Earlier
in the week, Ramkus attempted to visit Strongmoor and obtain a collection of
prayer scrolls to learn and use; the journey by ship was uneventful, but he ran
into a group of soldiers in the city that attempted to conscript him and Ka’Gron
into the royal navy. Fortunately they were carrying large sums of gold and were
able to bribe their way out of the situation; however they missed a wonderful
opportunity to spend time at sea, gain invaluable experience (approx. 18,000xp
over 6 months), and obtain the skills necessary to sail and navigate a ship.
The
morning of the group’s adventure, they spotted Grom the Blacksmith waiting upon
the docks, armed with his adventurer gear and carrying all his possessions.
Grom had decided that after the incident with the vampire children in Stilt
Town he would become an adventurer again. He received a letter from some old
adventuring buddies talking about a Golden Dragon in the north offering a great
reward to rescue one of their kind from a wizard. Grom said he would find the
first ship sailing to the Barbarian Kingdoms and make his way there; he wishes
the group luck with dealing with the vampires and rescuing the princess of
Strongmoor.
The
group departed for the Palace a little over a week since the previous adventure.
When they entered the main hallway, they were set upon by 14 giant black furred
mangy rats. Kyle took the brunt of the attack, and suffered some injury, but
was able to heal himself with the power of his sword, “Crazy Wolf”. Lucien was
able to put the majority of the rats to sleep with a trifling spell, and the
group quickly dispatched the rats and slit their throats.
The
party then made its way back to Zovar the mad hermit through the old bath spa
room. The room was well lived in by some 20 cats, meowing for attention. They
were investigating the old water spouts and wheels in the wall when Evric the
brave fell through a weakened section of the floor into a sinkhole. The group peered
down into the hole and were able to see the broken lifeless body of Evric
below, but were not able to easily get to his corpse. Ramkus said last rights
over the pit, and the group entered Zovar’s living quarters through a secret
entrance to the east.
Zovar’s
living quarters were also crowded with cats, however the glint of madness that
had been in Zovar’s eyes was now gone, and he returned the now ruined (with
scribbles and strange designs) scroll of purify food and drink to Ondraedon
with an apology. Zovar explained that he was a cleric of Brass, and that he had
been tortured by Nekros and Xylarthen and left to live a pitiful existence with
the sickness of mind they caused. The cats had been his life for the past few
years, the pack growing exponentially with care and tending (although not
without a few dead cats for dinner). Zovar tells the group that he has wandered
the palace extensively, and pulls out several maps of the 1 st , 2 nd ,
and 3 rd floors that he has illustrated. He also provides notes about
the details of several rooms and speaks of Nekros’ history as a pupil of
Xylarthen, and of Xylarthen’s alien qualities. He also whispers that Xylarthen
is merely tolerated by Lord Virez and his Queen, but that Xylarthen has
discovered how to infect the undead with lycanthropy to make them immune to
turning from Clerics. The group told Zovar to wait for their return within the
hour, and that they would bring him to Stilt Town.
Equipped
with the map of the 1 st floor, the group made their way to the
Kitchen, where the stairway to the 2 nd floor was located. Within
they found the eastern part of the kitchen covered in thick spider webs. They
spread oil across the webs and burned them away, briefly catching a glimpse of
movement as the portal to a descending staircase was revealed. The group moved
forward in double file, and as they reached the bottom of the stair case they
were nearly caught by surprise by a solitary 5’ long giant spider. Kyle and Ka’Gron
charged down the stairway when it appeared, and the spider quickly webbed the
area in obscuring sticky silk strands that held the both of them fast. Unable
to see beyond the webs, Ramkus quickly lit a torch and began to burn a corridor
through the sticky mess, freeing each of the fighting-men’s shield arms in the
process. The spider tried biting Kyle, but the tough-as-nails fighting man was
able to awkwardly hold its fangs at bay with his shield. Warm golden magic
missiles and electric blue magic missiles shot over Ramkus’ head, striking the
spider with sizzling bursts of electric flames. Thea, standing just behind
Ramkus, slung a stone through the rift in the webbing and within moments the
spider had collapsed from its injuries. Kyle and Ka’Gron were extricated from
the webbing and the party proceeded through the iron banded door at the bottom
of the stairwell.
