Seriously Daniel, Bjarke, Mads, Morten, and Michelle, stay out! You'll get your own journal soon enough.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
- Alhuresh Vas Calaar ”Isil” Korlandrel, Lawful Good male elf magus 1
- Cordelia Lockheart, Neutral Good female human druid 1
- Vladimir “Scar” Rasputin, Chaotic Neutral male dhampir ranger 1
- Zirul, True Neutral male half-elf rogue 1
JOURNAL
The heroes arrived at the sleepy farming community of Ravengro as the sun settled, summoned to the hamlet by Kendra Lorrimor, daughter of the late Professor Petros Lorrimor, a man with whom the heroes had had extensive dealings in the past. Each had received a letter explaining that the professor had passed away and that they were invited to the funeral and the reading of the professor’s will. As they arrived, each hero was greeted by Ms Lorrimor who thanked them for coming.
Shortly after the last person had arrived, the funeral procession began. The heroes had all agreed to be pallbearers. As they and a dozen other people, including priest of Pharsma Father Grimburrow (who chanted prayers to Pharasma in a subdued voice), councilmen Vashian Hearthmount and Gharen Muricar, tavernkeeper Zokar Elkarid, and apothecary Jominda Fallenbridge, entered the Restlands, they were stopped by a group of villagers all carrying makeshift weapons (hammers, pitchforks, etc.). The leader of the group, an elderly man whose name the heroes later discovered was Gibs Hephenus, addressed the funeral procession, claiming that the villagers had decided they would not allow the late professor to be buried in the Restlands as he was a suspected necromancer. Kendra, appalled by the accusation and the rude interruption, argued against the accusations.
What should have been a peaceful final farewell to Professor Petros Lorrimor became anything but when Zirul tried to talk some sense into the villagers. Enraged by the stranger’s words, the villagers attacked the funeral procession. In an effort to get away from the violence, Zirul released his hold on the coffin and dashed to the side, leaving his fellow pallbearers to handle the advancing thugs AND scramble to ensure that the coffin would not fall to the ground. The pallbearers succeeded in the latter as they managed to put the coffin down on the ground under a barrage of swings and stabs. Cordelia, the young druid, was not one to let the thugs ruin the funeral. Calling on the forces of nature, she called vines and long grass from the ground, the plants enveloping the legs of the thugs. Spell cast, she gave the thugs a scathing reprimand and they ceased their attacks, ashamed of their actions and somewhat afraid of the power of her mystical powers.
Father Grimburrow followed up on Cordelia’s reprimand, demanding that the thugs make their way to the town sheriff and let him decide their punishment. He then apologized to the heroes and to Kendra for the unacceptable behavior of his fellow Ravengrovians and the funeral procession continued.
At the grave site, each person gave a minor speech, recalling their relationships with the late professor. That’s when Scar made a strange discovery. There were no rotting scents surrounding the coffin as there should be. Leaning closer and putting a knee to the ground, the Pharasman tried again, disturbed by the lack of rot and the possible reasons for it. Surprised by the ranger’s actions, Father Grimburrow approached him and asked what he was doing. When Scar explained and added his suspicion that all was not right with the coffin and its contents, Father Grimburrow assured him that all was as it should be, that extensive rites had been performed over the body to ensure that decomposition would not happen until the coffin had been buried.
To be continued…
GM'S NOTES
This was a relatively short session as other matters had to be dealt with prior to kick-off, including the creation of each character in Hero lab.
Having read about Canterwall in Rule of Fear, I decided to use the mist a lot, describing it a couple of times during the session (when the heroes first arrived in Ravengro and again during the walk up to the grave site). I think it worked fairly well as an atmospheric tool.
I also made an effort to describe to the players how the villagers were far from ecstatic that they'd arrived with men scowling at them, women ushering children into the imagined safety of their homes, and so forth. Really, the only friendly person the characters met in the first session was Kendra (and, to some extent, Father Grimburrow).
