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Here is the original cast of characters:
Warpig: CN Half-orc barbarian. Works as hired muscle for Luzane Parrin. He begins the campaign on the run for “settling” a long held feud between himself and a half-elf rogue. Played by Bob
D'Rak: LE human monk recently thrown out of the Twilight Monastery for excessive brutality and for dealing drugs. Played by Chris
Gaer: N Halfling spell thief (class from The Complete Adventurer). Associate of D’Rak and Warpig. Played by Grant
Duncan Fife: LG human male Cleric of St. Cuthbert based out of the temple of St. Cuthbert. Played by Rianna
Fenaril Ilisande Diol Fife: LG human female rogue. Aspiring paladin and married to Duncan. Also a follower of St. Cuthbert. Played by Amy
Windra: N elf female sorcerer. Associate of the wizard Allustan. Played by Brandi.
The roots of our story begin behind the Feral Dog bar in the grimy mining town of Diamond Lake. Night had fallen and Duncan, a cleric of St. Cuthbert and his wife Fenaril discovered the unconscious and dying form of Warpig, a local tough and enforcer working for one of Diamond Lake’s mine managers. Warpig had obviously been in a fight as there was some blood on his great axe. However, what was most telling was the crossbow bolt that was sticking out of his back. Fenaril was quick to notice that Warpig had been dragged here, obviously to die in the mud.
Duncan and Fenaril knew Warpig by reputation: He was strong, tough and at times, selfish and brutal but despite that, he rarely acted out of malice. In other words, he wasn’t evil. For that reason, Duncan evoked the power of St. Cuthbert and healed him and thus, saved his life.
Warpig was enraged upon coming to but he was in no shape to pursue vengeance. Nor would he tell Duncan and Fenaril who was responsible for his wounds although they both had a very good idea as to who was responsible: Kullen.
Kullen was the vicious albino half-orc enforcer that worked for Balabar Smenk; the most powerful and utterly corrupt of Diamond Lake’s mine managers. Warpig and Kullen were the two biggest dogs on the block and it was only matter of time before one of them would be dead on the streets of Diamond Lake. Although Kullen was not known to use a crossbow, he had friends that did. Namely the half-elf Crow, a vicious thug that was a known thief, backstabber and another of Balabar’s assorted enforcers.
Without witnesses, Duncan and Fenaril realized that there would be no point contacting the authorities to investigate the case, (the authorities being in Balabar Smenk’s pocket anyway), they escorted Warpig back to Luzane Parrin’s mine and went about their business....
D'Rak is a former monk from the Twilight Monastery that had settled into life as hired muscle working for Luzane Parrin where he became acquitted, even friends with both Warpig and Gear. One of the reasons that he chose to remain near the monastery despite his less than gentle departure from the Twilight Monastery was due to the fact that he and one of his brother monks still at the monastery (Vannyn) were running a lucrative business dealing Kalamanthis, a hallucinogenic drug tightly controlled by the monks. He still maintains regular meetings with Vannyn to keep the business going under the nose of the very monks that threw him out.
As D’Rak made his way to one of his usual meeting spots where he and Vannyn conducted business, he was met with a shocking discovery: Vannyn’s head on pole. At the point, D’Rak knew that he was a dead man walking. Hoping to find some help from his fellow enforcers, D’Rak quick ran back to Diamond Lake….
As D’Rak was making his gruesome discovery, Warpig, days after he was ambushed and now fully healed, entered the Feral Dog looking for Kullen. Kullen wasn’t there, nor were most of his goons. However, Crow was. Not thinking that Warpig would engage in violence in the open, Crow smiled and made a wiseass comment and asked Warpig how is back was. That was it! Warpig charged fully intent on cleaving Crow in two. Crow was too quick as Warpig’s axe smashed into the table Crow had just recently been sitting at. The blow left Warpig over-extended and un-balanced which allowed Crow more than ample time to draw his rapier and slice Warpig across his back. Crow cackled with delight as Warpig bellowed in pain. Crow’s delight was short lived as Warpig’s next blow smashed into Crow’s chest, crushing his sternum and destroying his heart.
Gear, Warpig’s level headed companion had followed Warpig into the Feral Dog hoping that it would not have come to this but there to watch Warpig’s back if it did. He arrived just as Warpig reached into Crow’s chest cavity, ripped out his heart and ate it to the disgust of the Feral Dog’s patrons.
“Oh no. Not again” was Gear’s comment as he ushered Warpig out of the Feral Dog and into vacant lot behind the bar.. Warpig was dragging Crow’s now heartless corpse along with him, leaving a trail of blood. Knowing what was to come; Gear groaned as Warpig removed Crow’s head and stuck it in a box, completing a victory ceremony that Gear had witnessed too many times before. (Warpig does this ceremony because the spirits of his tribe demand it. Rarely does he enjoy it. With Crow, he enjoyed it.)
By chance (and by convenience to getting the party together on the part of the DM), D’Rak arrived on the scene, exhausted from his retreat from the woods. Gear quickly impressed upon D’Rak that it would be in their best interest to make a hasty retreat from town for the time being due to Warpig’s recent actions. D’Rak, for reasons of his own, quickly agreed. The place that they decided to hide out was the long picked over Whispering Cairn...
The night before the events at the Feral Dog, Jierian Wierus, high priest of the Church of St. Cuthbert, had a dream. In this dream, he saw that he must send two of his followers, Duncan and Fenaril, to the Whispering Cairn. There they would find a mighty artifact which would lead them to a great destiny. Despite Duncan and Fenaril’s skepticism, (they are new arrivals to Diamond Lake and they have their doubts to Jierian’s sanity), they agreed. Having heard of the many cairns dotting the nearby Cairn Hills and the records of lost civilizations often found there, they decided to consult Allustan, Diamond Lake’s resident wizard, before exploring the Whispering Cairn.
Upon arriving at the Allustan’s residence, Duncan and Fenaril found that he was out of town for the time being. However, Allustan’s associate (lover, apprentice or both, no one in town is really sure) offered to lend her support in their exploration.
And thus, all parties concerned arrived at the Whispering Cairn and the adventure path begins….
To be continued.
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An uneasy alliance is struck, a hero falls, and another takes his place,
Warpig, Gaer, and D'Rak had made camp within the Whispering Cairn when they heard others approaching. Gaer and D'Rak attempted to hide (with Gaer being far more successful than D'Rak) while Warpig readied his axe to confront the un-wanted intruders.
Warpig quickly recognized both Duncan and Fenaril as the two followers of St. Cuthbert that had saved him from bleeding to death behind the Feral Dog tavern. Hence, he decided not to kill them and even made conversation with them, inquiring as to what the nine hells were they doing there. Duncan and Fenaril explained (more or less) that they were at the Whispering Cairn at the request of their leader, the raving mad Jierian Wierus. Eventually, Gaer and D'Rak made their presence known and all six of the individuals decided to explore the cairn together.
The group first encountered a group of wolves that they dispatched fairly quickly. A quick search of their lair by Gaer uncovered, among other things, an elaborate indigo lantern and a stone index finger. The party then made their way through the cobweb-choked hallway into what they believed to be a tomb of some sort. From reading the various runes throughout the place Windra deduced that these runes were a form of archaic Auran language and that 3 or the runes denoted 3 names and 3 different ranks and that the rune on the sarcophagus was the least of the 3 runes. She took notes on the all of runes and glyphs to give to here master/friend/lover/whatever Allustan to see if he could translate them.
After some experimentation with the sarcophagus (and after Warpig got scorched by the burning hands trap), the party realized that the sarcophagus would turn and point at the various alcoves and in some cases, a rumbling noise would be heard. It didn't take long before the figured out that there were elevators in some of the alcoves along with colored lanterns, marking out the ROYGBIV spectrum with the red lantern missing. As a note, Gaer disabled to elevator trap in the indigo alcove.
The whole party also made the climb the 50 feet to the top of the blue alcove where they entered the tunnel that they found there and promptly set of the Face in the Darkness trap and the entire party came reasonably close to being completely wiped out. (A few more missed saving throws and that is exactly what happened.) I thought that the crushed skeleton on the floor of the blue alcove was a dead give away. Fortunately the party survived and managed to activate the arcane elevator in the yellow lantern alcove.
