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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Oct 2005 : 21:14:45
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Chess 17th, 1372 DR
Morn Ninefingers, the lythari, leaves in the middle of the night to hunt during the full moon, thus the party is reduced to Meriden, Grim, and Emen. The three enter the gates to Tilverton, and are escorted to the Altar of Shields. Meriden makes his report about the events in Anauroch. The superiors at the temple tell Meriden that they will summon him later, and they give a new assignment to Emen, who will be escorting a cleric from the temple to the temple in Elturel.
While staying at Grimwald's Revenge, Meriden runs into some dwarves of Glen, as well as a barbarian mercenary, a Tunlander, named Stilgar. Stilgar and Meriden proceed to begin a drinking contest, and Stilgar manages to succeed where Wulgar and Emen both failed, drinking the cleric under the table.
While Meriden is relaxing at the inn, Grim has returned to Gahlaerd Mossmere in order to see if he is willing to cast a teleport for them, to teleport them back to Mistedale. Gahlaerd agrees and takes the money that Grim gives him, and Grim tells him they will be back once they arrange everything.
Realizing that they could use some muscule with Emen reassigned, Meriden decides to ask Stilgar if he is available to join the party. Grim, upon seeing the state that Meriden is in, tells him that the Altar has sent for him, and the cleric panics. Grim is quite amused at his joke. The dwarves give Meriden something that works on his intoxication, and he sobers up quite considerably.
Eventually Meriden is summoned to the Altar of Shields, and his mission was deemed a success, and he is offered his next title to add to his rank. They set the night of the ceremony as the next night, the night of the Spring Equinox.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2005 : 21:15:52
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Chess 18th , 1372 DR
Most of the day is spent with Meriden getting ready for the ceremony at the Altar of Shields, and Grim contacts the keepers of the grove of Silvanus to participate in their Spring Equinox ceremony. Stilgar spends another day at Grimwald's Revenge.
Both preists complete their ceremonies, and in the morning Meriden is awarded the title of Trusty. He is now Trusty Watcher Meriden Greystag of the Order of He Who Watches Over Travellers.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2005 : 21:16:54
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Chess 19th, 1372 DR
Gahlaerd Mossmere casts a teleport for the party, and they arrive home in Mistledale, just a few miles outside of Ashabenford. They stop by the house that Meriden rents in order to stow their gear, and then head out to Heresk Malorn's house.
Meriden speaks with his prospective future father in law, explaining about what is going on and what their adventuring party has been doing, and about events that occurred when last he was in Mistledale. Meriden also introduces Grim as Tobias, giving his alias, just in case. He also finds out that the drow wizard that they captured has managed to escape captivity.
Meriden arranges a meeting with Naurvintha the next day, and the three travel to the White Hart inn to relax before retiring to Meriden's house for the evening.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2005 : 21:17:58
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Chess 20th, 1372 DR
Meriden sets off for his picnic with Naurvintha. Haresk sends a paladin squire of Neylessa Shendean, leader of the Mistledale Lancers, escort the two on their picnic as a shaperoen. Meriden and Naurvintha formalize plans for a wedding at some point in the future.
Stilgar and Grim spend the day at the Velvet Veil, and are amazed at the catfolk, and especially the female centaur dancers that work for the establishment.
Now that Grim has picked up enough Sylvan to decipher some of the book he was given, Meriden, Grim, and Stilgar agree to try to use a fey crossroads the next day in order to travel back to Eveningstar and check in on Grim's druidic master. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2005 : 21:19:03
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Chess 21st-23rd, 1372 DR
About three hours away from Ashabenford is a point of entry to a fey crossroads. The three adventurers set out and travel to this particular area, and upon arriving at the appointed region and summoning the Fey Guardian, the guardian demands to hear a gnomish joke.
The three head back into Ashabenford, hoping that the alchemist Almaes will be able to give them a good joke to tell to the Fey Guardian. While speaking to Almaes, the ghost of Gerlricks Cybondan appears and asks why his deed has not be delivered to his nephew and neice in Damara.
Meriden tells Gerlricks that they will be willing to go to Damara as soon as they check on Grim's master. Grim asks if Gerlricks would come with them to tell the Fey Guardian an joke to open the crossroads.
The guardian is happy to hear the gnomish joke, and lets the party pass into the crossroads, but the group is quickly met on the path within the crossroads by a nymph that asks a task of them.
The nymph tells them that an evil half devil dwarf creatures and a twisted ally of his managed to secure an artifact and began to warp the pathways within the fey crossroads. She tells them that the crossroads are not functioning properly, and wants them to travel to the fortress of these beings and retrieve the artifact, a crystal rose, and return it to her.
While Grim is skeptical, the three realize that the crossroads really aren't working properply and they have to do something. The three agree, and they travel down the path indicated by the Nymph toward the fortress.
The Nymph has warned the three not to take their eyes off each other or any items they carry, and not to leave the path that she has set them down. After travelling for a while, they run into three ugly, gnome like creatures carrying swords. The three order the party to halt, and they tell them to surrender.
After refusing to surrender, the three gnome like monsters grow to over eight feet tall and charge to the attack. Grim casts a spell to create a thorny patch of entangling plants to slow and damage the suddenly enlarged fey creatures.
Meriden and Stilgar engage the first creature out of the brambles, badly wounded as it was. The gnomish creature that managed to avoid the patch reaches out and grabs Grim, throwing him into his own patch. The first creatures is finished off, and the second one is also quickly dispatched. Grim manages to escape his own brambles, and the three finish the last gnomish creature, identified by Grim as spriggans.
The three (as well as their horses and the gnomish ghost) travel on and find the fortress the Nymph indicated. The building is woven from twisted plants entwined into a structure. When Grim searches the front door, he finds a scything trap that he manages to set off before entering the place.
Afraid to leave their horses behind, the three bring their horses into the large front room. When fully in the room, the party starts to feel slashing from something moveing too quick to see. Once the three are certain they are being attacked, each one carefully listens for any clues to give them a place to swing. Eventually the slashing knives of the creatures knock Grim, then Stilgar, unconcious with the sleep poison on them. Eventually Meriden manages to cut down all of the invisible creatures plaguing them. Meriden recognizes them as quicklings from his earlier dealings with them.
Entering the next room, it is filled with mud, thigh high on the human adventurers. Near the stairs at the back of the room hovers goblin like creatuers with black moth wings. One of them stats working a magical pump handle that actually sucks the water out of the mud, causing the ground to solidify around the group as they enter.
The creatures fire magic missles at the trapped adventures from the stairs, and the adventurers dig themselves out from the floor. Just as they do so, the goblin-fey near the pump handle works it again, turning the room to mud. The barbarian works his way to this creature before it could work the handle again, and puts it beyond mortal reach.
Meriden and Grim manage to finish off the other goblin-fey, and the group pulls themselves up to the stairs and work the pump handle to solidify the ground. They walk the horses into the room and set the gnome ghost to watch them, they investigate two other doors.
In one room they find the corpse of a satyr in a cage, and a warning note about the trapped electical cages, as well as some magical trinkets. In the next room, they find a trapped Nymph in a cold iron cage, trapped in a manner similar to the first one. She knows only a little about her captors. By talking to her, Meriden realizes that one of the creatures that stole the artifact was the Durzagon that months ago kidnapped the child from Shadowdale.
