Continued from Bastard Greyhawk: Secrets of the Towers, part 1:
Session 16, 1/9/2022, cont'd. All players present.
Dramatis Personae:
Lia Galanodel, Chaotic Good female wood elf cleric 4 of Corellon Larethian, from the Gnarley Forest (Molly). Age 144 (about 24 in human years). Long red hair, green eyes, fair skin. 5', 110 lbs. Blue robes, breastplate, heavy darkwood shield, longsword, longbow.
Preh, Chaotic Neutral human male rogue 4 of Greyhawk. (Jason). Age 18. Short red hair, green eyes. 5',5", about 135 lbs. Mithral shirt, dark clothing, rapier, quiver of darts.
Rune Ulfricsson, Chaotic Good male human Barbarian 1/Bard 3 of the Frost Barbarians (Jacob). Age 27. Shoulder-length auburn hair, beard, green eyes, fair skin. 6'3", 215 lbs. Chain shirt, battleaxe, greatsword, shortbow.
Theodred, Neutral Good male gray elf wizard 4 of Celene (Mike). Age 130 (22 in human years). Long silver hair, blue eyes, pale skin. 5'8", 130 lbs. Foppish clothes, longsword, longbow.
Freeday, Wealsun 7th, 595 CY, afternoon
The stream eventually leads to a trail, then a dusty road. The party follow it east until they arrive in the late afternoon at a strange frontier town, filled with swarthy humans who speak an unfamiliar tongue. The elves find themselves subjected to several curious stares.
The four enter the nearest place that looks like a tavern and approach the bar. They quickly find communication difficult with the barkeep, but a richly dressed man with long braids intercedes and invites them to join him for dinner at his table. He introduces himself as Arakk, and tells the party that he recognized them immediately as foreigners. The four soon learn that they have stumbled into the Wolf Nomad capital of Eru-Tovar, about 1000 miles from Greyhawk! Arakk surmises that the four must have recently journeyed from the Cold Marshes, given the grime on their clothing, and that they must have been ignorant of the swamps dangers, given their lack of winter clothing. Rune confirms Arakk’s suspicions, spinning a tale that they entered a magic portal while adventuring in Castle Greyhawk, which deposited them randomly in the swamp, with no way to return home.
Arakk explains that he came to Eru-Tovar on behalf of Perrenland’s national museum in Schwartzenbruin, to acquire an artifact believed to lie at an old keep in the Cold Marshes. He first became aware of the artifact when he purchased an antique desk from the estate of a recently-deceased wizard named Zarlag. While restoring the desk, he stumbled upon a hidden drawer that contained a number of notes and a map fragment. Unable to decipher the encoded notes, Arakk took them to a sage named Yelarial and paid him to translate them. The notes turned out to be excerpts and observations on the Demonomicon, a fantastically rare text concerned with fiends of the lower planes and rumored to have been penned by none other than the Witch Queen of Perrenland, lggwilv. Arakk tells them that Iggwilv conquered Perrenland over a century ago, and ruled for about a decade before being betrayed by her lover, the demon lord Graz’zt. In happier times, Graz’zt had given Iggwilv a potent magic cloak crafted from a pit fiend’s hide. Zarlag’s notes indicated that this cloak, named Fiend's Embrace, might be hidden in a place called Cold Stones Keep. The map that went along with the notes showed the location of this mysterious keep- it lay hidden deep in the Cold Marshes. Arakk proposes that the party retrieve Fiend’s Embrace, and in return he will help them get home more quickly and pay them 2500 gold marks. The party agrees and spends the rest of the day purchasing supplies for their foray into the marshes, including winter clothing.
Wealsun 8th, 595 CY
Lia, Preh, Rune, and Theodred leave Eru-Tovar and enter the Cold Marshes once more.
Wealsun 11th, 595
The party reaches the hut of the deceased sage Zarlag and meet the 7’ tall barbarian occupant Krudin, who invites them in for dinner. Soon, however, under the curse of his magical greatsword, Krudin attacks Theodred. Luckily, the barbarian misses, and the mage puts him to sleep with a spell. Determining Krudin’s under a curse, Lia uses a remove curse potion (found last year in Radeem’s stronghold) on him. Krudin thanks party when he awakes, offers to guide them to Cold Stones Keep.
Wealsun 12th, 595 CY
Lia, Preh, Rune, Theodred, and Krudin leave Zarlag's hut.
