From Shadowfell Geographic Society

Sunday group members are discouraged from reading this, since it may give away parts of the module in advance.

Contents 1 8/11/09 2 12/30/08 3 12/16/08 4 12/09/08 5 12/02/08 6 11/25/08 7 11/18/08 8 11/11/08 9 11/4/08 10 10/28/08 11 10/21/08 12 10/14/08 13 10/7/08 14 9/30/08 15 9/23/08 16 9/16/2008 17 9/9/2008 18 9/2/2008 19 8/26/2008 20 8/12/2008 21 8/5/2008

8/11/09

(translated from Formic)

For Her Imperial Majesty, Ninth Empress Regnant of the Fourth Hive of the Cluster of Twelve

Report on the activities of the biped foundling named "Stick" and the reconnaissance efforts of the Upworld, as collected via ansible.

We placed Stick with a mixed race "company" called Diversity Incorporated, which is a mercenary adventuring company specializing in the torture and murder of monster races. It is our expectation that such a position will provide us with valuable insights into the mindset of the various so-called "adventurers", as well as provide us tactical information at combatting them. For completeness, even apparently irrelevant information will be included herein, in the event that the extreme wisdom possessed by Her Imperial Majesty can gain insights not available to lesser minds.

Stick and his "mount" (675th Warrior of the Third Clutch from the Year of the Conquest of the Twelfth Hive) joined with a newly constituted team of adventurers, replacing an existing team that was disbanding, apparently due to failure in the field. His new team travelled in three parts to his current location. The advance member, Dolfgan, a sorcerer, assisted the failed team in its final mission. He rides a magical fly in and out of combat. He was joined by Stick, RockBrother named G'war Den, and an Artificer, whose name Stick failed to ever hear. Two more members are believed to be en route.

They met with a bipedal dragon, who informed them of a temple that had recently been "infested" with monsters, which led to them headed for the location, in hopes of the loot apparently stored within. Unlike us, the "player" races require the use of external supplement items to properly function; hence Stick's use of a glaive, rather than his won claws, to fight.

As the party approached the temple, they were ambushed by a half dozen invisible Duergar. However, apparently the Duergar invisibility was trivially penetrated by the party, and their charges were quickly negated, and they were tossed into a small cluster, where the Artificer and Dolfgan peppered them with area effect spells, while Stick and G'warden pinned them down with Reach weapons. About 24 seconds after the combat started, the Duergar had all been slain, with the most serious wounds in the party being caused by G'war Den's Bloodclaw weapon.

12/30/08

While the refugees go on ahead, the party pauses to rest and recover from their wounds. After a relaxing (and uneventful) night's sleep, they continue to Winterhaven, where they are greeted as heroes (complete with cheers and showers of rose-petals). They are lead to see Loard Padraig, and are soon joined by Valthrun (the Sage) and Sister Linora (the Priestess) who eagerly await their full story. The story is told mostly truthfully, but Char embroiders around the subject of teh spy in town, suggesting there are two spies, but the party only wants one of them alive, as an encourangement for any potential spies to out themselves. Valthrun gives a dubious eyebrow at this, and doesn't seem convinced. Nonetheless, the Insight experts don't think any of those present are spies.

Lord Padraig dismisses the party with their promised payment, and tells them there will be a feast and celebration in their honor that night. The party decides to start early and heads to the bar to buy a few rounds of drinks and tell their tale while questioning the populace, without turning up any leads. They then speak with the returned refugees, and learn they were mostly grabbed by Kobolds on the road, or by Goblins in the woods north of town. They also learn that the final confrontation and ritual in the Keep were visible from outside, as roiling swirling dark clouds which quickly cleared to reveal the blue sky above.

Several hours of wandering and carousing while gathering information lead to encounters with most of the notable people in town, including several merchants eager to offer their services to the party. Bob, the merchant who was originally escorted by the party has left, along with Douven Stahl. Suspicion eventually falls on those who are absent, and who have frequent excuses to be out of town. These include Ninaran the Elf hunter who lives outside of town, and Delphina the Elf who sells wild-flowers and herbs in the market.

Feast time arrives without any final solution to the matter of the spy, however, and thus paranoia levels are high. The feast is held in Padraig's hall with most notable town residents attending, and then is followed by a more general party in the streets which most of the populace attends.

The party is interrupted by the sound of an alarm from the town gate, and Captain Kelfem rushes in to find Lord Padraig and the party of heroes. There have been reports of disappearances, and of attacks by undead to the south of the town. Padraig wonders if the heroes may've missed a few of the enemy. An artful sales pitch convinces him that this is obviously a separate problem requiring a separate fee, and suggests an ondoing "necromantic maintenance plan", both of which Padraig eagerly accepts. (Payments are 450GP for the current crisis, and unspecified payments to representatives of the sponsoring corporation post-game).

With the financials properly arranged, the heroes gear up and head south toward the town graveyard. There they find a variety of undead (one Wraith, several Gravehounds, and a plethora of Skeletons), as well as one Elf woman lurking in a crypt. Mayhem ensues in which the Strikers manage to take down the Wraith and the Elf quite quickly, and the remains are mopped up in less than a minute.

The Elf is knocked unconscious so she can be searched, bound, and interrogated. On her body is found her magic bow, a packed bag indicating she was planning to leave, and a sack full of gold, as well as a letter:

I received your report on the adventurers. Next time you see them, put an end to their meddling. Mix the blood of ten people with the exlixir my messenger brings. Then trace the following pattern on the ground of a graveyard and pour the liquid into the lines. That should supply you with a force to thwart them.
I'm very close to completion; see that I'm not interrupted. As you already know, if you do come to the second level of the keep, the pass phrase is "From the ground, some magic was found."
Kalarel

She turns out to be Ninaran, a secret cultist of Orcus. She's been feeding Kalarel information after being promised a position of power in his undead armies. She doesn't know of any other spies, and so she is executed. *cough* I mean, she died in the fight.