While exploring the chamber below the yellow lantern, Gaer lead the way, bravely crawling into the hall way with the status of the yet to be identified humanoids. It was there that he was repetitively zapped by the eye rays from the lurking strangler that was hiding near the top of the ceiling. Luckily, Gaer made it back to the rest of the group before being rendered unconscious and then strangled by the twisted little horror. The party managed to move the rock, survive the gas trap and kill the lurking strangler with a combination of Gaer's crossbow bolts and Fenaril's spear throws (those two were pretty much the only two party members that could see it.) The party explored the rest of the chambers, survived the brown mold, found some treasure, and killed a small earth elemental that Warpig had attempted to adopt as a pet.
The party then used the sarcophagus to active the arcane elevator under the green lantern. There was grinding sound that was followed by a crashing noise. Gaer, the brave halfling spell thief, approached and listened. As he approached, he heard a clicking, noise. Suddenly, a geyser of acid beetles sprayed from hole where the elevator had once been. A mad slasher followed the geyser of acid beetles as well. Gaer retreated but was enveloped by the swarm of acid beetles. He struck the mass with his dagger but his attack was in vain. Gaer screamed in pain and collapsed under the withering mass of insects. Warpig attacked the mad slasher but he went down under the furious counter attack of the creature (He was a -7 hit points. I rolled a critical hit with nearly max damage. Any other party member would have been flat out dead.) Duncan attempted to pull Gaer from the acid beetle swarm by grasping his hand. He pulled but only the hand came out, the rest of Gaer was still in swarm. (Gaer was dead by that point.) Windra attacked the insect swarm with acid splash, which did absolutely nothing. D'Rak and Fenaril moved forward and attacked, D'Rak fighting the mad slasher and Fenaril using fire and oil. Eventually the party prevailed but Gaer was dead, his body a pile of bones and slime. Warpig (who survived thanks to the healing skills of Duncan) kept Gaer's skull and placed it in a silk bag as a way of honoring his fallen friend. Fenaril, Duncan and Windra then retreated back to Diamond Lake to regroup and heal while D'Rak and Warpig remained in the cairn.
Meanwhile, back at Diamond Lake, the rakish cad Karin, late from the City of Greyhawk, had gotten himself in trouble, the same kind of trouble that had driven him out of the City of Greyhawk as well. Karin had fled the City of Greyhawk after his affair with a rich merchant's wife was discovered and the merchant hired a group of thugs to tar and feather him, among other things. Karin had relocated to Diamond Lake as place to hide since he figured that his enemies back in Greyhawk would not think that he would flee to a dung heap like Diamond Lake. Old habits die hard and before he knew it, Karin was back in trouble again only this time it was Mayor Lanod Neff that wanted him dead (or to at least suffer.). Although Lanod Neff has several mistresses, that didn't mean that he appreciated it when one of them took up with someone else. About that the time that the Fenaril, Duncan and Windra were returning to Diamond Lake, Karin was heading out to hide in the woods.
While in town, Windra showed Allustan the glyphs and runes from the tomb. He confirmed that these runes were in the language of the Wind Dukes of Aaqa. At least three of the glyphs were names: Zosiel, Nadroc, and Icosiol. Without further resources, he could not learn much more than that.
Duncan and Fenaril returned to the Church of St. Cuthbert and speak to their leader Jierian Wierus. Jierian was disappointed that they had not found the artifact that he had dreamed about but he was optimistic that they would find it on their return to the Whispering Cairn. It was while they were at the Church that Fenaril had a dream of her own. That night, a bright being appeared to Fenaril in a dream. She could not make out a face, but the being was wielding a large mace, marking him at the very least as a servant of St. Cuthbert, if not St. Cuthbert himself. Whoever this being was, he told her that she had been accepted into his service as a holy warrior. This was her first step to the knighthood that she had been aspiring to since her childhood.
That night, Karin entered the Whispering Cairn and encountered Warpig and D'Rak. Warpig recognized Karin from the Midnight Salute brothel. (They were both frequent customers). On a certain level, all three realized that they shared a common bond: All three of them were on the run and had no where else to go. On that note, they settled in for the evening.
In the morning, Fenaril, Windra and Duncan returned to the cairn and found that Karin had joined their group as well. They were apprehensive but the loss of Gaer had clearly showed how deadly their quest was and every sword was needed so he was accepted into the group.
The party activated climbed down the elevator shaft that the acid beetle swarm and the mad slasher had climbed out of. There they battled giant beetles, two more acid swarms (!) an insane water elemental, and a swimming ghoul. On the ghoul, Warpig found a golden ring with an eight-pointed star symbol. This symbol was also on the leather armor of a number of human corpses that were found in chambers. Karin recognized the symbol as that of the Seekers, a group of archeologists and explorers with a less than savory reputation. He also recognized a symbol from a ring worn by the wizard Khellek, someone that Karin had played Dragonchess back in Diamond Lake. More importantly, the party found the missing red lantern.
The party then lit all of the lanterns in the tomb, filling the entire room with all the colors of the rainbow. When the party had faced the Face in the Darkness, the face had displayed only one light: red. The party reasoned, correctly, that lighting all of the lambs would deactivate the trap. Cautiously, the party climbed up the chain in the blue lantern alcove and back into the tunnel where the entire party had nearly died earlier. To their relief, the trap was not triggered and the face's mouth was now open, allowing the party to pass beyond.
The party found a large chamber with a narrow beam running across it to a door on the other side. The party also noted that numerous holes in the ceiling and the large stone balls that completely covered room's floor which was about a 10 foot drop. The party started to cross on the beam and was immediately bombarded with stone balls fired from the holes in the ceiling. Both Warpig and Karin feel onto the ball-covered floor. It didn't take long before Warpig and Karin realized that they were not alone. Bursting from the balls was a grick, a deadly worm like creature. Warpig and Karin quickly began to battle the creature. It was then that Warpig began to hear voices, and not the usual ones that he normally hears in his head. Things like "Wow, that axe barely scratched that worm thing!" and "Man, that had to hurt!" After the grick was finally dispatched, the entire party began to hear the voice. Warpig foolishly mocked the voice and the ghost of Alastor Land manifested himself before the party. Warpig and Karin were horribly shaken by the experience but the rest of the party managed to resist the affects.
After the ghost calmed down by Fenaril, the ghost relayed his tragic tale. He told the party that the only way through the opening was for him to pass through the wall and open the door from inside and he would not do that for them unless they freed him from his curse. In order to remove the curse, the party would have to return his bones to his family's homestead and bury him in the family graveyard. The party readily agreed.
Windra and D'Rak (risking being seen by agents of the Twilight Monastery) decided to visit the local cemetery, hoping to find the location the Land family cemetery. What they found were the cemetery's guardians: The Cult of the Green Lady, followers of an aspect of Wee Jas. The fanatics proved to be of little help.
Duncan and Fenaril where having better luck. They went to the Church of St. Cuthbert to see if they had information about the location of Alastor's family farm. As it turned out, they were in luck as the Land's had been members of the St. Cuthbertian congregation. They also discovered that the family had been wiped out nineteen years earlier by an outbreak of the Red Death.
Duncan, Fenaril, Windra and D'Rak all met up and decided to head out to the Land Farm themselves. Upon arriving, to their shock and dismay, they discovered that ALL of the family member graves had been recently dug up and the remains removed. D'Rak decided to check out the house while Duncan, Fenaril, and Windra discussed (argued) over what to do next. D'Rak quickly retreated and silenced the party when he informed them that the house was no occupied by at least one owlbear. The severed arm that he saw lying on the floor indicated that the owlbear had recently feed, but the group as a whole decided that they would be better off leaving before the owlbear came out and ate them as well.
That night, the party returned to the Land farmstead, this time with Karin and Warpig. The party entered the home and did battle with the owlbear. The owlbear had been wounded in an earlier fight so the party quickly dispatched it. The party found that another owlbear had been killed earlier, along with a number of cubs. One cub was still alive and Warpig adopted it. The severed arm had a tattoo on it. The tattoo identified the arm's former owner as Skutch, a local thug in the employ of Balabar Smenk and a member of Kullen's gang. The party decided to consult the Cult of the Green Lady in regards to the desecration of the Land family graves. The party assumed (correctly) that the members of the Cult would be appalled over the grave robbing and that they would be willing to help them.
Along the way through town, Warpig threw Skutch's arm into the Feral Dog as an insult to Kullen and his crew. It wasn't long before Kullen responded but by the time that he got outside, Warpig was long gone.
