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Junglex3, hills, caves. 30/32
Hills, junglex4. During the day, they encounter a granger, a giant jungle giraffe. They leave it alone to eat jungle trees. 31/32 They move west into Mountainx2, River Valley, and see a small camp along the river. They head to it. It is a camp of about 30 or so guzaks. Unlike some of their cousins, several can speak Typic. They invite Alzar and his group to spend the day and night with them in their camp. It is a temporary camp, and they will leave in a week or so. The guzaks have 6 sabretooth tiger pets of adult size, and an equal number of cubs. They share a recent kill – a giant elk calf, with the group, and Alzar shares drink from the Mead Pitcher, which the guzaks love. They share several stories with Alzar about the island. They tell of a long ago race that once controlled this whole island chain, but they were destroyed, and went to hide behind the wall. They believe that the natives behind the Great Wall are the remnants of the species from long ago. There are several ruins on the Isle and surrounding islands, and there are still artifacts from long ago that are still causing problems. They talk about a plateau, that is in the middle of this mountain chain, up this river, and on it is the ancient seat of the empire. Various temples and forts from that empire can be found in various places around the Isle. They also tell of a magical artifact of great power from that era. It was called The Gauntlet. It was created by the old ones that were here, and then went missing, but recently has surfaced. A native was hunting and fell into a ravine, and at the bottom was The Gauntlet. Putting it on, he was controlled by it, and began gathering an army in the name of The Gauntlet. He is assembling it in an old fort of the old empire in the mountainous small island to the west. It’s only a couple of miles across, but it is between the main island and the larger island off the coast, and thus it makes for a great place to put a fort and control sea traffic in the area. The native has been building his army for almost a year now. He has started sending raids on the western side of the island, and two guzaks lost their life to one recently. The legends say there is another artifact glove from the empire, that was created as the opposite and equal to The Gauntlet, and could destroy it. They say The Sentinel should be somewhere here in the river valley, since The Gauntlet was found not far from here. |
UK2. The Sentinel
 The uncommon series of UK modules appears here with the UK2. I will follow immediately with UK3, for obvious reasons. I was not sure I would get to run these two modules, but I realized that my party is not ready for C1 or I1 on the Isle, so I am running UK2 and UK3 now. This will be a nice change of pace in some sense, because they should be a bit easier, without a lot of problematic battles. (although I made U1 hard simply by raising the level of the two mages by 4 levels each) |
Guzaks have a reputation for being loremasters, and Alzar does not doubt their stories. They are said to revel in stories of old, and have great memories in order to tell and retell just stories without adding or subtracting from them, in order to have as exact a history as possible, since few read/write, and their own language has no alphabet.
Having mentioned a desire to try and find The Sentinel, the guzaks suggest that a local clan of Svartálfar. These are very rare humanoids who lair far from prying eyes, especially human ones. To find and talk with Svartálfar would be an honor. Some sages believe that there might be no more than 1000 Svartálfar left in Thorasia, in small little clans in out of the way places. The guzaks will allow Alzar and his group to stay the night with them here in their camp for as long as they are here, so they can use the guzak camp as a base of operations. The Svartálfar lair is up the river two-four miles, and then take a branch into the mountain on the north bank and there will be a palisade at the end of a short valley, and nothing in the palisade at all, except for the entrance to a cave. That is where they will be found. Alzar sends a message to the captain by teleport jar to bring the ship around, in case they need it. The following morning, an hour from the guzak camp, they arrive at the palisade, just as told them. It is in a general arc around a cave. The small branch on the river flows into the mountain, so it looks like it goes underground for a while. They are several helms that ca n be seen just peeking above the palisade, and Alzar addresses those inside, but no one answers. Dryshik provides the answer, flying over, and seeing spears propped up with a helmet balanced on top. There is a watchtower here as well, behind the palisade.  There is a narrow gate inside, and they take it, and Megala and Dryshik flit about the watchtower. It’s about 20 feet off the ground. There does not look to be anything there, but Alzar climbs up the ladder and checks. The watchtower is a bit beaten from the weather, but very sturdy. |
They arrive at the entrance to the cave, and light a couple of torches before moving in. They enter the tunnel, and within five feet, it looks like they have entered another world. The Svartálfar craftsmanship is simply staggering, and different than anything they have ever experienced. Since Svartálfar only have three fingers and a thumb, everything is in base four, instead of five. Alzar had read about their places, but never seen one before.