And so, the conquering heroes return to town, receive their payment, and re-join the party with another story to tell, and a thirst for newer and greater adventures in the future.

<end credits scroll>

Total Treasure: 959 GP, +2 Flameburst Bow (L8)

12/16/08

Carnage ensues as the party charges into battle, as do the skeletons. Vlad does serious damage to Kalarel, but Kalarel teleports away and re-appears in the circle, which turns out to give him defense and regeneration powers. Medar and a Wight+Skeleton pair successfully tie each other up for nearly the whole fight. Aroc sings a lullaby which puts the Thing in the Portal to sleep. Vlad keeps getting knocked down, but Tree keeps getting him up again (ain't never going to keep him down). Helena fights her dice, then eventually manages to put some arrows into Kalarel. Char bamfs around the the batlefield taunting Kalarel that he chose the wrong dark power to serve. And nobody ends up being pushed into either the rift or the pit, despite many attempts on both sides.

As Kalarel falls, he is dragged into the portal to face Orcus' punishment for failure. His body and soul depart, leaving is belongings behind for looting, after the undead are finished off. This leaves only the Thing in the Portal, which isn't quite as easily dealt with.

Aroc examines Kalarel's ritual and finds that it's in an unstable state, with massive amounts of dark energy built up. It could either be finished to open the portal (considered only briefly) or reversed to close the portal, which requires carefully bleeding off the energy to avoid a massive explosion. This requires both careful ritual preparations (Arcana/Religion) and channeling of heroic resolve (everyone must take a turn). However, outside of the time pressure of combat, the party pools their skills and manages to barely overcome the challenge. The portal is sealed solid, and the last of the energies dissipated harmlessly.

Our triumphant heroes find Kalarel's climbing gear, and make their way back out to the surface, where they join the refugees. The sun is shining, the birds are singing (even in the vicinity of the Keep, which is new), and the world generally looks like it has been saved.

Total Treasure: 981 GP, +2 Magic Dagger (L6), Shadowfell Gloves (L6), Belt of Sacrifice (L7), Ritual Book usable to open this Portal

12/09/08

A nap is taken, and the party kicks down a door. Specifically, the large double stone doors which clearly look like they lead to a climactic confrontation.

The room behind the door is a partially-ruined temple, clearly dedicated to the dark lord Orcus himself. A priest chants at an alter, and lifts his bloody dagger from a freshly-sacrificed victim whose blood flows to join to flowing streams which flow around the room and then drip down into a pit in the center. Cries can be heard from chambers behind the altar. The pit descends into unknown depths, and chains hang from the grates above, channeling the dripping blood downwards. The priest shouts a curse by Orcus and his cultists charge. They are shortly joined by a group of Vampire Spawn from the side, and a Dark Creeper sneaking through the shadows.

The Vampires are less scary than they look but do keep a flank occupied for a few rounds. The Creeper is more of an annoyance than anything else, but the cultists turn out to pack quite a punch, and the priest's Shadow Curse is used to devastating effect.Creeper continually harry the party from a distance. Clever use of powers leads to success with only one party member down, and that only briefly. In the pause after the fight the party realizes that the chanting they heard before has not stopped, but continues to emanate from the pit in the center of the floor where the ritual continues. Below they see light shining through a swirling cloud of shadow, under which is a pool of blood.

Bodies are looted, and the sacrifice is given a proper cremation (Aroc, stop looking so happy about it). Flame is also used to dry up the rivers of blood. The chambers behind the altar turn out to contain more victims awaiting sacrifice. They're in shock, but they eventually accept the party's offer of weapons, directions, and cautions at how to avoid the sigils on the floor, and are thus sent on their way out of the keep. Thus only the pit is left to be dealt with.

After discussing various strategies for minimizing falling damage, each party member grabs a chain and slides down. Tree falls, but receives a Feather Fall from Aroc. Helena falls, but rolls with it and takes only minor damage. Char teleports most of the way down, but fails to grasp the chain and falls a short distance. Aroc slips but manages to catch himself, and will begin next session midway up and sliding. Vlad and Medar reach the bottom without incident. (Meta: Players please correct the details here - I'm a bit fuzzy, particularly in the case where the same player was reporting results for multiple characters.)

What greets the party as they reach the ground in various states of disarray is the Shadowfell Rift itself. The rift has clearly become semi-permeable, and the claws of some unknown entity reach through, grasping for whatever it might find. The ceiling of this chamber roils in a swirling cloud of dark energy. On the floor of this chamber is a glowing ritual circle, and a huge statue of Orcus. At one ends stand a pair of glowing pillars flanking a pit, next to which stands a Deathlock Wight. At the opposite end is an altar at which the dark priest Kalarel looks up from his ritual book in surprise. Skeletons stand guard in front of both the Wight and the priest. The priest (Kalarel) makes a dire prediction that this interruption will only lead to more soldiers for his army of undead, as the party picks themselve up to attack. (Meta: Monster knowledge rolls were made, with 15-19 results on all foes except the thing in the portal, for which a 20-24 result was made. DM will repeat details as combat starts next session.)

Total Treasure: None

12/02/08

A short rest later, DivInc tackles looting the tomb. The sarcophagi, while difficult enough to open, yield nothing of interest, and the zombie remains are uninteresting, except if you're really into pus and putrefaction.

We form up and wave Helena at the door to the east. With no traps revealed, we burst through in full battle array. We find ourselves faced with a dusty room. It has a chest in it, though. Elfing the chest also reveals no tricks or traps, but for the fact that there's a sigil of Bahamut on the thing. We investigate the chest, and find it filled with children's things, and some items of value - a mother of pearl hairbrush (5gp), a gold medallion (250gp) and a platinum bracelet (200gp) The amulet and bracelet have names inscribed on them, from what we presume are the Keegan children (Drystan Keegan and Ceinwyn Keegan). We also find a Safewing Amulet +1 (L3). After some discussion, we decide to present this stuff to Sir Keegan.

