The group took a trip to Strongmoor to purchase spell books and priest scrolls. Individual group members visited a major temple to Krotus, a minor temple to Brass, a minor cult of Orcus, a magic item shop, The Wizard's Tower, a minor hedge mage, and hired out several mercenaries. Sam M.'s character, who I forget the name of right now, brought his porter with a chest of gold to the cult of Orcus and was forced to dispatch him. Because of his actions, rumor has begun to spread throughout the city that the character has participated in dark and evil rituals, making the lawful temples aware of his reputation. Fortunately for him, those looking for work have not yet heard these rumors, and his name is only whispered of in certain circles. Both journeys across the ocean by trading ship were uneventful, and the group eventually set out to delve further into the abandoned palace in the mountains of Baalor, more certain than ever that the Princess of the Sea King of Strongmoor is being held there. The group made its way back to the room that once housed the two-headed goblin leader, and made their way through a series of secret doors and down a small cramped secret passage way, one side mostly lined by bricks and mortar while the other side and ceiling was hard-packed dirt, stone, and wooden supports. The group eventually emerged from a secret entrance into a room with but one exit (a concealed door in the south wall). A large white owl began flapping about the room, screeching loudly for several rounds before the magic-user put it to sleep; but not before it alerted the large contingent of buccaneers hiding behind another secret door to the north and a strongman buccaneer on guard duty to the south. The party first explored south, and was initially ambushed by the strongman who dealt a blow to the first person through the door. The strongman quickly realized he was outnumbered and surrendered within moments. The group questioned him, and he said that the Captain of his ship, "The Vile Eel" and a handful of crew were meeting with Nekros to arrange the sale of a group of kidnapped children to the inhabitants of the palace. He gave a short account of the nearby surroundings, declaring that the passage which the party arrived from was unknown to the pirates. Normally, those entering the area would have to come from the east, where giant rats stand guard, and that the rooms and sleeping quarters were to the north, past the guard owl and the crossbow trap. The group returned to the guard owl room and spent several long minutes discussing what their next course of action would be; eventually deciding that they wanted to pay Pirate Cove a visit in order to take their treasure. While they were distracted and arguing amongst themselves, the buccaneers to the north tired of waiting in ambush and charged the group from behind the secret door. It was a quick but fierce battle; One of the characters and many mercenaries, companions, and porters were slain in the melee. At the end of the battle the group cleaned their weapons, picked up the fallen character, and carried him out to the front of the palace to be resurrected by the bas-relief of Anubis. While they were attempting to open the doors to Anubis, the party was nearly surprised by a large displacer beast. It lashed out at them with several tentacles, but the party overcame it and took its pelt as a prize. Thea the halfling thief was unsure of how to get Anubis to restore her friend to life, and she nearly lost her own life when she attempted to hold the dead body's hand upon the bas-relief carving of the wall. Finally, the group decided to pray to Anubis and called out for him to restore their comrade to life. Anubis responded, and reunited spirit with body, mending the flesh as well. The group returned to Stilt Town, and rested for a day. Then went to investigate the hunter's house. Once again they encountered huntsman's wife, who locked herself and her children behind the safety of the door, and softly pleaded for them to leave. The cunning magic-user made use of his ESP spell and was able to read her mind and thoughts. The group discovered that the wife and her family were hiding a pair of vampires that were feeding from the townsfolk. Originally the huntsman and his wife had five children, 3 very young, and 2 that were young but pre-adolescent (a boy and a girl). The older boy and girl had been turned into vampires when the father took them hunting many months before the adventurers arrived in town. The two vampires initially took control of the huntsman who brought them back home under the cover of night, and when they arrived in the house they took control of the rest of the family. The two child vampires were assumed to have died and disappeared by the rest of the village. When the adventurers arrived in town and began snooping around, the wife and her children were forced to stay indoors and avoid contact. The session ended with the DM telling the players not to try attacking the vampires with only three player characters.
