Sessions 42-44

RETURN TO FORT BEHRINGER

Thistleburn 19, 4433

Characters:

Daqqa-Jin, Barbarian 4

Robert the Giantslayer, Fighter 5

Xénos, assassin 4

Uriah, paladin 2

Young Joe Spruce, Druid 3

Mardonius, Magic-User 3

NPC - Lord Fesgate, Fighter 4

NPC - Vasu Cervantes, Fighter 2

NPC - The Behringer Boys: Otto, Hans, Stefan, Leonhard

For Eric!

The Wretched Company (joined by the young daredevil Vasu Cervantes, and his M-U friend Mardonius) returned to the Moonlit Zone to liberate Fort Behringer.

With clever ploys they ambushed a starving gnoll patrol and drew a large part of the main gnoll army out of the castle. A flying Mardonius dropped flaming oil to sow chaos inside the fortress. At the right time, the party rushed an abandoned spot on the walls and climbed up into the fort, then Young Joe Spruce cast an entangle spell to further tie up the gnolls.

Xénos boldly followed the fleeing giant Kucmalog up the tower, Robert close behind. The assassin caught the giant in the highest rooms of the tower, but his strike fell short of causing instant death. Robert caught up in time to back him up and the troublesome moon-giant was slain.

The group was almost trapped by the gnolls, but decisive and bold action by Uriah led to a one-on-one duel to the death against their chief Trorgezz. The paladin prevailed [I don't know how! He was a 6th level monster with a magic weapon! Seker smiled on you that day. -DM] and the rest of the gnolls fled confusedly out of the fortress, hungry and lacking leadership.

The party swiftly looted the fortress, except a few ancestral Behringer pieces, and Daqqa-Jin flew back to Rauffe's camp to gather the troops. 

The group discovered a magic mirror and saw many sights with it including the real Sage of Lune, replaced by an impostor and imprisoned - on the moon?!

Meanwhile, Daqqa-Jin was leading the rebels through the forest when they encountered some black-robed priests of Uthummaos, whom he spoke to briefly before blasting them all with the Four Winds Bar's lightning.

The victorious party was visited by an emissary of the Carrion King, who congratulated them and provided a way to contact him in the future, since it seemed they were "going places."

The company returned to the Ruined Town in an effort to right old wrongs: they restored most of the missing pieces in the Solaris shrine (only a halo and some kind of large piece are missing). Daqqa-Jin proclaimed for Karttekeza, sacrificing a valuable black sapphire in an effort to replace the gems taken long ago, then turning the shrine's water back on, washing the evil mud that infested it away. The god's influence is spreading back into the world.

Liberation!

The group returned to the Forgotten Village and discovered it occupied by the Mad King's troops, and their ally Shandril held captive by the traitorous, one-handed sergeant Baran.

Xénos once again showed his skills, shanking Baran through a window as the rest of the group held his attention.

Mike, upon learning Xénos has 17 STR: "and they called him... the Creatine Kid!"

Shandril was rescued and a pitched battle took place through the city streets and fields. These troops were fairly weak and no match for the Company. After more than half their number were slain including all their leadership, the rest surrendered and agreed to join the rebel cause [great reaction roll!]. From now on, some of the flowers grown in the village would be skimmed off and sent northward to the rebels, while the rest go south to the Mad King's troops.

The group left with many new options, clues and plans, but first: selling treasure back in Viridistan!

Monsters Defeated (4229 xp)

Kucmalog, Moon-Giant (1560)

Trorgezz, Gnoll chieftain (680)

1 Gnoll sergeant (100)

10 Gnolls (470)

1 gray ooze (80)

4 moon-moths (284)

Baran (460)

19 king's troops (190)

3 clerics of Uthummaos (405)

8 clerics of Uthummaos (1080 - Daqqa-Jin only)

Treasure Found:

sack of gold coins (200)

sack of gold coins (500)

gold belt buckle (250 sp)

silver crescent blades (200 sp each)

gold ring, studded with diamonds (2200 sp)