DivInc troops upstairs and returns to Keegan's tomb, to set the chest before him. He is clearly moved, and would probably be crying, if he had tear ducts. Or, in fact, a face at all. But he tells us that his children are long gone, and hopefully to their final resting place. He suggests we may need the Safewing Amulet, as the rift is down a shaft or pit of some sort. (We make a mental note for Aroc to prep Feather Fall in lieu of Shield for the climactic final battle. Aroc will wear the amulet - he needs a neck slot item, and he can cast Feather Fall on other party members.) We thank him and return from whence we came.

With only one direction left to go, we assume battle formation and open the double door at the end of the wide corridor. Our lights reveal an immense sword-wielding statue in the huge room we enter into. It smells like a trap, and Helen notices a small hatch on the statue's plinth. While Aroc formulates a plan to try and open the hatch with Mage Hand, Char simply walks into the room, counting on her stealth. It is not to be counted on, as the statue animates, sweeping the nearby area with its huge sword and flattening Char. Helena and Vlad attack the statue and damage it, as does Char, though it gets another swipe at her before she can get away. Before Aroc can work his way around, a concentrated barrage knocks the statue's weapon arm off. We move in and discover a) a shutoff mechanism for the statue, b) that the statue probably couldn't have hit the plinth itself, and c) six more statues - two of dragons, and 4 cherubs spilling water jars. We think about this for a few minutes while taking a short rest to recover. Then we systematically turn the remaining statues into rubble with concentrated volleys of arrows and Magic Missiles. It was a lousy decorating job anyway.

Crossing the now-harmless room, we form up and take on the next set of doors. Hmm. Too bad about all the noise we made, as the next room is full of zombies, rotters, and ghouls supported by a nastly little flying homunculous and once the doors are open they're on us like white on rice.

That's just where we like them. Vlad spatters the flyer in two attacks, using the corner of the corridor to conceal himself, while Tree and Medar hold the line at the door and Helena, Char, and Aroc provide more fire support. The wave of ghouls and zombies is big, but ill-coordinated, and they keep failing to hold Medar or Andarin still long enough for the nasty bite attacks. Meanwhile, between Scorching bursts and Medar's breath, the minions are quickly whittled down, while Char and and Helena concentrate on reducing the bigger bad guys. We leave the encounter in a charnel heap on the floor for a total cost of only 32 HP and 3 action points.

Search reveals a stair down, and a narrow tunnel to a chamber. After sanitizing the tunnel we squeeze through, and find the ghoul lair, replete with the rotten remnants of recent repasts. We turn up 126 GP, a potion of healing (Aroc will carry it) and a Bag of Holding. Other than that, it's a dead end.

The stairs lead down to a set of doors, covered in eldrich carvings and dark portents. Helena can hear chanting from the far side.

Now might be time for a nice nap before we face the final curtain...

Total Treasure: 126GP, Bag of Holding (L5), Potion of Healing, +1 Safewing Amulet (L3), (5 GP hairbrush, 250GP medallion and 200GP bracelet are in Sir Keegan's keeping.)

11/25/08

Aroc discovers that "at the bottom of a well" isn't as bad a position for fire support as you might think, since nobody else is interested in coming down there to annoy him, and a few scorching bursts sent over the lip of the well help finish the Wizard's Duel in his favor. Unfortunately, before that point, the opposing Caster gets off one more good volley, knocking Medar out of the fight. By that point the hobgoblins are too few to press the advantage, and we finish them off in time to tend to the fallen Medar before he can become the deceased Medar.

We loot the bodies, discovering various hobgoblin gear, coins, and a suit of Bloodthread cloth armor +1, which goes to Aroc, as well as a vicious short sword +1, which goes to Vlad, and a healing potion, which replaces the one Char used in the past fight. A bit of fire magic later, those bodies no longer pose a risk of being raised against us. A careful and stealthy look around reveals more chambers beyond the scene of our epic battle, but after burning a lot of healing and a lot of daily powers, taking a rest (and leveling up!) seems the better part of valor. So we fall back to the bedroom off the first area we entered. Candles are left in the main room to support our low light vision, and we hunker down for a rest.

Undisturbed, the party awakes refreshed, and fourth level, and proceeds to take on the remainder of this part of the dungeon. We discover a double portcullis trap, but with all the hobgoblins in this area dead, it proves to be a minor nuisance, not a real threat. We carefully search, and in time discover that all the threatening-looking unopened doors in this zone of the dungeon lead into various hobgoblin guardrooms and bedrooms. All of whose inhabitants are in a charred pile near the entry. We do at least find a storeroom, and so replenish our adventuring supplies and rations.

Our one remaining promising avenue leads down a dark hall and into a 40'x40' room, which in turn has two halls leading from it. Our recollection of Sir Keegan's instructions suggest that the exist straight across from our entry will lead to the rift. We therefore take the other exit, which leads to a nailed-up door, marked "Closed" in Common.

Never ones to take a hint, we open the door anyway. The well-cleaned hallways extending to either side beyond practically scream "gelatinous cube". So we wave Helena at the problem, and she screams "Gelatinous cube!" when her newly improved passive perception localizes one just down the hall. After a bit of pre-planning, we all leap into the corridor, unloading encounter powers into the cube as fast as possible. It proves more resilient than hoped, and manages to absorb 2/3 of the party at one point, although Medar's Wolf Pack Tactics shove people back out again. [Meta: That was a rules error - getting out requires a Push/Pull/Slide, not a Shift.] We apply some serious damage to the cube, and seem to be gaining the upper hand when a trio of loud banging noises erupt from the far end of the hall. The moaning and shuffling that follow suggest we've found still more undead generators.

DivInc pours it on, finishing the cube, and we turn to face the trio of stinking zombie shambling towards us. Tree end-runs past them, hoping to find an altar to Bahamut (hey, it worked upstairs) but no such luck. We're forced to just kill the zombies the old-fashioned way.

