useplanb told me last week.

It seems highly appropriate and fits with the themes of the Swallowtail Festival.

:)

Well...this adventure has been exciting so far.

We followed the goblin trail through the woods to the hidden underground entrance that Vex had spotted earlier. We made our way through the caverns filled with frogs(?), goblins, and these shadowy creatures that couldn't stand any light that we used to see our own way through the tunnels. In fact, my sunrod completely blinded them and made them helpless targets. The only drawback to fighting these creatures was the fact that they exploded in a bright flash of light that temporarily blinded some of us.

The room with the shadowy creatures had three doors on the far wall. We blocked one of them that had been used by reinforcements, and moved into the far, left hallway where we had learned the "leaders" were located. In the hallway we found several doors and split the group slightly to investigate the various rooms. Huge and I spent most of our time guarding the hallway, except when our friends found a room with several orcs that needed killed. Sam, Felu, Kelyn, and some of the others found one of the leaders in a back room and used him to get information as much as possible. I never really saw much of him, but Huge said he was one of the creatures from the previous fight that had injured him and cut off Lugh's ear. Huge didn't trust him and I didn't blame him considering their history.

Huge, Lugh, and I poked around in the hallway, opening a few of the doors to see what was behind them while the others dealt with the leader. I found a door that led to several natural caverns which disappeared into the darkness underground. We had no reason to follow these, so we shut the door and continued to wait for the others.

During this time, Huge grew bored and suggested that those of us in the hallway should go ahead and open the door that led into the underground temple where we could hear goblin voices. Never ones to back down from a fight, we all grinned and followed him into the room as he smiled and opened the door.

The temple inside was a confusing, chaotic scene with goblins running everywhere, and some strange, hairless creatures that rose from a dark pool near the center of the room. We all jumped into combat, targeting the goblins first, and then moving on to the center where Huge had engaged the summoned abominations.

The fight continued as more of the creatures appeared from the pool. Vex and Lugh were still hunting goblins, while Atz, Oona, and others began to enter the room and join the melee. Eventually, we cut down the last of the creatures. It seems that the goblins were sacrificing themselves (or their friends) to bleed into a font at the far wall of the temple. As their blood (or bodies) entered the font, more of the creatures appeared in the pool. Lugh was the first to figure this out and had made a point of killing the goblins that were causing the problem.

Lugh seemed almost crazed as he found a hammer and began to pound on the font. The strange stone resisted his blows and we eventually had to pull him back from his futile efforts to destroy it.

As all of our stories came together, we learned that there were plans by the dark forces to destroy the Sarenrae shrine in Magnimar. We decided to leave as quickly as possible to return to Magnimar to try and prevent the destruction of the shrine.

Sam and Felu caught up with us shortly before the caravan stopped to camp for the night. We ate and got everything settled before posting guards to make sure the goblins didn't return during the night. I must have been really tired as I went to sleep early and didn't awaken until the morning. (I didn't intend to avoid guard duty, it just happened!)

The next morning I learned that another caravan had stopped to camp near us during the night. Birgun told me that Baga was a guard with the new caravan, and it looked like some of the thugs who had tried to muscle us out of guarding our caravan were with him.

Baga ate breakfast with us before we headed to the Halfway Inn. He was never my favorite friend as a child, but seems to be a decent person now that he is older. It was surprisingly good to see him as he added another piece to the nearly-complete puzzle of our childhood reunion.

The short journey from our campsite to the inn was uneventful except for seeing goblins lurking along the woods near the road. They avoided us and we passed without any problems.

When we were within sight of the inn, we decided that some of us should go back to make sure that the second caravan didn't have any trouble with the goblins. Sam and Felu stayed with our wagons while the rest of us doubled back. We encountered the second caravan, but they too, had not been attacked by the goblins.

We all returned to the inn together, and found a spot at a table with Sam, Felu, and several "working girls" that were also traveling to Sandpoint. We sat and ate and drank together until a few of the thugs from the second caravan wandered over and complained that all of the "whores" were with us. That didn't sit well with any of us and I shoved back my chair and stood up.

"I'd have guessed that you men would have wanted to keep the few remaining teeth you have in your mouths," I said while staring the leader right in the eye. "I suggest you consider your next words ... carefully..."

Birgun covered his drink and said, "It would be a shame if someone spilled my new drink and I had to beat them to death," in a quiet, serious tone that also got their attention.

While I was confronting the leader and his henchmen, I heard and saw others from our group stand or take defensive postures. During this time, Sam said something quietly to the leader who had made a half-hearted grab at him. The leader seemed to change his tone, and began to apologize to everyone at the table. This, along with the deadly serious looks from our group, helped take his henchmens' bravado away and they also backed down.

Lugh and Oona had some words for the retreating thugs that nearly started the fight again, but the situation was once again defused by Birgun's wit when he said, "That noise you hear is your peckers shrinkin'!" I burst out laughing when I heard that and the laughter spread throughout the room to both caravan groups with the exception of the thugs who continued on out of the door.

We finished our food and drinks, and then Lugh and Birgun and I went out to the courtyard and sparred together. It was obvious to see that my friends were well-trained like myself, although in different styles of combat.

After our practice, I washed up and ate dinner before retiring to the room upstairs with Vex. We talked briefly about the day's events, but I soon found myself falling asleep.

I was awoken sometime during the night by yelling and cries of "fire!" from the hallway. I sat up and immediately breathed in a bunch of hot smoke and started coughing. Vex was also awake, and we quickly grabbed our belongings and tossed them to the ground outside. Vex jumped first, using his wings to glide carefully to the ground. I lowered myself from the window ledge as far as possible and then dropped and rolled upon impact. I grabbed my shield and sword from the pile of equipment and ran toward the stables and the sounds of the horses screaming from the fires.

The area around the inn and stables was filled with smoke and the figures of people and goblins running in fear or excitement. I saw a group of caravan guards trying to make a bucket line to extinguish the fire in the stables. I ran by them and threw open the door where Hickory was kicking at the stalls around him. I was able to calm him enough to lead him from the inferno, and was happy to see that he was physically unharmed. Lugh and some of the caravan guards continued to free the other trapped horses, so I turned my attention to hunting down the goblins as they appeared through the smoke. I killed a few of them before coming upon Atz being harried by a large orc. He was a huge, menacing brute, so I yelled and charged forward to direct his attention to me...

The night of Oona's party was the last time I saw several of my friends. With the passing years since then, it all seems like a dream to me. The party in their mansion ... Oona's strange parents ... leaving the house and being attacked by the thugs ... seeking shelter in the abandoned shrine ... the crashing attack of her father seeking to enter the shrine ... all of those things blur together in my memories now. The one thing that I'll never forget from that night is how it brought our group of friends even closer, creating a bond between us that seemed to mark the very day we ceased being children and became young adults.

Many of our group went separate ways soon after that night. At first I was jealous of all of them and their travels to lands far from Magnimar, but I soon found myself busy with my own life and the new challenges as I trained with the city guard.

By that time, I knew that Vex wasn't a real dragon despite all of my childhood wishes to the contrary. He was a kobold, and that meant he wasn't welcome in some circles of our society. To me though, he was still my most-trusted friend. The hours we had spent together in our youth created a connection between us that wouldn't be broken by society's disapproving stare. Vex also was growing up and finding his own way. He would be gone for days at a time, but always seemed to return to tell me of his latest "adventures."

My days were filled with a physical training regimen that pushed my young body to grow in strength and toughness. I awoke early in the morning to exercise with the other new recruits, and then we were trained in combat using various weapons and styles. As our training progressed, we were paired with city guard patrols to accompany them on their daily duties around Magnimar. I had always known there was a seedy side to the city, but the patrols opened my eyes and brought the fact home to me. I saw parts of the city where we had played as children in a whole new light as a young adult. It's probably a good thing my parents didn't ever find out the extent of our youthful adventures into Underbridge and the surrounding areas.

I worked hard and continually improved my combat skills until I could hold my own with most of the guardsmen. Eventually, during the course of my training, I caught the eye of a benefactor who supported the functions of the local government and offices in Magnimar. Garin Tullows is a man of means with connections throughout Magnimar and the surrounding area. He saw some potential in me beyond a life in the city guard, and with my father's blessing, invited me to train with some of his personal men-at-arms at one of his properties near Magnimar. This was a great honor and I was eager to learn from these men who had traveled throughout the lands and experienced more of the world than my own family and friends.

My training became more specialized as I was taught how to ride a warhorse into battle. I practiced in heavy armor each day until it no longer hindered me or tired me quickly. The men who trained me pushed me harder than ever before. They were professionals who treated me fairly, but spared no lesson and pulled no punches when I failed to do as they instructed. I wore many bruises and cuts during this time as a constant reminder that failure in a real battle could have fatal results.