The next day, the party consulted with Amariss, the high priest of Wee Jas and the leader of the Cult of Green Lady. Amariss was enraged when she heard of the grave robbing and agreed to help the party. She cast a divination spell. The results of the spell indicated that the party should look to the stars and the culprits of the grave robbing were to be found at the Feral Dog. That is were the party went next.
Next time, a feud is ended once and for all and the party looks to the stars….
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D'Rak remained outside while the rest of the party entered the Feral Dog. Kullen and his gang were not present so Warpig and Karin went to the bar while Duncan, Fenaril, and Windra sat at one of the tables and waited. From what Duncan, Fenaril, and Windra could gather from talking to bar patrons, Kullen and his gang had come into the bar very dirty, very angry, a little banged up and short one member a few nights before. This confirmed what the party suspected: That Kullen's gang had, for reasons unknown, had emptied the graves at the Land homestead. Warpig just sat the bar, waiting for his nemesis Kullen to arrive. Karin was trying to pick up a couple of bar maids.
Outside, D'Rak was waiting outside at the Grand Emporium, trying to keep a low profile when he saw Kullen and his gang (Rastophan, Todrik, and the wizard Merovinn Bask), arriving at the Feral Dog. Not wanting to lose the only friend he had left, D'Rak ran to the bar.
Inside, Kullen and his gang arrived. Warpig shouted a challenge, Kullen accepted. Both raged and the fight was on. Warpig's first strike against Kullen was a near lethal blow (he rolled a critical hit.) Kullen struck back and did damage.
Meanwhile, Todrik and Rastophan fought with Karin, Duncan, Windra and Fenaril while Merovinn began casting spells. After inflicting a nearly fatal blow, Merovinn managed to charm Warpig. Kullen then delivered a nearly fatal blow of his own. Despite being charmed, Warpig could still defend himself and nearly cut Kullen in two with his last blow.
After a few rounds of combat, Karin had managed to slay Rastophan but now without being wounded. Todrik was holding his own against Duncan, Windra and Fenaril, taking full advantage of his reach weapon and combat reflex feat by taking multiple attacks of opportunities.
D'Rak charged into the room and immediately attacked Merovinn but missed. With the death of Kullen, Merovinn called the charmed Warpig over to protect him from the melee fighters and to call for an end of hostilities. At this point, all Merovinn wanted to do was to live and get out of Diamond Lake. To avoid more bloodshed (and to the relief of the bar patrons) the party agreed.
Merovinn confessed to the party that they had robbed the graves from the Land homestead acting under the order of a demented necromancer named Filge. After digging up the graves, it was then that they fought the owlbear family and when their companion Skutch was killed. Filge had arrived from the City of Greyhawk and was an old friend of Smenk. For whatever reason, Smenk had summoned him from the City of Greyhawk for reason's unknown to them. They had helped him move into the old observatory on the hill. Filge had requested dead bodies, and, reluctantly, Kullen and his gang found them. The city cemetery was heavy guarded by the Cult of the Green Lady so they picked the Land farmstead because it was isolated and it had been abandoned for years. In return for this information, Fenaril gave Merovinn a handful of melted items that were retrieved from Gaer's corpse for payment. This was actually worth quite a bit. More then enough for Merovinn and Todrik to get out of town for good which the promptly did.
Now the party figured out that they needed to "look to the stars" and head to the old observatory to confront the evil necromancer Filge.
The party decided to make their attack on the observatory during the day, believing that it could give them against any of the undead they were likely to encounter. The party checked out the closet underneath the stairs and encountered the tomb motes. After dealing with that, the party then entered through the front door with D'Rak and Warpig leading the way. Warpig and D'Rak were immediately hit by a barrage of crossbow bolts. The room was filled with skeletons armed with crossbows and scimitars. D'Rak, Fenaril and Warpig engaged the skeletons in melee combat while Windra hit the skeletons with her disrupt undead spell. Duncan ended the combat by turning well enough to destroy the remaining skeletons. The skeletons were examined and it was discovered that some of the skeletons showed signed of the Red Death. The party had found at least some of Alastor Land's missing family.
The party proceeded to explore the observatory, seeing more and more evidence to the madness and depravity of Filge, including a dinner table surrounded by the animated corpses of some of Filge's past victims. It was on third floor that party encountered Filge and a single skeleton (Alastor's sister).
Windra struck first, hitting Filge with magic missiles. Filge retaliated by striking Windra down with ghoul's touch, which had been cast through his spectral hand. The rest of the party moved into the main laboratory to engage the foul necromancer. Filge summoned the rest of his minions: 3 troglodyte zombies and 1 bugbear zombie. Duncan disintegrated the skeleton with his first turn attempt, Warpig battled the troglodyte zombies and Fenaril moved to attack Filge. D'Rak threw daggers while Duncan moved to help the downed Windra.
The bugbear zombie moved to protect Filge. Fenaril managed to wound Filge but before she could finish him off, she had to defend herself against the zombie bugbear. Duncan attempted to turn again and this time he managed to turn all of the undead except for the zombie bugbear. Warpig didn't know this so he continued to strike the troglodyte zombies. D'Rak threw daggers and then moved to take on Filge in hand to hand combat. The zombie bugbear then downed Fenaril. This enraged her husband Duncan who moved to attack. Eventually the bugbear zombie and Filge went down to the blows of the party. Filge actually was reduced to 0 hit points. The dismissal of his spectral hand took him up to three hit points. When the party was looking, he managed to inject himself with a healing potion to heal him even further. Now out of spells, Filge surrendered. Duncan actually wanted to kill Filge right then and there but he calmed down once Fenaril was stabilized. Duncan then took his wife to the church of St. Cuthbert for more healing while the rest of the party stood watch over Filge.
Filge gave the remaining party members an earful of information about why Smenk had sent for him. He told the party of Smenk's unsavory past and his involvement with a cult that was now operating out of the Dourstone Mine. Filge also told the party about the worm the Smenk had stolen from the Dourstone mine and that he wanted Filge to determine the nature of the worm. He also told the party about a possible link between the cult and the rumors of unkillable undead wandering in the hills to the south. Moreover, he had actually convinced Karin and Windra that he should come along with them when they investigated the Dourstone mine. Warpig, realizing how stupid it was to trust the scumbag at all, stepped forward and split Filge's head right down the middle. Windra and Karin just shrugged and the party left. They party eventually met up and headed back to the Whispering Cairn after returning the remains of the Land family to their homestead where Alastor's bones now rested next to the rest of his family.
Upon returning to the true tomb, Alastor was good to his word and opened the door to the final chamber in the true tomb.
The party began to explore the tomb, taken aback by the magical murals that showed scenes from the ancient battle of Pesh where Miska the Wolfspider was banished when he was impaled on the Rod of Seven Parts. There was a central area with two surviving walkways to the central area. As the party made their way to the central area, two armored being appeared before them. The two beings could fly and were each armed with twin long swords and wearing ancient armor. They both stuck their swords together, hitting most of the party with waves of sonic power, killing the owlbear cub that Warpig had adopted. D'Rak stood his ground next to Warpig and battled the ancient beings. He went down fairly early. Windra began to hit the beings with magic missiles while Warpig, Fenaril and Karin fought them in melee. One of the beings vanished in cloud of dust after being stuck by Warpig. The remaining creature flew through the air and ran Windra through with one of his long swords. Finally, the last mysterious armored creature was destroyed. In both cases, nothing was left of the creatures' armor and weapons were dust. With the final a battle won and both D'Rak and Windra healed, the party approached the central area. The party quickly discovered a very stiff wind, which was strong enough to carry the characters to the top of the domed room. With Windra's notes, they party was able to decipher the question that was asked by the statue and open the true tomb. The party took the items from the tomb and took them to Allustan for identification. Next up, the party decided to confront Balabar Smenk regarding his involvement with the necromancer and the cult in the Dourstone mine…
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Three Faces of Evil
Following up on what they had learned from Filge, the party decided to confront Balabar Smenk about this involvement.
Smenk accused them of destroying “Diamond Lake’s only Defense” IE Filge. He claimed that Ragnoin Doarstone was working with and part of the cult called The Ebon Triad which was operating out of a temple located in the Doarstone mine.
The party entered the mine along with the shift change. Karin bribed the guards at the entrance. The party located a closed tunnel which lead to a shaft with an elevator.