No searching or looting has been done yet as game pauses, and there's an unopened door to the East.

Total Treasure: 27 GP 65 SP (33.5 GP equiv.), Potion of Healing, +1 Vicious Shortsword (L2), +1 Bloodthread Cloth Armor (L5)

11/18/08

After much retroactive adjustment, it's discovered that the Strikers had slept and extended-rested before the combat, that the others had not, but that they've rested long enough to finish their extended rest with a power-nap now. They're short 4 hours of sleep, so they'll need to sleep first in the next cycle.

That arranged, DivInc decides to press on before their most recent victims can be missed. They concoct an elaborate ruse to gain surprise against the next group. The Strikers borrow clothing from the Hobgoblin archers and caster, and rush down the stairs backward, closely followed by the remainder of the party. The Strikers put on a convincing show of making a fighting retreat down the stairs, convincing the Hobgoblins downstairs that they are the last remains of the scouting party.

The ruse is effective, and multiple Hobgoblin soldiers and grunts rush up the stairs to bottle up Tree, Medar, and Aroc in the stairwell while Vlad, Helena, and Char maneuver behind them. Meanwhile more Soldiers and Grunts pour in, and one of them releases a spider from a cage. The spider charges for the front lines when the Strikers finally decide to drop their cover, and drop several of their opponents in the process.

Battle rages, with the party split up by the bottleneck of the stairs, but dealing admirably. Unfortunately, the alarm shouts from this combat draw a second wave of reinforcements, including an archer, another caster, and the Warchief himself. They descend on the Strikers as the rest of the party fights to join ranks. Helena's armor saves her repeatedly, soaking up a whole wave of attacks before she desperately withdraws just in time.

Finally, the Soldiers and spiders withdraw from the stairs, allowing the full party to concentrate fire, leading to the Boss going down, along with the last of the Grunts. But there are victories on the other side as well, as Char is knocked over but teleports away, and Aroc is dragged into a well by the opposing caster (who took him up on his offered Wizard's Duel). Action pauses with the last stalwart Soldiers, and a single Archer and Caster to put up a last ditch defense.

Total Treasure: None yet, since the dual-encounter has not yet ended.

11/11/08

Prior actions having been re-thought since the last session, we restore from an earlier saved game before going down the stairs. Instead the party decides to camp out for the night in the shrine of Bahamut. First they block the doors at the top of the stairs with obstacles, traps, and noisemakers. The previous encounters and associated explorations were (apparently) done very slowly, consumign 12 hours, and the party thus start right in on their 12 hours watch cycle. Char/Helena/Vlad? sleep first, Tree/Medar/Aroc? sleep second (someone with a memory please fill in the proper names - I think I'm wrong).

Part way through 2nd watch (around 8pm) loud noises are heard from the door. The watchers rush to wake the others, while the noises continue for about a minute and then stop. The party moves cautiously forward with light sources, and take defensive positions outside the sarcophagus room. They wait about 15 minutes before the noises return, this time followed by the sounds of shouted orders in Goblin, stomping feet, and the clanking of armor and weapons. Shortly later, a Hobgoblin pokes his head around a corner, sees the party's light, and combat is joined.

This is a heavily armed party, with armored Hobgoblin Soldiers, Archers, and one Warcaster, with the normal collection of Grunts. The party bottles them up effectively, though, and Char harasses them from behind. Vlad goes down after two lucky crits, but the tanks manage to extract him quite effectively. Aroc moves forward for an effective Burning Hands and is also effectively extracted, while the Warcaster's similar Force attack leads to his rapid demise. Finally the Archers break and run while the last Soldier tries to cover their retreat, but Char and Vlad cut them off.

Bodies are quickly looted and examined in the ensuing short rest. This party wasn't equipped for a long trip. They have some sort of tribal symbol on their shields. The party discusses what to do next, after the requisite 5 minute rest has passed.

Total Treasure: 20 GP 34 SP (23.4 GP equiv.), Potion of Healing

11/4/08

Tree gets the armor, as DivInc decides to bar the door and go explore the crypt to the South. Expecting traps, they move in slowly and cautiously, as Aroc repeatedly blasts their path, charring the sarcphagi lining the walls. To the east, a wider room can be seen, illuminated by a starry glow. Synchronizing for a simultaneous dash, the whole party rushes through the room as sarcophagi pop open around them, each disgorging a skeleton before slamming closed again.

The open room is topped with a glowing dome decorated with a painting of Bahamut, and has two altars with inscribed writing and murals of knights kneeling in prayer. Before it can be admired, though, the Skeletons attack, and carnage ensues. During the combat, it becomes clear that more skeletons are pouring out of the sarcophagi on a regular schedule. Medar pulls back to read the altars, which bear a draconic inscription:

The Platinum Dragon is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. He is my stronghold, my refuge, and my armor against the foes of life - I need only kneel and offer him my praise.

Taking the hint, Medar drops to his knees and prays to Bahamut to protect the party against hordes of undead. The dome glows more brightly for a time, the skeletons stop spawning, and the last one is kileld as it attempts to crawl back into its sarcophagus.

A search doesn't turn up anything interesting, beyond the obvious double doors. Various discussions cover the level of defilement inherent in undead being in a temple of Bahamut, and the likelihood of finding their commander behind the doors. Before moving on, Tree says a burial blessing over the remains of the skeletons (assumed to have once been noble warriors of Bahamut), while Aroc provides the funeral pyre.

Then it's time to open the door. On the theory a servant of Bahamut might be behind, Tree is sent in first, shouting something suitably heroic. A crypt room is revealed, with one large sarcophagus carved with the likeness of a knight in armor. Nothing happens until the party moves into the room and Tree verbally challenges any present entities to come forth. Then the coffin lid explodes and an armored skeleton with a longsword rises and challenges the party: "The rift must never be re-opened! State your business, or prepare to die!"