The years since my friends left passed quickly. I have been so busy training, that I have had little time for anything else. However, I have reached a place and an age where I can now begin to choose my own path in life. Vex and I have recently had a little time to spend together again, and it is good for us both. We often reminisce about our previous adventures and wonder what has become of the others from our group.

I have heard rumors that some of them may be returning to Magnimar. I hope it is true.

Macer Dorn–

Wow! Our second adventure was even better than the first!

We snuck into the big clock tower and started searching for whatever it was that Nina thought would be there. (She didn't know, but said we would know when we found it.)

We found piles of stinky, rotten things ... even a shriveled, maggoty leg!!! It was gross but cool.

Huge found the biggest, sewn-together arm we had ever seen. It looked like something from one of the golems from the Golem Works. Kelyn found a key, and some of the others found trinkets and discarded items that they kept.

We eventually got bored and started climbing the rickety stairs. I went first because I wasn't scared of the swaying structure. I figured it had been there for a long time and wouldn't fall just 'cause we were walking on it. Huge followed behind me holding a torch so I could see, and the others followed him. About half way up I had to stop to fix a broken spot in the stairs. I still had the bag from the bridge tower, so I used the metal spikes and the little hammer to make handholds and footholds so we could cross the damaged part.

After that we went clear up to the big bells at the top. We were looking at the bells when a rock came flying out of the darkness and hit me in the face! Ouch! It really hurt, but I didn't want to cry in front of the girls, so I made myself be tough and got mad instead. Huge was sure that it was Baga and Epher messin' with us, so he ran past me and yelled for them to quit being jerks.

I followed him and we both emerged outside onto a narrow wooden path that led up to the very top of the roof of the tower. It was here that we found it wasn't the other boys throwing the rocks, it was two real GOBLINS!!!

They were scrawny and ugly with big heads and nasty teeth. They kept throwing rocks until they ran out, and then they picked up bigger rocks and tried to whack us with them. I got hit again, but Huge got a good lick in with his wooden sword, and then I came up behind the goblin and swung my wooden sword as hard as I could and whacked it again. It shrieked and stumbled back, its feet scrabbling for grip on the edge of tower. The loose rocks and debris slid out from under it and it slipped over the edge, howling and screaming as it fell. I got as close as I could to the edge and looked down just in time to see it splat and bounce on the pavers below. (I swear, with the gods as my witness that I thought goblins could fly! ... they can't!)

I turned to see how my friends were doing with the other goblin just in time to hear Sam yell out something I didn't understand and suddenly a burst of cold energy hit the goblin and it frosted over and fell back, dead as could be! We all cheered, but Sam just stood there looking scared.

After the shock of the battle with real goblins passed, we discovered a bunch of "loot" on the roof. There was a ton of real money! There were all kinds of coins and a locked box that Kelyn or someone finally got open using the key he found downstairs. We were rich! (Well, at least for kids...)

We divided up the treasures and carried everything back downstairs. We started to leave, but some of the boys decided we shouldn't take the big arm with us. I thought it was cool, but got out voted and watched as Kelyn and Birgun tied it up with the leftover splattered goblin parts to swing out and hit whoever opened the door to the tower.

We snuck away, chuckling at the thought of some poor adult getting whacked by our trap.

We stopped at the little shrine again for Lugh, and some of the kids went inside. I'm not sure why they keep going there. I think the glowy statue is kind of creepy.

We eventually went home and Vex and I hid our new loot under his bedding. He really did have a dragon hoard to sleep on now!

My name is Macer, Macer Dorn, and I'm seven years old.

I live with my parents in a big city called Magnimar. We live in a little house down the hill from the big fancy houses where the rich people live.

My dad works for The Lord Mayor of our city. My dad's name is Mikos Dorn and he is an officer in the city guard. He works hard to keep our city safe. He protects the rich people and their big homes from the "no goods" who try to steal their stuff. Dad wears armor and carries a spear and a real sword when he goes to work. His sword is shiny and sharp! (I cut myself a little once when I was playing with it...don't tell my dad or I'll get a whuppin'.)

My mom is named Ellan. She is really pretty and nice. She stays home and takes care of me and my little sister, Mira. My sister is only three so she's still a little kid.

When I grow up I want to be a brave knight with a real sword and a big horse. Daddy says I'm still too little for a real sword, so he made me a wooden sword and and stick horse named Hickory so I can play with my friends. Sometimes I even borrow one of momma's metal pots to wear as a helmet. She says she doesn't mind as long as I don't take her good one.

My friends are really nice. Sam, Birgun, Lugh, Kelyn, and Atz all like to play with me and pretend we are heroes. We just met some new kids who like to play down under the big bridge where it is always in the shadows. I think mom and dad would be mad if they knew we played down there. It's kinda scary sometimes, but that's what makes it fun!

My favorite thing in the whole world is my dragon! His name is Vex and he hatched from a dragon egg my parents bought me at the market a few years ago. Momma had always read stories about heroes and dragons to me when I was a little kid like my sister. I knew that some day I'd have a dragon of my own, and then it happened! I found the dragon egg in the market and begged my parents to buy it for me from the man who had it in a basket with some other things that looked like rocks. Momma said it wasn't a real dragon egg, but she bought it for me anyway. I took it home and kept it warm under some blankets and a few weeks later IT HATCHED!!!

Momma was real surprised when it hatched and there was a little dragon inside. She wasn't sure if I could keep it, but I begged her and promised to take care of it. Dad finallly told her to let me try because it would be a good lesson about being responsible.

Vex is getting bigger now, and he goes everywhere with me and my friends. The new kids like Vex, too. There is a pretty girl named Felu with the new kids. She really likes Vex and always plays with us and brings treats for Vex.

Well, I gotta go now. Sam and Birgun just stopped by and said it's time to go on our next adventure!

Bye for now.

Macer

And to think I never would've discovered you guys if I hadnt mistaken NobodysHome reference of Xandu for Xanderghul

Honestly, we've all been suspicious of that coincidence for a LONG time ... especially when Xandu HEALED one of the enemy dragons in an attempt to earn it's friendship!

Bad Xandu! ;)

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

I took a moment to regather my wits before moving along the blade barrier wall in an attempt to find a place to pass through it unharmed.

I could see Kori'el and some of the others still fighting on the opposite side of the barrier. Davok and the rest were still firing into the combat through the wall of blades.

Finding no easy access point around the barrier, I once again called upon Iomedae's power to assume the angelic form and used the wings to fly over the blades. I launched myself into combat against one of the remaining giants and managed to land solid strike before being knocked down again. This time I stayed there rather than trying to rise and used Iomedae's blessing to allow my friends to smite our enemy. Her power coursed through the others near me and they were able to finish off the giant. Shortly after, the giant lamia also was killed.

During the course of the battle, Kori'el was struck by a powerful necromantic spell from the lamia and was completely destroyed. All that was left of her was her weapons and armor. The black blade was now just a normal rapier. I don't know if Xandu will be able to find a way to restore her to us for the final battle, but I'm sure he will do everything within his power to make it so.

The survivors rested and healed ourselves as much as possible and then sought shelter in the magical dimension Mother Not summoned.

The recent fights had completely exhausted all of us and we quickly fell asleep now that we were out of immediate danger.

After resting for many hours, we returned again to the real world and began to investigate the strange metal objects in the room. The large, metal sphere seemed to be the most important piece, so the group spent a while studying it thoroughly. Friedrich and the others eventually determined that the opening on top seemed to be some type of portal device that created a gate to another area.

We formed a line behind Davok and Friedrich and one-by-one began to step (fall?) down into the portal...

It should also be noted that today is exactly two days short of two years since Useplanb first created this thread.

934 posts and many stories and adventures later!

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

The battle with the Rune giant and the others had left me exhausted and nearly out of spells and healing abilities. Still, we decided to move on farther into tower.

We went in the direction where the Rune giant had appeared from in hope that it would lead us to the other leaders and possibly Karzoug himself. The first location of note that we found was a large, curved area that featured many large, stone rooms sized to hold the Rune giant or something of similar size. They all had stone doors, but seemed to be empty.

It was here that Karzoug appeared again and attacked with spells. Once again, it was some type of projected image of the Runelord and not him in the flesh. The first attack from the party that hit him made the image disappear.

We found little else of value in the area and moved on into another room that contained another huge statue of Karzoug, and a stone building that seemed to be a shrine of some type. A few of the party members moved up to enter the shrine and immediately were attacked by a large demon that nearly shredded Kori'el to start the combat. I moved up and engaged the demon with help from a few of the others while Xandu magically moved Kori-el to safety. The demon fell to our combined efforts within a few rounds or combat. We patched up the wounded as best as possible and moved to investigate a wall shielded with a magical curtain of energy that resisted most of our efforts to reach the doorway seen behind the barrier. It took some time while our spell casters put their heads together to determine a way to bring down the energy barrier.