Wealsun 14th, 595 CY
Lia, Preh, Rune, Theodred, and Krudin are attacked in the the heavy fog by a band of 5 gnolls, which they slay.
Session 17, 1/23/2022. All players present.
Dramatis Personae:
Lia Galanodel, Chaotic Good female wood elf cleric 4 of Corellon Larethian, from the Gnarley Forest (Molly). Age 144 (about 24 in human years). Long red hair, green eyes, fair skin. 5', 110 lbs. Blue robes, breastplate, heavy darkwood shield, longsword, longbow.
Preh, Chaotic Neutral human male rogue 4 of Greyhawk. (Jason). Age 18. Short red hair, green eyes. 5',5", about 135 lbs. Mithral shirt, dark clothing, rapier, quiver of darts.
Rune Ulfricsson, Chaotic Good male human Barbarian 1/Bard 3 of the Frost Barbarians (Jacob). Age 27. Shoulder-length auburn hair, beard, green eyes, fair skin. 6'3", 215 lbs. Chain shirt, battleaxe, greatsword, shortbow.
Theodred, Neutral Good male gray elf wizard 4 of Celene (Mike). Age 130 (22 in human years). Long silver hair, blue eyes, pale skin. 5'8", 130 lbs. Foppish clothes, longsword, longbow.
Krudin, Chaotic Good male human (Zeai) Barbarian 4 of the Zeai (Sea Barbarians). Age 30, 6',10", 395 lbs. Bald, auburn beard, green eyes, pale skin. Studded leather, cold iron battle axe (lent by Rune), shortbow (NPC).
Setting: The Cold Marshes, on their way to Cold Stones Keep.
Wealsun 15th-18th, 595 CY
Lia, Preh, Rune, Theodred, & Krudin continue their journey through the Cold Marshes. They experience icy cold blackfrost on the first day, destroy four skeletons on the 17th, and everyone (especially Preh) suffers the blood drain of vampiric mist on the 18th.
Wealsun 19th, 595 CY
The party reaches the potion maker’s hovel and pay the crone Slurrozh (female human cleric) for information and potions of endure elements. They learn from her another group bought potions the day before and were heading to Cold Stones Keep. They camp for the night under the tree in which her hovel is perched.
Wealsun 20th—23rd
The Lia, Preh, Rune, Theodred, and Krudin leave Slurrozh’s hut, and continue their journey through the Cold Marshes.
Wealsun 24th, 595 CY
The five reach the ruins of Cold Stones Keep, and circle to the back of the structure, where they fight and slay several stirges. They soon discover the boat of the rival party. Theodred turns Preh invisible and he spies on the group, noting the skull tattoos each bears on their foreheads
Fingers of Iuz: Matyara, human female priestess of Iuz; Baklunag, male human necromancer & Morlak, his bat familiar; Grinag, male half-orc fighter; Roon, male gnome bard; Spike, male human bowman; and Valen, male human ranger/rogue).
Preh overhears them talking about the cloak and reports back to his allies, but he steps in green slime and his boot gets eaten. Rune announces himself and tries parlaying with the other party, noting that they are accompanied by two undead wolves. A fight eventually breaks out.
At the end of the fight, Preh and Theodred are down, Rune has slain two, Lia and Krudin have destroyed the wolf skeletons, and the other Fingers are left bleeding out. Preh and Theodred are revived and much looting ensues. Among their items, Preh takes Roon’s handy haversack, Rune takes Grinag’s composite longbow and Matyara’s magical greatsword (passing on his masterwork greatsword to Krudin), Lia takes Spike’s magical chain shirt, and Krudin takes Grinag’s magical chain shirt.
Session 18, 2/6/2022, Fiend's Embrace, part 3. All players present.
Dramatis Personae:
Lia Galanodel, Chaotic Good female wood elf cleric 5 of Corellon Larethian, from the Gnarley Forest (Molly). Age 144 (about 24 in human years). Long red hair, green eyes, fair skin. 5', 110 lbs. Blue robes, chain shirt, heavy darkwood shield, longsword, longbow.
Preh, Chaotic Neutral human male rogue 5 of Greyhawk. (Jason). Age 18. Short red hair, green eyes. 5',5", about 135 lbs. Mithral shirt, dark clothing, rapier, quiver of darts.