Several people answer at once, but the skeleton's eyes are drawn to Tree's holy symbol (the symbol of Bahamut being worn next to his symbol of Moradin) and asks him to speak for the party. A negotiation ensues in which the ex-knight challenges each member of the party to prove his or her skills for dealing with the rift, while Tree explains and plays interpreter. Some meet his challenge, others make up their own way of impressing him, and eventually he is convinced.

He shares some details of the keep below and of the rift. He identifies himself as Sir Keegan, last commander of the Shadowfell Keep, and tells his sad tale. This is largely the same sad tale the party heard earlier from the Sage (and is thus not repeated here) except that apparently Keegan was not slain by his troops, but only barricaded into the crypts and left to perish. He is now locked in undead existance until his task can be fulfilled, and unable to leave this crypt.

He sends the party forth to carry out his task and ensure the rift remains closed. To aid them, he gives his sword Aecris. It was once a blade more clearly holy in its power, but long association with the undead knight has caused it to be more necrotically aligned (+1 Lifedrinker). He suggests the party seek Bahamut's boon at the altars outside, but further prayer doesn't yield further results.

Basedon Keegan's directions, the door to the North is the right way to go. DivInc opens it in standard stealth formation, finds stairs, and heads down. At this point, a floating hourglass appears, accompanied by light background music and the word "Loading..." The hourglass slowly drains, turns over, and drains again, before a glowing message appears: "Welcome to Level 2..."

Total Treasure: +1 Lifedrinker Longsword (L5, "Aecris")

10/28/08

After a short rest, the party scouts all the areas of the Keep already explored. The bound goblin is found again, and forced to perform translation services. (After this was he released? I heard reference to it, but wasn't sure of the details.) The sign on the room containing the Blue Slime turns out to say "Stay out. Really." The second note found in that room is translated as well:

Remember, don't wet the nodule - unless Kalarel is not receptive to the offer. Then, wet it only from a distance, and then, turn and run. Water will bring the creature otu of its dormancy, and it will consume anything it can reach.

This leads Vlad to spend much of the ensuing rest period attempting to dehydrate leftover Slime and Jelly bits, with no significant progress. Vlad also swims around the bottom of the Slime pool looking for hidden tunnels. He finds some cracks with noticeable water flow, but nothing large enough to fit through.

Meanwhile, all the bodies killed so far are gathered up and burned (allowing Aroc to indulge his repressed pyromania). Boxes are moved to block the unexplored door, and a number of traps are set up in areas between it and the keep exit. Then the party rests for the required 16 hours or so (ending around midnight), taking turns sleeping in the secret passage behind Balgron's room, with someone always on watch near the keep entrance. Nothing is noticed during this time.

Back to the action, the remaining door is cleared (though the traps remain) and opened. Behind it a set of steps descend into the darkness. Light sources are prepared, and the party descends the steps into a musty crypt. They find a series of runes on the floor, which look likely to trigger some sort of effect on contact. They avaoid them for a while, finding one dead end, and one unexplored corridor, before deciding to cross a rune on the theory the runes must be guarding the way they want to go.

The rune sets off a ghastly wailing sound, which causes those around to flee in terror. Interestingly, they flee in a pre-programmed direction (not away from the rune), which is suspicious. Soon, however, the party is surrounded by zombies on two sides, and thus distracted. The party splits briefly, then re-forms. Char sets off another rune, with the expected effects. The zombies turn out to be laughably easy to hit, though they do pack quite a punch when they connect.

After dispatching the zombies, a glance is taken down the open corridor from whence some of them came, revealing a wide room containing sarcophagi. Figuring this is obviously a trap, Vlad leaps a rune and scouts the other way, finding a room with a set of doube doors. He calls for the rest of the party, and Tree has the bright idea to spread a cloak over the rune, which turns out to allow them to pass unharmed. On walking around the corner, Helena points out a secret door, sot he party form up to open it.

Behind is a small and suspiciously bare room. Helena hears moaning behind its walls, and so goes to look for more secret doors. She doesn't find any, but finds that her hands pass directly through the walls, which shimmer a bit in the process. With this, the party leaps into action. Char dives through the illusory wall and finds a small armory full of zombies. She explodes in a shower of cold and teleports out. This is rapidly followed by showers of fire, acid, daggers, and arrows, as the zombies turn out not to be much of a threat.

With the combat over, Vlad steps up to examine a rusty old suit of armor on a rack, under a plaque with an inscription of a helm. A booming voice from nowhere speaks:

A wondrous treasure,
Valued by all, sought by many.
Found in both victory and defeat,
Yet never at the bottom of a treasure chest.
It marches before you like a herald,
And lives long after you are gone.
Of what do I speak.

Several people simultaneously shout "Glory", "Honor", or similar things, which apparently constitute at least one correct answer. The armor shimmers and becomes new and shiny, turning out to be a suit of Blackiorn Scale. We leave our heroes for the week as they discuss the best tactical distribution of their various suits of armor.

Total Treasure: +1 Blackiron Scale Armor (L4)

10/21/08

The long dark corridor is explored first. Partway along is a triggered pit trap containing a creature Helena identifies as a Young Kruthik (reptilian bug-like things with lots of spikes). Farther ahead is another non-triggered pit trap, which Helena points out. The passage becomes riddled with small tunnels, about 2 feet wide. Skittering noises can be heard ahead, and through the tunnels. After moving ahead slowly and paranoidly, Aroc decides to just throw fire down one of the narrow tunnels. This results in inhuman screams, and the start of a combat. In all, one Kruthik Adult (with poison spikes), 3 Young, and 10 Hatchlings come poring out of various holes to bother the party, though not for long. The Kruthik lair contains a pile of coinage and a small chest containing 5 Amethyst gems.