Travelling up the stairs, a spiked length of vine shoots out at leg level, striking Grim and nearly hitting Stilgar and Meriden. Grim stops and disarms the the vine trap again, and the three keep travelling upwards. Grim, Stilgar, and Meriden see a room marked in Sylvan “throne room,” and Grim starts to check the door. Stilgar tells Grim that he will open this one, and proceeds to walk forward and kick the door in. A scythe trap slashs his leg.
Meriden pulls Stilgar back away from the door and heals him. The three walk into the room to see three large spriggans and a strange toad like creature with huge sharp teeth. It screeches, but its sonic attack seems to do little to Stilgar and Meriden. The two engage the Spriggans while the toad creatue tries to enact some kind of spell. Eventually the spriggans go down, and the toad creature attacks the barbarian.
The toad creature hits the ground, apparently dead. Meriden stabs it again, and it begins to move to attack again, but Stilgar and Grim are both ready to attack, and they hack it to pieces and set it on fire.
The three enter a room that is apparently a harem, filled with red skinned female satyrs. The creatues seem grateful, until the party goes to leave the room, at which point the four creatures attack the men from behind. After finishing off the creatures, the group walks over to the last remaining room. Within it, they find a container that is trapped and warded. Grim disarms the trap, but not the ward, and is blasted by lightning.
Within is the crystal rose, and the three return downstairs to find the horses and the gnomish ghost all intact. They return to the path within the fey crossroads, then meet up with the Nymph they first talked with, now accompanied by the Nymph that they freed from the fortress. Reluctantly Grim hands over the rose, and they travel, finally, to the other side of the fey crossroads. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2005 : 21:20:04
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Chess 24th , 1372 DR
Arriving in the King's Forest, the group travels for a few hours to find the druid's cottage that Grim trained at. The group decides to rest for a while after their ordeal in the crossroads. Grim hears someone out in the wilds, and draws his silver dagger. When the werewolves attack Grim calls out “werewolves.” Meriden comes running with his silver sword, and the two engage the werewolves. The barbarian sleeps for a bit yet. After a bit more combat, the barbarian staggers out, sees the werewolves, and grabs his own silver dagger.
Grim is bitten and uses a potion of levitation to take to the air. He then pulls out his bow and pelts the werewolves from the air with silver arrows. The three manage to finish off the party of wandering werewolves, and then finish their rest for the evening.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2005 : 21:21:05
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Chess 25th , 1372 DR
The group manages to make it to the druid's cottage, and Grim, travelling slightly ahead, hears voices within the hut. He knocks on the door, and a crossbow bolt shoots out and strikes him in the shoulder. A voice calls out telling him to surrender in the name of the King.
Two purple dragon knights and a beautiful woman with ash blonde hair walk out of the cottage. Tessaril Winter, Lord of Eveningstar, addresses them, telling them that she has been keeping an eye on the druid's cottage and that they had just driven off some werewolves in the area.
One of the knights sneers at the Tunlander and the druid, but the Lady Tessaril corrects him. Grim speaks with Tessaril, and she produces a tressym kit in response to his question about his master. Grim finds out that his master, when being tortured by the werewolves, prayed to Meilikki to keep him around to pass on information to his protege, and she reincarnated him as a tressym.
Taldon Forestward, the druid turned tressym, tells Grim that the book is important to Meilikki, and imparts what he knows about it privately while Meriden and Stilgar head into Eveningstar to the Golden Unicorn and then to the Low Lantern to relax. Grim utilized the herbs and other items in the druid's hut to make sure that the bite he sustained from the werewolves does not cause him to contract lycanthropy.
The gnome overhears much of the conversation with the tressym druid master and his student, and Grim makes the gnome swear to not pass on what he has heard, and is now even more commited to putting the gnome to rest so that he is no longer present to pass on Meilikki's secrets.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2005 : 21:22:55
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Chess 26th, 1372 DR
Stilgar, Meriden, and Grim, along with Gerlricks' ghost travel along to the clearning that contains the next fey crossroads guardian. Just outside of the clearing, they hear fighting, and determine that two forest trolls are fighting for dominance. The trolls smell intruders, and start looking for the party.
Stilgar, Meriden, and Grim move in to attack the trolls. Stilgar gets out his alchemist's fire, ready to go against their foes. In the course of the battle, one of the forest trolls pulls Meriden off of his horse and begins to squeeze the life out of him. After working on the first forest troll to free Meriden, the second forest troll gets ahold of Stilgar, snags him with both claws, and rends the flesh of the barbarian, seriously wounding the barbarian.
The other two come to Stilgar's aid, and the newly supported barbarian swing a powerful swing with his axe and separates the troll from his head. The bodies are burned, and Meriden treats Stilgar's wounds.
In the clearing, the group gets ahold of Rhannidayn, a Fey Crossroads Guardian that is fond of druids, and asks Grim for proof of his druidic training. Once they have a conversation in Druidic, the guardian opens the crossroads for the party.
Gerlricks and Grim confer once they step out of the crossroads, and they end up deciding that they are about two or three days north of Ashabenford in the forest. They set out to their next destination, and manage to find the location of another fey guardain, Loastoar, who is enamored by tales of Myth Drannor. After Meriden tells Loastoar about the time travelling adventure that he had, the guardian opens the crossroads for them.
Arriving in a forest that none of them recognize, after travelling for an hour or so, Grim feels the presense of druid wards that would indicate a sacred grove. The group is soon surrounded by members of the druid's grove, followers of Silvanus.
The group asks for information on where Tellerth is, and the druids offer to send Lhoeriath, a member of the grove and an attractive half elven female. Lhoeriath appears to be enamored of Stilgar, and flirts with him on the way to Tellerth.
In Tellerth, Gerlricks leads the group to a jeweler's shop run by his neice and nephew, and they enter and introduce themselves to the family members. In the middle of the explanation Gerlricks chimes in, scaring the gnomishness out of his relations. Killidaegra, a gnomish illusionist, and Swanart, a gnomish bard, agree to travel with the group back to Mistledale, and Killidaegra identifies several magical items that the group have found for them.
The group retires for the night at the Polten Inn, and Swanart regails them with a song about how Garl Glittergold stole Laogozed's tail. He points out that he has several of the songs, several completely in gnomish that retain the original intent of the composer. Stilgar takes Lhoeriath up on her offer to “spend some time together” and they slip of to the grove, where she points out that she wishes to have a child that is skilled in nature and powerful of form so as to guard the grove. Stilgar considers this and then says, “why not.” |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2005 : 21:23:59
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Chess 27th, 1372 DR
The group sets out for the next fey crossroads, travelling through the druid's grove, where Loeriath offers to let the party utilize the cleasing pool in the druid's gove. They do so and then set out in the late morning hours for the next crossroads guardian. Byaathegaarth is the next guardian, who is fond of stories about dragons, and so Swanart regails him with stories about Gareth Dragonsbane's dealings with the Platinum Dragon of Mount Celestia, and the destruction of the avatar of Tiamat. Byaathegaarth lets them pass into the crossroads.