As for the incident during the procession to the grave site, I felt that the druid’s actions, and the fact that the heroes managed to hold onto the coffin, deserved a reward and so they were given the Trust Point and XP for the encounter.
Scar’s discovery that the usual smell of rot was not present was a result of the Scent feat and the lycanthrope blood running through his veins (yes, he has both vampiric AND lycanthropic ancestors). The player chose to go with the Shapeshifter archetype. The Scent feat would come into play in the next session as well. More on that later.
Why is this GM's only? Is it for us to comment on? If you don't want players to read it these people know that journals detail campaigns, and saying GM only won't stop that.
In any event keep the journal coming. :)
I edited the title a tad. :) The reason for the warning is that I do intend to share information about my games that I don't want my players to see.
I edited the title a tad. :) The reason for the warning is that I do intend to share information about my games that I don't want my players to see.
I would tell my player to stay out of journals if I felt it need mentioning.
I do have a question though.Do you keep notes as you DM or do you write the journal as soon as the game ends. Some of the journals are very detailed. I can remember basic things, but not to the detail of many of the journals that I have seen here.
Oh I have. This is just a final caution. :)
I just write the entry whenever I have the free time to do so (slow day at work :D). Of course this means that some details are lost as I can't remember everything but I'd much rather spend the actual session getting as much roleplaying done as I can (especially since our sessions are only 2½ hours long) rather than keeping record of what's going on.
SESSION 2
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
- Alhuresh Vas Calaar ”Isil” Korlandrel, Lawful Good male elf magus 1
- Cordelia Lockheart, Neutral Good female human druid 1
- Vladimir “Scar” Rasputin, Chaotic Neutral male dhampir ranger 1
- Zirul, True Neutral male half-elf rogue 1
JOURNAL
In spite of the priest’s assurances that the body of Professor Petros Lorrimor would not rise from the grave as an undead abomination, Zirul was not convinced and, wanting to see for himself that all was well and that magic had indeed been used to preserve the professor’s corpse, the rogue “accidentally” slipped on the wet ground as he and the other pallbearers lowered the coffin into the grave, intending for the coffin to fall to the boittom of the grave. It was a gamble which did not pay off, however, as the others managed to hold onto the ropes secured to the coffin handles by hooks.
As Father Grimburrow finished the remaining part of the funeral rites, Kendra approached the heroes, thanking each of them for coming to her father’s funeral and honoring him by carrying him to his final resting place. She invited them to her father’s home and the reading of the will, an invitation they all accepted.
Back at the Lorrimor place, Kendra served drinks to the heroes and they engaged in small talk, waiting for councilman Vashian Hearthmount to arrive with the will. There were some introductions made. Roughly an hour after their arrival at the Lorrimor residence, councilman Hearthmount arrived, will in hand. As he entered the room, he cast a rather disapproving glance at the heroes, clearing indicating that he was not terribly pleased by their presence in Ravengro. Showing each of the heroes that the seal on the tube was unbroken, he opened the tube and, ignoring a key that fell out of the tube, unrolled the parchment.
Following the reading of the will, councilman Hearthmount excused himself and left the Lorrimor residence. The heroes and Kendra were now left with a key and the two favors the professor had asked of them – that they deliver a chest of books to an associate in Lepidstadt and that they delay that delivery for one month and stay in Ravengro to assist his daughter in whichever way she required. As a reward, Professor Lorrimor had made arrangements for 100 platinum coins to be paid to each hero upon their arrival in Lepidstadt. They accepted both requests.
Kendra soon realized what the key was for and she, along with Scar, brought the chest to the table. They opened the chest and found the books inside. The first book had the words “READ ME FIRST!” etched into it and this was a concern for the heroes since, according to their rationale, you never open something that says “READ ME FIRST!” The magus Alhuresh cast a detect magic spell on the book and concluded that, if it posed any threat, that threat was not magical in nature. Still, having deduced that the book must be a journal, the heroes handed the book over to Kendra, thinking it only proper that she be given her father’s journal.