The rocks is carved perfectly smooth, and there are no braces used to hold up the top, the strength of the tunnel itself does it. The same will be true throughout – no need of pillars or columns. The rock feels smooth, like glass, but it’s just a basic volcanic rock, nothing special. The tunnel itself has carvings in the floor and ceiling, with patterns for decoration on the bottom and scenes from Svartálfar culture and myth and history on the ceiling. They arrive at a four way stop in the tunnel. They can go left and back a little, right and back a little, or forward. As the yare looking around, one person steps a bit too far and triggers a trap. Estaish falls into a pit trap, but unlike normal ones, meant to deal damage to a person on spikes or dangerous creatures or just a big fall, this one ensnares him in a metal net. The net snaps back on itself, so Estaish is caught, and it is pulled taut, so he cannot swing it back or forth, or try to squeeze out. The only way they can get him out is by using a flask of acid. The go right, but now, Alzar is using the staff ahead to check for traps, pushing it hard into the ground. This corridor is winding its way back to the main tunnel, when Alzar triggers another similar trap, and is ensnared. Apparently, the staff was not enough to trigger the trap. He didn’t even feel the plate move when it triggered. That is a good trap. Another flask of acid is used, and Alzar only has one left. They are back to the main tunnel and beyond the first trap. They go deeper into the Svartálfar lair. They arrive at a side room, and chained to the wall here is an owlbear! It roars at them as it sees them. They cannot continue down the tunnel without dealing with the owlbear. The chain and belt and fixing are of much cruder work than the normal Svartálfar work they have seen before. Alzar orders missile weapons out. It takes 3 from a crossbow bolt, roars, and retreats into the side room, out of sight of the corridor, so Alzar and group will have to get in the chain’s range. Smart little creature. They move forward and battle is joined. The fighters attack it for 8. It hits twice for 5 on Aleigha. 29/34 It wins init and crits Aleigha for 10 damage. Aleigha and Est both nail it for 15. Alzar’s dagger adds 3 and it dies. 19/34 The search the area and find an ivory and jade necklace worth 25gp total XP – 100 each |
There is a room at the elbow of the tunnel, and inside is a small room with the same Svartálfar care to the details. There is a large amount of furniture in here, made with the same care and detail. The number four is seen everywhere, in the four legs for furniture, four drawers in a desk, four windows on one wall looking over the underground river, four lantern posts for lanterns, and so forth. A search finds nothing.
They continue along the tunnel and it band to the left back towards the rest of the lair. Arranged around the new room are items which one would normally associate with combat and training. There is a wooden ball with long spikes hanging by a chain, and a treadle-driven grind-stone. A batted straw target is at one end with several arrows sticking out. However, all of these are human sized, not Svartálfar sized. This is the final evidence that someone else is living here now. They search and find five bottle of liquid on a bench. They first is glue. The second is glue. The third smells like medicine. The fourth has no odor. The fifth smells like oil. Alzar takes them for later identification, but the oil and glue are obviously such (Alchemy). They continue down a passage and find a passage leading to the right completely blocked off by a jumble of rocks, casks, sacks and other items, and the stench of rotting flesh is here. They continue along the tunnel for now, and may come back later. |
It bends to the left and enters a a big common room perhaps 30 feet wide and with a variety of alcoves and curtains. Suddenly, out pops Detrak, and tries to backstab the human in the back. Estaish. It misses and clangs off his armor.