Upon entry into the room behind the shielded doorway, we once again were attacked by several giants and another lamia who was nearly as tall as the giants. I moved up to close the distance with them, but was struck by a series of blows and spells that knocked me to the ground as I blacked out from the damage. A healing burst of energy from Xandu brought me back almost instantly, and I rolled back to safety just out of reach of a clashing wall of magical blades that suddenly appeared between us and the giants...

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

The fight with the endless stream of giants continued as we all used every available resource to our advantage. (spells, potions, natural abilities, weapon abilities)

It still was a close thing as the woman in the golden armor slashed through the party members closest to her while the giants handed out a tremendous pounding to the rest of us. It was all I could do just to keep myself in the fight. I used all but one of Iomedae's healing touches on myself in addition to full healing spells and other buffs the party provided.

Sheldor took the worst of it as the giants targeted him in retribution for his magnetic spell that kept the Rune Giant out of the first rounds of the fight. There is a good chance that the battle may have gone differently if he had been able to wade into the combat along with all of the other giants at once.

It was a true team effort to survive this time. Xandu came to the rescue of the fallen time and time again, and several of the others used individual healing spells to keep their comrades in the fight.

(I figured up the damage after the battle and my personal amount absorbed was 779 points. I received two complete "heal" spells, multiple smaller healing bursts, and used all but one of my personal "lay on hands" paladin ability on myself ... somewhere around 80+d6 of personal healing.)

Friggen' ouch!

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

Following our rest and regrouping after the battle with the dragon, we moved on into the upper reaches of the city to the immense spire with the circular path climbing high up into the sky.

We slowly made our way up the seemingly endless ramp until we reached the top. Here, we once again found our way blocked by more giants. The battle began as usual with a hail of boulders crashing amongst us as we moved to close the distance.

We killed several of the giant and pushed them back through the clouds of fog to a large doorway at the top of the ramp. The huge, double doors led into another large area that was filled with more giants, including a black-skinned behemoth who seems to be the leader.

Combat continues as we target the immediate threats while trying to reach the leader. Sheldor once again surprised us all with another powerful spell which drove the dark-skinned giant back against a wall and pinned him there.

The giants aren't alone in the fight, as there is a woman in plate armor who fights with a golden scimitar. Her armor is nearly impervious, and she wields the scimitar effortlessly as though it is a natural part of her body.

In addition to the woman, there was a sighting of Karzoug (possibly an illusionary image) that also appeared. I told Xandu to take me to him as I hope that cutting the head off of the snake may shorten the battle.

But for now, the fight continues...

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

The past days have been a blur as we deal with the altitude and the enormous scale of the city.

The fight with the giant spiders grew in scope as devils joined the fray. I tried to target the devils specifically as the power of Iomedae protects and strengthens me against their kind. We eventually destroyed the spiders and most of the devils. Their leader teleported away after taking several grievous wounds. We then opened the doors of the giant building and spent several hours exploring the maze of hallways. We encountered more of the spiders, but they caused us few problems as we were once again grouped tightly and could use our numbers to an advantage. Eventually, we found the devil's lair and various belongings that included a Sihedron ring similar to the amulets worn by others in our group.

We rested a few times, using Mother Not's spell to create a hidden, safe place to recover and prepare.

Our next challenge proved to be another dragon. We saw the creature flying in the distance, and followed it to the crumbling ruins of an ancient cathedral. After searching through the debris while trying to find a path to the dragon, the group had lost its discipline and once again spread out in a long line. We were out of position and Xandu and I were at the back of the line, far from the opposite end where Moxie and some of the others were ambushed by the dragon which had been hunting us.

The dragon was immense and fast! It covered large spaces quickly and used its great size to power through the stone walls and other debris which would have stopped a lesser creature. In addition to its formidable physical weapons, it also used strong magical spells against us.

The fight was brutal and hard to follow as it crossed the battleground repeatedly, striking us along the path with little effort. We finally managed to injure it enough that it chose to withdraw rather than risk being destroyed, and the last we saw of it was its silhouette disappearing in the distance.

We found more of the Sihedron amulets and rings in the horde of treasure it left behind. I think we now have enough of them to allow us all to pass through the magical barrier that protects the upper reaches of the mountain.

Our path to this point has been brutal and draining on all of us. The group has been pushed near the breaking point on multiple occasions, and I can see the effects on everyone. The dark circles around their eyes and the grim set of their jaws, and the general lack of light-hearted banter that has always accompanied us in our travels but is now missing or rarely appears are all signs. Kori'el is the newest member of our group, and the relentless horrors we have encountered seem to have hit her the hardest. She seems removed from our group, and I often hear her talking quietly to herself as she tries to deal with the stress.

We are all tired. We are all bruised.

But ... we are all determined to finish this!

Darn it, Kori'el! I was going to tell him that Useplanb lost his copy of the adventure book and we were on hiatus until he found enough change in his couch cushions to buy a new one!

:)

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

The forest seemed like a good place to hide from those pursuing us ... for a few minutes ... until the vegetation came alive and attacked us!

A strange mixtures of vines and roots formed the roughly humanoid shapes of the creatures that appeared almost without warning from the dense undergrowth. The creatures seemed driven by a feral hunger as they encircled us like a pack of wolves. Combat began and a confusing melee continued for several minutes as I moved through the tangling growth to cut down several of the creatures. I barely saw the others in the party as they were hidden by the thick brush and limbs that surrounded us.

Suddenly, the entire forest dwindled in size almost instantly. The trees and brush shrunk down as though they were struck with a fast-acting disease that shriveled them down to nearly nothing. I found out later that Sheldor was responsible for this instant clearing of the forest all around us. I briefly saw a creature that looked like one of the lamias we had encountered much earlier run along the edge of the clearing and retreat back into the town.

With the trees and brush removed, it was easy to spot and fight the remaining plant-like creatures. As the last of them fell, I turned and saw several enormous creatures, much larger than the first ones, advancing toward us from across the clearing. The spell casters and ranged combatants cut them down quickly at a distance.

We regrouped and decided that fighting a continuous battle against the forest itself would be more of hassle than returning to the open streets or causeway.

We moved back to the causeway and followed it farther into the city until we spotted a large, sihedron-shaped building nearby. We decided to investigate this building in hope that it would provide us with clues or tools we could use to penetrate the occlusion field protecting Karzoug.

We moved up to the building in two groups, one on each side of a pair of normal-sized stairs flanking a set of giant-sized stairs that led up to a large, covered stone entrance. As we ascended the stairs, a pair of monstrous, red spiders with long, thin legs dropped from above and landed on the open area at the top of the stairs. The creatures used their long front legs that ended in sharp pinchers to attack the party from a distance as soon as they landed. Their claws seemed unusually sharp and caused wicked, bleeding wounds on several of us as we organized ourselves to fight back...

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

The battle in the creature's lair continued as we forced the undead back into gaseous forms that they used to escape from the room. It turns out they were moving back to their hidden coffins in a chamber below us. Unknown to all of us, Moxie had used the token given to her to travel through the stone to the chamber below and killed the helpless vampires before they could regenerate.

Morgiv appeared again following the battle and led us back to the chamber where we had originally talked to tell the other Skulks that the hidden creature had been destroyed. After discussing our plans with him regarding Karzoug, he provided some additional information that may prove helpful as we travel through the city.

We rested in the dimensional space created by Mother Not before venturing farther along the road into the city. We followed the path until we found an area where the pavement was broken and churned. It was here that two more of the giant frost worms appeared to attack us. We dispatched them quickly, but still have not found a way to avoid their explosive deaths which have proven fatal or nearly so to several in the group.

After the enormous explosions, we healed our wounded and moved quickly off of the causeway in an attempt to avoid the giants and whatever else may be searching for us in the city.

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

The figure introduced himself to us as Morgiv, and he proceeded to tell us about his peoples' problem with a creature that preyed upon them. He seemed to think that we were the chosen ones who would destroy the threat based on an ancient mural found in their caves.

We eventually agreed to follow him and hunt down the creature. He led us through a maze of caverns that cut through the rocky lava flow that had buried a large section of the city. After getting thoroughly lost, we finally came upon a room that held a large dais with a skeletal figure seated on it.

The whole roomed seemed to be a trap, and this was quickly confirmed as numerous creatures that looked like corrupted versions of whatever Morgiv was attacked us, along with a gross, tentacled creature that cast spells before dropping from the ceiling to grab and strike at us with its long, tentacled arms. The skeletal figure was only a lure to bring people into range of the creature.

A mass melee erupted and continues...

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

The bird men swarmed toward us, filling the sky with their winged shapes and a hail of huge arrows that rained among us. I leapt into the sky to take the fight to them rather than waiting for the relentless barrage to scythe us down.