Exhausted by the day’s events, and her grief, Kendra told the heroes that they were more than welcome to stay with her for the month and she offered to provide food for the heroes as well. She then excused herself and retired for the night.
Left to their own devices, the heroes settled in. As Alhuresh wandered off toward the local tavern with his mule, the Laughing Demon, Scar and Cordelia went to the loft to make ready for the night. Zirul, meanwhile, stayed downstairs, his curiosity having gotten the better of him. Acting as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he snatched up the journal left on the table by Kendra. Browsing through the journal, he soon came to the conclusion that the entries mostly detailed the professor’s everyday life. Just when Zirul was ready to close the book, he noticed one entry, written ten years earlier, that had a red ring around it.
Mentioned in the entry, the Whispering Way as an entity was now known to Zirul. When Scar, who had snuck down from the loft, questioned him about his discovery, he revealed as much. Armed with the knowledge that the late professor was concerned about the cabal of necromancers, the two spent the next few hours poring over the extensive collection of lore present in the Lorrimor residence. They did not discover much but they did get a name – Tar-Baphon, the Whispering Tyrant.
Meanwhile in the Laughing Demon, Alhuresh made the acquaintance of Zokar Elkarid, the tavernkeeper. With his jovial demeanor and unusual branding of his services, applying crrepy names to food and ale, Zokar was an instant hit. He told stories of folk vanishing in the Canterwall mists. Having been served vampire steak and liquid ghosts, Alhuresh paid for a spot in the tavern’s stables (for his mule) and returned to the Lorrimor estate. On his way back, Alhuresh noticed strange flickering lights coming from across the creek.
The next day the heroes woke to the smell of a hearty breakfast prepared by their hostess. As they dived into the bread, cheese, bacon, and other delicacies, they discussed their plans for the day. Scar, intrigued by what Alhuresh had told him earlier about flickering lights in the mist, declared that he would investigate the matter further. During the breakfast, Cordelia noticed a curious change in her bear companion. Usually a relatively docile animal, the bear nearly attacked Scar, then left the house. Going after the bear, Scar smelled its fear, a scent that had been absent until now.
After breakfast, the heroes went about their business, Scar and Cordelia investigating the strange lights, Zirul going to the Laughing Demon, and Alhuresh summoning an unseen servant, having decided he would help Kendra by cleaning up her home.
For Zirul, the trip to the Laughing Demon was fruitless. Asking around, subtly hinting that he was looking for work of the shady kind, he was met with the same answer: Check the posting poles situated around town. Ravengro was truly a sleepy town. With little to show for his effort, Zirul decided to head back to the Lorrimor residence.
Meanwhile, Scar and Cordelia went across the bridge spanning the local creek, going in the direction Alhuresh had shown them. Coming upon the temple, Scar went inside while Cordelia, concerned by her bear companion’s strange behavior (the animal had refused to leave her side until they’d reached the other side of the creek), stayed outside with the bear. Inside the austere temple, Scar was greeted by a servant of Pharasma, a man named Willard. The dhampir enquired about the flickering lights. Brother Willard explained how the priests of the temple occasionally patrolled the temple and offered the theory that what Alhuresh had seen might have been lantern light reflected off a murial dominating one section of the temple. Accepting Willard’s theory, Scar was provided with a private booth in which he could give prayer to the Lady of Graves and seek her guidance and his request for an audience with the venerable Father Grimburrow was accepted.
On their way home from the temple, Scar and Cordelia came upon a crowd of Ravengrovians gathered around the 25-foot tall monument not far from the Lorrimor residence. Curious as to the reason for the gathering, they investigated and was shown a V written in blood on the base of the monument, covering the plaque that contained the names of the guards who lost their lives that terrible day 50 years earlier. Feeling that the locals were overreacting, Scar and Cordelia said as much, a statement that was met by stunned silence, offended harrumphs, and a few weak protests from the villagers, including the local sheriff, Benjan Caeller. During their conversation with the gathered villagers, Scar and Cordelia learned that the monument had been raised in honor of Lyvar Hawkran, 24 guards, and the warden’s wife, Vesorianna Hawkran, all of whom perished in the Harrowstone fire 50 years ago.