Only two would fit at a time, so Karin and D’Rak volunteered to go first. They were ambushed at the bottom by two tiefling bowmen whom they defeated after a brief mutual burst of panic.
The party was reunited and preceded to a double door blocking the end of one corridor. The room beyond contained a large 6 armed statue, more tiefling archers and a number of cultists and 3 priests.
D’Rak scaled the wall and Windra levitated after him, while Fenaril and Karin supplied covering fire. Karin with his throwing knives and farina using a bow recovered from the tiefling archers, which, thanks to St. Cuthbert, was the perfect match for her strength.
Windra fell and was healed by Duncan. Then D’Rak went down and Windra used an unseen servant to inject him with a healing potion recovered from Filge.
He recovered but was separated from the party and encountered a female cleric who charmed/commanded him into attacking his friends. A compulsion that ended when she was slain. He also got clocked by Duncan’s mace.
After a hard won victory, the party rested and considered their options. One other piece of information that came to light around this time was a journal entry written by Theldrick, the high priest of Hextor, which exposed his hatred for The Faceless One” and spoke of a labyrinth.
The party then entered the corridor to the West. There the party battled the Grimlock followers of Erythnul. There were several pitched battles, including one where D’Rak was nearly slain by dagger wielding Grimlock barbarian, the party was victorious.
After the Grimlocks were dealt with, the party then went into the northern and final passage. There they party found themselves in a maze full of moving walls and hidden doors. Here the group was ambushed by Kenku and D’Rak was cut off from his companions and taken captive. The party, although battered, pressed relentlessly on.. Determined to overtake the fleeing Kenku and retrieve D’Rak if they could.
When they finally located the Kenku and the human worshipers of Vecna, the party tried a 2 pronged attack. Karin took the side door while Fenaril advanced on the front supported by Duncan and Windra. Warpig was enlarged and enraged and tore into the line of defending Vecna worshiping cultists. Eventually all the cultists were slain, but Warpig and Windra both fell to a lightening bolt case by the cult of Vecna’s leader the Faceless One. D’Rak was found alive, but hopelessly insane, raving about basking in Vecna’s love. (By the time the Allip and the magical wall scenes were done with him, D’Rak had a wisdom score of 0.)
More information about the Triad was recovered and the party decided they had done all they could at present.
One more threat remained: The “Ebon Aspect”, A monstrous creation of the joint efforts of the cult which however seem to contain aspects of all three parts of the triad: Hextor, Vecna, and Erythnul. Fortunately, the party had been re-enforced by the arrival of Melinde, a paladin and her cohort Martel, both from the temple of Heironeous in Diamond Lake. With the aid of these additional allies, the party was able to destroy the Ebon Aspect .”
At length the survivors returned to Diamond Lake where they left D’Rak at the temple of Heironeous for further care... His mind still being gone.
They took Windra remains to consult with Allustan about the possibility that she could be raised... Unfortunately, Warpig was unrecoverable. (The player had to drop out of the group earlier so there wasn't any point to bringing him back.)
Smenk tried a public confrontation with Karin and Fenaril but the latter managed to defuse the situation while making it clear that the party would not assist him in any of his schemes.
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Encounter at Blackwall Keep
After a side trip to the Temple where he persuaded an old acquaintance to raise Windra from the dead [for a small fee, of coarse], Allustan decided that he needed to consult a college named Marzena. She was working for the military and currently stationed at Blackwall Keep. The group then proceeded to this region, but as they came within sight of the keep, they were faced with an unexpected impediment. The keep was under attack by Lizardmen.
Allustan immediately said that he would have to use a scroll to teleport himself back to town in order to tell the garrison to send reinforcements. Meanwhile, the rest of the party decided to go to the aid of the keep. The group now consisted of Duncan, Finari, Karin and Windra. They were accompanied still by Melinde and Martel; and had been joined by a human mercenary named Vandar who was acting as Windra’s bodyguard.
After a brief skirmish, the attackers were driven off and the party reached the sanctity of the tower. Inside, they spoke with the surviving warriors and learned that four soldiers and the mage, Marzena, had been taken captive by the lizardmen. Marzena, if she survived would be the highest ranking officer at the keep.
Having discovered one body in addition to a horse already partially eaten by their carnivorous foes, the party decided to loose no time in following the marauders. After assuring the remaining soldiers that Allustan had promised reinforcements, they set off into the swamp following the trail of the retreating lizardmen.
Before long, they encountered a dwarf warrior who was fleeing from a crocodile that had slain and eaten his two guides. The party came to his aid and the beast was slain. The dwarf, who gave his name as Auron asked to join them, at least until they were safely out of the swamp. Duncan explained that they were, in fact, going deeper into the swamp at present. Auron still wanted to accompany them; saying there was strength in numbers, and they agreed.
As they continued, Finari noticed several lizardmen shadowing the party, but taking no hostile actions. She spoke with them in Draconic and learned that these were members of another clan. Twisted Branch, who had attacked the keep, had also expanded into their territory and were taking game needed by this smaller group. They agreed to an armistice, and accepted crocodile meat in exchange for information and safe passage through their territory.
The party continued the following day until they reached the lair of the Twisted Branch clan - a low-lying mound which they were rumored to share with a black dragon ally. Auron lead the way and ran straight into two harpies. These were defeated and the group pressed on. Beyond were several skirmishes with lizardmen one of which dissolved into worms when slain. This ended that encounter as the remaining lizardman stared then fled; and the worms tried to burrow into the flesh of those nearby before they were finally destroyed by fire.
Meanwhile, the surviving lizardman reported what had happened to the tribal shaman who met the party in the next room. The shaman. Who gave his name as Hiskah, proposed an alliance. If the party would rid the tribe of its current king – the force behind the recent aggression – he would arrange a peace treaty with the human lands, and return the captives.
Hiskah also revealed that the lizardman who was infested with worms had recently consumed a potion supplied to Hiskah by the black dragon. Close examination of the rest of the potions revealed several others containing worms.
Vandar tried his lizardman disguise again and entered the throne room with Auron as a prisoner. The ruse failed, but the king was defeated nonetheless. The party then proceeded to rescue the tribe’s eggs by swimming through an underwater passage to the cavern where they were kept along with a dragon egg which had been entrusted to the tribe as a token of good faith. They defeated the half-dragon/kobold guards then studied their surroundings. (By this point, one party member, Cairn, had foolishly bull rushed the Lizard man king and been killed and, for the most part, eaten, before the rest of the party arrived. Cairn’s grisly death was detailed in the Age of Worms Obituaries)
Among the numerous lizardman eggs was a larger, black egg. At the back of the cavern, on a raised shelf, were three chests. Beyond, there appeared to be smaller openings which the group speculated would lead to the dragon’s lair. Auron appeared fascinated by the dragon egg and tried to move it, ignoring the others’ cautions. Then, when it did not move, he struck it with his axe.
The egg shattered, releasing a cascade of green worms.
The party reacted quickly, forming an arc of lamp oil and alchemist’s fire to isolate the spreading wave of worms. Duncan discovered that due to their connection with the undead, the worms could be turned. And when more undead creatures entered from the direction of the dragon’s lair, he destroyed them as well. Martel also used create Holy water around the eggs to kill and confine the hideous worms.
In the end, about 80% of the eggs were saved and the dragon’s treachery proved to the shaman, Hiskah. Hiskah assumed command of the tribe and healed and released the human captives, apologizing to Marzena for injuries that had been inflicted on her to prevent her from casting spells. Her possessions were also returned and the warm-bloods all departed for the keep.
Back at Blackwall, Marzena assumed her role as ranking officer while awaiting the arrival of the reinforcements. The party were welcomed back to the tower and invited to stay the night. Around dinner time, they were disturbed by cries for help.
The creature in the basement had broken loose. The party responded and discovered a hideous undead monster apparently composed entirely of worms. The soldiers later related that about two years previously their mage (Marzena’s predecessor) had suffered a strange affliction. Unwilling to slay him, they instead imprisoned him in an unfinished escape tunnel and sealed it.
The creature was destroyed and the worms seared with fire as they tried to burrow. With the tower secure and an armistice in place with the neighboring lizardmen, the party decided to proceed to the Free City and relay news of the keep’s situation.