Individually, they were no match to my sword blows, but they fought tactically and withdrew as soon as I moved to engage them, allowing their comrades to also fire at me. Iomedae answered my repeated calls for her aide to fight them by shielding me from the worst of their attacks while providing her healing powers to keep me in the battle. The next minutes were a haze of combat as I spun through their ranks, twisting and turning in the air to meet them in combat while avoiding their giant arrows.

Eventually, the efforts of my comrades on the ground combined with my direct attacks to drop the rest of them. I saw that Kori'el had also used magic to fly into combat, while the others had cast spells, fired arrows, and threw bombs into their ranks. The resulting explosions had caused the herd of giant cattle to stampede away from us. They broke through the pen opposite our location and retreated up the gilded road.

We regrouped and continued our advance along the road through the city. We came upon a group of large, primitive huts constructed in an open area. It was here that we witnessed a confrontation between two groups of giants. A smaller group of cloud giants faced off against a larger group of stone giants. The tension was obvious between the two groups, but it was interrupted by our arrival on the scene. The cloud giants immediately charged to attack us and managed to injure several of us before Davok left his traditional pile of giant corpses on the battlefield. He truly is an awesome weapon when his attention is focused on giants.

After the battle, the leader of the stone giants spoke with us and shared information regarding the city and additional threats we may face as we traveled toward the towering mountain at the end of the valley.

From there, we again started up the road, only to be interrupted by the sudden appearance of a strange humanoid who seemed to step directly out of one of the buildings near us.

He held up his hands and asked us not to attack him...

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

We advanced farther into the cave, seeking the giants who had attacked us.

Eventually, we found them, floating overhead and attacking anyone who walked below them in the mist. I used my winged-form to fly up and meet them. The thick mists obscured vision for everyone in the room, so it was a slow process as I located and fought each of the remaining giants. A gout of flame from Friedrich cleared the air and the mist, and accelerated the pace of the battle. Eventually, we dropped the last of the giants and took time to bandage our wounds before continuing on the road to Xin Shalast.

Mother Not proved to be useful as she created an extra-dimensional space where we could shelter from the effects of the high altitude and rest safely. We used this several times along with a protective spell from Xandu, Sheldor, or Davok to avoid altitude sickness.

We eventually found the deep valley and steep cliffs that were part of the fabled city of Xin Shalast and began our descent toward the golden road that wound through the city. The ruins of the huge buildings and carved stones were amazing to behold.

Near the entrance to the city, our way was blocked by a large pen containing giant cattle of some type. As we moved closer, a host of ugly, flying, bird-men swooped down and began to attack by firing huge arrows from enormous bows they gripped in their talons where their feet should be...

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

The days at the cabin passed quickly as I finally had a chance to read the tome given to me by Moxie.

We were relatively comfortable after making some repairs to the damaged parts of the building. On the final day, we fasted, gathered our equipment, and made our way to the ice fens using the misty, cloud form granted by Xandu.

Upon arrival, we split into groups to search for the "path" after the sun went down. A few of us stumbled onto the hidden way early on, but had to wait for hours until the rest of the group was able to join us. Traveling in the misty form at night made it hard to see everyone after we had split up.

We took turns resting briefly until everyone was assembled, and then moved along the path which became a road leading up into the mountains with a steep cliff on our left.

We didn't get far before being attacked by giants hiding in a cave above the path. One of them jumped down to fight the party in hand to hand combat, while several others rained boulders down on those unlucky enough to be their targets.

The party scrambled to take out the first giant who was among the lead elements. Davok is a fierce weapon when he takes on giants of any type. His volleys of arrows dropped one of the rock-throwers instantly, and helped take down the axe-wielding giant on the path.

The rest of us joined in with ranged combat or moved into position to assault the ones in the cave. I flew up above the cave entrance, and then dropped down in beside Davok who was eager to find the rest of the giants. We encountered a thick wall of fog that slowed our progress and completely blocked our sight. The giants were waiting just beyond the fog and swatted the two of us like flies as soon as we were in range. The huge mace knocked us both back and off of our feet. It took a few seconds to stand back up and make sure all of our body parts were still working!

We moved forward cautiously into the fog, supported by Xandu and others who had entered the cave behind us...

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

The creature attacked immediately, brutally striking Xandu and biting at Kori'el, nearly swallowing her whole. As we moved to attack it, Kori'el freed herself using magic, and the creature pulled back onto the porch and flew up into the sky.

Kori'el yelled for us to stay in the building, but waiting inside while the creature tore it apart and picked us off one by one wasn't an option. I immediately called upon Iomedae's powers to assume a form where I could fight the flying demon on equal terms. During this time the creature flew by and raked Davok with its claws. Other members of the group were now outside and began to engage the creature at range.

I flew up and attempted to follow the demon, but it was incredibly fast and it disappeared from view as it moved behind the building. It soon reappeared and charged me, raking me with its claws as it moved past. This time I was ready, and followed it closely, striking it with all of the power Iomedae granted me to fight this evil. My sword tore a long, deep gash in the creature's side, and as I drew back for another strike, I heard Xandu's voice over the sounds of combat, carrying clearly and more powerfully than I had ever heard him speak. His words crackled with energy and struck the demon like physical blows, each word causing the creature to recoil and seemingly fold in upon itself and fade away until there was nothing left. He had banished it back to whatever hell it had escaped from to terrorize our world!

Xandu has always focused his efforts on healing, but seeing him unleash his holy power to drive away an otherworldly foe filled me with real joy and reaffirmed my belief that our mission to stop Karzoug will succeed.

Following the fight, we returned to the ruined room where the haunts of the dwarves were still swirling together in their own battle. Finally, one emerged victorious and told us of the dangers we faced while providing the missing pages from the journal to help us on the next step of our journey.

We learned that the next step involved traveling to the ice fens where we would have to wait weeks for the path to open. (Oh, joy!) Just the name of the place assured me that those weeks would be spent huddling miserably in the snow, using magic to keep ourselves warm and fed.

We traveled there using the misty forms granted to us by Xandu. Upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed. It was a frozen tundra broken only by open pools of freezing water and slippery, deep muck.

We were visited by some type of female creature who first appeared as an otter (of all things...) and then transformed into a water nymph of some type. She spoke with Xandu and some of the others about an event in the past where they had helped her sister. I was unfamiliar with this incident, so I began looking for a decent shelter.

Of course, there wasn't anything more than snow piles and low areas filled with frozen mud anywhere within sight. I suggested that since we knew the location, that we use magic to teleport back to Magnimar where we could wait out the two weeks in relative comfort and have a chance to resupply as needed. Most of the party listened as I mentioned this, except for Kori'el, who immediately began berating me for being soft and not wanting to camp in the frozen muck. I am a firm believer in working smarter, rather than harder for no apparent gain, but she would have none of it. I'm starting to think that she prefers to be miserable as a self-inflicted punishment for whatever imagined shortcomings she believes she has. Either way, the drab, cold conditions in the fens certainly fit her personality lately.

I finally asked for a vote.

"Who wants to stay here and camp in the ice fens for two weeks, rather than teleporting back to Magnimar where we can sleep in clean, warm beds and eat real food?" (Rikert surveys the party and sees several nodding in agreement, Kori'el scowling and looking bitter as usual, and Sheldor sheepishly starting to raise his hand...)

"Sheldor! I know you are a "snow elf" and nature lover, but I swear to Iomedae if you raise your hand I'll..."

In the end, the matter was decided for us as the altitude sickness began affecting us all. We reached a compromise and teleported back to the dwarven mining camp to wait out the two weeks there.

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

Our brief reunion with the other members of the party was short-lived. The knocking continued and then suddenly the entire building shook and rattled as if there was an earthquake. Everyone scattered as they moved away in an attempt to avoid the relentless shaking. I chose to exit onto the upper porch and into the snow rather than stay inside the building in case it should crumble and fall off of the cliff.

Even outside the structure, the surface shook and I was thrown to the ground. I saw what seemed to be a thin dwarf trying to crawl out from under the foundation of the building. The vision quickly faded as I called upon Iomedae's gift to fly up off of the ground on angels wings. I surveyed the area around the mine building, but could see little because of the heavy snowfall.

I flew over the edge of the cliff and saw Xandu below me, standing away from the lower entrance. He saw me and beckoned for me to join him, so I flew down and entered into the circle of protective magic that surrounded him. He said we needed to call upon our link to the gods and end the haunt by channeling energy into the building. It took two tries before the building finally settled back to normal. During this time, several other party members had arrived outside in the snow, but I didn't see Moxie or Kori'el. Just as I realized this, I heard a shriek of agony from inside the building.

I flew quickly into the doorway and through the entry room to the stairwell that led up to the top level. It was here that I came upon Kori'el, carrying the lifeless and bloodied body of Moxie. To my horror, I saw that Kori'el had fresh blood upon her face, and was in the process of spitting out a chunk of flesh that matched the bite mark on Moxie's neck.