Upon arriveing back in the Cormanthor forest north of Mistledale, Swanart, Killidaegra, and Gerlricks set off on their own, thanking the group for their efforts on the behalf of their family.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2005 : 21:25:04
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Chess 28th-30th, 1372 DR
After camping in the forest and getting ready to travel south back to Ashabenford, the group hears strange wind sounds, and eventually finds, in a clearing, a creature shaped like a funnel, with a tail stinger, spines in rows down its body, and a mouth at the wide end of the funnel with sharp teeth and four arms surrounding the maw. They hear voices in their heads telling them to surrender and they will be used properly as minions.
The barbarian immediately charges in a rage toward the unnatural creature, and is savaged by its four arms and its mouth. Meriden draws out a lion from his bag of tricks and sets it upon the strange funnel creature. Grim ignites a blade of flame with a druidic spell and angles in for an attack. The barbarian continues to hack violently at the creature as it slashes him with its claws. It also manages to enact a spell that causes a dagger to hover near Meriden.
Grim attacks the creature with his flame blade, and it fails to harm it, and its magic is drank into the creature itself. Meriden summons up a spiritual sword to attack the creature, and the dagger hovering near him attacks him. The sword strikes the creature and is promptly absorbed by the creature.
The creatures stinger tears into the lion, and its claws keep tearing at the barbarian. The creature also fires a bolt of darkness at Meriden and strikes him hard with a beam of dark energy.
The barbarian Stilgar finally manages to get to the side of the creature after Grim stabs it in a vulnerable spot. Stilgar screams in rage and cuts the beast in half with his great axe, spraying himself with the creatures ichor, and collapsing in exhausing afterwards.
By the 30th of Chess, the group manages to get home to Ashabenford. After stowing their gear at the rental house, they travel to the Mistledale Lancers barracks, donating some of the magical armor that they had come by again. The lance captain informs them that Neylessa will be happy for the donation, and tells the party about another adventuring party that is travelling through Mistledale, and may want to start a temple near the Beast Country themselves. He tells them that they have done some jobs for Haresk, and Meriden marches straight toward Haresk's mansion.
Grim heads for Noristuor's tower, and sells some of the body parts of the creature, and gets information on it, learning a little about the Phaerimm.
Meriden arrives at Haresk's and meets with the other party of adventurers. Sir Varim Lhandrium, paladin of Sune, is the leader of the party, and his troop includes Brother Dorv of Sune, a cleric, Kelda, a half elven sorceress, and Candlegrip, a halfling swashbuckler. They introduce themselves and then dismiss themselves from the adventurers they just met. Haresk assures Meriden that Ashabenford is big enough for both groups.
The party goes back to Meriden's house to get some rest.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2005 : 21:26:07
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Tarsahk 1st-Kythorn 19th, 1372 DR
Both Grim and Meriden realize that they need to spend some time in meditation to expand their spiritual powers, and Meriden spends some time in private mediation, while Grim travels north to the Abbey of Silvanus. As spring caravans start to travel, Meriden also starts to bless all of the travellers that move through town, healing the wounded guards and merchants that have fallen afoul of bandits of all stripes. Meriden and Grim also travel to Glen and find that Wulgar has been be returned to normal and is still working for his betrothed's father.
So far, the weather has been horrible for farmers, with terrible droughts hitting most of the Heartlands, if the caravan guard's gossip is to be believed. The clerics and druids at the abbey of Chauntea north of Ashabenford have been artificially working to keep at least enough rain to keep the crops locally healthy. They have also sent many of their stores down through the Moonsea ride into Cormyr to aid that nation.
Stilgar travels with one of the caravans going into Cormyr as a guard so that he could visit his family in the Tun plains. Stilgar is gone until Kythorn 12th, and he brings with him specific news that has only been hinted at by several travellers in the area. Tilverton is gone. All that is left is a crater filled with the ruins of some buildings that appear to have tumbled downward, almost like the aftermath of an implosion.
In the mean time, after having been badly wounded in the Beast Country, Varim's Band returns to Ashabenford, and decides to hunt drow bandits nearby. They do this until they are badly ambushed, and locals start to say that they should worship Tymora instead of Sune due to their ability to survive. Finally, they manage to defeat a green dragon and a band of trolls, and they begin to be taken much more seriously as heroes in the region. They are not mentioning in their stories that the green dragon was quite young.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2005 : 18:16:44
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Kythorn 20th, 1372 DR
Stilgar, Grim, and Meriden get together to discuss the events that have happened over the last few months. The also plan out what they plan on doing next. Grim wants to try out a fey gateway that leads closer to Silverymoon, and Grim and Meriden also agree that they should take a side trip to visit the child that they rescued at the beginning of the year, the baby with Jackert Fleet in Stumphill. Meriden also decides that he might wish to visit his family, and they may make a side trip to see Stilgar's people on the edge of the Marsh of Tun.
Meriden talks to Naurvintha about going with, but she is already tied up with helping arrange matters for Shieldmeet and any local nobles and rulers that might be passing through the region soon. She also chides Meriden on his lack of patience with Varim's Band, telling him that Varim is a good man at heart. Meriden asks if he has hit on Naurvintha, and she says no . . . but Candlegrip the halfling swashbuckler has. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2005 : 18:18:03
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Kythorn 21st-26th, 1372 DR
Meriden, Grim, and Stilgar head out to Stumphill, and Grim fills Meriden and Stilgar in with what, in general, is going on about the book of fey crossroads and the responsibilities and quest associated with it. Upon arriving, Grim checks up on his freed child as well, still the tallest person in Stumphill.
Matron Fleet feeds the group well, and they spend some time with her and the child, then sleep outside of the home (as its a bit more comfortable) on the hills. While sleeping, Meriden feels a presense nearby, and he wakes to find a man in dark robes considering the Fleet household.
Meriden speaks with the man, asking him what he is doing, and Grim wakes up during this time as well. They find that the man has an issue with Fzoul Chembryl, and apparently has some contacts within the Zhentarim, and he does not fully trust the wards put in place by the Harpers.
Stilgar wakes up, asks a very cogent question, and stuns everyone. Then the mysterious man explains the child's history, that she was born to a mother that Fzoul had taken as a mistress while overtaken by Xvim. The child is at least partly possessed by the power of Xvim, and Bane wants Fzoul to sacrifice all seven of his children that he had in this manner to Bane. He has already sacrificed six of them. The mysterious man then hands them a dagger and a scroll with the name of the family of the child's mother and their location in Hillsfar. He mentions that the woman's husband was not pleased with her “service” to Fzoul.
The dagger, according to the man, will send anyone killed with it to Kelemvor's throne of judgement. If they use this on the child, its soul, as well as the fragment of Xvim's power, will not go directly to Bane. He also offers to have an elven aquaintance of his cast the ward strengthening spells he spoke of, but the group declines his help. The mysterious man calls his blood horse and flies off.
Inside the house, the group asks Matron Fleet if she can get ahold of Storm, and she uses an enchanted Harper pin to do so. Storm tells the group that she is very busy right now, but that she will send a group of agents that she trusts implicitly that are very good at gaurding important figures. They arrange a password, and she tells them that they should be at Stumphill by the next day.