7 LARGE silver trade bars (7000 sp total)

giant-sized platemail (4000 sp)

giant-sized shimmering robe (1200 sp)

finely crafted 2-handed sword (1000 sp)

gem-encrusted peacock pimp chain (2200 sp)

black sapphire gem (2000 sp)

altar-stone of solaris [replaced in shrine]

3 metal angel halos [replaced in shrine]

12 holy symbols [10 donated - 2 kept]

seal of uthummaos (magical) [kept]

scroll of protection vs. undead

gold dust of heroism

sparkling moon-moth dust (as web spell)

red & white luckstone

one-handed flail +1

Lion's Blade +0

giant's dagger (shortsword +1)

greatsword +2/+4, frost brand

giant 2-handed mace +2, 13 STR to wirld, casts knock 1/week

velvet jewelry box with fly candy (magical - from carrion king)

Treasure Shares:

100 gp, 3375 silver to each player character

50 gp each to Vasu and Lord Fesgate

[XP totals posted when I get back from work]

Sessions 37-38

THE SLAUGHTER AT THE TOWERS

Thistleburn 6-11, 4433

5 real days passed during the sessions, including 10 subjective days in the Forest of Dreams

Characters:

Gorr, ranger 5
Daqqa-Jin, barbarian 4
Robert the Unconscious, fighter 5
Salzige Brauen, necromancer 2
Xénos, spy 2
Uriah Sunstrife, paladin 1
Cassia Tannin, fighter 1
Black Phalaros, necromancer 2
Finrod, elf 1
Clif, elementalist 3
Lord Fesgate, fighter 4 (NPC)

Battle For the Towers

The party was trapped in a moonlit zone prison tower, surrounded by a small army of gnolls and their leader the moon-giant Kucmalog. 

Investigating the ground floor brought the attention of two animated statues. Their stone surfaces were hard to crack, and Robert shattered his magical Executioner's Axe during the fight! The group opened up another prison cell and fought two werewolves. They rescued five knights of the Behringer family in the process, swelling their army's numbers further. 

The party negotiated with the moon-giant and convinced him to open the doors of the prison. At that point, battle was joined! Kucmalog laid down terrible strikes with his enchanted sword and called curses on the group, blinding Daqqa-Jin and Hamon and turning them invisible. His gnoll squads swarmed around the tower and a pitched two-rank battle was joined at the doorway.

The slaughter was terrible! Almost 30 gnolls driven mad with hunger, fear and rage, pressing forward with halberds. Occasionally one would stop to chew on a downed foe, or even one of their own number. The party led them into a trap with flaming oil, blinded them with the fireworks of the Four Winds Bar and then battled them nose-to-nose with the help of the Behringer family knights. 

One by one the party members were knocked out, blinded or otherwise incapacitated until only Uriah was still fighting. Just when it seemed like the gnolls might push through, the rest of the shades arrived from deep inside the tower, alerted by a flying Xénos. Picking up the fallen gnolls' weapons, the 100-strong rebel army pushed forward, slaying the ravenous beasts to the last.

The group was in possession of the field, but still in a tricky position - most of them were knocked out or crippled, the clerics were out of spells and several Behringer knights and shade soldiers had been killed in the battle. 

Even so, fate was with them. Other than a small pack of snarling gnolls who did not attack, the party was not molested on their way out of the Moonlit Zone and back to the rebel camp by the lake. 

Rauffe welcomed the group with all the hospitality he could manage. A great meeting took place with the rebel leaders and the party, with everyone sharing their stories and trying to piece together events. Reymund the Pale agreed to make an extraordinary bow for Gorr, as soon as a workshop can be assembled for him (costing about 8000 silver). Rauffe happily presented Daqqa-Jin with a glass lantern filled with ethereal fireflies as a gift for rescuing so many of his men. 

The party was asked to assist the rebellion further: 

-- The surviving Behringer knights want to recapture their ancestral home from the gnolls, but they need help.

-- The two priestesses are convinced something is wrong with the Sage of Lune - she has gone mad, or been possessed, or something! They want to cure this ailment and turn her back to the path of good, rather than destroying her for allying with the Mad King.