A whole force of people pop out of hidden alcoves, and two mountain lions are released by someone waiting in the tunnel out of this room. There is the thief to their rear, two mountain lions, a a group of three fighters, and a older woman wearing long red robes. Battle ensues. The woman casts magic missile and Alzar takes 7 damage. Two bolts are fired at the group. Both miss. A fighter-ish looking one with a dagger in each hand is approaching. The thief stabs and misses. 44/51 Alzar casts Sleep. No one falls asleep. Well, that sucked. Dryshik Mist Balls the spellcaster. Failure. That sucks too. Estaish swings at the thief and hit for 4 damage. Carum and Aleigha close. Alzar casts Hypnotism and it affects no one. Est hits for 11 on Mr. Sneaks. Carum spears the double dagger dude for 5 damage. The others drops their bows and draw weapons and close. The spellcaster casts Blur. She will be at -2 to hit in melee and -4 in missile combat. She then orders Detrak to retreat. Double dagger dude stabs out. He scratches Carum for 1 damage and poisons him for 15 damage from the poison. The thief runs back and retreats. Estaish lets him. The mountain lions have arrive/ 23/39 Double dagger dude crits Carum for 4 damage but with the same dagger as before – so no poison. Both fighters hit Aleigha for 13 damage. The mountain lions swing and one bits Carum for 6. Estaish closes. Aleigha retreats. Alzar realizes he needs to get involved and he summons a Searing Serpent right behind the fight in the middle of the room. Carum spears the dagger dude for 7 damage and kills him. A Mist Ball hits the wizardess for 3 damage and blindness for 2 rounds. 13/39 6/34 Suddenly, all of their foes shout out to each other and they get angry. +1 to hit and damage for their fallen family member. They win init. One fighter drops a broadsword, the other hits Carum for 2. One mountain lion hits Estaish for 6. The searing serpent hits for 8 on a mountain lion and frightens it. Carum spears a fighter for 6. Alzar runs up to help out. 11/39 25/32 Alzar swings a staff and misses. Est does too. Carum pierces a fighter for 5 more. The serpent misses. One mountain lion attacks the serpent and misses. The other hits Alzar for 8. One fighter misses and the other nails Alzar for 2 34/51 They win init. One fighter hits Alzar for 8. The others all miss. A serpent misses, Alzar vampiric touches the unwounded one for 14 and he takes a major hit. The fighters miss. The sorceress gains her sight and orders everyone to retreat. 40/51 Alzar wins init. He stabs his staff into the one he just vamp touches for 4 damage and kills him. Carum misses. Est kills the fighter they were playing with after hitting got 8. The serpent kills the mountain lion it has been focusing on. The other mountain lion and the wizardess move to flee. Alzar orders a Mist Ball at the woman. She makes her save, and Megala follows. She is reunited by the wounded thief inside the palisade and Alzar orders Megala to attack while everybody catches up. He claws the mage for 3 damage and she makes her save. The thief throws a dagger at Megala and hits for 2 damage. He flies up. The last mountain lion is ordered to guard the door. They emerge from the lair and a crossbow bolt, thrown dagger and sling each fire missiles. The mountain lion attacks and misses. The bolt kills the theif for 5 damage. The sling hits the older woman for 4 damage. The dagger is wide. She turns and casts Phantasmal Force and hides herself behind a wall, and starts to flee. The other move to attack the lion, thinking she cast a typical Wall spell, but Alzar is immune to level 1 spells and chases her. He pauses to throw a dagger at her and the +1 dagger hits her for 4 damage. She turns, knowing she will be unable to flee, and starts lobbing in darts. She crits Alzar for 4 damage. He runs in and gest the first attack, and cracks her for 6 damage killing her. Estaish and Carum have both killed the mountain lion with a combined 13 damage. 36/51 XP – 300 each |
They search everywhere and all bodies. They find:
Scroll Necklace of Topaz Beads – 1800 gold Gold Ring – 100 gpx2 Small Platinum Cloak Clasp – 160 gp Gold and Hematite Chain – 250 gp Weapons and armor of various types Aquamarine, 80 gpx6 There is a chest that Alzar investigates. They found no key. Alzar tries to open it. Success! He has picked his first lock with the Dexterity Gloves. It opens, but a poison gas attacks, he failed to find and turn off the trap. They find in the chest: 50 gp fine robe Rare perfume- 40 gp Silk Belt with detailed gold dagger and embroidered scabbard for it. 80 gp as set 515 gp Silver and Amber bracelet and necklace set, 800 gp Map indicating location of a ruined villa along the river Lavinia’s Spell Book. Alzar casts Read Magic form the Ring of Spell Storing and finds these spells: 1st: Audible Glamer, Read Magic, Detect Magic, Change Self, Magic Missile, Phantasnamal Force, Detect Illusion, Wall of Fog. 2nd: Hypnotic Pattern, Blur, Magic Mouth He also reads the scroll while using Read Magic and it has Magic Mouth, Dispel Illusion, Illusionary Script It’s obvious she was an illusionist. She got her just results. They have finished this section of lair, but there is the blocked section, and they go back, and try to move the tunnel. Luckily Estaish is wearing full armor, because rot grubs jumped out on him Blastbones clears them out. |
They find a few bedrooms and work room back here. One has a beautifully done Svartálfar gold statuette of one of his race. It is in an alcove, and Alzar procures it. It is easily worth 2200 gold.