Since the Kruthik lair is a dead end, the door comes next. Throwing it open reveals a few steps down to a pool of water. In the center of the pool is an island on which bones and shiny coinage can be seen. The more perceptive members of hte party notice the water is rippling as if something lurks beneath the surface. The party baits it by throwing a Kruthik corpse to the water's edge. This prompts an eruption of smelly bubbles, but the party is far enough away to be unaffected. So the spend some time experimenting with depth charges, and Char teleports to the island, before the Blue Slime reaches the surface and explodes, spreading acidic slime all over, before striking out with its pseudopoda. Carnage ensues as the paty appears unable to hit it, while it crits repeatedly. Repeated explosions and plenty of acid damage later, the Slime comes apart into floating blobs in the water.

Aroc and Tree are saved from ongoing slime damage, and the island is looted, revealing coinage, a magic shield, and a tube containing three pieces of paper. One is a map showing the way to the Keep. Another is a letter written in Goblin (not yet translated). The third is a letter in Common:

Greetings, Kalarel.
I have recently learned of your activity in the area and have an offer for you. During your time in this region, if you should capture any humanoids, we are eager to buy them. We have duergar allies int he Thunderspire in need of slave stock. If you are interested, send an envoy back to me. My messengers will show the way.
Chief Krand of the Bloodreavers

While they absorb that info, the battered party then considers whether it's time for a rest.

Total Treasure: 80 GP 373 SP (117.3 GP equiv.), 5 Amethysts (50GP each), Large Shield of Protection (10, L3), Potion of Healing

10/14/08

After a short rest, up next is the set of double doors from the hallway. They're opened to find a surprised group of Goblins, and one Hobgoblin in a prison and torture chamber. The Hobgoblin is targetted, and dies before he has a chance to respond (bleeding to death from ongoing damage as his first turn starts). The Goblins are more pesky, due to their ability hide under the tables, but are quickly dispatched nonetheless. Looting reveals some coinage, and a suit of magic hide armor on the Hobgoblin.

One of the cells is occupied by a sniveling Goblin named Splug. He was apparently locked up after he won at dice too many times. offers to help the party in exchange for his freedom. Most of his information turns out to be stale, though (such as the location of the secret passage into Balgron's room). Nonetheless, he is pumped for information and allowed to leave. He's also allowed to equip and arm himself, after he gets to be the first to open the door to the adjacent supply room. So he'll spread a much more positive version of the party's legend than the last Goblin.

The party camps out inside the secret passage for a 12-hour rest with paranoid watches. No sounds of trouble are heard, and they emerge into the dark corridors as dawn is breaking outside. Next stop is the rat-cave, which is predictably full of rats scurrying among the stalagmites, and hanging from the stalactites on the ceiling. The rats are joined by one dire rat, but neither of these presents a serious threat. The screams of dying rats, however, herald the real problem, which is an Ochre Jelly. After Vlad throws it across the room (try visualizing that), it splits in two and surrounds Medar, but is eventually beaten into submission.

Searching this cavern reveals nothing but acid-eaten remains. Helena does find a secret compartment which turns out to contain not-too-stale emergency supplies. The active theory seems to be that this was Balgron's secret stash. Meanwhile, available exits include a long straight corridor to the south, and a set of double doors to the west, on which is a message scrawled in Goblin, scraped into the fungus covering the door.

Total Treasure: 55 GP 50 SP (60 GP equiv.), +1 Bloodcut Hide Armor (L4, Medium), 2 Sunrods

10/7/08

The door is opened, revealing a hallway, down which the party charges to maintain the advantage of surprise. Growling is heard from ahead, a dark cavern is seen to the right, and Helena notices something weird about a wall to the left. In the cavern, she hears squeaking which sounds like giant rats at a distance, and the weird wall later turns out to be a secret door. But meanwhile, something's growling.

The growling comes from a room in which parts of the floor have been dug away, leaving platforms connected by narrow planks. A ramp leads down 10 feet to a growling Drake, and Goblins begin shooting from the platforms. Battle ensues. The party discovers the 3rd dimention, as Medar leaps over Tree to land on a Drake, and Vlad leaps over a Goblin. The day is won. A walking start for a Jump can comfortably let the athletic members of the party jump 3-4 spaces.

The final goblin is bound, intimidated, and interrogated. He says Balgron told them to dig for treasure. So far they've only found a holy symbol ("that shiny dragon thing"). He is left behind, alive but bound, as the party moves off. Helena sees a well-hidden secret door opposite the rat cave, so the party moves up through the secret door, sneakily. It leads to a short tunnel and stairs.

Vlad peeks through it into the bedroom of a fat goblin who turns out to be Balgron. We devise an ambush plan which turns out to work great: Put the stealthy strikers up front with the rest of the part 10 squares (a double move) behind. Let the strikers delay in the surprise round while the rest of the party moves up. The strikers move at the beginning of the first real round, before any of the monsters. This lets the strikers attack only once, but both move and attack (putting them in good position for those attacks). This isn't the plan to always use---sometimes a Charge in the surprise round may make more sense---but it is often more useful to us to control positioning than to get a second attack at the cost of letting the monsters control the tactics.

The ambush plan goes off quite well, and Balgron narrowly avoids dying in the first real round. Even so, he doesn't last long enough to do much good. The hordes of Goblin Warriors and Minions who follow are mowed down with great efficiency, without being able to make much good use of their mobility advantage in the close quarters.

The last Warrior tries to flee, and manages to open the next door before being cut down. No survivors this time. Char peeks out the door and sees an empty hallway, then closes it up again so the party can rest and loot.

Total Treasure: 577 GP 50 SP (582 GP equiv.), +1 Symbol of Battle (L5, Bahamut), +1 Magic Wand (L1)

9/30/08

The party returns triumphantly to Winterhaven, carrying a dragon head. Sadly, they arrive in the wee hours of the morning, and thus are not greeted by cheering crowds. But first thing in the morning they start celebrating and telling of their exploits. Mindful of spies, they also start spreading the word that they're done in this area, and will be leaving. (Note, though not mentioned, Douven is in the inn, doing fine, and no longer going to raise the alarm since the party has returned alive.)