After being outside the moonlit zone for a day or so, the moonlight curse faded from Daqqa-Jin and Hamon. The party rested up, dealt with some logistical issues, brought some equipment in for the rebels and then headed out.

Back in the Night Wolf Inn tavern there were some interesting people. Uriah signed up to the guild for cheap, because he was broke. A ventriloquist was doing a spicy act about the Emperor. Some guild members were mourning a fallen comrade, others were preparing for a mission. A blue-haired elf in black chain named Karakaël was friendly and voluble. He was interested in the party after hearing they had found their Four Winds Bar behind the clock in the library. News of the group's success seems to have spread amongst other guild members.

The group returned to Viridistan to sell their loot, train, identify items and carouse.

New Arrivals

Meanwhile, the party who had recently raided the Vault of the Warlord in the distant north [see the special play report a while back] finally made it to Viridistan with their revived friend St. Nolan, patriarch of Seker. After Black Phalaris gave him back his Staff of Healing, he was so happy that he removed the curses afflicting the group from Warlord's gold.

After then paying to have the cursed gold itself un-cursed, the Vault crew still had 50,000 sp of trade bars left (!!!) which they split up into equal shares. 

Other details were figured out: Gorr had his madness healed with a Cure Disease spell and a cursed item removed by the church of MAN-PAC. Spellcasters dealt with their mentors and got new spells. Party members identified items, traded equipment and sorted out who could use which intelligent weapons.

With new alliances formed, the group agreed they would call themselves THE WRETCHED COMPANY.

To carouse as much as they wanted the group headed up to the Cliffside district, to the Sign of Olive & Lotus. Finrod charmed the gate guard, who was happy to let them pass with an invitation to join them for a drink later. At one of the most expensive joints in town, the group got ready to take some richly deserved R&R...

[More details on rumours, mentors etc. coming in DOWNTIME POST.]

Monsters Defeated:

28 gnolls (1316 xp)
1 needlebeak (190 xp)
2 werewolves (380 xp)
2 caryatid columns (560 xp)

Treasure Gained:

firefly lantern
friendship

Treasure Sold:

topaz eye gems (2*1400 sp)
sapphire eye gems (4*900 sp)
robes with gold thread (1800 sp)
cursed mace -1 (0)
vacuous grimoires (2*1000 sp)

Money Gained:

most players noted already

Xénos - 585 sp gained after carousing costs [see next post]

Session 36

HUMANS, COME OUT TO PLAY...

6 Thistleburn, 4433
about 1 subjective hour passed during the session

Characters:

Gorr, ranger 5
Robert the thrice-cursed, fighter 5

Daqqa-Jin, barbarian 4

Xénos, spy 2

Uriah Sunstrike, paladin 1
Lord Fesgate, fighter 4 (NPC)

The party was in a Moonlit Zone tower, being shot at by crystalline guardians disturbed by Daqqa-Jin's horn of blasting attack [last session]. After a single hit from their lasers, Gorr's madness overcame him and he went berserk! He slid down a staircase in a stone coffin steered by Daqqa-Jin, risking a lethal fall, to crash into the enemy [a lucky attack roll by John averted disaster here]! They defeated the crystal beings, but not before the maddened ranger was clubbed unconscious by their glassy fists.

The party regrouped with their shade allies and progressed further down the tower. They defeated a pack of demonic winged heads with judicious use of a net to rescue more shades, and liberated some from a room with cages full of angry black birds. They spoke with two Lune priestesses who were happy to heal the group and help out. These two also relayed some details regarding the last days of their order, the Sage of Lune's behaviour, and the moon's alliance with Uthummaos.

While crossing a bridge between the two towers, the group spied a telltale light down below. Daqqa-Jin flew up with the Four Winds Bar and saw a pack of two dozen gnolls, led by a tall, luminous figure that could only be the moon-headed giant, Kucmalog!

The barbarian got the giant's attention and engaged him in conversation. The giant clearly wanted the group out of his prison, and probably fed to his gnolls too. This chat lasted long enough for Robert and Lord Fesgate to bash down the bridge door, bringing their crew into the second tower.