They come across a few rats, but nothing major. They come across a room where there is tons of junk, and it looks like it might have been the quarters for a Svartálfar mage. They pull out the magic pile and cast Detetct Magic in here, and everything in the room glows except the items in the pile - save a magical dagger, armor and potion. Alzar doubts everything is magical in here, it’s obviously a spell trick – maybe Nystul’s Magic Aura cast on everything. They search and see if anything obviously magic can be found, like sterling armor or gem encrusted weapons. They don’t find anything like that. They leave the Svartálfar lair behind, and return to the guzak camp for tonight. The guzaks are saddened to hear that the Svartálfar lair was overtaken by a bunch of humans. However, the ruined villa they have a map too is just a short distance away, and perhaps something can be found there of value. Alzar animated 7 animal skeletons from the dead rats they found, and will have some cannon fodder for tomorrow. The morning dawns and some companions have more damage than others: 38/51 12/39 26/32 9/34 They will head back, but Carum and Aleigha are ordered to stay in the back and let Alzar, Estaish, and the animal skeletons in front do the work. Carum is to use his sling when possible. While traveling up the river, they are approached by an old man in robes, and wearing the medallion of Shafina, Goddess of Law, Justice and Trade. He approaches the group and asks for their help. He explains that one of his fellow clerics, Quern, was writing about the nature of law, and had told the temple he had finally finished his writings. Urquant, the cleric they are talking to, was dispatched from the main land to collect them and visit the hermit-cleric. However, by the time his ship had arrived and dropped him off, Quern had been killed, and some gargoyles have taken over his cave. It’s just a half mile away, and Urquant asks for Alzar and his group’s help. Alzar agrees, and they make their way to the cave. Alzar hands Carum some more magic daggers so he can sit back and toss them in and damage a gargoyle – normally immune to weapons. They arrive and as they neat the cave, a pair of gargoyles fly out. Urquant stays in the back with Aleigha and Carum. Alzar throws a throwing dagger at one for nothing, and Carum misses as well. The gargoyles land and battle begins. They win init and slash Alzar for 16. Alzar Vamp Touches one for 8 damage. Estaish concentrates on the same one for 5 damage. A Mist Ball flies in but they appear immune. A dagger flies out and hits for 2 damage. 30/51 They win init and Alzar draws his staff and swings. He hits for 6. Est misses. The last dagger Carum has flies in and hits for 5 damage and the gargoyle dies. The other one attacks four times for three hits on Alzar for 10 damage 20/51 They win int and Alzar drops his staff but Est hits for 11 damage. The gargoyle misses Alzar four times (rolled a 5, 6, 4, and 7). The gargie wins init and hits once for 3 damage. Alzar adds 3 and Est adds 6. 17/51 They win init again and Est hits for 11 and kills it. XP – 350 for Estaish, Carum and Alzar – not Aleigha. |
They move into the cave and find a plant – witherweed, blocking their way. Urquant warns them it is poisonous, but kept by his order because the leaves can be used for paper. He shows them how to get around it, and they move to the next level. There are less than 20 books in this room. Urquants finds the 12 volume set he was searching for, and then looks through the rest. All are on the worship of Shafina, except one, a local work that Urquant offers to Alzar. Alzar asks for some seeds from the Witherweed, and Urquants picks four and gives them to him as a thanks. He also heals Aleigha twice with Cure Light Wounds
25/34 He thanks Alzar and leaves. Alzar looks at the book. It is The History of The Sentinel and The Gauntlet, as written by a traveling sage long ago, who encountered stories and legends of both, and write them down. It includes information on how each of these artifacts were made. They search the bedroom but find nothing but a large holy symbol of Shafina, scales perfectly balanced, with a quill on one scale and a coin on the other. The body was found outside, and buried by Urquant. They move to continue on their path to the villa. Maybe here they will find what they are looking for. Just an hour passes and they arrive. It is a ruined stone structure, centuries old. As they approach, two adult perytons swoop about, and then swoop down to attack.  One is Mist Balled while still flying and is damaged and flies off awkwardly. The other turns and follows. |
They move towards the villa. On the outskirts, they see some giant centipedes, another a foot long each, and they are simply passing by and ignore the party.