The party goes to see Lord Padraig to receive their payoff (100 GP). He invites them to breakfast to celebrate, and is impressed by the tales of their victory. They offer him the dragon head, which he will mount with a plaque in their honor. As far as the Lord knows, the party plans to leave town now that the Kobolds are dealt with.

Valthrun the Prescient (Sage) is the next stop. He hears of the party's recent adventures, with lots of pregnant pauses in which he could offer information should he choose. Remembering their interest in death cults, he does so, leading to mutual plot dumping. The party shares their letters, and he shares the story of the Keep on the Shadowfell. Long story short, it was built by the Nerath empire to guard a rift leading to Orcus' back yard. After the empire fell, the last commander of the Keep (the Paladin Sir Keegan) went insane and started slaughtering everyone, until they were finally able beat him back and kill him in the dungeons beneath the keep. Since then the keep has been abandoned and ruined, though the townsfolk believe Goblins may have taken up residence in the ruins.

Off to the keep, before any other spies can get more information. The are around the keep is eerily quiet and dead. No animals, and eventually no plants either. The keep is a ruin, but with a recently-cleared path leading to its center, with footprints both of Small and Medium creatures. The path leads to stairs going down to what turns out to be a guard-room full of Goblins. Helena notices the pit trap, so the Goblins turn out not to be so tough.

The last Goblin is interrogated thoroughly. He reveals there about 20 Goblins total, lead by Balgron the Fat, and a Hobgoblin torturer who keeps them all in line. He's scared of Kalarel, and says that Kalarel and his Hobgoblins go through the door to the South, which no Goblins go through. Game pauses as the party is poised to explore the door to the East, with the intended strategy of breadth first search.

Total Treasure: 143 GP 51 SP (148.1 GP equiv.)

9/23/08

The party barricades themselves into temple, after dragging in the bodies from outside, and leaving a carefully crafted note saying "Re-sanctifying after the infidels invaded. Stay out. This means you. Signed, the High Sycophant." 3 people sleep, 3 stay up to watch, while a Long Rest is taken. The note appears to work, since a few hours into the rest some confused Kobold voices are heard, but nobody bashes down the door.

Refreshed, the party first opens the small side door, and ransacks the high priest's bed-chamber, finding some coinage and a potion. They then open the big stone doors behind the altar, and are hit by a blast of cold air from a dark hallway. Moving down it elicits growling, which turns out to come from a White Dragon. Combat ensues. The dragon is tough, but the party is smart, so defeat it without losses. Much loot is had, and Char gets to move on to the next item on her list for Asmodeus-Claus.

The rear entrance to the dragon's cave goes outside to a steep slope, so the party decides to go back and clean up. They find more kobolds standing guard in the hallway. These seem to be the animal training squad, as they are armed with cages full of insects (mostly ineffective) and a horde of rats (effective, though icky). Nevertheless, still pumped from slaying a dragon, the party takes Kobolds in stride. With them out of the way, the rest of the complex is searched and looted before victory is declared.

Total Treasure: 426 GP 933 SP 217 CP (521.43 GP equiv.), 2x Potion of Healing, +1 Thundering Dagger (L4), +1 Rod of Corruption (L3)

9/16/2008

Vlad reconnoiters and discovers that it is possible to approach the door in total concealment by going up the hill and dropping down the face above it, and by avoiding certain parts of the path. After deliberation, the party hits upon a sure fire plan.

Vlad and Helena climb down the rock face in front of the door, getting in position without being seen. Char sneaks up the path and joins them, also in stealth. The rest of the party then ... does the macarena in platemail while trying to climb, concealed, up to the door. Fortunately, Vlad is able to deftly open the door, so even with our cover blown, we quickly pile into the entry and overwhelm the quartet of kobolds set to guarding the door. Not before one of them sets off an over-elaborate Level 4 swinging blade trap, but Vlad handles the trap as deftly as the front door. As he quickly disarms it, we loot the bodies, turning up a couple healing potions and a fistful of coins, and then take a short rest. This level 2 fight took about an hour and 5 turns.

Beyond the entry corridor with its traps, front door, arrow slits and mutilated kobold corpses, we find another hall with two double, and two single, doors. Vlad finds no traps, but Helena hears voices through one set of doors. So, of course, after a bit of setup, that's the door we kick open first, and beyond we find a kobold chapel, with services in full swing. A vicious brawl ensues, in which we do such clever things as form a good defensive line, concentrate our fire, hit the bosses hard with our strikers, and get good use of our daily and encounter powers. Soon enough we've turned the chapel into an abbatoir. This level 3 fight took about 45 minutes and 3 turns, plus a surprise round.

We search the bodies, turning up a +2 Amulet of protection on the high priest, and some (poorly) representational carvings of the white dragon these kobolds worship. Some of the party attempt to ascertain whether by wiping these kobolds out we're earning the enmity of a dragon well beyond our ability to fight, while the rest try to figure if this area is safe enough for an extended rest. Seems unlikely somehow.

Total Treasure: 15 GP 32 SP (18.2 GP equiv.), 2x Potion of Healing, +2 Amulet of Protection (L6)

9/9/2008

The night is passed at the excavation site, while the dragon skull is dug up, smashed, and mixed with other bones. Some are left in a charred heap as decoys, but the remainder of the dragon skull is scattered across the landscape to thwart Make Whole rituals. The bad guys' cart is filled with bones covered in a blanket so as to fake a dragon skull.

Douven returns to Winterhaven as the party passes by, without stopping. He's told to wait a day before telling anyone what the party is up to, after which point they'll be back, or they'll be in trouble.