"What have you done??!!" I yelled as I moved closer.

Kori'el turned, and seemed to be in shock as she babbled about not meaning to do it, and that everything was going to be fine. She wouldn't let me examine the body, and pulled away on the verge of madness as the other party members arrived on the scene. It took Xandu's reassurance and healing power to calm Kori'el. He then turned his full attention to trying to revive Moxie. I know how much he cares for us all, but Moxie is his favorite and I could tell that this was incredibly difficult for him.

In the end, Moxie was restored and we rested the duration of the storm in the building. The next morning, we moved out to try and find the bones from one of the dwarves that had died near here, and was evidently part of the problem causing the haunt activity.

We moved into a large, open area near where the mechanical elevator led deep into the mines. It was here that we encountered a great, wormlike creature that burst up from the ground and breathed a freezing mist over us. At nearly the same time, a ghostly, dwarven figure rose from the fog and also moved to attack. The huge worm was quickly blown to bits (literally) by Friedrich's bombs. Following that, the ghostly figure also fell to our combined efforts. Moxie had found the missing bones during the fight, and we returned by magic to the upper room of the mine building to lay the bones to rest and end the haunt. The ghostly figures of two dwarves appeared and seemed to argue with each other, when suddenly the wall of the room crashed in and an enormous, horned creature that walked upright surprised us with its quick and ferocious attack.

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

Following our weeks of rest and resupplying in Magnimar and Sandpoint, we finally determined the rough location of our next part of the journey and made arrangements to travel there using magical means. Mother Not convinced us that traveling through the shadows, rather than using the mist form from our previous journeys, was more efficient and allowed us to instantly act in the real world without waiting.

Our first stop on the road to Xin Shalast was an abandoned mining camp that had been founded by dwarves farther north in the mountains where we had fought the giants.

Upon arriving, we found the camp to be little more than a ramshackle wooden hut perched on the side of a small but steep cliff along with a few other outbuildings. The weather was cold, and snow covered most of the ground as we stepped out from shadow form and made our way closer to the lichen-covered stones and wood of the camp.

A large pile of debris from the previous mining efforts stood in front of the hut, along with a bent, gnarled tree of some type. Sheldor and some of the others seemed interested in the tree itself, and I soon learned why as the entire thing uprooted itself from the snowy ground and advanced on us. Xandu teleported himself, Davok, and Moxie to the top of the cliff to escape its attacks which focused on poor Sheldor. The enormous branches of the tree pounded him again and again until he was bleeding and unconscious on the ground.

Friedrich threw fire bombs which burst and damaged the old wooden body of the creature, while Kori'el and myself moved up to attack it. I called upon Iomedae to grant her power to my companions, and saw Kori'el strike the living tree harder than anything I have ever seen her do previously. The enormous creature was shaken somewhat by the ferocity of her attack, and myself and the others moved quickly to take advantage of the situation. It didn't take long for our combined efforts to fell this foe.

Xandu reappeared and quickly came to Sheldor's aid. It seems the snow elf's time to rejoin nature had not yet come.

After everyone had bandaged their wounds, we split into two groups to enter and search the mining buildings. My group entered from the ground level while the other started above and worked their way down.

We encountered several haunts similar to those in the abandoned cliff house near Sandpoint. Iomedae's hand protects me from the worst of their effects, but my companions are not so blessed. Friedrich found himself following a haunt's offer to try eating gold dust, which turned out to be arsenic, a poison created in the mining process. Luckily, his odd metabolism resulting from his use of alchemical potions rendered him immune to its effects.

We moved up a narrow staircase around the edge of the wooden building that connected the ground level hut with the buildings up on the cliff above us. Another haunt caused an iron chain and the bucket attached to it to animate and attack us. It seemed odd to attack a normally inanimate object, but that turned out to be the solution, and the chain dropped back into its normal, lifeless form.

At the top of the stairs, we entered into the mining buildings and ran directly in to the other group which had just cleared the upper levels, finding only small items and other haunts which had managed to seriously injure Xandu.

We regrouped here, and then moved to investigate the next area where Moxie or someone had found a hidden doorway. At the same time, we heard what sounded like someone knocking on the lower doors in the hut area from where we had just ascended.

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

I followed the others in pursuit of the Mithral Mage until our progress was stopped at a large door farther into the area. Mother Not turned into a swirling dust form similar to Freidrich and moved through the crack under the door.

She was gone for longer than expected, so we opened the door. We saw her standing in front of yet another huge demon. I immediately prepared for a fight, but it seemed they were just talking. I cautiously looked at the others and found that they were all listening instead of moving to attack. I held my own attack and waited for the inevitable betrayal and sneak attack from the demon.

It never happened.

It seems that the demon only wanted to be free of this place (don't we all!) to return to its home in the planes.

They eventually reached some type of arrangement, and Mother Not was able to magically release the demon from the binding spell that held it trapped in this room. I was dubious of the entire process, but the creature kept its word and allowed us to pass unmolested. I kept my eyes on it as we moved through, and thought that I could feel its underlying contempt for me as a follower of Iomedaae.

Farther down the corridor, the lead members of the group had found the mage trapped in a room with a large pool that contained some type of magical liquid. I called on Iomedae's power to transform into the aspect of one of her angels, only to have the blessing ripped away almost instantly from me by some spell cast by the mage.

The fight ended shortly after as the mage was already wounded from our previous encounter. Xandu and some of the others began to explore the pool, but several of them quickly fled the area as something in the room seemed to rip at their very souls. Only Xandu seemed unaffected, and he spent several moments placing enchanted items in the water of the pool with mixed results.

We rested again after this encounter, and Kori'el and Freidrich spent time exploring the library and its contents.

We then chose to explore the tunnels of Sloth, and quickly found ourselves trudging through what appeared to be sewers filled with unimaginable foulness. Xandu used his powers to once again give us the ability to walk above the ground and pass through gates and other barriers in the form of mist.

As we entered a larger chamber with several levers protruding from the far wall, Davok and Freidrich moved to investigate and were soon attacked by water creatures which rose from the vile sewers and used magic and physical means to engage in combat.

Several of us were still in mist form when this happened, and spent the next moments switching back to our solid forms so we could enter the battle.

Our party "diplomat" is Rikert (who wasn't in attendance last night), and that's only because he has a high CHA score. I don't think he's wasted a precious skill point on Diplomacy.

Wrong!

Rikert has a 15-16 in Diplomacy. I've spent quite a few of my not-very-many-to-start-with skill points trying to keep his skills balanced, but with a focus on Diplomacy.

(Also, Lucien was putting points into Diplomacy before Nualia killed him.)

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

The hidden passage led through a small hallway and ended in a room with what appeared to be sewn-together bodies and an old man who was doing the sewing, along with a ghostly figure which floated above the floor in an alcove to the right.

By chance, we had once again entered the room out of our normal order. (I could almost hear Simon's voice chastising us...) I found myself at the back of the party as I had come the farthest distance following our destruction of the mummies in the next hall. I waited in the back, barely able to see what was in the room, while several party members began talking with the old man.

I could tell that the conversation would be short-lived by the maniacal laughter coming from the man at some comment from Kori'el or Freidrich. Not wanting to be caught off guard, I asked for Iomedae's protection against the evil filling the chamber ahead. The granting of her protection was quickly followed by the inevitable attack from the old man, who revealed his dark powers of necromancy and sorcery as he quickly cast spells which washed over the entire group with various effects. I was struck by two rays of color from the spell, one of which seemed to contain some type of acid, while the other had no effect.

The man stepped back into another alcove behind him and cast a spell creating a wall of nearly invisible force to protect himself. I asked again for another of Iomedae's blessings and transformed into the aspect of one of her angels to shield myself and the others from some of his magical attacks.

Xandu turned and asked if I was ready to face the man, and then magically moved us into the small alcove with him to avoid the wall's protection. The space was tight as Freidrich also moved into the space in a swirling storm of dust that was the result of one of his potions.

My first attacks failed to hit the man as he moved backward, swiping a hand against the wall behind him that seemed to melt and release a swarm of ghostly specters which poured into the room. Luckily, we had prepared ourselves with spells to protect us from necromantic powers before entering this wing, and their attacks were unable to hurt us.

I refocused my second round of attacks and struck him three times as he staggered backward from one of Freidrich's bombs. I moved forward to press the attack, but once again another foe evaded us by using a magic portal to disappear from the room. We turned our attention back to our friends behind the wall who were locked in combat with one of the shades and the ghostly figure that had floated in the alcove when we first entered the room.

We were able to destroy the undead menacing our friends, and then moved quickly from the hidden room, back into the outer rooms in search of the necromancer and the missing Moxie. Xandu seemed almost frantic as he called Moxie's name. We split up to search and I moved back to the chamber with the walkways above the deep pit, while several of the others moved to another door across from the area with the narrow hallways and the bodies of the mummies. One door remained on the walkway that we had not searched, so I moved up to it and entered the room beyond it, followed closely by Xandu.