The group keeps watch, and the next day three adventurers, a female and two males, arrive, and cite their names as Sharantyr, Belkram, and Itharr. They give the password, and take possession of the child. Meriden, Grim, and Stilgar take their leave of Jakert, and head back to Ashabenford to finalize their plans.
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Edited by - KnightErrantJR on 04 Dec 2005 03:55:58 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2005 : 18:19:38
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Kythorn 27th-Flamerule 2nd 1372 DR
Upon returning home, the group provisions themselves and starts out to find the nearest fey crossroads. On their way out of time, Ulaeda, a serving girl at the White Hart Inn, runs out to them and tells them that Holfast wants to talk with them.
When arriving at the White Hart, Holfast tells them that he still has some contacts from his adventuring days, and that he has a safehouse that he been maintaining for the Harpers. He has been holding Naarsmul Tenthagin in the safehouse, waiting for an agent, but the Harpers have been distracted and not able to pick him up. He is only a bookeeper from a Zhentarim merchant, but he could still prove very useful with what he knows. He asks if the group will take him north to a farm in Shadowdale that he knows of, inhabited by a retired Harper ranger.
The three agree, and Stilgar and Meriden head north to where a tunnel from the safehouse comes out, while Grim travels in the tunnel with Naarsmul. A few miles outside of Ashabenford, the whole group meets up, and starts to travel the Mistle trail north to Shadowdale.
Early in their travels, the group finds a narrow spot on the River Ashaba, greatly lessened due to the lack of rain, to cross over to the side opposite of the Mistle trail. The group starts to travel north in the forest parallel with the river.
The first night, the group runs into a group of rangers from the Mistledale Militia that are hunting in the forest trying to find a vampire and its minions that have been plaguing the area. The group offers to share their camp (after innitial exchanges to make sure no one was a vampire), but the group says that they have lost contact with another band, and they are trying to stay active at night and camp during daylight hours, so as to not be caught unaware. Meriden and Grim alter what powers they pray for from their deities.
Eventually, the party runs into a group of loggers sending deadfalls up toward Shadowdale on the river. This gives the party an idea, as they will travel on the river and keep anything that cannot cross running water at bay. For most of the trip on the river, they see only loggers and hunters on the banks.
The party gets off their barge only about a day away from their goal, and they get off on the banks and head toward the farmhouse in Shadowdale.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2005 : 18:21:18
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Flamerule 3rd-6th , 1372 DR
As they begin to travel the forest edge, the group is caught by a trap and hit by sleep poisoned arrows. Grim, Naarsmul, and Stilgar drop dead asleep, and Meriden is left alone in the group. He is then confronted by a man he remembers, a man with tatooes of death and grey and black robes. He remembers him as the Monk of the Long Death that he faced back in Scardale.
He informs Meriden that he as been working for the Zhentarim now, and that he has done several jobs in exchange for Zhentarim wizards aiding him in creating his “gauntlet.” He tells Meriden that he will allow Meriden and his friends to leave if he agrees to run this gauntlet and they survive.
Meriden agrees, not sure of the power of the Monk or if he is accompanied by others. When he agrees, several groundlings burrow up from the ground and begin to carry off his sleeping friends, and the monk leads them to his “gauntlet.”
The monk throws all the gear in the first room of the underground gauntlet, then has the groundlings put the party members on the edge of the guantlet, and motions for Meriden to join them.
Upon waking up, Grim casts a flameblade so that they can see in the darkness, and they notice a ceramic pot in the corner with a wick. Grim throws a dagger and spills the fluid out of the pot, and they move on to the first door.
Several doors and traps later, Grim has been poisoned and badly battered, and Meriden has been engaged in healing him often. The group manages to fight a group of basilisks and avoids a black pudding, sets off more traps, and gets attacked by a swarm of hellwasps, and encounter that nearly kills all three of the adventurers, though they manage to keep Naarsmul away from the creatures. Stilgar uses up many of his flasks of alchemist's fire on them, but it is a long and arduous process that uses much more of Meriden's and Grim's healing abilities.
Entering a large room, the group sees a large, metal plated bull-like creature, but amazingly, Stilgar charges it and hits it so hard that the massive creature is actually staggered and falls to its knees, and Meriden follows up with a sword thrust that kills it with only the second stroke.
After resting the group heads out down another corridor, and runs into a plant creature. It proves resistant to fire due to its gooey consistancy, and its tendrils wrap around Stilgar. Still, the group manages to hack the plant creature down, and Grim finds a lightning glyph on the door leading out, which Meriden promptly dispells.
After leaving and healing, Stilgar wants to finish off any creatures still inside, and Meriden agrees that leaving dangerous beasts that might be in there around would be a mistake. When they search for the rooms they missed, they find a dire bear trapped within a room too small for it to leave. Grim tells them that he needs a nights rest, then the next day uses the power of Meilikki to warp the rough stone around the door frames and soften it, allowing the dire bear, who is disposed to liking the druid, to push its way out of the door frames, and the bear is free.
By the afternoon of the 6th of Flamerule, the group is within walking distance of the farmhouse, and the group stops before they enter the retired Harpers estate, resting and finishing their healing and preparations.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2005 : 20:39:06
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Flamerule 7th, 1372 DR
At the at the retired Harper ranger's house, the party is invited in for lunch by his female dwarven housekeeper. Reslin, the ranger, talks to them about their reason for brining Naarsmul to him, and pays them a sum of platinum for their time and effort. The heroes also tell the ranger about the monk of the Long Death and the roaming vampires in the woods to the south.
The groups goes into Shadowdale village. Upon asking some questions and getting the lay of the village, and consulting Meriden, who had been there before, Stilgar goes north to the shrine of Tempus to make his devotions to the God of War. Grim heads to the temple of Lathander to pick up some holy water, as well as to aquire some blessed items, if they have any extra. Meriden then stops by the Tower of Ashaba to deal in weapons and armor with the dwarven smith Gunthor, Mourngrym's personal smith. Meriden then stopped by the temple of Lathander to speak with Morninglord Rewel Thunderstorm to see what the cleric might know about vampires. Rewel dispatched a great deal of information about what to do to hunt vampires.
The group travels to the Old Skull in, and Jhaele Silvermane asks Meriden about his last stay at the inn and the elven “werewolf” that made the stir in the common room. Meriden appologizes for Mourn's lack of wisdom, and the group rent several rooms, Grim specifically interested in the Ferns room.
That night, Meriden, Grim, and Stilgar spend some time with some adventurers staying in the area. Meriden has a chat with Holy Justice Vhale of Tyr, the leader of the Company of the Shining Lance, and adventuring company out of Melvaunt that is exploring Myth Drannor. Meriden and Stilgar also play cards with Silmund of Tymora, a cleric with the Wanderstriders, who dispite his goddess seems to have horrid luck at cards.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2005 : 20:40:15
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Flamerule 8th, 1372 DR
The morning starts out with Silmund of Tymora flipping a gold coin that lands on its side. The group starts out for the forest to continue the hunt for vampires and to make sure the militia members that were looking for them are alright.
The groups stops at the Millpond to see if the workers at Mirrorman's Mill have heard any rumors, but they had not. The group travels until nightfall, and then make sure they post their watches vigilant agaist vampire attacks.