Thanks to his keen nose, Scar was able to pick a scent by sniffing the blood on the monument. Following the scent, he soon came upon a dead rat, its body drained of blood. Picking up another scent, he was led to Gibs Hephenus’s shack. The retired soldier, dressed in a night robe, was startled by Scar’s barrage of questions about his whereabouts and he put up a fight when the dhampir tried to overpower him. Scar proved too strong, however, and Gibs was subdued. Scar brought Gibs back to the monument where only sheriff Caeller remained. He accused Gibs of having vandalized the monument and when Cordelia returned moments later with a bloody waterskin and razor, the evidence convinced the sheriff. Gibs, however, protested desperately, claiming that he wasn’t a vandal and that he had been in his shack throughout the night. His desperate pleas of innocence convinced the sheriff and the heroes that something strange was going on. It was decided that Gibs spend the next few days in the Ravengro jail.
After the sheriff had left with Gibs, Scar, Cordelia, and Zirul went back to the Lorrimor residence where Scar mentioned his plan to explore the nearby ruins of Harrowstone prison.
To be continued…
GM'S NOTES
I was a bit shocked by Zirul’s player’s decision to make the slip. His intention was to open the coffin. Unfortunately for the player, his plan didn’t succeed and one of the other characters saw through his bluff (the magus, I think it was), realizing that he’d slipped on purpose. Alhuresh didn’t make a meal of it, though, keeping the knowledge to himself. For the time being, at least.
As Scar discovered the next day, the flickering lights Alhuresh saw were in fact lantern light reflected off the stained glass murial dominating one side of the temple dedicated to Pharasma. I hadn’t made any plans to using the murial in any creepy way but it seemed like a fun way to spook the character and I think it worked pretty well.
I was somewhat surprised that none of the heroes decided to check out the rest of the journal. I hope they’ll do so next time we meet. Next session should also be the entry point of another character, a sorcerer. The player has been in China for a few weeks but has now returned to the cold north.
SESSION 3
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
- Alhuresh Vas Calaar ”Isil” Korlandrel, Lawful Good male elf magus 1
- Cordelia Lockheart, Neutral Good female human druid 1
- Vladimir “Scar” Gregori, Chaotic Neutral male dhampir ranger 1
- Zirul, True Neutral male half-elf rogue 1
- ?, Neutral Good male human sorcerer (Arcane) 1
JOURNAL
Before Scar's and Cordelia's return to the Lorrimor residence, the inquisitive elven magus Alhuresh questioned Kendra about the nature of her father's death. She explained that the late professor had been found by one of the diggers (although why the digger was anywhere near the supposedly haunted prison remained a mystery to Kendra) and that he had been the victim of a tragic accident as one of the gargoyle decorating the old prison had fallen from its perch on the roof.
As the rest of the group returned from the incident at the Hawkran monument, a plan was formed to visit the prison itself. Intrigued by Kendra's description of the circumstances surrounding her father's death, Alhuresh decided it might be prudent to read the rest of Professor Lorrimor's journal. Several entries had been marked by the professor and he described how the Whispering Way (simply called the Way by the professor) was up to something involving the old prison. In addition, Professor Lorrimor mentioned a secret cache of items that might come in handy against the restless dead. The final entry was a desperate one and Professor Lorrimor doubted he would survive whatever it was he had planned and so he had marked the entries in his journal and left the book among the tomes trusted to the heroes.