The gateway to the courtyard is still standing, and the masonry looks good in a few places. Unlike the ruined temple at the slavers’ place, this looks more like ruined over time, rather than ruined by a fire or other cataclysmic event. Both of the original gatehouses are destroyed and the gate itself is rotted off and long since gone They investigate the old footprint of two adjacent rooms, but again, open to the outside and nothing here. They search these rooms and keep finding nothing. The courtyard has an exit that still stands, an arched tunnel that has stood the test of time. The masonry has not crumbled in here, but it is cracked. There is a room with a collapses exterior door to the left and broken jars and pottery lay about. There is a room still intact to the right. They hit the old storeroom and find nothing, and then go to the right. This is an old cold store room that is virtually bare. A search of this room, however, reveals a loose stone. They lift it up and reveal a small wooden box, locked. Alzar cannot pick it, so he pockets it for later. They find some steps leading down to the right, but continue on into the great hall of the building, now long since destroyed and opened up. There are broken statues and broken marble chairs. They move into the room on the right, still intact. There are shelves with old decayed books, but three were made of metal ,with metal sheets, not parchment. Alzar inspects them. One is completely destroyed. Cenozoic Glacial Geology, with Cenozoic misspelled Cinozoic. Alzar chuckles. 50 gold The Art of Coarse Angling – 75 gp They search and find nothing, and move to the doorway on the left of the hall ,still intact. This was also a library and all of the books are rotted or destroyed or gone. They search and find a secret door. The floor of this darkened room is tiled in green, and the walls and ceiling are intact. The only furniture here is a pair of brass lecterns. On each is a large book. Coiled around one with an iron cobra, moving back and forth and looking to attack. Alzar orders no one to attack or move into the room yet. He racks his brain and makes a 50% INT check. Through his research into golems and other created creatures, he remembers that Iron Cobras have a word that deactivates them - a command word. What could it be? It’s probably long since gone.  I am allowing Alzar to make three INT checks in a row, each at -10. So he has to roll a 9 or lower three times. He only makes it once, and can’t figure out that it is the misspelled Cinozoic He tries to figure if there is a way of taking it out without damaging it. He can’t of any, so he orders everybody to back up, and he will approach with his staff. A bludgeon weapon shouldn’t break it. The cobra strikes and misses, but Alzar can see poison dripping from its fangs. He did not know it could poison. He hits it for 3 damage. Once again, it misses and he clangs it for 3 damage again, jarring his whole body each time. It hits and he takes 1 damage and makes a poison save. He slams it again and kills it. He makes his Poison Use check and notices that is lethal poison from…belladonna actually. XP -100 for Alzar only |
He takes the corpse of the Iron Cobra and puts it in a Bag of Holding for later inspection.
The lecterns are not trapped and Alzar investigates the tomes. One is a spellbook, with not many spells in it. The other is a book called the: Manual of Summoning Familiars – When read in its entirety just before casting Find Familiar or a similar spell, three possible familiars will arrive and spellcasters can choose which one they want. That’s pretty valuable. They take the stairs down and arrive in a large cellar. Before they can investigate the room five small luminous green clouds appear in the air, writhing like snakes and move purposely towards the group. A sling stone goes right through one – against can only be hit by magic. A throwing dagger hits and kills one. Four left. Carum throws a dagger at one and it is hit for and dies too. A dark corner suddenly flashes and seven mores of the green shapes are made – 10 total. They all arrive this turn, and Aleigha and Estaish draw weapons. The whisps win init. Several attack various people. Aleigha takes 10, Estiash takes 6 and Alzar takes 1 15/34 16/51 20/32 The fighters all miss. Alzar casts Blastbones and throws one at the group. Everybody is hit for 6 damage. 9/34 10/51 14/32 And all of the whips dies at once. Alzar figures it was worth the trouble. They move to that patch of darkness at the end of the room in a far corner and it feels unhealthy. Alzar pushes into it with his staff and it hits something for 4 damage. He orders fighters to swing with their magic swords and they kill the Presence. XP – 250 each A Black Sapphire, 4000 gp, falls to the floor |
They head out. There is a tunnel across from the stairs, and it has a section of the cellar that looks like a newer tunneling job. They arrive at they first room, and a group of three Svartálfar are in the room. They are about 4 feet tall, very dark grey skin, bald heads, but lots of facial hair, they have big, upturned noses, and a pleasant, open face that makes you want to tell them everything.