Vampires do not attack, but in the middle of the night, during Meriden's watch, the forsaken bodies of several of the Mistledale Militia members that did not succumb to the lure of imortality shamble into the camp. The zombies move in to attack Meriden, and he calls out for his allies, then procedes to incinerate a large number of the walking dead upon presenting the holy symbol of Helm to them.
Grim and Stilgar awaken and make quick work of the remaining zombies. The group then makes sure to bless, concecrate, and dispose of the bodies that attacked them.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2005 : 20:41:15
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Flamerule 9th-10th, 1372 DR
Pressing on into the early morning hours, Grim casts a druid's charm that gives him the power of scent, and tracks the smell of decay from the corpses. Grim notices that the forest is unnaturally quiet and free from animals.
Eventually, Grim leads them to a hilly outcropping shielded from the sun where three of the vampire spawn are resting during the day. The group manages to come upon them undetected, and Meriden unleashes a shining ray of divine power to burn them as Grim and Stilgar stake their hearts, cut off their heads, and douse them with holy water.
The group travels on along the Mistle Trail trying to find more clues as to the vampire infestation in the area. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2005 : 20:42:20
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Flamerule 11th, 1372 DR
The day is disturbingly calm, and the party travels on, setting up camp in the evening. Just after they set up camp, they notice a figure darting along the trees, and they are ready to defend themselves.
Out of the trees come a beautiful female with jet black skin and white hair, with glowing red eyes. She identifies herself as Gwaussi, a scout from the dark elven city of Maerimydra, whose party ran afoul of Jaelre drow, Mistledale Militia, and finally, a vampire. She wants the group to kill her master so that she will be freed. She promises them that she will return to Maerimydra as soon as she is free.
The group is wary, but they decide that they want to have an advantage over the vampire master, so they follow her through the night to an abandoned logging camp that contains her master. She warns them about traps and minions within the camp, then leaves before the sun comes up. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2005 : 20:43:40
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Flamerule 12th, 1372 DR
The heroes move in to the logging camp, and scout out the outhouse and well outside of the camp before checking the front door for the traps that Gwaussi warned them of. Grim finds the trap on the front door, and they enter the common area. Meriden destroys a host of zombies in this area, and Grim and Stilgar finish off the ones that did not fall to Helm's power.
In the next area, the sleeping quarters, Meriden finds several possessions in trunks of men who have families back in Mistledale, and Grim checks the trap in the next area, nicking himself with a wyvern's poison arrow when he does so, and falling desperately wounded. Two swarms of creatures, what appear to be undead moquitoes, attack Meriden and Stilgar, weakening them and sapping the vitality from them. Utilizing large amounts of holy water, alchemis's fire, and torches, they finally manage to disperse the swarms, badly wounded and battered.
Meriden heals Grim and Stilgar, and they discus wheather they can actually press on while they still have daylight. They eventually agree that it would be worse to face the vampires wounded at night than wounded during the day, and they press on down into the storage cellar.
After scouting the first area of the cellars, the three adventurers find large suspicious crates, and the three decide to slowly, quietly open three of them and then try to coordinate their attacks. Each one strikes at the same time, dispatching the three vampire spawn at the same time.
Grim manages to find another trap, a glyph on the door leading to the next room, and Meriden dispells the glyph before they enter. They find an actual coffin in the next room, and find a glyph on the coffin. As the adventurers open up the coffin, the vampire lord sits up with a partially driven stake in its heart.
Turning to a mist, Meriden strikes the mist with a powerful healing spell, injuring the vampire greatly. Upon its return to the coffin, the stake is driven all the way in, and the master vampire is done for.
That night, Meriden and Grim are exhausted, and leave Stilgar to watch the camp. Gwaussi appears in the camp, and inthralls Stilgar. While Stilgar is enthralled, Gwaussi has Stilgar ingest a small amount of her blood, then tells him to be ready for her to return to this area, and to forget her visit to him this night.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2005 : 20:45:09
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Flamerule 13th-15th, 1372 DR
The three adventureers begin to travel home. The first day, they encounter two ettins that block the Mistle Trail, but they dispatch them, takings some injuries, but managing to prevail. The next night they stay over at the Abbey of Silvanus, with Grim noticing that the place is not in as good a shape as he would like it to be, having respect for an allied god's holy place.
Another day down the road, where the Mistle Trail changes to the Holy Road (a formal road, not a trail), they stay the night at the Abbey of the Golden Sheaf, getting a tour of the place from the local clerics.
Finally, the party returns home to Ashabenford. They travel to Noristuor's Tower to have their items identified, and eventually Targen Holdfast catches up with them. Since the northern logging lodges are part of his responsibility as a Councilor of Mistledale, he presents the group with a reward for saving his area of this menace and thanks them.
The group makes sure the bows and personal items that they recovered from the Mistledale Militia and the loggers make it back to their respective families within Mistledale. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 15 Dec 2005 : 19:04:52
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Flamerule 16th-21st, 1372 DR
Early on in the morning, Neylessa Shendean comes knocking on the door of Meriden's rented house, bearing a message from Haresk Malorn, requesting their pressence within the hour at his mannor. Meriden rouses the other two adventurers, and the three set off for Haresk's home.
When arriving at the house, they are shown into the meeting chamber, and Haresk invites the adventurers to travel with his entourage to attend the Sheildmeet Dalelands council in Essembra, in Battledale, but they must be ready to leave immediately. He then tells them that Varim's band might be willing to travel with them instead, and all three quickly take up the offer.
The adventurers are introduced to their travelling companions for this particular trip. In addition to Haresk's family, Neylessa Shendean and Sir Renward of the Golden Sheaf, another paladin of Chauntea are travelling with the group, as well as the rangers Skennis and Witter, and the Militia scouts Searlith (Meriden's old aquaintance) and Sandril o' the Helm, a half elven scout from Pelden's Helm.
Meriden notices that Stilgar has taken to counting troups and supplies, yet doesn't remember doing it when confronted with the information. Meriden finds out that Stilgar is enchanted with a domination spell, and upon dispelling the effect, the adventurers speak about when this could have happened, and eventually they come up with the drow vampire Gwaussi.
On the trip Haresk and Meriden talk about Haresk's recent trip to Cormyr where the Phaerimm managed to take over several of the Dale leaders in an effort to bargain with Alusair, and expresses his desire to find some kind of magical device to make him immune to such metal tampering. He also shares with Meriden his plans for a concerted agreement for mutual protection between the Dales in regard to their militas. Stilgar spends some time trying to get to know the half elf scout, and Grim speaks with Saerlith, learning about what happened with his sister and Meriden, from Saerlith's point of view, and the catfolk's concern over his sister's involement with Varim. Upon insulting Saerlith by comparing him to a cat, Grim tries to make amends by shifting into an ape to amuse the catfolk.
The adventurers have learned that the Abbey of the Sword will have a tournament leading up to Shieldmeet, and Meriden and Stilgar are both interested with this development. While taking a meal break, Meriden borrows a lance from Neylessa, and Stilgar borrows a shield and a lance from Sir Renward, and the two practice jousting, and Meriden practices landing on the ground, flat on his back.