The
group explored the first corridor heading eastward, checking each room as they
went. They discovered the bodies of several strange looking cycloptic beast-like
creatures (similar to <a href="http://www.startrek.com/legacy_media/images/200306/tng-166-esoqq-a-beast-like-me/320x240.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.startrek.com/legacy_media/images/200306/tng-166-esoqq-a-beast-like-me/320x240.jpg</a> )
and scavenged their silver loincloths. The final room in the hallway before it
turned southward was occupied by Asterak, a gaunt human conjuror in his last 50’s,
who appeared to be emaciated from thirst and hunger and scarred from torture and
experimentation. Asterak was accompanied by a charming enchanted hound named “Echo”
who possessed great big round ears. The group decided to head back to Stilt
Town and take Asterak and Zovar back. On the way back, Zovar herded his cats
into a group to follow, but they were distracted by the rat corpses near the
entrance. Group members saw this and picked up the dead rats, using them to
lead the cats through the wilderness to town. The group purchased the huntsman’s
old house for Zovar to live in with his cats, and Zovar gifted the group
several mousers to prowl their ship and warehouse. Asterak was reunited with
his adventuring companion, the fighting-man Varn, and they took the first ship
out of town; giving the group three magic scrolls before leaving.
The
group heard Asterak’s story and how he escaped from a prisoner’s cell by
stealing the key to the cells from a zombie guard. Asterak had tried for weeks
to find a way out of the Palace, but the only apparent exit was blocked by a
giant spider. He was able to find a teleporter and an instruction manual on how
to operate it, but he accidentally summoned a large group of one-eyed orcs.
Asterak told the group about the cursed treasure that he overheard Nekros talking
about, and he also revealed several hidden areas of their map.
Before
the group returned to the Palace, the group asked Zovar if there were any
magical weapons or tools that could be used to defeat Xylarthen and Nekros.
Zovar said that during a period of exceptional madness and delusion he was
wandering the 2 nd floor of the Palace when he thought he saw a
magical two-handed sword with a frosty blue blade. He can’t remember it clearly
or if it ever existed, but it was the only thing that came to mind. The group
then took its second journey to the Palace for the week.
Upon
opening the main door of the Palace, the group knocked down a man standing with
a group of men near the door with its opening. The men appeared to be red robed
vampire cultists like those that originally led the adventurers to the island
to begin with; however these men moved strangely, their eyes were completely
white and without pupils. The group attacked immediately, not recognizing at
first the terrible foe they faced. The cultists fell back against the initial
onslaught. One cultist was slain by a magic missile, dark vapor fleeing his
wound, another had his head cleaved apart, a strange black smoke issuing from
his mouth, eyes, and nose. It was too late they realized, when a pair of
cultists grabbed ahold of Ka’Gron and Nalthic, that what they faced were Wights.
Ka’Gron and Nalthic felt their very souls slipping away from them as they
stared into the eyeless faces stretched with rictus smiles. Ka’Gron heaved with
mighty thews and threw his foe off before parting its head at the shoulder.
Nalthic struggled vainly against the iron grasp of the thing before him, nearly
succumbing before his companions could cut the Wight down. Ondraedon was untouchable
during the entire ordeal; several wights had set upon him but by the end of
battle their bodies were laid at his feet.
The
group departed the grisly scene, nursing their wounds, and descended to the 2 nd
floor. Again, turning right, they headed directly for the hidden cursed
treasure and found a table with many neat stacks of gold and a rune inscribed
bag of transmute gold to lead hanging nearby. Using their wit and skill, they
were able to determine the true nature of the bag, and took the gold for themselves.
They decided to proceed further down the hallway towards the transporter room
before exploring the rest of the floor. Down a long corridor the party
proceeded, encountering a large yellow mold that blocked their path. Someone
poke at it with a stick, and then the group burned a path through, leaving a
mass on the walls and ceiling.
Checking
doors as they went, they were struggling to open one near the end of the
hallway when the group began to hear a scraping and shuffling noise as if a
massive carpet was being tugged across stone. What appeared from around the
bend in the corridor (and from the direction of the transporter room) was a
giant slug with moist wet skin, thick as rubber, its form squeezed into the
10ft tall/10ft wide corridor and elongated by 90’. Great eyestalks jutted
forward from a slimy mouth filled with a sharp, rasping tongue. It spat a huge glob
of phlegm that landed with a sizzle on the nearby stone, filling the corridor
with the sharp smell of ammonia.
The
group immediately started running the opposite direction, Ka’Gron pausing only
to fish out a flask of oil w/rag to light and throw at the foot of the snail.