Inside of the room, I found several large stone coffins that were guarded by a hulking, armored creature that seemed to be made of rough clay. The golem moved immediately to attack, and I stepped up and struck it several times, carving away chunks of whatever passed for flesh. Suddenly, the creature disappeared from my sight and I heard Xandu yelling, "It worked!" from back in the hallway behind me. His exclamation was followed by an enormous crashing and splattering sound as the golem evidently fell into the pit below the walkways.

I moved forward and removed the heavy stone lid from the coffin at the end of the chamber, but found it empty!

I turned and left the room, finding Xandu healing a badly wounded Davok on the walkway.

What had happened to him? It didn't look good. Parts of his skull appeared to be missing and blood was gushing from the grievous wounds.

Rikert Krupt - Paladin of Iomedae

"POOF!!!" What do you mean, "Moxie disappeared??!!"

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

After resting and regaining health and spells, we moved into the next area controlled by the Runelord who used necromancy powers. I knew that it was likely that we would face undead and prepared accordingly.

The entrance area itself proved to be the first challenge, as we moved into a small, round room with skull carvings on the walls. As we moved towared the door, secret panels opened in the walls and several mummies attacked the party. Their overwhelming fear aura froze most of my comrades in place, leaving only Moxie and I to face them. I spent the next moments moving amongst the party, using Iomedae's healing touch to free my friends from their paralysis. The mummies are strong, but seemed to focus their attacks on Xandu, leaving me free to move through them for the most part, cutting them down as I advanced. As more of my friends joined the fight, the mummies fell quickly under our combined efforts.

We passed through the doors and found a chamber with a deep pit, crossed by two stone paths in an "X" shape. The drop was very long to the sides, so we moved carefully and kept away from the edges. We looked into one of the rooms and found a strange gateway created from dark energy. We decided this didn't look like a good area to enter, so we moved to the next doorway.

The next area appeared to be an alchemist's lab, filled with various chemicals and equipment. We moved on through the room to a hallway at the back which had alcoves filled with large ceramic urns. We hadn't gone far when the urns crashed to the floor and broke as we were again attacked by mummies hidden behind the urns. Their aura once again affected many of my friends, but this time, Kori'el and myself were both unaffected and in good positions to lead the combat. This fight was more methodical as we dealt with the mummies one at a time since they were constrained by the narrow hallways. We soon destroyed the last of them and moved to explore more the rooms.

The only torch that would be carried for Xandu would be accompanied by pitch forks if they knew I had healed the dragon. Bwahaha Bad Xandu! :^)

Ain't that the truth! lol

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

The dragon moved to attack us immediately. There would be no dealing with this one.

The small room and the huge dragon put us at a tactical disadvantage that Kori'el was quick to notice. She reached out and touched Freidrich and me and we found ourselves instantly transported into the large hall near the giant peacock statue.

Within seconds, others from the party arrived with Xandu's help. We began to move toward each other to regroup, but our motive was interrupted by the appearance of the dragon close to our location. Another freezing breath from the dragon enveloped us, and I saw Kori'el falter and nearly fall. I grabbed her to move her to safety, but only carried her a short distance before the dragon moved in on me. I pushed Kori'el farther out of reach and bestowed Iomedae's healing touch on her as I turned to the dragon. The great beast's head snapped out with a suddenness that I did not expect, and nearly swallowed me into its fanged mouth. The bite from the creature rent through my armor and felt as if it would crush me completely.

The dragon shook its head and spit me back out onto the floor where I somehow managed to keep my feet. I swung around to face the creature, only to be transported away once again by Kori'el who had stayed close to help. She took us out into the entrance area with the large statues of the Runelords.

I tended my wounds and made sure we were both somewhat whole before we began moving back down the mirrored corridor to find our friends who were still fighting the dragon.

As we neared the end of the corridor we found Mother Not trying to find a way through a wall of thick ice that completely blocked the passage. Kori'el and I both tried to hack through it, but it was taking too long. I asked her if she could take us all back to the other side, and she said she could do it. We discussed where to go, and decided on the original location where we had last seen the rest of the group. Kori'el touched us both again and we transported back into the area near where the fight still continued. Upon arriving, the dragon's cold aura and another blast of his icy breath knocked Kori'el and Mother Not both to the floor. I turned to engage the dragon, just as Davok struck the killing blow and it crashed to the ground.

After the fight ended, Xandu once again revived our fallen friends and healed their wounds. We rested for several hours to recharge our health and our spells.

We then moved into the next area of the Runeforge. Here, we found a large room guarded by a giant, metal statue that walked through the air toward us, firing bolts of energy from a large bow it carried in its hands. The party spread out and began to advance on the statue, casting spells and firing ranged weapons as we moved...

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

It seems that my prayers for a chance at retribution have been partially answered!

Moxie and I led the way through the next doorway, her checking for traps, and me opening the door. We found a ruined library where most of the contents had been damaged or burned. Three doors led from the library, and we checked the closest two and found that they opened into small rooms with many cloned bodies of the dead man seated at the table in the previous area. The bodies were stacked in piles and it was impossible to count the total number in each room.

The final door was at the far end of the room from the entrance, and after Moxie examined it for traps, I opened it and looked into the next area.

Inside, I saw multiple creatures that all looked like the she-demon, Delvahine! Some of them quickly vanished from my sight, but the one closest moved to attack me with her claws. I immediately called on Iomedae's blessing to smite the foul demon, and swung my sword with great strength, as my own enmity for these creatures combined with Iomedae's power and dropped the first one quickly in front of me. I spun around and saw that the other demons had passed through the walls and were attacking my companions.

I moved quickly from demon to demon as they became visible, lost in a blur of vengeance as my frustration at the loss of Simon and Lynn strengthened my blows. This time I was in control, and didn't have to bow to the will of the demoness. During the later stages of the fight, I was struck by a shot from Moxie's rifle that penetrated my armor. I instantly knew that my little friend was once again under the control of one of the demons. I fought with renewed strength after seeing this, and the battle was over in a minute as I finally met our foes on my terms, ending their wretched lives and their corrupting influence over my friends.

Following the fight, we checked on Moxie and found that she was herself again. I assured her that I held no ill feelings toward her and her actions while under the control of the demon. We gathered back in the room with the large table, and began to treat our wounds and rest. It was here that Moxie came up to me and presented me with a great tome she had found beneath other burned books in the library. She told me she thought it would benefit me to read from its pages, but when I tried, I found the words were written in Thassilonion, and I could not understand them. It seems I have a new goal now whenever we have time to rest.

It was soon after this that the hidden doorway from the great room outside opened and a man with white hair and bright blue eyes entered. His sudden appearance brought all of our attention to him, and we watched as he smiled at us with a wicked, toothy grin, and then began to change into the white dragon, Arkhryst!

It seems that Iomedae has once again provided us with a chance to even the score with another of our foes...

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

Our entry into the large room was followed by a verbal warning (for those who understood it) and then a deluge of incoming magical attacks. Fiery explosions and worse blossomed amongst the party despite our attempt at spreading out to make us less of a target.

We immediately broke into smaller groups to pursue the unseen attackers farther back in the room. As I followed Davok into the fray, I quickly found myself unable to see any sign of our enemies. His half-orc senses seemed to find the invisible attackers, so I followed him closely. Iomedae's angelic aspect provided me and those close to me with protection from many of the offensive spells. I spent the majority of the fight trying to find someone in combat and using clues from their positioning to launch my own attacks.

I moved to help Kori'el and Freidrich with an enemy they had pinned against a wall, but this allowed one of the spells to affect Davok and he fell behind me. We eventually hunted down all of the attackers, and dispatched them.

At the end of the battle, I learned that several of the party had fallen during the combat, but were able to be revived by Xandu.

Additional searching led us to discover a hidden door in the back of the room that concealed a library of some type with a corpse wearing a gaudy cloak of peacock feathers. The body was seated in a chair at a table in the room. Those who could read the writing in the tomes began to investigate their contents while the rest of us kept watch or searched the rest of the area and the body.

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

Hollow ... like a vessel drained of its contents.

Empty.

That is what I fear I have become.

Through all of the battles and foes and difficulties we have faced on this journey, none have left me (us?) questioning the true costs of our losses, and forced me to confront the unimaginable results of what will come to pass if we fail. For the first time, we are defeated. For the first time, we are not the victors.

We have suffered together along the way, and paid the toll of the reaper, but never before have we been shaken to the core of our beliefs. Never before have we been forced to choose which of our friends to save, and which to sacrifice.