Alzar greets them and sits at their table at their request. They send one away, who comes back in a minute with a Svartálfar wizard. The wizard casts a spell, and now they can each understand each others languages. They talk. Alzar mentions that he cleaned out their lair and they are very happy they can return. They haven’t been there in months. Alzar mentions that they are searching for The Sentinel, and some guzaks told him the Svartálfar might know where it is, and one nods. They beckon for Alzar and his group to follow. They pass through several rooms taken over by the Svartálfar. They arrive at a back chamber, with a lot of debris in it. There is an aged creature Alzar does not even recognize, but the Svartálfar tells him it was once evil, put on The Sentinel, and now the conflict between the two has driven it mad. As the party enters, the creature reaches out the hand with The Sentinel and it speaks to Estaish and tells him to take the glove. Alzar is a little upset, but nods him on. You can’t choose an artifact, it chooses you. Estaish takes The Sentinel from the creatures hand and puts it on. The Sentinel: Can open wizard locked door Protection from Evil 10’ radius Immune to fear, those in party get +2 to fear saves Knows where The Gauntlet is at all times. If worn by a magic user, it would get some additional and more powerful It has a personality, and it is telling Estaish where to go and how to get to the Gauntlet right now. They search the cave and find a box with three phials of dust 55 gp Silver Comb set with pearls 1100 gp |
Villa Spellbook: Tenser’s Floating Disc, Leomund’s Trap, Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancer
Box has: Potion of Diminution, Periapt of Health, six gems worth 800, 100, and 60x4. Box Has – Three phials of Dust of Appearance Used Charge from Belt of Flying Magic Pile: Pot of Healing:; +1 dagger; +1 leather armor; The Svartálfar escort out the group, and they head back to the guzak camp for a day, and then out to the ship. They spend the night with the guzaks, then walk 5 miles down river and through some swamps to the shore, where a boat is waiting to take them to the Sea Ghost. |
UK3. The Gauntlet
 Since this sequel takes place the very next day, I am not going to be tabulating XP, items, or anything else in between, and wait until UK3 is over for all of that. Several days of rest and our characters are at: 51/51 18/34 17/32 18/39 Alzar brings out the guns as a result. 30 animal skeletons includes the 14 he made in the valley, plus 16 from the stores on the Sea Ghost. |
The Sea Ghost goes the fifteen miles or so to get to the rock island, where the old watchkeep is. It has been kept up over the years by humans, pilgrims, miners, and such, since it is a natural base in a dangerous place.
Their boat slips away under the blanket of night and deposits Alzar and company on the shore. The keep in on the north side of the island, about a mile away. It lays in the middle of the only source of fresh water on the island, a brook. They wait until daybreak before trying to move in the mountains. The day is cloudy and overcast, like many days around here. It keeps the worst of the heat off their back. Megala and Dryshik scout ahead, and find two paths to the keep. The first is a path to the upper gate and the second is a path to the lower gates. The upper gate path appears to be unconcealed for a long part of the trip, and would result in them being seen, and perhaps attacked. The other path appears to have more of a chance for hiding along the way, and Alzar chooses that path. On the western side of the fortress, the wall which looms up from the track to the battlemented area has two large buttressed towers. There is an impressive gateway here at the base of the keep. It is locked, and The Sentinel unlocks it and they move in. The room they enter is a large and impressive room, with walls and ceiling of a deep red stone, flecked with white and silver. The floor is smooth and grey, and there is a large coat of arms inlaid the floor in mother of pearl. There are doors to the right and left. In several alcoves around the room are stone chairs with strange, unmoving, figures with are no more than suits of human-sized armor. One of the chairs is empty. They inspect the doors to the right and it opens. This is a small plain room with a long stone table and a large brass balance and various balance weights in there. There is a chest against the wall, and a few chairs scattered. The chest is unlocked, opened and nothing is inside. They search the room and find nothing. They leave back into the main gate room, and then left. This door opens easily. |
There are a number of giant ants back here. Nine worker ants, 5 solider ants and the queen. The room does back forty or fifty feet and its thirty-ish feet wide. They ants are all milling around the queen, but as they approach, they get more and more threatening. Alzar needs to move past the ants to get to the door behind them, and he knows they won’t let him. He casts Skulltrap and chucks the skull at the ants.