Rune Ulfricsson, Chaotic Good male human Barbarian 1/Bard 4 of the Frost Barbarians (Jacob). Age 27. Shoulder-length auburn hair, beard, green eyes, fair skin. 6'3", 215 lbs. Chain shirt, battleaxe, greatsword, longbow.
Theodred, Neutral Good male gray elf wizard 5 of Celene (Mike). Age 130 (22 in human years). Long silver hair, blue eyes, pale skin. 5'8", 130 lbs. Foppish clothes, longsword, longbow.
Krudin, Chaotic Good male human (Zeai) Barbarian 5 of the Zeai (Sea Barbarians). Age 30, 6',10", 395 lbs. Bald, auburn beard, green eyes, pale skin. chain shirt, greatsword (lent by Rune), shortbow (NPC).
Setting: Cold Stones Keep in the Cold Marshes, 100 miles north of the Wolf Nomad capitol of Eru-Tovar.
Moonday, Wealsun 24th, 595 CY
Lia, Preh, Rune, Theodred, & Krudin continue exploring Cold Stones Keep. They use a crowbar to pry open a door to the flooded lower level, but leave it for later. Preh triggers a collapsing floor while trying to make safe passage, then triggers a collapsing ceiling which damages himself and Lia. They loot a half-eaten dead gnoll stuck in a window, finding a fine chain shirt and longsword. Theodred destroys a patch of green slime with burning hands. In the partially-flooded bailey, Preh gets badly bitten by a swarm of rats; the party disperses the swarm, then are ambushed by and slay a scrag, upon which Lia finds a pearl necklace containing a pearl of power. Lia diagnoses Preh as having contracted filth fever from the rats. The party discovers a well in the bailey leaking from its inner wall; Preh is lowered by ropes and uses a crowbar to remove debris blocking the hole, draining much water from the lower level. The party finds a defensible room and camps for the night.
Godsday, Wealsun 25th, 595 CY
That morning, Lia casts remove disease on Preh. The party slays a vine horror in the southeast tower, and Preh finds a magic rapier in its lair. Several barrels of warped and rotting arrows are found in the flooded southwest tower. The party explores the keep’s upper level, finding the Fingers of Iuz campsite. While exploring a room at Lia’s request, Krudin falls through the floor to the next level. Preh and Rune nearly fall from the keep’s collapsing balcony. The party prepares to enter the keep’s lower level.
Session 19, 2/20/2022, All players present.
Dramatis Personae:
Lia Galanodel, Chaotic Good female wood elf cleric 5 of Corellon Larethian, from the Gnarley Forest (Molly). Age 144 (about 24 in human years). Long red hair, green eyes, fair skin. 5', 110 lbs. Chain shirt, heavy darkwood shield, longsword, longbow.
Preh (pronounced "prey"), Chaotic Neutral human male rogue 5 of Greyhawk. (Jason). Age 18. Short red hair, green eyes. 5',5", about 135 lbs. Mithral shirt, dark clothing, rapier, quiver of darts.
Rune Ulfricsson, Chaotic Good male human Barbarian 1/Bard 4 of the Frost Barbarians (Jacob). Age 27. Shoulder-length auburn hair, beard, green eyes, fair skin. 6'3", 215 lbs. Chain shirt, battleaxe, greatsword, longbow.
Theodred, Neutral Good male gray elf wizard 5 of Celene (Mike). Age 130 (22 in human years). Long silver hair, blue eyes, pale skin. 5'8", 130 lbs. Foppish clothes, longsword, longbow.
Krudin, Chaotic Good male human (Zeai) Barbarian 5 of the Zeai (Sea Barbarians). Age 30, 6',10", 395 lbs. Bald, auburn beard, green eyes, pale skin. chain shirt, greatsword (lent by Rune), shortbow (NPC).
Setting: Cold Stones Keep in the Cold Marshes, 100 miles north of the Wolf Nomad capitol of Eru-Tovar.