With Robert in the lead, the group explored the larger tower swiftly. Many rooms were populated only by monsters, all of which were flesh and blood beings instead of shades. Packs of needlemen, birds and spiders were all seen. Two knights known to Lord Fesgate were rescued: Otto and Hans Behringer, and the three began catching up immediately. Five other knights were stuck in a cell with two werewolves, but nobody wanted to open it right away - although Otto & Hans insist that their relatives should be liberated as well.

At the top of the tower, three frightening creatures waited in a hot magma-filled cell, this one NOT frozen in time: horned humanoids from the waist up with long red snake-tails. In exchange for their freedom, the entities offered the party some elemental ice gems called Lemcienee inside their cell. Nobody was sure about letting them out just yet.

Trapped and in need of a plan, the party discusses their options. They have many shades with them, but the gnolls are tough foes. And who really knows what a moon-giant is capable of?

Thus ends year three of the campaign. 

Thank you all for playing, I'll see you in January for the beginning of YEAR FOUR!

Monsters Defeated:

7 crystal guardians (665 xp)

11 vargouilles (1298 xp)

Treasure Obtained:

4 gemstone eyes

Prisoners Rescued:

45 regular citizens

24 rebel troops

Geroldus Estieveran, noble knight, shade
Ysmena & Helouys, Lune priestesses, shades

Otto & Hans Behringer, noble knights, flesh & blood men

Session 35

LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE

Thistleburn 5, 4433
A few hours passed during the session.

Characters:

Gorr, ranger 5
Robert the Swift, fighter 5
Daqqa-Jin, barbarian 4
Salzige Brauen, necromancer 2
Xénos, spy 2
Lord Fesgate, fighter 4 (NPC)

The party continued their talk with the Carrion King. It explained a few more details about the moon-headed giant Kucmalog & discoursed on his magical items. A flaming sword and a magical mirror, apparently one of many that exist in the kingdom. Then it gave a dire warning about a dangerous location in the moonlit zone. The creature also offered to trade any one of his magic items in exchange for Salzige's hideous, nightmare-inducing idol.

The group moved on, following the Carrion King's directions. They came upon a guardpost with moon-gnolls who were willing to negotiate and were interested in the group's plan to open up the prisons. The leader of the gnolls agreed to take the party to the prison towers in exchange for eating anybody they found inside!

Gnarg the gnoll and five of his troops accompanied the group, with one needlebeak. They ran into another gnoll patrol at a circle of standing stones, and there was a standoff. A few of these gnolls joined the group looking for easy food, but the others wouldn't come along - they declined to attack their comrades, letting the group leave after a tense moment.

The Prison Towers

After Gnarg helpfully relieved the gnoll patrol that was circling the towers,  the group had the run of the place. The front doors could be easily opened, but the group used the Four Winds Bar to fly up to the floating mini-tower. 

They saw a symbol & altar of Uthummaos and an investigated an old stone coffin, decapitating a corpse in there and taking some treasure. Then they were accosted by a terrible wraith, demanding they swear fealty to King Wakelinus and Lord Uthummaos! Gorr was having none of that, and struck the altar with a mace.

Gorr: "Fuck Uthummaos and fuck You!"

For his defiance, the ranger was blasted by yellow laser-beams from the sinister wall carvings!

As the guardian spirit attacked, Daqqa-Jin spoke the command word "Azerix" to activate another power of the Four Winds Bar, unleashing a blast of deadly lightning in every direction! It did terrible damage to the insubstantial creature but harmed the group as well: Xénos, Salzige and Lord Fesgate were all knocked flat! Gorr managed to grit his teeth through the pain (and pass his WIS check, keeping a tight hold on sanity for the moment) enough to splash the monster with holy water.

The creature was defeated, but at serious cost: Lord Fesgate got knocked unconscious but was alright with a bit of healing. Xénos barely survived a lightining-induced heart failure, and would be near-useless in a fight from now on. And Salzige lay in a coma, totally unresponsive...

The party unlocked the nearby cells, rescuing many shades from the time-prisons. They met a nobleman Lord Almery IV and his entourage: Hamon, Ranulph and their quarry, Reymund the Pale! They had to battle some giant snake-creatures called Jaculi to rescue some of the rebels, who suffered a handful of casualties. They threw down the Jaculi's corpses for Gnarg and his friends to eat.