22 damage. The workers all die, two soldiers are wounded and alive the other three die. The queen takes it and is alive. The two soldiers are moving to Alzar and his group quickly. A bolt and sling stone fly out. Both miss and skitter off tough chitin. Battle begins. 30 animal skeletons attack, led by Alzar swings his staff and misses. They go first One misses, and the other crits and kills a skeleton. The Skeletons hit for a couple of damageon each. Another dies. The next round they are both pecked to death 28 skeletons of animals left. They enter the immobile queen’s life as quickly as possible with their weapons and begin to search. XP – 200 each Gold and Jade Bracelet – 250 gold Azurite – 800 - gold The door beyond this room leads to a corridor, and a door at the end. It opens into an octagonal room with slender stone pillars around the chamber. The roof is painted and tiled to look like a volcano. A search of this room turns up a secret door, and they go through. This is a circular room with a circular pattern on the floor. Everything is smooth and featureless. They search it twice and still find nothing. This appears to be the end of the level. |
Alzar has everyone back up and re-search the previous room. They will keep backing up and doing this. No need, as they find a secret door in another wall in the octagonal room. This leads to some circular stairs up two flights. It keeps going up, but there is a door here, slightly ajar. Alzar’s Ear Ring hear guttural voice behind it.
They open the door cautiously and six gnolls are asleep or drunk and passed out in beds. They are killed by Alzar’s fighters and then its off to the next room where another door lies. Alzar detects that this room has a lot of people in it. The battle plan is for Alzar to kick open the door, order in a flood of animal skeletons, and cast Sleep at the gnolls inside, while Carum and Estaish attack with ranged weapons. The plan begins. Three of the 15 gnolls collapse and the hoard of animal skeletons breaks its way in. 12 gnolls left. Weapons fire takes two by surprise and one eats a damage from a crossbow bolt and another 4 from a sling. Battle ensues. Alzar Hypnotizes 2 and they put down their weapons and sit down. 10 left. The skeletons kill three gnolls, four of them die. Missiles fire in and hit gnolls for 3 more damage 24 left. The gnolls go first and smash 5 skeletons. Missiles fly in and kill a gnoll. The skeletons kill three more gnolls. 2 left, but 10 more come around a bend to bolster the numbers in the room. Alzar casts Sleep from his ring and 3 more fall asleep. 9 gnolls left. 19 left The next round begins. The gnolls go first but miss a lot and just kill 2 skeletons. 17 animal skeletons remain. They kill two gnolls as well. 7 left. They make morale check and make it. Alzar thwings a dagger at a gnoll for 7 damage and kill sit. 6 left. Est hits another for 3 damage. Alzar’s skeletons go first and they peck apart three more gnolls. 3 left. Alzar flings +1 dagger into another for 6 damage and kills him. 2 left. Est and Carum each hit. Est kills his after dealing 3, and Carum deals 3 and his is still alive. It tries to run, Megala flies in, hits it for 1 damage, and it falls asleep.The sleepers are killed, those that are hypnotized are tied up. XP gain – 225 each except for Aleigha. On the gnolls and in the room are: Seal of Jasper – 60 gp 620 gold Gold Medallion - 200 gp Silver and ebony napkin ring – 50 gold |
They go downstairs where the ten gnolls were and find a three room level now cleaned out, where a watchtower and they search it and find nothing but the gates in to the building from the upper road. In the upper room they were in is a device that drops a ton of boiling oil on those in the causeway, so they really dodged one there. It can be operated by one person, and the caldron with the oil is overtop a large fireplace, and already in the right temperature. There are jars of low grade oil that can be added to replace the oil poured. They room apparently serves as an armory now In addition to the large number of weapons and armor on the dead gnolls, there are hundreds of arrows, 10 longbows with strings and resin, and a few bottles in a medicinal cabinet with bandages and splints. Alzar takes these three bottles. They will come back later and check all of these weapons for magicness.