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The Hall of Harsh Reflections
Enroute to the free city of Greyhawk, the party encountered some raiding trolls which they quickly dispatched. Melinde and Martel had remained at Blackwall Keep, intending to return to Diamond Lake after the reinforcements arrived. Auron, on the other hand, had inexplicitly chosen to accompany the group, a decision which caused some concern especially among Duncan, Finari and Windra due to his previous reckless actions.
The following day, they discovered a trail of smashed vegetation to discover the lair of a Hydra. Vandar and Auron charged it while Windra and Finari provided covering fire with bow and spell. This lasted only moments before both were forced to retreat. Finari closed with the creature and Vandar shot her in the back. When Duncan moved toward him, he stumbled to his knees and gasped out a complaint about trying to shoot with his guts falling out. Duncan healed him and he returned to the fray.
Eventually the creature was slain. While they were searching the lair, Finari found the remains of a Paladin of Pelor, dead for a number of years, and recovered his sword and symbol to return them to his order.
Two days later, they came within sight of the city. It was mid-afternoon and there were people and wagons lined up to enter the city gates. When the party arrived, Auron was immediately given admittance while the guard on gate duty stalled Duncan and hinted that he wanted a bribe. When this was ignored, he suggested that he call the captain on duty only to be met with Finari’s happy approval of the suggestion along with the comment that if he would send word directly to the garrison, it would save time, since they had important information regarding one of the out-posts.
In town, the party passes a crazy man standing on a wooden box. He was screaming about doom, dragons, worms, and the walking dead. Some of his words were very reminiscent of Jierson’s back in Diamond Lake.
Finari visited the temple of Pelor to report the paladin they had found in the hydra’s liar. She was told to keep the sword – that its coming to her was the will of the gods. Also, if she returned at a later date, after they had the opportunity to check their records, they would tell her more about the blade’s previous wielder.
Following advice from Allustan, the party paid a call on Elgious, a wizard who could identify some items they had found, and provide information about the worms. They met in his garden in an older quarter of the city. He seemed to be well known and respected.
He recommended an inn called Crocked House in the foreign quarter. On the way there, they encountered a parade of carnival wagons. Duncan noticed someone in the crowd picking Auron’s pocket and confronted the culprit. Auron’s purse was recovered, but in the confusion someone cut Duncan’s pouch. As he was carrying only four gold pieces, he was not overly concerned.
At this point, a chimera escaped from its cage and attacked the crowd. Auron and Finari intervened and the evil monster was slain.
Duncan spent three days at the garrison negotiating with the officers on behalf of the lizardmen and Blackwall Keep. Finari spent the same time being tested by the Order of Illumination, before being accepted as an initiate.
The others combed the market place for potions and wands.
The fourth night at the inn, Finari, Windra and Vandar were in the common room when Duncan entered, exchanged a few words with the bartender (inaudible to the others) then struck him down and left.
Finari used her lay on hands to save him and the group headed upstairs to find Duncan. They discovered him asleep in the room with the door locked. Eventually, the duplicate was located, but proved almost immune to spells. Auron and Finari defeated it, and it turned into a featureless grey humanoid. Duncan’s name was cleared and the grateful tavern owner offered the party a free month’s stay for saving his life.
The doppleganger had been carrying a key with a strange octopus symbol. This was eventually traced to an “abandoned” warehouse called the Sodden Hold. Entering, the party was attacked by three more shape shifters which had been disguised as crates and barrels. Duncan fell into a pit trap near a false door, before a hidden door was found in the loft above.
Cells on the upper floor contained four “captives”. These included Iya Starmane, a female elf from a minor noble household who had been abducted about one month previously. She was at first unwilling to trust her “rescuers” believing them to be more of the shape shifters, but Finari was eventually able to reassure her. After her possessions were returned, Iya wanted to return home, but agreed to wait at a nearby guard station until the group had finished checking the warehouse, and could escort her and deal with her double. She also gave them a Periapt of Health.
The other prisoners were a man who initially appeared to be dead, and was in fact very close to it. He recovered, thanks to Duncan’s healing spells, and was helped to safety. Last, there were two rogues calling themselves Ragim and Martal who proved to be more doppelgangers.
Another room was reached by a door leading onto a loft, overlooking water and broken timbers. Vandar borrowed Auron’s Ring of Water Walking in order to scout the area. There were various objects and weapons partially visible below the surface. He reported an “all clear”, but when Windra tried to follow him, intending to cast Detect Magic, she was attacked by two Invisible stalkers. She was badly hurt, but Duncan was able to save her.
Auron then retrieved his ring and proceeded to scout further, while Vandar remained to guard Duncan and Windra who were both injured. The dwarf discovered an octopus and a room with a floating barrel. This latter proved to be an elevator which gave them access to another floor. Here, the party discovered small sleeping rooms and were again attacked by doppelgangers.
When the party entered the large tower the encountered an astounding sight…They saw themselves captured and bound to chairs. Auron and Windra promptly attacked their doubles who instantly became free and retaliated. Only Vandar’s double remained bound.
Eventually, all of the doppelgangers were defeated including the false Vandar who had infiltrated the party sometime previously. The real Vandar had been a captive for several days. The battle however proved confusing. Finari was only able to distinguish the false Duncan from the true when the former attacked her. Meanwhile, Duncan hesitated to harm either version of her and ended with a wistful, quizzical expression, mumbling something about there being two.
A secret door led into a maze of mirrors where three other doppelgangers, invisible, staged an ambush. Beyond the door was a room with a high, doomed ceiling containing, at one end, a silver helmet attached to a strange apparatus. At the opposite end of the room was a throne on a raised dais.
As the party entered, Allustan appeared and attacked them with a Fireball. Auron charged towards him, only to fall into a pit and impale himself on the spikes. This was followed by a second Fireball spell, slaying Windra and badly hurting Duncan. As she fell, Windra noticed that Allustan’s appearance seemed to waver and melt. Finari, who had been advancing more cautiously along one of the walls, now summoned her celestial war horse, Kiervorum. Allustan completed his transformation into a half-orc fighter and melee was joined.
As Auron continued to struggle to extract himself from the pit, Vandar discovered the second, similar trap on the opposite side. By the time they were able to rejoin the fight, it was over. The attacker was felled and transformed one final time, becoming a tattooed doppleganger.
The group then proceeded to search the room. Vandar studied the helmet apparatus, and discovered a locked compartment. This was open by a key found on the doppleganger and contained two gems. Vandar then tried to activate the strange machine and nearly had his memories sucked from his brain. This was only prevented by Auron, who tore apart the apparatus to free him.
Meanwhile, Finari had discovered a secret door at the back of the dais which led to an opulent bed chamber. The room also contained a desk and a magic mirror. Avoiding the last as they had no way to determine its purpose, the party continued their search, finding a strange missive and other assorted papers in one of the trunks.
Thinking their task finally complete, the party decided to leave the Sodden Hold when they ran into yet another unprecedented foe – a mind flayer and two dark elves awaited them in the hallway. Auron and Vandar were stunned by the mental assault. The ilithid disappeared and Duncan and Finari managed to defeat the drow.
The survivors then collected Iya at the guard station and prepared to return her to her home. They were cautious as it was generally believed that they would find at least one doppleganger posing as her when the reached the house. This proved true, but instead of a fight, they saw the false Iya try to flee, only to be apprehended by the town guard.
Iya’s father was excessively grateful for her return, and asked if there was anything he could do for the party. When they mentioned Windra’s death, hoping he could use his influence or contacts to help them find a cleric powerful enough to restore her, he instantly arranged for her to be resurrected. This proved very costly and would have left the family completely impoverished had Finari not discovered this fact and hastened to repay them (with the help of Duncan and the now recovered Windra) for the majority of the cost.
The documents which had been recovered from the hidden room gave leads to other doppelgangers operating in the city, and the guard began a massive roundup of the infiltrators. The missive itself, apparently written by the Mind flayer was addressed to “thralls” and instructed them to “meet at the sewer junction below the cold forge” in order to “deal with…troublesome small minds.”
After a brief time of rest and recovery, the party decided to investigate this meeting place. They visited the Cold Forge whose proprietor appeared to know nothing about any “place below”. He was a simple smith, and became both confused and alarmed by Auron’s less-than-tactful inquires. The other located a nearby manhole cover and decided to investigate the sewers. As a parting gesture, Vandar gave the smith an extra sword that he was no longer using. This act pleased both Finari and Duncan who saw it as “the first generous thing that he had done.”