The group passes Ulwen Sharin's lands, the Sharin Freeholds, and then end up in the dwarven settlement of Glen, where they stay for the night. Chorn Stoneturner greets the adventurers and buys them a round of drinks, and eventually shows Stilgar the entrance to the Low Road, since Meriden seems to trust him. Chorn also unsuccessfully tries to get Grim to sample some dwarven fare, though he excuses himself early.
When the group sets up camp near the Standing Stone, the adventurers take not of the historic monument, though Stilgar is less interested than the others. The writing makes his head hurt. The adventurers then realize that they look like tourists compared to the dale natives that they travel with.
Two days travel to the south of the Standing Stone, and the group ends up at Lord Ilmeth's manner, and are shown to their rooms along with the other Dalelands leaders that have arrived.
They also visit the fields outside of the Abbey of the Sword and see the various warriors and knights from the different regions, including the Thayan knights and their Red Wizard mastes from the enclave in Scardale, the Impilturans, Damarans, and other Dalelanders. Grim insults the Sembian knight Hithdannar Wearandiloth, and Meriden runs into Sir Evast Huntsilver, whose apprentice, Orlass Greystag, is Meriden's brother. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 15 Dec 2005 : 19:08:15
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Flamerule 22nd-29th, 1372 DR
After enrolling in the lists, the adventurers manage to hear about the exodus of the Jaelre drow from the portal network underneath the Abbey of the Sword, and the unfortunate fate of the founder of the Abbey, Priest General Eldan Ambrose.
Meriden enrolls in the wrestling competition and the jousting lists, Grim enrolls in the archery contest, and Stilgar enrolls in all three competitions. Meriden defeats Sir Kandan of the Essembra, and Stilgar defeats Sir Renward. Grim looses his archery round against Lhoraev Wolfstar (a wood elf adventurer recently returned the the region), after defeating Randler Khane, an archer from Mistledale's Militia. Stilgar advances in the archery competion, but is eventually knocked out by the archer Nellis Rosterford of Sembia. Meriden is knocked out by Sir Eremban of Damara, and Stilgar defeats Rodan Tulfan, a cleric of Tempus from the Abbey. In the end, Stilgar is defeated by Sir Brelast of Impiltur, a cavalier and experienced jouster.
Meriden loses his first round in the wrestling competition to the monk, Brother Invar of Ilmater, and Stilgar defeats Gryphlin Hammertong of Glen, and Bran of Chandler's Cross, setting himself up for the campionship bout against Brother Invar.
Grim and later Meriden start to take bets on Stilgar, several of the bets being with the Tempos clerics from the Abbey. While betting, Grim notices a southern man, tall and thin, with an unhealthy pallor, taking notes on people in the crowd. While the events are going on, Grim follows the man to the Bold Banners, a famous festhall frequented by many of means that travel through the dales.
Grim outlays a great deal of gold to enter the house and to secure an escort that is well veresed in conversation and information, and he meets with a Tashlutan woman of very cultured mean, who explains to Grim that the southern man that he has been trailing is a Hlondeth native named Kysanish Rhearhrd. She also tells him that he has recently arrived in Battledale and works at the Adderposts, a local pawnshop that doubles as a place to fence goods, and that Kysanish may be a sorcerer employed in appraisal work.
Stilgar faces the monk Invar of Ilmater, and the two have an epic struggle. Stilgar, unarmed and desperate, draws upon his natural fury to keep on his feet. Brother Invar manages to trip him and lands several telling blows on Stilgar, and the two are greatly battered when Stilgar manages to take a wild, powerful swing and knocks Invar unconcious. He manages to stay on his feet long enough for the administrators to name him the winner, then collapses.
Meriden finds out that Lord Ilmeth is a follower of Helm, and performs morning ceremonies for him and his soldiers. Meriden breifly mentions funding for his new temple, and also champions Heresk Malorn's plan for a mutual defence agreement for the Dalelands, and Ilmeth listens to him and takes it seriously. While Meriden and Stilgar dine with the warriors most nights, Grim stays with the Dale representatives at the castle, and gains access to Lord Ilmeth's map room in order to do some research. Meriden eventually takes his brother with him to the dinner at the castle in an effort to speak with him, though he gets only minimal results. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 15 Dec 2005 : 19:09:25
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Flamerule 30th-Eleasis 3st, 1372 DR
Stilgar goes to the Abbey to claim his prize, an enchanted adamantine breastplate, and attends the ceremony to get his reward, along with the winners of the other competitions, Sir Brelast of Impiltur (jousting), and Seanthis Flamearrow, an elf in Alok Silverspear's company (archery). Stilgar spends some quality time with Lady Captain Ginra Inthal, administrator of the archery contest and follower of Tempus. The two enjoy one anothers company for a while after the presentation of the awards.
Grim tracks down Kysanish Rhearhrd at the Adderposts and asks him why he is taking notes on various people and factions. Kysanish quotes a large price for Grim in order to give up some knowlage. He lets Grim know that he is an information broker as well as an appraiser, and has learned some important matters. For the right price, he is willing to let Grim know that shapechagers have infiltraded the Red Sword of Archendale's bodyguard.
Grim returns to Ilmeth's mannor and tells Meriden and Haresk about the situation. He has also found out that the shapechanges are likely to replace family members, including Naurvintha. Meriden and Ilmeth go to inform Mourngrym and the Shadowdale contingent, Grim sends a runner to the Abbey of the Sword of scrolls of True Seeing, then takes Haresk with him to warn Randal Morn. He also sends a runner for Stilgar.
Upon describing the shapechangers to lord Mourngrym, Meriden learns that the shapechangers are Malaugrym, shapechangers that are from the Plane of Shadows and are particularly vulnerable to silver. Ilmeth gathers everyone in the meeting hall for an impromtu “celebration” and distributes silver jewelry to everyone, and Randal Morn's bards play their songs, increasing his agents chances to weed out spies.
Stilgar, Meriden, and Grim manage to corner the Red Sword, who no longer has his bodyguards with him. He does not know where they are at the moment, but when he tells the adventurers this, a teleportation circle trap goes off, whisking all of them off to a region in the Plane of Shadows.
The Malaugrym strike a bargain with the adventures, taking them far away from anywhere either of them have allies, and will battle them for the safety of the Red Sword of Archendale, who is currently in their clutches. The adventures agree, and all of them are teleported to the Great Dale.
After wrapping a tentacle around Grim and electrocuting him, the first Malaugrym gets beset by Stilgar and Grim. The other Malaugrym shifts to gain wings and reigns down magic missles on Stilgar, until Meriden casts a ward on Stilgar making him immune to magic missles as well as charm spells, which Meriden has just dispelled from Stilgar's mind. Stilgar begins to pelt the Maulgrym with silver arrow, even as it resists Grim's flaming sphere spell. Eventually both Maulgrym are brought low and killed, and the adventurers and the Red Sword wander the Great Dale until they encounter a band of plant creatures.
The creatures, the volodni, are impressed enough with Grim to let them live, and they even take the group to their leader, a druid, who casts a spell to take them back to the Standing Stone.