Lord Almery was overjoyed at the rescue. He suggested they clear the tower in case more rebels were imprisoned further below.

Inside the smaller tower, Daqqa-Jin destroyed mounds of crystal with his horn of blasting, which shivered and broke apart from the stress. From the remnants of the crystal formations crystal golems emerged, blasting at the barbarian with scintillating energy beams. The whole group retreated back up the stairs, pouring lamp oil to cover the retreat. 

The situation as it stands:

7 crystalline men inside the tower are chasing after Daqqa-Jin
8 gnolls and 1 needlebeak led by Gnarg wait on the ground for more food
a handful of rebel troops have weapons, the rest are unarmed

Rebels Rescued:

40 rebel soldiers (5 died)
Hamon, the Unbreakable
Ranulph, the Silent
Lord Almery IV
Reymund, the Pale

Monsters Defeated:

13 Jaculi (247 xp)
1 Uthummaos' guardian (300 xp)
9 giant moths (342 xp)

Treasure Obtained:

2 topaz "eye" gems
robes embroidered with gold thread
ornate mace of strange aspect

Session 32

RUMOURS OF WAR

Sunstrong 15 - Thistleburn 5, 4433
10 days passed during the session
2 subjective days passed in your most recent trip into the Forest of Dreams

Characters:

Gorr, ranger 5
Daqqa-Jin, barbarian 4
Robert the Unconstitutional, fighter 5
Eric Withakay, cleric 5
Salzige Brauen, necromancer 2
Lord Fesgate, fighter 4 (NPC)

Smuggling

The group headed out of the Forest of Dreams, ready to sell their ill-gotten gains in Viridistan. The Night Wolf Inn was as normal: some red-skinned Altanians and pale, fiercely painted Amazons were drinking in the tavern. Salzige attempted to interact with the warrior-women but was rebuffed, amidst the jeers of the eastern barbarians.

On the way back to Viridistan, a great traffic jam of farmers, merchants & travellers had formed outside the Great Wall. Daqqa-Jin went up to the gate and learned that due to a distant war, Emperor Seheitt was instituting new taxes. 

The party split up. Gorr, Fesgate and Salzige remained in the Forest of Dreams for a few days. Fesgate still had a broken leg, and Gorr's sanity was beginning to fray after many battles with the undead! Robert and Daqqa-Jin went through the gate on foot and proceeded into Viridistan.

In the Emerald City, everyone was talking about THE WAR! It was clear that news of the disaster on the sacred mountain [Session 18] had finally reached the general populace. Many rumours swirled. The most significiant: Shah Kijdawr is stretched thin and has few troops available to counter this new threat. Everyone is waiting for the Emperor to step in and send one of the Vasthosts north, but so far this has not happened.

Prices are up! Metal ores, lumber, wine & other goods have increased in price, leading to overall higher cost of living. Temples are sending priests & magic to help deal with the threat, increasing prices for religious services, spellcasting, scrolls, etc.

At Seven Visions, mistress Zvezdana Ozi had news. If the group wanted, she could call in that favour and put them in touch with some 'scary characters' who would be happy to buy some of the strange magical items they had recovered a few sessions ago. They decided to table this for now, and worked out a plan to smuggle their treasure into town.

The party brought their treasure to Targnol port [last seen in Session 2] where they contacted a shady character named Tilki who put them in the hold of a logging boat with a nice bribe to the captain. When they got to Viridistan they were picked up in a small dinghy and brought into town by one of the boat-people, a strange folk who live their whole lives in connected networks of boats & rafts on the waters of the Nereus Firth. This got them into the heart of town and past the guards at the Great Wall, for a simple 10% cut to their patron, Zvezdana.

She identified some of the group's items (including a robe of eyes, sweet) and they did a few errands in town & caught up on the news. Patchey, the proprietor of the Dragon's Eye Inn, gave them a letter that arrived a few days prior, which said only:

Meet me at the Green Lion statue at mid-day this week. The pelagic argosy sights land.