The party then descended into the tunnels where they discovered an area overgrown with yellow fungus. Auron plunged ahead, saying he could see better than the rest of them anyway and set off several shrieking mushrooms. He then ran headlong into an ambush by three drow elves. Here, the party caught up with him, and the foe were defeated. Proceeding, they next encountered a large snake with a human face. It asked them for gold, then attacked, but was quickly dispatched.
Upon reaching the dry caverns beyond, the party was once again ambushed; this time by more drow. Duncan summoned celestial bears to aid in the fight, while the others used ranged weapons against foes who were sniping at them from above. Beyond this intersection was a pen containing four zombies and three captives; two humans and an elf. Duncan destroyed the zombies, and Finari escorted the citizens to the surface after Windra burned a path for them through the yellow spores.
Vandar then choose to scout ahead and discovered a room containing three purple monsters with tentacles. Their strikes caused the victim to move slowly thus hindering combat, but at length, all were destroyed.
This room also contained a locked door which Vandar was unable to open which Auron proceeded to break down. It opened into a round chamber with a stone brain which appeared to be throbbing surrounded by several benches. Windra cast a fireball which did only minor damage. Finari thought they should destroy it, but Auron and Vandar had already gone on. They discovered a hall leading to a descending staircase that ended at another door. Beyond was a room containing a small round pool. A hall lead from there to a doorway overlooking a larger room.
This room contained a larger, square shaped pool of liquid. The floor was some forty five feet below their present position, and hovering in the middle of the room, above the pool, was the Mind flayer.
Auron immediately jumped from the ledge to the floor below, taking Finari with him. Vandar followed more slowly using his tumble skill to avoid harm. The Ilithid ignored them and cast a lightening bolt spell at Duncan and Windra. Duncan fell, but Windra survived thanks to a Shield Other spell that Duncan had cast on her earlier. She then managed to drag him back into the tunnel and get him stabilized.
Meanwhile, the other three were engaged in a kind of round-robin melee, as each was stunned and took several rounds to recover and rejoin the fray. The Ilithid was seriously injured and tried to fade from view, but was dropped by Auron’s final blow.
Returning through a different side passage, the party discover what appeared to be a treasure hoard in a room with a Vrock statue. Auron picked up a magic great sword and attacked Duncan. The statue animated and Finari again call Kiervorum to her aid. Vandar disarmed Auron, who seemed to recover himself and came to the aid of his companions. The demon was slain and Duncan declared that everything in the room was evil and should not be touched. Unfortunately, his warning went unheeded.
Back in the room with the stone brain, Auron and Finari now joined their efforts to destroy it, both using power attacks. While they were busy, Vandar, who was acting as rear guard, was attacked by another of the purple, tentacled monsters. Although it appeared similar, this one was much more deadly and fatally rended the already injured Vandar.
Wearily, the party then emerged once more into the city, carrying their deceased comrade. On the street, they met a blonde woman named Celeste who told Duncan to take his friend to the church of Pelor where he would be restored.
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Having returned to the upper city, Duncan followed the advice of the unknown woman and took Vandar to the Church of Pelor where he was resurrected. The two then rejoined their friends at the Crooked House Inn where all were recovering from their most recent adventures.
Windra had two books recovered from the undercity. The first was a journal written in an unknown language and the second, a large tome, bound in chains. Duncan warned her that this second was clearly evil and should be destroyed, but she wanted to Identify it first, believing it to be worth money. They argued, but neither would relent. So while she worked on her spell, Duncan cast one of his own that enabled him to decipher the first book.
This journal, apparently belonging to the Mind flayer, contained two entries that were of particular interest to the party. The first (or rather last) of these stated that someone named Raknian had hired the ilithid (and by implication his doppleganger thralls) to kill Duncan, Finari, and Windra. Although the others did not know this name, Vandar instantly recognized it as belonging to a famous gladiator, renowned throughout the city, but now retired form active participation in the annual games.
The other entry, significant in that it spoke of the same man, said that the ilithid had recently purchased something called “the aposolistic scrolls” which he had given to Raknian.
Hearing this, Auron became incensed at what he referred to as threats against his friends, his company and therefore himself. He proceeded to drink heavily while uttering threats and maledictions against this Loris Raknian. Vandar tried to quiet him, but in vain. Finally, fearing that his words would bring swift and violent reprisals either from Raknian, his body guards, or enraged fans, he had the bartender concoct a drink “strong enough to overcome even a dwarf’s constitution”. Auron did not, as he had hoped, pass out; but he did become quieter, mumbling incoherently and swaying in his seat.
Meanwhile, Windra had completed her spell. It identified the chained book as an item which would increase the reader’s intelligence. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The book was indeed cursed as the priest had predicted and rather than making her more intelligent, it decreased both intelligence and wisdom. This led to increased caution. They again examined the griffin statue, identified as a Figurine of Wondrous Power, and discovered that it did indeed have a faint aura of evil. Duncan struck the figure with his mace and destroyed it.
The pseudo-dragon figure, on the other hand, radiated an aura of transmutation magic, but no evil. This lead Finari to believe that it was an actual dragon that had been ensorcelled. She asked Duncan to try to break the enchantment which he reluctantly agreed to do, but only after they had taken suitable precautions so as not to accidentally unleash a large, evil dragon within the city.
The adventurers decided to pay another visit to Eligos to see what he had learned. He appeared glad to see them and invited them to stay for dinner. Over the meal, they recounted their recent experiences including finding the name Raknian in the journal. None of them knew how to account for this, nor did they believe that they had made any enemies with the exception of the Ebon Triad.
During dinner, Eligos noticed that Vandar appeared to become increasingly unwell. He had picked up a Periapt of Foul Rotting, and would need both a remove curse and a powerful healing spell to be entirely free of its effects.
What Eligos had discovered from the notes seemed to point to the involvement of a minor deity called Kyuss who was associated with the worm-infested undead. In fact, these were said to be the least of his spawn. Kyuss was connected with the Coming of the Age of Worms, also called The Dark Times, The End Times, and several other similarly cheerful titles. Prophesies regarding these times were said to be recorded in The Book of Vile Darkness, The Libris Mortis, The Necronomican, and the Aposolistic scrolls and to tell of the coming or creation of a Ulgurstasta, a monstrous, giant worm capable of generating numerous undead.
The party immediately recognized the name of the scrolls as those mentioned in the ilithid’s journal. This was the first real evidence of a connection between Loris Raknian and the Ebon Triad, and it was becoming increasingly important to discover what Raknian knew and why he wanted the scrolls.
Eligos suggested that the best way to get close to Raknian was to enter this year’s gladiatorial games which were to take place in a few days time. He said that he could arrange to get them entered in the competition which would include arranging a sponsor for their “team”. He advised them to return to the inn where the sponsor would contact them in the morning. In the meantime, Elgious would take Vandar to a cleric he knew to get him healed.
Early the next morning, while the party were still at breakfast, the woman Celeste arrived accompanied by a well dressed man whom she introduced as Ekaym Smallcask, another long time friend of Elgious. Ekaym said that he was looking for a team to sponsor and had heard about their recent adventures. Each team, according to Ekaym, required a licensed manager.
Ekaym went on to detail the rules and organization of the games. Each event or battle that a team won would result in a cash prize. These prizes became larger as the competition progressed and more teams were eliminated. The manager, who had to pay a hefty fee for his license, was entitled to 50% of his team’s winnings.
Teams could consist of from four to eight members. Familiars were not counted, but cohorts, animal companions and special mounts were. Groups brought their own equipment to use in the games, and were prohibited from taking anything from their opponents. In addition, each team needed a captain and a name. The paladin, Finari was appointed, as being best able to deal with both diplomacy and combat; and after some discussion, the group settled on calling themselves Gear’s Gladiators in memory of their fallen comrade, lost in the Whispering Crain.
As the day of the games drew nearer, Windra busied herself with making scrolls, Auron shopped for some new armor, and Duncan and Finari set out to “disenchant” the pseudo-dragon. Mindful of Duncan’s earlier concerns, they first went to an empty, open area and then placed the statue inside a Magic Circle Against Evil. Thus, if the figurine did turn into something nasty, it would be contained.