Godsday, Wealsun 25th, 595 CY
Lia, Preh, Rune, Theodred, & Krudin continue exploring Cold Stones Keep. Under the protection of endure elements potions and spells, the five return to the courtyard where the boat of the Fingers of Iuz is moored, and are attacked by another scrag, which they slay by beating it into unconsciousness and letting it suffocate, as scrags cannot breathe air. The party descends into the keep’s lower level & slay a female scrag. They then slay Shplizzmak, the scrag leader, who wears []Fiend’s Embrace[/i]. The party takes the cloak & loots scrag’s lair (Rune uses alter self to turn into a merman). Among the treasure, they find a cloak of resistance, which Lia claims. They return to surface & find the Fingers’ boat missing; They return to the room where they defeated the Iuzians and find Baklunag missing among the corpses of his fellow Fingers. They then go to room where they’d camped the night before & find their fur clothing & Rune & Krudin’s backpacks missing as well. They leave the keep & head south, hoping to catch Baklunag at Slurrozh’s hut in the next day or two. They camp about 12 miles south of the keep.
Waterday, Wealsun 26th, 595 CY
The party resumes their journey amid blackfrost, but are protected thanks to Lia’s endure elements spells. Later that day, they slay a troll.
Session 20, 3/6/2022, Jason out, Preh played by Jake.
Dramatis Personae:
Lia Galanodel, Chaotic Good female wood elf cleric 5 of Corellon Larethian, from the Gnarley Forest (Molly). Age 144 (about 24 in human years). Long red hair, green eyes, fair skin. 5', 110 lbs. Chain shirt, heavy darkwood shield, longsword, longbow.
Preh, Chaotic Neutral human male rogue 5 of Greyhawk. (Jason). Age 18. Short red hair, green eyes. 5',5", about 135 lbs. Mithral shirt, dark clothing, rapier, quiver of darts.
Rune Ulfricsson, Chaotic Good male human Barbarian 1/Bard 4 of the Frost Barbarians (Jacob). Age 27. Shoulder-length auburn hair, beard, green eyes, fair skin. 6'3", 215 lbs. Chain shirt, battleaxe, greatsword, longbow.
Theodred, Neutral Good male gray elf wizard 5 of Celene (Mike). Age 130 (22 in human years). Long silver hair, blue eyes, pale skin. 5'8", 130 lbs. Foppish clothes, longsword, longbow.
Krudin, Chaotic Good male human (Zeai) Barbarian 5 of the Zeai (Sea Barbarians). Age 30, 6',10", 395 lbs. Bald, auburn beard, green eyes, pale skin. chain shirt, greatsword (lent by Rune), shortbow (NPC).
Setting: The Cold Marshes, several miles south of Cold Stones Keep.
Waterday, Wealsun 26th, 595 CY
Lia, Preh, Rune, Theodred, & Krudin reach Slurrozh’s hovel & find Baklunag’s animated corpse chopping wood; they learn she killed him after he attacked her & turned him into a zombie. They camp for the night at the base of her tree.
Earthday, Wealsun 27th 595 CY
On the final watch early that morning, Theodred tries on Fiend’s Embrace & is chastised by the others when they find out. The four break camp at dawn and continue traveling, via mount spells cast by Theodred. They are attacked by & slay 4 quaggoths. After praying that night, Lia casts detect evil on the cloak & chastises Theodred even more.
Freeday, Wealsun 28th, 595 CY
The party survives the Mist of Undeath and destroys 4 shadows, but Theodred suffers severe Strength damage. That evening, while setting up camp, they are attacked by & slay a spawn of Kyuss. After praying that night, Lia cures some of Theodred’s Strength damage. & Rune’s Gift of Kyuss disease.
Starday, Richfest 1st, 595 CY
Lia cures the rest of Theodred’s Strength damage before breaking camp. Later that day, they slay two ice toads, one of which nearly eats Theodred.
Sunday, Richfest 2nd, 595 CY
The party suffers through the Choking Fog of the Cold Marshes to reach Zarlag’s hut, where they camp for the night.
Godsday, Richfest 4th, 595 CY
The party reachs Eru-Tovar about noon & take a room at an inn different than the one where they met Arakk. Rune, under alter self, purchases wine & a pearl at the market, & he and Krudin unload as much of their non-magical loot as they can. They return to the inn with the wine and pearl & Theodred casts identify on Fiend’s Embrace, and they learn a little more about the cloak. The loot is split & Krudin goes to local temple of Geshtai for a restoration spell.
Waterday, Richfest 5th, 595 CY
The party finds Arakk at the tavern where they first met. Lia fails to detect evil from Arakk. All go to Arakk’s room & show him Fiend’s Embrace. The party bids farewell to Krudin, & Arakk teleports Lia, Rune, Preh, and Theodred to a hillside overlooking Greyhawk. Arakk pays the party for their service, takes Fiend’s Embrace, & teleports away.