The party heads up the mountains to attempt to meet the Kobolds who hired Agrid. Vlad scouts and sneaks. His ambush is spotted, but Char's bluff keeps the Kobolds confused long enough to split them and negate their terrain advantage. The Wild Mage explodes, but nobody's close enough to be hit. Bodies are looted, and the party continues up-hill.

Again Vlad scouts, and spots a door guarded by arrow-slits...

Total Treasure: 7 GP 37 SP (10.7 GP equiv.), Potion of Healing

9/2/2008

Our heroes set out overland rather than returning to the road. The manage to avoid getting lost in the woods. Along the way they befriend a woodsman, and then refuse to take his advice.

The find an excavation site, which Helena scouts. The party then re-groups, and approaches prepared. They are greeted by a talkative Gnome, who claims to be a friend of Douvan's, and invites them down to see the excavation, before ordering his Guard Drakes, Human Minions, and one hidden Halfling to jump them. The party coordinates well, and bests them quite handily.

Douvan is found tied up under a blanket. He thanks the party with the gift of an amulet, and translates the Goblin message:

Irontooth,
My spy in Winterhaven suggests we keep an eye out for visitors to the area. It probably does not matter; in just a few more days I'll completely open the rift. Then Winterhaven's people will serve as food for those Lord Orcus sends to do my bididng.
Kalarel

A separate letter (in Draconic) is found on the Gnome's Body:

Agrid,
Master says bring skull to rock spire on map and we pay you. Not climb higher or we kill you. Master says bring quick.
Also, no talk to traitor kobolds. Traitors work for Death Man in ruins with stinky Goblins. Thay no good. No trust them.
Fakru

The remains of the site are looted, revealing some cash, a magic sword, and a valuable mirror, as well as other items of archaeological interest. There's also a half-unburied dragon skull which results in some discussion as to what to do with it. The halfling is interrogated, and reveals that Agrid (the Gnome) hired him and the others in Fallcrest, and that they were fetching something for a group of Kobolds. After being beat up, stripped of his weapons, and generally given a talking to, he is released.

Total Treasure: 65 GP 13 SP (66.3 GP equiv.), Mirror worth 550 GP, +1 Amulet of Health (Level 3), +1 Frost Longsword (Level 3)

8/26/2008

The fight inside the waterfall continues, as the second wave enters the fray. Several go down, some multiple times, but in the end the party is victorious, and barely alive. Much looting is done. A letter is found, but nobody can read Goblin. They take another paranoid night's rest (12 hours) in the cave.

The next day, they set out through the woods, aiming to the last known location of Douven Stahl (supposedly a Dragon burial site), hoping that he can read Goblin.

Total Treasure: 436 GP 65 SP (442.5 GP equiv.), Dwarven Chainmail +1 (Level 2)

8/12/2008

The party heads into the woods, looking for Kobolds. They find a Kobold ambush, fortunately before it can ambush them. This ambush is tougher than the last tone, but is defeated. Some lessons: Trying to climb rocks in combat is silly. Cover and concealment suck. Having the ranged-only striker get surrounded sucks. Having two enemy strikers get to the mage sucks. The party finds 4GP, 17SP, a Bone Mask (not valuable, but Medar liked it), and an Ivory Necklace in the shape of a Dragon Figurine (80GP). The base of the figurine has a symbol carved on it (a skull with ram's horns) which Char identified as the symbol of Orcus, Demon Lord of the Undead.

The party decides to stop and recover. 12 hours are spent resting, due to fully-paranoid watch schedules. The search for the Kobold hideout continues. It's found, and Helena spots the Kobolds before they spot the party. The party advances in formation, and proceeds to mow down minions. The non-minions don't manage to put up much fo a fight either, but the last Slinger dives through a waterfall, shouting that "Irontooth must be warned!"

Medar gives chase, and the rest of the party follows. In the cave behind the waterfall, another wave of minions and non-minions follows. Carnage ensues. Medar falls, but the tide is turning. Then a horn sounds, and the serious threat arrives, in the form of Irontooth (a large tatooed goblin) and his kobold lackeys.

To be continued...

Total Treasure: 4 GP 17 SP (5.7 GP equiv.), Necklace worth 80 GP

8/5/2008

Party gathers in Fallcrest. Signs on to escort Bob the Merchant to get his wagon past the Kobolds who have been attacking traveler's on the road to Winterhaven.

Kobolds attack the wagon, and are rapidly dispatched thanks to the potent might of the mighty strikers, especially the beautiful Char. Vlad gathers ears.

Arrival in Winterhaven. Bob is thankful - pays the party 30GP. Questioning (and harassing) of NPCs:

• The gate guards don't know the policies of their Captain, where to find him, or how to call reinforcements. They also don't search bloody inhuman warriors entering the city fresh from a battle.
• A nameless tout recites the principal citizens of the city.
• Valthrun the Prescient puts his epithet in doubt by failing to avoid thirty minutes of subtle fencing.
• Vlad plants a Kobold Ear in Valthrun's inkpot.
• The party checks out the temple, which is usually deserted, has one locked office of the chief priest, and a dozen altars to the less beloved gods.
• Vlad is caught (by Char) planting one under the altar in the temple.
• Helena leaves a note on each shrine, addressed to the god. HelenaNote
• Char convinces Captain Kelfem to pay 20GP for the Kobold ears.

Plot hooks:

• Elian the Old remembers sending Douvan (Medar's lost mentor) to a supposed Dragon Burial site to the southwest. He gives directions to it.
• Lord Padraig offers to pay the party (100GP plus salvage) to eliminate the Kobolds. He gives directions to their hideout.
• Salvana (Inkeeper) thinks there are scary things---ghosts and vampires---around the ruined keep to the north.
• Nobody (who you talked to) has heard anything about death cults, other than the ghosts and vampires above.

Having spent no more than an afternoon in Winterhaven, the party set out again, in the dark, in the direction of the Kobold hideout.

Total Treasure: 50 GP 33 SP (+1 SP owed to the party by Andarin) (53.4 GP equiv.)