Their precautions proved unneeded as the pseudo-dragon was freed from a spell which had long ago turned him to stone. Finari talked with him in Draconic, and he told her that he had fallen victim to a beholder. Neither knew or could guess how he had come to be in the ilithid’s lair. The dragon proved friendly and mischievous, first turning invisible, then when asked if he would like some food requesting babies, but admitting he could make due with puppies and kittens. This startled Finari, and (when translated) amused Duncan who generally had the more joking attitude of the two.
The dragon, who was christened “Trickster”, accompanied them back to the inn where he met the others of the party. The conversation naturally centered around the upcoming games. Trickster elected to watch with either Ekaym or Eligos, so he could applaud his new friends, but had no desire to involve himself in the fight.
The official prelude to the games was scheduled for the following evening. This was an open feast, for all the participants, their managers, and several celebrity guests including Raknian and the team which had won the previous year. The party were surprised to recognize the latter as a group of adventurers they had once met by chance in the wilds, and with whom they had shared a campsite. Tirra, the elven rogue, and Auric the fighter and their group leader Khellek, a wizard, all exchanged pleasantries with the party.
Other discussion centered wagering on the games. Gear’s Gladiators were ranked very near the bottom, with only two teams rated lower. Among the higher ranked teams, two stood out from the discussion and rumors that were circulating. These were the Pitch Blades, a team of dwarves trademarked with flaming swords, said to use adamantine weapons, and to break those wielded by their opponents. Another group which was not named was rumored to use golems.
Tirra commented that several of her friends were interested in the newcomers and thought that they might do better than expected, especially in the first round of competition. This led to several party members making wagers of their own [although Windra was the only one who bet for her team to both win and loose.]
The feast ended with a fire-works display, and Windra and Vandar took the opportunity presented by this to meet and shake hands with Raknian. Based on his reaction, they concluded that he did indeed recognize them. Vandar also made a show of playing with the ilithid tentacles which he had cut off and now had draped through his belt.
The party then retired to their assigned quarters to compare notes and discuss strategy. They were scheduled to fight in the first round of the opening day where they would face the Arcane Arguries, Bad Land’s Revenge, and the Sapphire Squad.
There were twenty-four teams entered in that year’s competition. These had been separated into groups of four which would then face each other in a free-for-all skirmish. There would be six such battles, and each would continue until one team was victorious over the other three. These six would proceed to the next round where they would be matched two by two in a standard single elimination.
The following morning the next round of competition began. As the Pitchblades were known to use adamantine weapons and to break those of their opponents, the best plan that the party had conceived was for Vandar to attempt to disarm them. Other party members would then claim the blades for the remainder of the battle, or failing that, attempt to keep them away from their wielders, while Windra used offensive spells and Duncan kept his side standing.
Unfortunately, lacking more detailed knowledge of their opponents’ tactics and abilities, the party was caught off guard when the Pitchblades levitated as their first action in the combat. Finari and Auron attempted to use ranged weapons, but to no avail. Windra’s lightening bolt proved somewhat more useful. Then the Pitchblades dove at Duncan and struck him a critical blow. He fell. Vandar managed to close and disarm one, but unfortunately he was able to recover his blade.
Windra caused her next lightening bolt to originate from the Warhorse, than switched to scorching ray.
Eventually the Pitchblades were defeated, Duncan was stabilized, and Finari did Laying on Hands to him. As the fervor died down, the party learned that the Pitchblades had been sponsored by Captain Okoral, Racknian’s right hand man. At this point, the only two other remaining teams were the Dragon’s Brood and Auric’s War Band. These two would face each other while Gear’s Gladiators were scheduled to fight “Mad Tooth the Hungry”.
That night, the party returned to the basement. Duncan tried using his ability to Turn Undead against the green wall. When that failed, he next tried a spell to dispel it. Unfortunately this had a severe back lash, and drained his abilities. A scroll was needed to restore him. At this point, they realized that they had no way to proceed and would have to wait until the following night. This in turn meant that they would have to win the next competition to remain in the arena.
Early the next morning, a response arrived from the Order of Illumination in the form of a Rod of Cancellation with a single remaining charge. This should enable them to pass the wall of green vapor provided they could live long enough to return to it. And the odds were definitely stacked against them. Rumors from the guards claimed that Madtooth was a giant, frost salamander; and that traditionally, it was the team ranked as the favorite that was scheduled to fight the beast.
The party entered the arena and when the signal was given Windra and Duncan began casting spells to enhance their party, but no Madtooth appeared. Instead guards scurried about while apologizing for the delay. It was not until the duration of most spells would have elapsed that the Beast was finally brought in.
Madtooth was a huge aberration with numerous tentacles. Windra immediately dropped a fireball on it, but with no effect. It advanced and lashed out with tentacles and tongue which proved to have an impressive reach. One of these caught Windra. Duncan summoned a spiritual weapon. Auron was swallowed, but proceeded to hack his way out from the inside. Windra cast lightening which appeared to slow the creature. Finari was grappled and tried to use this to get closer to the main body. Vandar was swallowed. Then, the beast fell and the survivors cut him out. The crowd went wild, and the party was awarded a gold trophy and cash prize.
Later, the party was able to feign fatigue and slip away from the celebrations. Below the arena, the rod canceled both the green barrier and the worm’s stasis. Duncan and Windra attacked it with spells, while the others closed in combat. This time, it was Finari, whose smite evil ability and holy sword were inflicting the most damage who was seen as the greatest threat and swallowed. Windra empowered her searing rays, and at length the Acolyte fell.
All returned weak and weary, but knowing that regardless of the next day’s competition, they had done what was needed to save the spectators from whatever nefarious plot the cults had intended to launch.
Thus, it was with a certain feeling of confidence that they went, the following morning, to face the final challenge in that year’s tournament. As this was to be versus Auric’s group, all agreed to avoid causing any deadly harm, if this was at all possible. Their opponents were Auric, a mage, and three flesh golems. Auric flew; Auron was enlarged; and Finari used Righteous Might. Kiervorum fought the golems. The mage then levitated thirty feet into the air. Auron grappled with Auric and was weakened by a spell from the mage. He drags Auric with him out of the arena thus getting both of them disqualified.
The mage casts a sleep spell which fells Vandar then swoops at Finari. Duncan then commands the mage “UP” and he rises above the designated limit and is disqualified. Among his final curses, he orders the golems to kill. Fortunately, Vandar was awakened before he could be harmed, and Duncan summoned two celestial lions to assist. The golems were destroyed, and Gear’s Gladiators declared the winners of the tournament. They collected their prize money and winnings from the bets some of them had placed.
Later, once they were free of the celebrating crowds, they went to visit Eligos only to find his house in disorder and him slain. They collected his body and took him to the Temple hoping they could afford to have him raised, but as they entered, a figure in black robes decorated with stars appeared. He took Eligos in his arms, stated “I’ll take care of this,” and vanished. Despite Eligos’ death, the party found notes in Eligos’ hand that were meant to be delivered Allustan, Windra’s one time mentor/lover/whatever. Thus the party decided to return to the place where all this began: Diamond Lake.
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A Gathering of Winds
When the party returned to Diamond Lake, the first thing they discovered was Allustan’s house in ruins. The house had been destroyed by acid, and there were numerous people dead or injured. Inquiries revealed that there had been an attack by a black dragon. Valkus Dun and the paladin Melinde numbered among the slain.
The church of St. Cuthbert had been barricaded by Jierian Wierus who warned of a harbinger, Dragotha, whom the dragon served. Further rumors reported that the dragon had gone in the direction of the Whispering Crain and was seeking Allustan after having failed to kill him in his home.
The party pursued and was confronted by the dragon at the cavern’s entrance. Finari and Auron both fell, but were later revived by Duncan. The dragon was badly injured and tried to flee, but Windra finished it with an empowered lightening bolt.
A new area had been opened within the crain itself. It contained a portal. Auron approached it and was grabbed by a blue, clawed hand. He was dragged through and the others quickly followed.
On the other side, the party battled clawed, elemental creatures. They explored a room containing a large painting which showed a prominent Wind Duke with a staff and seal fighting against an Inevitable. Further on, they came to a statue of an androgynous Wind Duke with a shield and scale. They met a Fire Salamander with a large elemental, but were not forced to fight. Duncan used his diplomacy to assure the guardian that they had not come to loot the tomb, but only sought to rescue Windra’s mentor, Allustan.