The snail’s massive bulk rolled over the flames, suffocating the fire with a
squelch. As Ka’Gron ran as fast as he could to catch up with the group, a sputtering
fireball flew past his head from Lucien’s outstretched hands 60ft up the hallway. The blast nearly knocked Ka’Gron to his knees, and his back was seared
by the flames that rolled down the hallway engulfing him. The slug kept pace,
unphased by the fireball. The group stopped momentarily with Lucien to fire
arrows and stones at the slug. One of Nalthic’s slingstones hit the slug
squarely, but merely bounced off the thick rubbery skin. The slug slowed
briefly, and spat forth a powerful glob of phlegm that flew 60’ down the
hallway, knocking Nalthic from his feet. Before he could even hit the ground
Nalthic was dissolved, bones, equipment, and all; the phlegm splattering as a
red slushy liquid as it hit the stone floor and walls. Nalthic’s +2 mace was
saved by being just outside the wet mass as it hit, and landed with a clatter
nearby. The
group finally realized the gravity of the situation. In the chaos of retreat,
Kyle disappeared into a side room. As the group rounded the turn in the hallway,
another great ball of phlegm struck, knocking Ka’Gron from his feet and dissolving
him instantaneously like before. The group had gained considerable distance
from the slug at this point, but continued until they reached the door leading
to the 1 st level staircase; there they hid, waiting for sign of the
slugs passing or Kyle’s return.
Kyle
waited an eternity for the monster to slide its lard ass past his doorway. When
he opened the door the hallway was coated in thick viscous mucus; the stubby
tail-end of the slug was turning the corner. Kyle crept up to the creature as
it moved, and hacked away at its backside with both his magic swords. The slug,
angered, tried to turn and fight him in the cramped hallway, but could not
squeeze its bulk back in on itself. Over the next 10 to 20 minutes, Kyle worked
the slug over with his blades, and the slug alternated between moving forward
and attempting to turn and fight. The slug tried to flee to a more open
hallway, but by the time it passed the door to the 1 st floor, its
backside was in ribbons of slime and strips of rubbery flesh. With the slug’s
passing the group burst forth from the doorway, stunned that Kyle was still
alive. Ramkus moved in to help Kyle finish the beast off, but his magic mace
bounced seemingly ineffective off of the ruined mass of flesh. Finally the slug
collapsed with a sigh of wind that filled the hallway, succumbing to its
wounds.
The
group cheered Kyle and mourned the loss of their comrades. Ka’Gron had been a
gruff dwarf, and seldom showed concern for his comrades, but he served the
group well as one of its strongest fighting-men. He acted bravely by trying to
slow the monster down, but in the end that decision cost him his life. As the
group was moving the carcass, Kyle muttered that he wished Ka’Gron had lived to
see such a mighty monster slain. Suddenly Kyle’s sword, purchased weeks ago in
the markets of Amon Sin for a pitiful sum, glowed with a golden yellow light
and Ka’Gron appeared before him, flinching as if preparing for a deadly blow to
land. Kyle looked down at his sword and immediately uttered, “I wish I was
immune to poison and disease!” Suddenly he felt more healthy and resilient. Kyle
could not believe his eyes; he was in possession of a magic sword of wishing.
Suddenly he knew that three more wishes remained.
The
group celebrated Ka’Gron’s return and together they finished moving the slug’s
body. Underneath they found it had been dragging a chest full of gold, silver,
and a +1 shield. Exhausted from the battle, the group decided to head back to
Stilt Town.
On
the return to the Palace entrance, the group encountered a group of Thouls;
hobgoblin-like creatures with long troll-like noses, knobby but pale skin, and
slender claws. All were armed with weapons and wore chainmail prepared for
battle. The Thouls discarded their weapons, preferring instead to use their
paralyzing claws. Most of the group was neutralized within the first few
minutes of battle, but somehow the survivors were able to finish off the
Thouls. The clerics cured each member of paralysis, and the group departed the
palace.
****************************************************************************************************
First Expedition:
14x Giant Rats
1x Giant Spider
Rescued Asterak
Cured Zovar’s Madness
and brought him safely back to Stilt Town
1x Gold Leaf Frame
4x Silver Loin Cloths
1x Improvised Planetary
Shifting by Quazar the Contemptible
1x Scroll – Dimension Door
1x Scroll – Summon Monster
I
1x Scroll – Summon Monster
II
Total XP: 7,940xp
Total Gold: 140gp
(NOTE: This was
already disbursed to those who made it back, but Gorg and Thea should count
these amounts too since they did most of the work as well.)
Each player receives: 794xp
and 14gp
Second Expedition:
5x Wights
1x Yellow Mold
1x Giant Slug
5x Thouls
2000x Gold Stygian
Coins from “Cursed Treasure”
1x Large Bag of
Transmute Gold into Lead
1x Shield +1 (treasure
chest dragged by slug)
80x Gold coins
(treasure chest dragged by slug)
4000x Silver coins
(treasure chest dragged by slug)
3x Gems (treasure
chest dragged by slug)
500x Gold coins
(carried by Thouls)
400x Silver coins
(carried by Thouls)
Total XP: 15,105xp
Total Gold: 6,030gp
Each player receives:
1,679xp and 670gp
*******************************************************************************************************