Knowing this was their Inquisition contact, Daqqa-Jin and Robert went to the meeting by the Green Lion, an ancient statue in the middle of a wide plaza by the sea. A shifty viridian who called himself Bolivar greeted them. He wanted to know what they had discovered about the Night Wolf Inn, but Daqqa-Jin didn't tell him anything he really liked. Some haggling (and subtle or not-so-subtle insinuations) followed. Bolivar said if they could give him something really useful about the Inn Master, or the overall agenda of the Guild, he could maybe see about helping them with a special gate pass to bypass the tax-collectors at the Great Wall.

Return to the Moonlit Zone

The group caught up with Rain in the Night Wolf Inn's smoking room. They saw a strange enigma - the animal heads on the walls animated and chanted in an unknown language. 

The elven bard explained the workings of the magical Four Winds Bar and the command words to activate it. She once owned one of these rare & powerful magic items, but traded it many years ago for her magical mandolin. The finding of this item seemed a respectable achievement. Rain listened with interest to the group's plans for the future and offered advice about the Inn's cellars.

Back in the Forest of Dreams, the group progressed further into the Moonlit Zone. They passed through the ruins of an old town now overgrown with trees. They passed by an old structure decorated with the sign of a red cross and two snakes, only glancing inside briefly. 

Coming to a clearing littered with buildings, they were spotted by a group of tall humanoids with the heads of snarling jackals & black eyes, covered in silvery fur. Battle was joined! The humanoids charged while a few of their fellows fired bows from cover.

Justin: "Just call me Michael Vick!"
DM: *laughs in horror*
Chris: "Not exactly, you didn't cast charm on them and make them fight each other!"

It didn't take long for the group to defeat their foes, with the last two jackal-men casting themselves on the group's mercy.  

Jackal-man: "We surrender! No kill!"
John: "This isn't a no-kill shelter..."

Chris: "I'll fire at the fleeing archer." *volley of arrows hit, the jackal-man dies*
Justin: "Gorr's arrows sent that one to a farm upstate!"

The group interrogated the survivors, learning a handful of details about the region and the name of their master, a moon-man named Kucmalôg.

Other Things That Happened

Gorr rested in the Forest of Dreams in the boughs of Grandfather Tree for a subjective 5 months! [recovering 5 fear points in this time] The wise tree spoke of many obscure & ancient things through the sighing of branches and the whistling of the wind. The ranger can't remember much, but perhaps in time this lore will come back to him...

Gorr is still suffering from madness at this time - he is capable of fighting at a distance with a bow but if things get too stressful or monsters/strangers get too close, I will have to make a roll to see if he loses his composure!

Salzige has been learning spells! The stone idol of a winged, monkey-like humanoid speaks to him in his dreams. After a few weeks, he awoke feverishly one morning and transcribed the spell chill touch into his spellbook. A few days later, he had terrible nightmares. Although he could not afterwards recall them, he was so shaken that for two days, even ordinary tasks were quite difficult [if he had been adventuring some penalties would have applied]

Monsters Defeated:

10 white gnolls - 8 killed, 2 surrendered (470 xp)

Treasure Found:

none

Treasure Turned In:

giant gold statue of Ahmon-Ibor
2x purple gemstone eyes (Robert kept these)
2x crimson incense (Eric kept for tithing)
silver grave trinket
silver plate set
2x silver scimitars
9x jewelry from Tannoch crypts (Gorr kept a red cross medal, Daqqa-Jin kept a gold chain)
glass-fronted scroll case (magic scrolls inside were kept)
scroll of sanctuary

Money Awarded:

Young Joe Spruce: 801 sp 

Cost of Living:

[I didn't want to spend time calculating this during the session. I will remind each of you next time]

Gorr: 235 sp
Daqqa-Jin: 97 sp
Eric: 163 sp
Robert: 168 sp
Salzige: 40 sp
Cassia: 11 sp
Xénos: 27 sp
Joe Spruce: (already deducted above)

Experience Totals:

Daqqa-Jin has reached level 4!
Robert the Swift has reached level 5!
Young Joe Spruce has reached level 3!