The council is held over the extra days and the adventurers are rewarded for their efforts in securing the peace of the council upon their return.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 15 Dec 2005 : 19:11:29
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Eleasis 4th-9th, 1372 DR
Travelling home, Meriden learns that Haresk has gotten promises from Shadowdale, Daggerdale, Scardale, Deepingdale, Harrowdale, and Battledale, and a slight consideration from Archendale over his mutual protection pact. The elven families that are starting to return have also agreed to think about entering into this pact as well.
Meriden talks to Haresk about magic items that he has heard of that might shield his mind, and they discuss that Meriden and his friends may manage to find such items in their travel, and that they will let Haresk know if they do. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 15 Dec 2005 : 19:12:32
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Eleasis 10th-Eleint 7th, 1372 DR
The groups stays close to home during this time, spending time practicing their skills and dealing with the locals.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2006 : 05:28:57
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Eleint 8th-11th, 1372 DR
Grim has a few more items to learn and to clear up with the druids and clerics of Silvanus at the Oakgrove Abbey, and is still at that temple complex, but Stilgar and Meriden are currently at Meriden's rented house at the edge of Ashabenford.
A rider from the Mistledale Lancers arrives at the doorstep with a message from the officer on the scene that they presense is requested in Stumphill as soon as possible, though there are no details, and the messenger does not know where they were summoned to the halfling village.
Meriden and Stilgar saddle up their horses and head out to the halfling village as soon as they can, sending word to Grim as to where they have gone and asking him to join them if he receives the message soon. Given that the Oakgrove Abbey is several days to the north, they will likely arrive in Stumphill before he receives the message.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2006 : 05:31:33
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Eleint 12th-13th, 1372 DR
Upon arriving in Stumphill, Meriden and Stilgar find that Mourn Ninefingers and Adept Lady Knight Emen of the Order of Everwatch Knights are also in the village, having come to visit their friend, the Matron Fleet. The reunion is troubling, however, since upon arriving they group of friends has found that the whole village has been slaughtered. Among the dead are a handful of drow of House Jaelre.
All of the friends are skeptical that this is a simple raid, most of them concerned that the Banites in the Zhentarim might have found out where the child marked by the sign of Xvim had been hidden. After examining the wounds of the drow dead, Meriden doubts that the wounds on the drow were caused by halfling weapons. Searlith, the scout patrol master to first find the scene, points out that the slaughter happened before the militia arrived, though he has recently found a Jaelre outpost about four days or so to the north of Stumphill.
Emen and Meriden help to properly bury most of the dead, but prepare one of the drow corpses and Matron Fleet's body for a special ceremony to be performed the next day by Meriden.
The following day, Meriden calls upon Helm to allow him to speak with the dead drow and Matron Fleet. From the drow he learns that he was indeed a member of a Jaelre patrol, but that he was killed by surface elves near the region of the forest termed the Beast Country. From Matron Fleet they learn that the force that attacked the halfling village was over thirty strong and did indeed appear to be drow, though to her knowlage the halflings felled none of the raiders.
Stilgar asks if Meriden can secure Matron Fleet's pancake recipe, but they all think better of such a request asked of the dead.
Mourn sends out his hawk to follow the trail that the raiders seemed to take out of the village, and nearly a day's walk into the woods the hawk manages to find a camp of surface elves. The group decides to travel north toward both the surface elves and the Jaelre compound that Searlith found, hoping to find more answers.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2006 : 05:33:21
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Eleint 14th-16th, 1372 DR
While brainstorming what surface elves might have to do with placing dead drow bodies in a slaughtered halfling village, Mourn remembers what his father told him about a group of elves known as the Eldreth Veluuthra, elven supremecists that hate all other races, including drow, but also including halflings, humans, dwarves, and anything sentient and non-elven. Still, the party knows nothing for sure, and decides to spy on the elves.
While Meriden, Emen, and Stilgar start to march toward the camp, Searlith and Mourn (in wolf form), travel ahead to keep an eye on the elves. While Mourn unsuccessfully tries to steal something from camp to aid Meriden in scrying, Mourn and Searlith do hear that the group is waiting for another day before they will be decided to break camp or not.
The entire group manages to come to the elven camp, and the wild elf members of the camp walk up behind them as they get close. The wild elves bring the party to the moon elf leader of the group, Rhiiatharn Hytheiri, who receives them cautiously. Meriden asks them about their recent activities and if they have been near Stumphill. While Rhiiatharn seems to be telling the truth about running afoul of a Jaelre patrol and finding a Jaelre compound nearby, when he denies being near Stumphill he flinches, and Emen notices this reaction.
Mourn sneaks away from the group, changes to wolf form, and uses his sense of smell to estimate that there were at one time more than thirty distict elves in this clearing, and none of them drow.
Rhiiatharn flatly refuses to even be questioned by any human authorities, and asserts that according to the Dalelands Pact the forests are still the domain of the Elven Court and that he is not bound by any human authority. After this outburst, however, he tells Meriden than he has found plans from the Jaelre that indicate that they have something major planned. He also explains that he and his followers are representatives of families recently returned from Evermeet, and that they are shocked by the drow activity in the former elven lands.
Meriden takes the paper, and Mourn, reading some of the drow dialect, tells Meriden than it does appear that the drow are trying to distract the Dalesmen while they are planning something more substantial.
Meriden keeps the paper, and the group parts ways, Meriden pointing out that if the elves find out anything, a report in Ashabenford would be greatly appreciated, in order to help coordinate efforts between the Dalesmen and the elves. Rhiiatharn says that he may indeed find time to visit Ashabenford after he clears up some loose ends.
The next day, using the paper as a focus, Meriden scries the elves and their camp, and has Mourn help him translate the elvish. Rhiiatharn is using sending spells to order the other members of his group to move toward both Myth Drannor on one side, and Pelden's Helm on the other, and reiterates that there is indeed something they wish to find out about the drow and their plan for the region, and that they might dupe the humans into acting by prodding them into action against the Jaelre.
The group confers on what to do. Searlith wishes to return to his patrol in Stumphill and move toward Pelden's Helm, and Meriden wants to warn Haresk in Ashabenford about what is going on, so Mourn volunteers his hawk to send a message to Grim at the Oakgrove Abbey to let him know what is going on and to warn Haresk of the situation.
Meriden, Emen, Stilgar, and Morn will continue on to the Jaelre compound to see if they can find any evidence about the plans of the drow, and what the elves might be up to.
That evening, while Emen is on watch, a band of Jaelre affiliated monks set upon the camp. Emen holds her own during the innitial attack, and yells for her companions to wake up before the assasins can strike.
Emen challenges the leader of the group, and catches him in a massive bear hug. Stilgar wakes up and charges the monks, and Meriden conjures his armor and enters the fight. Mourn shifts to wolf form to fight the monks.
After Emen snaps the back of the monk leader and Stilgar savages another of the monks with his greataxe, the remaining monks take off for the trees. Meriden casts a spell on Stilgar allowing him to walk on air, and he chases down one of the monk students and subdues him.