It was decided that the more prudent course of action would be to investigate the matter of the flase crypt first. The heroes believed that any weapons found in the crypt might come in handy against whatever restless entities still haunted the ruined prison. As they each prepared for the short trek to the crypt, Zirul requested that Kendra let him borrow some of the late professor*s clothes, specifically any type of clothing the professor might have worn when doing field work. Somewhat taken aback, Kendra nonetheless accepted the rogue's request and found some clothes for him to wear.
Armed and ready to venture toward the Restlands, the party did just that. Following the instructions in the journal, the party soon reached the intersection of Eversleep and the Black Path and the crypt itself. A thorough investigation of the lock showed that it had been tampered with prior to the heroes' arrival. Marks on the lock were identified as acidic marks and the heroes deduced that surely this must have been the work of their late friend, Professor Lorrimor. Opening the entrance to the crypt, the heroes ventured down the stairs, guiding by the magic light of a light spell. Scar was the first to notice the danger, thanks to his keen scent. The heroes were not alone. Slithering out of small cracks in the stonework, impossibly large, monstrous centipedes moved toward the heroes with murderous intent.
The battle was brief but fierce, the enormous vermin penetrating the heroes' defenses more than once. In the end, though, the heroes outmatched the insects with martial prowess and arcane skills, killing both centipedes. More alert to danger than when they had first entered the false crypt, the heroes ventured deeper, exploring the crypt. They soon came upon a bronze sarcophagus and its contents - the cache of weapons against the restless the professor had mentioned in his journal. Among other things they found several arrows with different Pharasmin prayers etched into the wood, numerous vials containing lue and violet liquids, scrolls containing more Pharasman prayers, strange vapor-holding vials held within metal casings decorated with a one-eyed scarab, and a socalled spirit board and accompanying planchette.
Exiting the crypt, the heroes stood face to face with the ancient Father Grimburrow. Witnessing what appearing to be graverobbing in the middle of the gray, local folk in the cemetery had alerted the priest of Pharasma. Father Grimburrow confronted the heroes with accusations of blasphemy, desecration of Pharasma's holy ground, and graverobbing. The heroes argued against the accusation, claiming that it had been a false crypt and showing the gear they found as evidence. After a lengthy debate, the heroes managed to convince the priest of their innocence. Father Grimburrow even allowed the heroes to accompany him back to the Temple of Pharasma where he would pray to the Lady of Graves, seeking her guidance in determining the purpose of the equipment, specifically the vapor-holding vials and the board and planchette.
Leaving the temple, the heroes made their way to Harrowstone Prison to investigate the ruin. Arriving at the overgrown path leading up to the ruin, they considered their options. A rusty gate blocked their entrance to the prison grounds and while a hole in the wall offered an alternative, they soon found that the murky pool filling the alternate entrance wasn't a viable option. Opting to use the main entrance to the prison, they gathered around the rogue Zirul while he dismantled the rusty lock holding equally rusty chains. All except the young sorcerer ? who, oblivious to the general decision to open the main entrance to the prison grounds, had initiated a thorough investigation of the ivy-choked wall itself, focusing his efforts at the bottom as he looked for eldritch signs like those desribed in the late professor's journal. Finding nothing of note, he abandoned his investigation and rejoined the group by the gate.
Zirul was the first to enter through the opened gate and as he did so, a crushing wave of claustrophobia washed over him as he felt the prison walls close in around him. The uncomfortable sensation was soon replaced by something much worse as the rogue felt flames licking up his arms and legs, enveloping him. None of his companions experienced anything when they entered through the gates and so they could watch in horror as the rogue thrashed around screaming, flailing his arms desperately in some futile attempt to douse the illusory flames. The sensation vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Zirul and his companions bewildered. The heroes decided that surely the claustrophobic and burning sensations must be part of the haunting of Harrowstone and that further research into the prison and its history might be a good idea.
After the initial shock had subsided, the heroes went about their business, the sorcerer and magus mmediately heading toward the ruined prison itself to study the foundation. Scar went to investigate the brick house located just off the main path. Meanwhile, Zirul went straight for the main entrance to the prison, a set of massive double doors, one of them hanging on a single hinge.