The events in the silk pavilion will haunt me forever. Being forced to negotiate the terms required to release my companions from the demon, only to find that one of us would be left behind, has made me question my worthiness in Iomedae's eyes. The fact that Lynn volunteered to trade his life for the release of Moxie and Friedrich only complicates my feelings. A truly noble sacrifice was made, but I wonder if he would still be alive if I had found a way to defeat the demon.

We entered the pavilion as the conquering heroes, self assured by our record of success. But in the end, it was the fiend who emerged victorious. She controlled the events and negotiated her desires from a position of power. To continue our attack against her would likely have led to the failure of our mission. At the very least, several more of us would likely have fallen.

Instead, we were forced to choose the lesser evil. This demon would not have had her place and her power were it not for the Runelords. They are the true enemies here. If Karzoug is allowed to return, the entire world will suffer the consequences. Our mission must come first, but it remains to be seen whether our decision and Lynn's sacrifice have saved us, or damned us all for allowing it to happen.

But for now, I turn my judgment inward, and force myself to confront my own failures and flaws. Never before have my feelings and beliefs been laid open so brutally. I strive to be the example of virtue and strength of will to my companions, but my greatest fear is that I am not worthy to carry the fate of the world on my shoulders.

And so, on bended knee, with my helmet and sword lying before me, I pray to Iomedae...

for mercy for my fallen friends...

for guidance in the coming days...

for judgment on those who have caused this...

and for strength to finish the task set before us.

Lint is so fired up about this he's changed the spelling of his character's name yet again! :)

I think he has been Xandu, Xando, Zandu, and now Xanadu! lol

From what we know of the character (colorful silks and other questionable male clothing choices...), we're guessing that the Xanadu he is using refers to the campy, 80s nightclub disco roller-skating movie with Olivia Newton-John, and not the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty in China!

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

As I leapt into the air to engage the flying demons, I saw that others in the party were also beginning to move into combat or firing from range at the flying enemies. I closed with the first demon and struck her with a powerful blow. The holy power of my sword sliced through her demonic defenses and left severe wounds. She altered her attack and discarded her pole arm and turned to her natural claws that bypassed Iomedae's holy aura around me. We traded blows with me getting the best of the results. Friedrich also began to use his bombs against the other demons as they turned from the other party members to focus on me.

I was quickly surrounded and fought a whirling battle against multiple foes as my friends rushed to my aid. I called upon Iomedae's powers to heal the damage from the creatures as the combat continued. Our combined efforts killed two of the creatures outright, and caused the other two to retreat using magic to gate themselves away.

I landed near Xandu, who proceeded to treat my wounds since I was scarred and bleeding from multiple cuts caused by the demon's claws. During this time, it seems that the other party members split up into smaller groups and began to investigate the cages and the large pavilion at the center of the chamber. (Simon will not be amused by this breakdown in tactics!)

After resting briefly while my wounds were tended, Xandu and I moved quickly toward the large pavilion, following several of the other party members who had gone on ahead. Davok had waited in between the two groups to keep watch in case another threat surfaced.

It didn't take long until it happened. Lynn and Moxie had already entered the pavilion as the rest of us moved up to join them. Suddenly, the sounds of combat rose from the tent and Lynn's voice was heard calling out, "Davok! Giants!"

As we arrived piecemeal at the opening to the pavilion, I pulled aside the curtained entrance and paused to look inside before charging in as the others arrived. (Player note: One round by the way. Not exactly being a "wuss" taking six seconds to assess the situation and enter as a group. I actually like my current character and don't have a death wish for him...or another character designed that I'm itching to play!)

Inside, we saw several giants and the fallen form of Lynn just beyond the entrance. His body lay unmoving in a pool of blood. There was no sign of Moxie.

Davok fired a volley of arrows into the first giant, and Friedrich followed this quickly with multiple bombs. Xandu had disappeared from outside, and I assumed he had once again used his powers to enter the tent by other means. Sheldor and I moved in the next round, along with Davok and Friedrich, as the giants engaged us in combat. We were able to kill some of the giants and create more space at the entrance. Simon arrived soon after and pushed inside the opening, making a brief attack before charging past the combat as he went in search of the missing party members. We dropped the last of the five giants and I followed Simon, who was just leaving the area through another doorway.

I warned him not to get too far ahead of the group, but his cursed reply was the last thing I heard him say as he ran around the corner into the next hallway. Seconds later, several bright flashes and the roar of multiple explosions burst from the corridor. The whirling electrical energy matched the bombs that I had seen Friedrich throw on multiple occasions. What was happening?

Davok had also followed Simon to the corner, and I saw him pause, a confused look on his face for split second, before he raised his bow and fired arrows down the corridor. Immediately after firing, he was struck by the meaty "thwack" of a bullet impact that staggered him backward away from the hallway.

I grabbed a potion bottle from my pack and drank it as I moved toward the corridor.

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

After we gathered all of the information available about the location of the Runeforge, we again used Xandu's divine powers to travel a great distance in little time. He called upon the goddess and turned us all into misty, ghostlike creatures that could travel through the skies at an incredible rate of speed. We traveled this way for several hours, until we located the plateau where the seven stone heads were located. High above the plateau, a long stairway led to a gaping cavern set into the side of the mountain.

We landed in the midst of the stone heads, and divided up to examine the various heads to determine the type of magic that would grant us access to the individual keys to the Runeforge. Perhaps we all were too relaxed, or too focused on obtaining the keys, because the huge, white dragon that appeared and attacked caught us all by surprise. The immense creature repeatedly dove on our group, breathing its icy breath across us all, and sweeping through our lines, attacking several with its claws. Wherever it went, one of us suffered.

Simon bore the brunt of the attack (what is it with him and dragons?) as the creature targeted him first with its physical fury. We all hurried to join in the fight, except for Lynn who I hadn't seen since we landed. Xandu moved quickly in the early stages of the battle, healing Simon and some others, before turning back into the misty form and disappearing from my sight.

The battle was intense, and I thought that several of us may not survive, as this foe was devastating in both power and ferocity. Luckily, Iomedae once again protected us, and through a combined effort we were able to drive the beast away. The dragon called upon its ancient arcane powers after being seriously wounded, and gated away from us to an unknown location.

We regrouped, healed the injured to the best of our abilities without Xandu who was still missing, and acquired the rest of the keys to the Runeforge. We then turned toward the stairway and the cave that loomed about us.

It seems we will find our next clues there.

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

Several weeks have now passed since the battle(s) with Mokmurian, where we successfully ended his life and his influence over the giant clans gathering for battle at his fortress. It seems that once again, he was just another pawn being played by Karzoug. Throughout the bloody path that we have followed, the one thing consistent has been the overall leadership of Karzoug and his behind-the-scenes direction of all of the pawns and players from Sandpoint to our current location in the ancient library. It is now clear that Karzoug is the real threat, and that the Sihedron runes and sacrifices are a vital part in bringing him back to life and power. It is to this end that we now gather our strength for the final push to the lost city of Xin-Shalast which is rumored to lie even farther north in the Kodar Mountains.

While the others searched the library for more clues about Karzoug and his former empire, I returned to Magnimar with Xandu to inform the Lord Mayor of our success in stopping the army of giants, and our plan to venture farther North in search of Karzoug. While there I stopped briefly by the Church of Iomedae and informed the priestess of our success and future plans. I then rejoined Xandu and Freiderich who wanted to return with us to use the library, as his knowledge of Thassilonian history would help us learn more of Karzoug.

Friederich once again proved to be invaluable as he quickly found details most relevant to our pursuit of Karzoug.

After we left the library, we searched the towers of the fortress for any additional threats or information that might be of assistance. We came across an icy "tomb" of sorts that held a foul undead creature which nearly proved to be our undoing. The dark necromancy of the thing left many of our party helpless and stunned. Iomedae's holy power shielded me from the sorcery, but the creature was still a formidable foe that struck with unnatural power. It took the combined efforts of Xandu, myself, Lynn, and several others to destroy this abomination.

The creature held a magically-sealed scroll tube that we will have to open.

From there, we explored the abandoned dragon hoard and claimed it for ourselves. It will be useful for equipping us in our next step on the path to Karzoug. Now, we will return to Magnimar for supplies before venturing farther north in search of Xin-Shalast.

Rikert Krupt - Paladin of Iomedae

Our next challenge was soon exposed as a frightful creature that seemed made out of metal and fire appeared from the wall of the passage ahead of my position. I had lagged somewhat behind the group as a result of inspecting my sword for damage following the fight against the stone golem. (player was at a work-related activity and missed the first 30-45 minutes of the game)

Simon bore the brunt of the creature's focus and it damaged his new armor with its relentless, grinding attack.

I called upon Iomedae's blessing to empower my sword and charged down the hall, just in time to see the creature disappear back into the wall. By the time it reappeared farther up the hall, I was once again out of position and could only watch as my companions finally managed to end the threat.