Upon interrogating him, the party finds out that the Jaelre have been attacked in their compound by surface elves, and that the compound has been largely abandoned. The monks were to sweep the area, slowing down any further raiding bands long enough to allow the Jaelre in the compound to evacuate via portal back into the Underdark.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2006 : 05:34:53
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Eleint 17th-19th, 1372 DR
Grim recieves the message from the group, and wildshapes into a bird, flying to Ashabenford to speak with Haresk. Haresk asks Grim and Noristuor to aid him in notifying as many of the Lancers and the Militia as they can find on patrol, or get sendings to, in order to send half their numbers to Pelden's Helm, and the other half to sweep along the northern edge of the Dale, making sure other smaller villages are safe.
He also sends a messenger to Glen to ask the dwarves to be especially wary and to send word to the Sharin Freeholds about potential attacks. Finally, he asks the Tyrrans and the Chaunteans (via Sister Alena and her position on the council) to start scrying the areas familiar to them to watch for trouble.
Meriden, Emen, Stilgar, and Morn arrive at the compound of the Jaelre. Emen and Mourn scout the area, and find watchtowers in the trees, as well as the wooden barricades forming walls between the trees, but no one on watch. Meriden casts a spell on himself and his horse allowing them to walk on air, and circles around the compound around the treetops. He can see into the compound, and sees the small buildings that the Jaelre built around the tree bases, but sees no activities, and no guards. He throws down the rope ladders to the watch towers and lands his horse, then the party climbs up and into the compound.
The party investigates several buildings, and finds a few bodies (drow), apparently slain by sharp longswords. They also find two buildings not directly attatched to the trees, but free standing, that have tunnels leading down further into the ground. After exploring the second of these, the group leaves the building and runs into a towering, intimidating, vaguely frog like creature with vicious claws and teeth. Meriden recognizes it as a Hezrou, a type of demon.
As the party prepares for battle, the Hezrou causes a sickening slimy mist to envelop them, injuring it as they breathe it in. It then slams its fist down on the ground, causes wild explosions of various colors to erupt from the ground. The multi colored explosions seem not to affect Mourn and Stilgar, but Emen and Meriden are injured by them, and Emen is slowed by them. While the adventurers attack the creature, their attacks fail to injure him at this point, and it pronounces a horrid phrase spoken in vile Abyssal. Every member of the group that hears the words are severely weakened upon hearing the phrase.
Mourn attempts to target a fireball to go off behind the Hezrou, though its natural ability to shrug off magical attacks comes into play, and it ignores the flames. Meriden similarly calls down a pillar of flame with the power of Helm, but the Hezrou shrugs it off. Another fireball and a magic missle from Mourn seem not to affect the monster, and Emen, with her slowed reflexes, does little to harm the beast. Stilgar, still weakened but now in a savage rage, manages to strike the Hezrou savagely with his greataxe, tearing at its flesh. Emen's reflexes return to normal, and she flies into a flury, striking the demon several times, doing at least a bit more harm to it than before. Meriden calls upon Helm to increase his strength and size, and swells with Helm's might, and strikes the Hezrou with his increased physical power. The demon catches Stilgar in a bear hug and squeezes him, limiting his ability to attack, but the other adventures press in on the demon, and eventually Stilgar breaks the creature's hold on him. The demon unleashes the explosions of chaos again, wounding Meriden and Emen, and after taking more damage from the adventurers, the Hezrou teleports away.
The party posts watch and rests in one of the smaller barracks built around the base of the trees, but neither the Hezrou returns, nor do any drow arrive.
The party squeezed down the tunnels into the lower levels of the Jaelre compound, finding the tunnels widening eventually, though Emen is still quite cramped. They come to a door that is trapped with spinning blades, and Stilgar, who is in the lead when the door is compromised, is cut by the spinning blades and poisoned. The poison sapps his strength, but Meriden calls upon Helm to remove the poison from Stilgar's body.
The group finds sleeping pallets, a wizard's quarters that has been thouroughly cleared out, a common dining area, a privy filled with multi colored glowing fungus that emit a pleasant scent, a solid wall that appears to have a section of new earth in front of it, and foot prints leading into it, and a pool with reptilian prints leading into it.
After finding the hacked and torn bodies of several surface elves (the members of the party they group interacted with days earlier), they stumble upon a drow wizard near the pool of water. He tells them that he was in charge of moving the remaining horde from the settlement, but the portal could not remain open long enough for him to complete his task, so he stayed behind and slew the elves that came to investigate the area.
He tells the group where the portal is, and that they need only dig out the new earth in front of the wall to reach the portal to follow the Jaelre into the Underdark. The wizard tells them that there are also two entrances into the local Underdark in the compound, one at the east end of the cavern, and one at the west end. As the party continues to debate the wisdom of following the Jaelre into the Underdark, the drow wizard takes a few steps toward the pool, and transforms into a large, thin, purple scaled dragon.
The dragon blasts the group with a cloud of acidic vapors, injuring all of the group, but nearly knocking Mourn unconcious from the pain and wounds that he sustained. The dragon also manages to cast a spell entangling Meriden and Emen in a web, rooting them to their spot.
The dragon concentrates on slashing and biting the barbarian Stilgar, and tears into the warrior. Stilgar manages to slip under the dragon's guard and plants his axe devestatingly into the dragon's side, opening up a vein and causing massive blood loss to the large creature. Mourn drags himself out of harms way slowly, and before blacking out, shifts into a wolf, thus restoring some of his health. He pelts the dragon with magic missles, which fail to penetrate the creatuers ability to unravel magical spells. Meriden casts a spell to free him from the effects of the web's entagling grasp, and frees Emen, then casts a spell that will allow him to slay the living with a touch of his hand. The dragon tears into Emen, badly wounding her, and also slashes at the barbarian attacking his flank. The adventurerers spread out to avoid the dragon's breath, so the dragon concentrates it on Stilgar alone. The barbarian takes a staggering amount of damage from the acidic vapor, and falls back horribly wounded, but at this time, Meriden steps in and touches the dragon. The dragon's ability to unravel spells fails it, and it cannot resist the power of Helm as the divine force of the Vigilant One forces the life out of the dragon's body.
Meriden drags the other adventurers to the wizard's chambers, healing all of his wounded companions and tending them as they rest for the evening in the nice bed chamber. They carry sleeping pallets to the room, since the large Emen takes up the entire opulent bed in the wizard's chamber.
The next morning, Meriden casts a spell on Emen allowing her to breathe under water, and she finds a door in the pool. It is locked, but she manages to force it open, and finds a chamber on the other side, up above the water line, filled with treasure. She slowly carries all of the treasure back out to the edge of the pool, and the other adventurers start to catalog what they have found.
One gemstone, slightly damaged, Mourn recognizes from his father's descriptions, as a kiira stone. He impulsively places it on his forehead, and receives a vision about the varous artifacts that the elves secured after the fall of Myth Drannor. The information is incomplete, since the kiira stone is damaged, but there is still a record of a set of twin longswords, created by a renegade drow wizard from the Lands under Shadow, that were specifically created to destroy his foe, a baelnorn. The swords were unholy elven undead bane weapons, and the elves could not destroy them, so they hid them in the vaults of a fallen school of magic on the outskirts of Myth Drannor. The kiira stone also has information on the Baelnorn that the drow wizard created the swords to slay, a baelnorn of the Haevault family of Sun Elves, that guards a family crypt in the Vale of Lost Voices.
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KnightErrantJR's Mistledale Campaign Journal