For Scar, the investigation of the small manor house was brief. It was clear that the building was quite unstable and as the dhampir studied the plaque next to the door indicating that the house once belonged to warden Lyvar Hawkran and his wife Vesorianna, he heard sounds within the structure that convinced that any investigation of its interior might risk causing a collapse. Meanwhile, Alkuresh and ? found the runes etched into the prison's foundation. It was quickly determined that the runes were part of some sort of ritual and that the dead warden Hawkran was somehow a part of it, his name written more than once. Furthermore, they deduced that the ritual involved both abjuration and necromancy. They were unable to decipher the actual purpose of the ritual, however. That did not prevent them from theorizing on the matter and as Scar and Cordelia joined them, quite a few theories were suggested, among them that the ritual was meant to keep something within the prison, that vampire masterminds were obviously at play here (this theory was offered by the dhampir), that the runes acted as magic wards and that anyone crossing the threshold to the prison itself would trigger the wards.
That's when Zirul stepped through the opening offered by the once impressive double doors...
To be continued...
SESSION 4
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
- Alhuresh Vas Calaar ”Isil” Korlandrel, Lawful Good male elf magus 1
- Cordelia Lockheart, Neutral Good female human druid 1
- Vladimir “Scar” Gregori, Chaotic Neutral male dhampir ranger 1
- Zirul, True Neutral male half-elf rogue 1
JOURNAL
"Zirul, stop!"
The command had come from Scar when the ranger realized that Zirul was about to enter the prison itself. Noticing the alarm in Scar's voice, the rogue stepped back. Scar and Alhuresh explained their theory that the symbols on the prison's foundation formed some kind of ward. Whether or not it was meant to keep someone, or something, in or out, they didn't know.
After a short debate, Scar decided to test their theories. He walked up to the rotten double doors blocking their entrance into the prison proper. One of the doors hang on a sole hinge, leaving enough room for him to step through and he soon found himself in a dimly lit foyer with doors in every wall leading farther into the building. The place was a mess, Scar noted, as decades of neglect and exposure to the elements had ruined it. The doors were all rotten and would doubtlessly collapse with but a touch.
As the others entered the foyer, it was decided to try the two doors in the eastern wall. Zirul and Scar both tried opening the doors but was surprised to discover that the wooden doors wouldn't budge. In spite of their rotten state, the doors were quite solid. Applying a bit of brute force, Scar opened the southernmost of the two portals with a kick, an action he would regret. The moment the barrier was kicked in, it snapped back into place, repairing the damage done to it. At the same time, spectral images of badly burnt faces rushed out of the walls and toward the heroes, shrieking in agony. Other than unsettling the heroes, the spectral faces did little harm and vanished as quickly as they had appeared.
Zirul remembered hearing tales about similar phenomena and how water blessed by a priest or similar holy person would release the unquiet spirit that was the cause of the phenomenon. Putting theory into practice, Alhuresh emptied a bottle of holy water on the portal that had slammed shut. Nothing happened. There was no sign that the haunt had been banished. Nervously, Scar tried the door once more. This time the door opened without any spectral images rushing out of the walls.
Figuring the entity had been neutralized, the party entered the dark hallway and followed it until they reached another door, this one made of iron and looking solid as ever. Carefully examining the door's lock, Zirul concluded that it was not trapped in any way. He was unable to pick the lock, though, and brute force was useless against the massive door. If the party was going to be able to open the door, they'd need key, or so it was determined.
The heroes returned to the foyer and tried the northernmost of the two eastern doors. While the door stuck in the rotten door frame, opening the door with force was not a problem and doing so did not result in any supernatural phenomena. The party found themselves in what must have once been an auditorium of sorts, filled with mold-spotted benches arranged in three neat rows. In the southern end of the room was a stage of sorts, separated by the rest of the room by iron bars. Opposite the entrance was another door. Scar theorized that the room might function as a show-and-tell room of sorts.