Xandu had summoned a pillar of energy that healed everyone who stood in it or touched it. While Simon and the others who had been injured stood in the healing pillar, myself and several uninjured allies moved up to a large chamber that formed a "T" with our current path. As our light sources illuminated the chamber, we found it to be a colossal hallway with high ceilings that led both directions as far as we could see with the light available. The walls were filled with more Thassalonian writings. Lynn began translating and reading while I moved to the left and found an enormous, mirrored door with the Sihedron symbol etched on its surface. There were no obvious handles, and only a small, Sihedron-shaped opening appeared to be a way to open it. Lacking anything that would work as a key for the unusual lock, I moved back down the hallway to the other end, passing Lynn who was still deciphering the runes on the wall.

Here, we found a doorway that led into a strangely carved chamber that had no obvious corners or sharp edges in its walls. Upon entering, three ghostly hounds appeared in the air in front of us and charged to attack. The hounds unnatural appearance contributed to their horrifying aura, and I whispered a quick prayer to Iomedae to grant us her strength in the face of these supernatural enemies. A quick battle ensued, and we were able to kill one or two of them, and drive the other(s) away. They seemed to disappear into the air, so it was hard to tell what had happened to them.

When the rest of the party joined us, we moved through the chamber and opened a doorway into the next room. This area was filled with a heavy fog that completely blocked our vision past five feet. Flak and I moved forward into the fog, using my sword as a light source, although the fog never thinned until Haytham created a magical wind which blew it away in seconds. As the large room filled with pillars was revealed, we saw a large giant high up on a platform above a set of stairs on the far wall. Mokmurian!

Mokmurian held a blue crystal in one hand, and immediately began casting magic throughout the room. His first attack created a toxic mist back near the entrance of the room that enveloped everyone except for Flak and myself. Luckily, Haytham's windstorm was still blowing, and the toxic gas dissapated soon after it appeared. Its brief existence sickened several of our allies, and I fear it would have been much worse if not for the fortuitous wind. As we formed our combat line near the center of the room, Mokmurian continued to cast spells at our spell casters and other who were firing ranged weapons at him. Our attacks hit him, but most seemed to barely affect him at all.

At this point, he stepped off of the platform and walked out into the air above us, using magic to carry him high above the floor. I braced myself for the coming attack and began another prayer to Iomedae, calling upon her power in a new way that she only recently revealed to me...

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

Following our decision to contact the Lord Mayor of Magnimar, I traveled magically with Xandu back to the city.

We arrived with no problems, and I quickly made contact with my family, the priestess at the church of Iomedae, and the captain of the guard in Magnimar to arrange for a meeting with the Lord Governor.

I told the story of the events in Sandpoint, and the information we had gathered in the aftermath to each of the three audiences.

The meeting with the Lord Governor included the guard captain, and two military officers in addition to myself. The news of the army of giants assembling at the Storval Plateau was a shock to all of them. They all showed concern about what would happen if a host of giants were to descend on Magnimar. Even the entire military forces of Magnimar would not be able to handle such a powerful opposing force.

While we looked at maps of the surrounding areas and they drew up battle plans to mount a defense, I explained to them that our plan was to travel as a small group and try to kill Mokmurian. We would travel quietly and quickly, and arrive unnoticed to make a surprise attack that cuts the head off of the snake.

My announcement seemed to catch all of them by surprise, and there was a moment of silence and shared glances between them before they gave their response. They discussed the plan and the possible alternatives, but came to the same conclusion we had already reached. There is no hope in attacking the giants head on. The cost would be too high, and the results far from certain. If they committed the entire army of Magnimar to the battle, they risked leaving the city unguarded against possible attack from rivals (i.e. Korvosa) who might seize the moment to try and capture Magnimar for themselves.

It was decided that the Storm Guard (as we have been labeled) should strike against Mokmurian and the leadership of the giant army, while the military marched to set up a defensive position near the base of the Storval Plateau in case we should fail. The city guard, and some reserve troops would be kept in Magnimar to guard against an opportunistic attack from Korvosa, or as a final line of defense if the other plans all failed to stop the giants.

After the meeting, I left with the guard captain and we discussed some small issues before I headed back to meet the rest of our group to finalize our plans and buy the supplies that will be needed for the journey.

May Iomedae bless this mission, as the future of this area depends nearly entirely on our success.

My brain hurts at the concept of a Monk/Barbarian.

Hey Tangent, what would you expect from the former ninja/witch! ;-)

He seems to wear metal gauntlets and fight hand-to-hand from what we have observed. (No obvious weapons carried, etc.)

Flak, the giant-puncher!

And I ran, I ran so far away.

I just ran, I ran all night and day.

I wouldn't get to play.

*With apologies to A Flock of Seagulls

------------------------------

Rikert Krupt – (tired) Paladin of Iomedae

After pushing my warhorse to his limits on the sprint from Magnimar to Sandpoint, I now know what he felt like.

The morning started with me running from the Rusty Dragon all the way to the north wall, just in time to heal Davok and return him to the fight. I then made my way (running) back through the streets to try and locate the next location where the giants had invaded. Along the way, I encountered Simon and the dragon locked in combat. As Simon fell to the dragon, I charged the beast, only to have it fly away after a final breath of fire that washed over both of us. I healed Simon, and he and I ran to the sounds of battle from the center of town.

We reached the area and saw Davok and Xandu killing the last of several giants with help from Haytham and his Roc. (I still haven't encountered a living giant yet during the whole siege!)

Following the directions of Haytham who had a good view of the town, we once again ran (ironically back toward the Rusty Dragon where I started) toward the sounds of combat. Even with a haste potion, I could not keep pace with my companions who use flight and magical travel to cover the distances quickly.

When I arrived back in the southern section of town, I was exhausted and felt of little use other than healing during the entire battle. I decided it was time to saddle my horse in the stable and stop running in plate armor. So, with a little help from Sheldor who arrived at the stables after me, I am mounted and ready to ride along the road to the upper areas outside the town where the giants have attacked the Scarnetti mansion and other homes of the wealthy residents of Sandpoint.

------------------------------

Seriously! I have not swung my sword once during this battle, and running in plate armor sucks! ;-)

I joked that I should have finished my breakfast at the Rusty Dragon, taken my time to saddle my horse, and waited for combat to reach me!

Rikert Krupt – Paladin of Iomedae

Under the cover of darkness, we made our way forward to the mill's lower level. Using Uther's pistol to shatter the lock on the door under the cover of magical silence provided our entrance. As we worked our way through the lower levels of the mill, we found only churning gears and pulleys endlessly turning and grinding as the water wheels used the river's current to power the mill.

Our search of the lower levels proved fruitless, and led us to try again at the main entrance farther up. Here we struggled with the doors, but eventually forced them open and found ourselves in a large room with wagons and equipment for moving and loading the cut timber. Once again, this area was empty, so we continued up to the next level using a set of stairs along the wall near the entrance. This level also was unoccupied, so we spread out to search the workshop area where the large saws were located. As the druid and I led the way into the workshop, some of the others moved to another set of stairs leading to the top level. At this time, a shriek of pain from somewhere above us started a headlong charge to the upper level. Unfortunately, myself and some of the others who were more suited to lead the charge into combat were located farthest from the stairs. This created a poor tactical situation where we found ourselves entering combat in a reverse order, with the spell casters and the other lightly armored members leading while the rest of us ran to catch up.

Upon reaching the stairs, I could tell from the sounds above that the battle was already well under way. As I started up the stairs I immediately ran into a pair of cultists and moved to engage them in combat. They proved to be only a minor hindrance to my progress, but during the time I fought though them, a foul demonic creature was magically summoned in the room above. The aberration oozed corruption and a terrible smell emanated from it. The smell was so strong that many of my allies found themselves sickened and struggling to function within the cloud near the creature.

Steeling myself against the overwhelming stench and calling on the divine power of Iomedae, I charged the creature and struck it down in a single great blow from my sword. Upon the creature's death, the smell seemed to instantly fade, and my stricken comrades were able to quickly shake off the nausea that had affected them. At this point, the tide of the battle seemed to turn in our favor as more of us reached the top of the stairs and engaged the enemy.

The carnage in the upper room was terrible to behold. Cultists and party members fought and bled in a wild melee. The leader of the cultists was trapped between Lynn and Xandu, and being attacked mercilessly by both of them. He responded by channeling multiple bursts of dark magic which washed over us like cold, prickly waves that sucked the life from you. It was here, near the end of the fight that Uther went down. As we despatched the remaining cultists, we found the victim whose screams had brought us to the battle. He was still alive, and suffering from cuts to his chest where the cultists had begun to carve their symbol into his flesh.

I checked on the survivors and then spent several moments attending to Uther. Alas, he was beyond our abilities and had passed on to whatever reward or fate awaited him. He was a good man who had chosen to fight for what is right, and I know that we will miss his steady presence and the deadly blasts of his pistols in future battles.