As they proceeded in their quest they came to a room hung with chandeliers in which sound seemed strangely muted. Here, Vandar discovered tracks, possibly made by Allustan. Then, in a room containing numerous large columns, Winda vanished – taken by a giant spider - its voice spoke from the shadows assuring the others that she yet lived and offering her safety in exchange for their promise to destroy the Marquis of the River, a being it defined as a True Ghoul which dwelt in a cavern deep beneath the tombs. This cavern was accessible via the River of Blood.
Both the cleric and paladin agreed to opposing this evil undead, but insisted that their odds of success would be greater with Windra than without her. The creature eventually agreed and allowed her to rejoin the group in exchange for a collection of magic items that were to be “held hostage” until they could return bringing with them the enemy’s head.
The party then continued their exploration. They discovered a small shrine comprised of a round room containing a sphere of lightening. It was here that Allustan was being held. A dread wraith attacked and drained several members of the party before it was defeated. The group was forced to retreat and rest to allow Duncan and Windra to recover their spells.
The next day, they returned to the room where Duncan dispelled the sphere of lightening. Allustan was rescued and healed. Then, all together, the group proceeded to seek the River of Blood.
They soon came across a chasm with a bridge that was near collapse. Finari removed her armor and crossed first with a rope. The others followed. After facing a series of gates and bars, they begun to climb down to the river, when they were ambushed by Xorns.
At length when all were reunited, Auron used his ring of water walking to scout down one of the two branches of the river. He was attacked by huge, red arms rising from its surface, but Duncan was able to turn them. Confusion remained, however, as to which was the correct path, so Duncan cast a divination spell. He learned that the party needed to go through the ice portal which Auron had seen.
All advanced as a group and proceeded to break the ice. Vandar then took the lead in order to scout out the passage ahead. He was attacked by ice golems. Windra came to his aide with a fireball which destroyed one of his foes, but blinded her with an unexpected backlash.
Eventually all of the party reached the apex and battered at the ice sculptures until they shattered. They then proceeded into a smaller room. A portcullis dropped behind them and an Inevitable attacked. This creature proved resistant to their weapons. Only Auron was able to have much effect – which in turn made him a target for its ability to drain strength and experience. Fortunately, Duncan was able to restore him and he rejoined the fight. After this happened twice, the creature was finally defeated.
The party then came to the end of their path. The only way to proceed appeared to be to somehow follow the waterfall which disappeared into the darkness below. They began to descend using ropes and levitate spells, when they were attacked by wind warriors. After a viscous skirmish, the wind warriors fled, leaving the party to rest and regroup. Allustan was out of spells and wanted to sleep. Vandar again volunteered to go scouting. Windra went with him.
After ten minutes or so, they had not found anything different. The waterfall appeared to continue indefinitely into the depths. This meant that scaling it would likely prove a slow and arduous process. Not content with this, Vandar decided to press on and he persuaded Windra to accompany him.
This proved an unfortunate choice. The two were once again ambushed by the wind warriors and Windra was slain. Vandar fled with her corpse down the waterfall only to find himself alone at the bottom, and face to face with the River Ghoul. Vandar and the ghoul engaged in polite conversation, much to Vandar’s surprise. It was at this time that Vandar couldn’t help but notice that the River Ghoul kept on looking at Windra’s corpse as to say: “Are you going to eat that?”
Meanwhile, the rest of the party had become increasingly concerned about their friends’ continued absence. Finally, in growing desperation, Duncan summoned an extra-planar ally and negotiated for help. The priest undertook a contract with this being, and in return the angel agreed to transport him and his allies to the bottom of the falls.
By then, Vandar had, of course, encountered the ghoul (Lord Moreto)which proved oddly intelligent, extremely polite and articulate. He stalled for time by feeding his “host” portions of his dead friend Windra. He was able to gather some hints regarding the Prophecy of the Age of Worms. The ghoul wanted Vandar and his friends to kill the spider, and offered him an amulet in exchange.
The arrival of the cleric quickly put an end to this discussion, and battle was joined. Two skeletons apparently serving the ghoul tried to take the party from behind, but were eventually defeated. The ghoul then vanished, leaving behind an assortment of items including the amulet that he had offered to Vandar.
When Duncan touched the amulet, two Jinn immediately appeared and attacked. The ghoul re-emerged from the stone of the cavern and likewise attacked. This time it was slain.
Auron then touched the amulet, before any of the others could prevent him. Again creatures were summoned and attacked – only this time they were both stronger and invisible.
Eventually the key to the amulet was discovered to be contained in the three runes: aaqa, empire; icosiol, general; and pesh, final battle. After a couple of mistaken attempts, the party discovered the correct order and was able to safely retrieve the amulet, somewhat to the disappointment of Auron who had wanted to go on summoning and fighting things despite his companions objections.
After resting to regain their strength and spells, the party secured what was left of Windra’s remains in a haversack and proceeded to fly out of the cavern. Enroute, they were once again attacked by wind lords.
Duncan noticed that these guardians seemed to be located near a light that only he could perceive. He followed this and discovered a hidden burial chamber. The anteroom contained seven pillars of various heights and appearance, but no floor. Two large air elementals appeared and attacked. They knocked Auron from a pillar and dropped him into the unfathomable depths. Fortunately a featherfall spell slowed his decent until he could be retrieved. Vandar followed him, but was wearing his cloak-of-the-bat.
Eventually, the party located a trap door in the ceiling which led to a room containing a sarcophagus and several colored lanterns. There they battled a power demon that had eyes covering his entire body. The demon could send powerful bolts of energy from many of his various eyes. At the same time, the demon was also armed with a unholy long sword that he wielded with devastating affect. After a long fought battle where Auron was nearly slain on two separate occasions, the party was victorious. Within the tomb, they also found a ring, a set of matched swords and one piece of the Rod of Seven Parts. Duncan again sought divine inspiration and felt assured that this was the true object of their quest and that these items would shortly be needed in the struggle to stop Kyuss.
The party returned to the upper levels where they had met Fly Catcher in order to give him the head of the ghoul and to reclaim their items. The spider however was not content with the demise of its enemy. It claimed that it was now the Guardian of the Tomb, and demanded that the party surrender all they had found. It threatened to kill them and began to throw webs. A brief skirmish ensued with Fly Catcher getting the worst of it. Wounded, the monster surrendered and disappeared.
On the way out, the party again encountered the Salamander guardian who informed them that they were honored by the Wind Lords and welcome in the tomb. They departed on good terms.
Back in Diamond Lake, the adventurers discussed what could be done to restore Windra. Allustan advised them that they must speak with Tenser, his former master, and that this would also take them to a priest of sufficient power to resurrect their lost mage. Although, overall, Allustan had not made a very positive impression on his former student’s chosen allies and friends, they decided to take his advice, in part because of comments made to the paladin to the effect that she’d get along just fine with Tenser. Although, not meant as a recommendation, it was taken as such, and the party soon made plans to depart once again.
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A wondering cleric raised Windra from the dead, as well as the paladin Melinde and Valkus Dun. From there the party decided to go to Magepoint and meet with Allustan's former master Tenser the Archmage.
One there way to Magepoint, the party was attacked by a group of devils that wanted the Rod of Seven Parts segment. The party refused and the devils gleefully attacked. The end result was one devil dead, Windra was a pile of ashes: dead once again (the victim scorching rays, one of which was a critical hit) and the segment of the Rod of Seven Parts was now in the possession of the two bearded devils.
The party arrived in Magepoint, Windra was raised yet again, and the party met with Tenser in his tower over laking the Lake of Unknown Depths. Using a painting of the Spire of Long Shadows, the party telported to the site and began their exploration at the request of Tenser.
The party quickly encountered a wandering Druid that offered to help the group explore the ruins. Within the ruins fought all manner of undead horrors, corrupted angels and vile worm worshiping nagas. There were several deaths. Vandar was slain by a Naga's finger of death spell, Windra as consumed by a horrid worm that spit her out as a newly animated Spawn of Kyuss and the wandering Druid suffered the same fate as Windra. Eventually the party one out and and managed to defeat the Harbinger (spell weaver lich) and return to Tenser with new information regarding Kyuss and his assent to godhood. Windra and Vandar were raised but the Druid was not. (His player was moving back home to Seattle Washington.)
Next, the party travels to Hellspike prison to attempt to retrieve the segment of the Rod of Seven Parts that they lost to the devils.