Walking across the room to the other door, Scar was the first to notice the sudden and extreme drop in temperature, the air escaping his lungs visible in the room. Taking another step, the ranger found himself in unimaginable cold even as his skin cracked, the cold causing tremendous damage to his body. His fellows reacted quickly, getting him out of the cold spot. Zirul remembered hearing tales about this kind of paranormal activity. Apparently, some restless spirits, usually those condemned to death, such as prisoners, manifested as extreme cold on the very spot where they were condemned. Unable to figure out a way to put the restless spirit to rest, the heroes steered clear of the cold spot and headed once more toward the exit.
The heroes now stood in the entrance of what appeared to have once been a training room, judging by the moldering training dummies and similar equipment present in the room. The northeast wall of the room had partially fallen on the murky pond the heroes had seen before venturing into the prison proper could be seen on the other side. water seeped from the pond into a rectangular hole in the center of the room. The heroes noticed that black scorch marks surrounded the hole.
As the heroes approached the hole, three disembodied skulls alight with fire rose from the rubble and attacked the heroes. The battle was brief as Scar neutralized the three skulls, crushing the bones in a flurry of swings and stabs. Other than the horror of three flaming skulls rising from the ground the heroes survived the fight unscathed.
Having eliminated the threat posed by the flaming skulls, the heroes investigated the room further. Zirul was particularly interested in the mechanism attached to the roof directly above the hole. Tying a rope around a round disc in the mechanism, he checked its stability. Despite its rusty appearance, the mechanism seemed solid enough. Satisfied that the mechanism would hold, he lowered himself into the hole.
The rogue soon found himself in what must have once been a cell block but which was now a cavernous ruin with partially collapsed walls and large wooden beams, most likely support beams for this level of the prison, scattered throughout the chamber. A dark murky pool had formed in the center of the room, created by water seeping down from the room above. The remains of a wood and iron lift lay just beyond the pool. Immediately after the rogue had touched ground, ripples appeared in the murky pool and two roughly humanoid shapes made of what appeared to be made of sticky rope rose from the water, moving clumsily, as if whatever held the shapes together struggled to maintain their forms. With a nervous grin, the rogue pleaded with the strange creatures to parley with him but the creatures merely lumbered toward Zirul menacingly.
"Danger!" the rogue screamed.
Scar, thinking that time was of the essence made what would turn out to be a fatal decision, leaped from the edge of the hole in an effort to help his friend. It was the last thing Scar ever did. With a 40-foot drop, Scar could not hope to land without any damage, try as he might. As he crashed down into the murky pool, excruciating pain lanced through his body as several bones fractured. The shock rendered Scar unconscious and he could do nothing as water from the murky pool entered his lungs, drowning the poor ranger.
Zirul barely managed to hold the strange creatures at bay while his comrades lowered themselves down the shaft, using the same rope Zirul had already used. The two joined the fight and eventually they managed to destroy the ectoplasmic creatures, aided by an eagle Cordelia had summoned to the fight.
Standing in the cavernous chamber, battered and bruised after the battle, the heroes decided that retreating from the prison and heading back to Ravengro to do some more research about the prison so as to better understand what they were up against was probably the best course of action. They did so.
To be continued...
GM'S NOTES
I used Ullapool's haunt cards for the two haunts (slamming portal and cold spot). Or rather, since I didn't have time to print them out, I went with what I remembered from the cards. They're printed now and will see use next time the heroes come across a haunt. Excellent tool, Ullapool, thank you.
I was flabbergasted when Scar's player decided to jump into the hole to save his buddy. Even though this kind of heroism/stupidity is not new to my group, or even that player, I still couldn't believe it. He did jump down and the result was the first dead character. The player's written up a paladin of Iomedae we'll be introducing next session. The paladin codes provided in Faiths of Purity has helped the player add some depth to his character so that's cool.