They only way out of this room, other than to the dorms or the stairs down, is a door, so they take it. Back here are some stores and more space converted to barracks. They search and find nothing back here. They head up to the next level. Another door is opened. This is the keep kitchens. Meat is cooking as an old gnoll is here, cooking. There are five large hyena here eating scraps she is feeding them. She tells Alzar and his crew to come on in. They do and she greets them in a guttural Typic. She heard them fighting downstairs and assumes all of her gnoll clan are killed? A couple still live tied up. She turns around, and tells Alzar that they were enslaved by The Gauntlet and forced to do its bidding. She knew then that they would lead down a path of destruction. Of course, she was immune to such enchantments. She points to the holy symbol of Aminon on her chest – God of Destruction, Anger and Vengeance. She offers an agreement. Alzar lets her, her hyenas, the remaining gnolls, and the prisoners below leave in peace, and she will attack him now, and defeat or weaken him before the final showdown with the human and The Gauntlet. Alzar nods, and she leaves after gathering four females and six males from this level. They search the kitchen and find nothing. They head up and open a door on the right to reveal five men-at-arms from the guard of the place before it was taken over. They are bound and gagged. The room is a store for coal, firewood and torches. There are also some large earthenware jars of oil. The men-at-arms are wounded, and stripped of their equipment. Alzar gives them their pick of the gnoll armor and weapons, and five long bows with arrows from the armory. Since they are wounded, he just wants them to stay in the back and fire arrows in, and they agree to be archers for him. Four are level 1 fighters, but a sergeant also is here and she is a 2nd level one. Their current hp are 3, 2, 2, 1 and 4 for the sergeant. They each have AC6 with the piecemeal armor from the gnolls. |
They find a food store in the rear with a well going down to the brook below. They continue along the floor and arrive at a large dining hall. This was where the gnolls has set up another barracks and fun time area. A search finds nothing but ruined tapestries. The final room on this floor is the gatehouse, from where the gates on the upper gate is raised and lowered. There is more evidence of gnoll ownership of this room, and another search finds nothing. There are stairs going up, and they take them.
There are two doors going left and right at the top. They go right and enter a bedroom that was once nice, but now is in shambles. There is a smashed desk, a broken bed with furs everywhere, and a nasty funk. A search finds nothing. The other door opens into the old armory of the keep, and inside is an ogre, and four worgs. They spring and attack. Animal skeletons move into the breach. Alzar casts Empathic Control on the ogre and…it fails. Success! Arrows, bolt and stone fly in at the wargs and one is dropped with many arrows. Battle is enjoined. More arrows fly in. Three longbows, and a crossbow all hit a worg for 15 damage and it falls after getting pecked by skeletons too. 2 left. They kill three animal skeletons. 14 left. Four arrows hit, and a crossbow and a sling also hit – 25 damage and another worg dies. The final one is pecked a bit, and it misses. It wins init the next round and kills an animal skeleton. 13 left. An arrow crits it for 6 and two more hit it for 6 more, 12 total. The animal skeletons attack and one crits it for 6 while three more hit for 7 damage. It dies. XP – 100 each They search and find: 44 gold A gold and turquoise belt bucket – 200 gp A bunch of armor and weapons in here ,plus the equipment needed to keep them in good repair. The cover of a Spell Book the ogre tore off because it looked pretty, and has gems in it. 800 gold There is a door out and they take it, plus ladder up into an empty turret room |
This is a room that was once the quarters of the man in charge of the keep, which is stupid construction to have it be through an armory. In the center of the opulent room I a human wearing a rich robe and a black leather gauntlet with grayish-green gems in the top. He looks at the group, and then shuts its hand really tightly, and says a word or two. He disappears and behind are shard floating in the air or two and then fall. Estaish is saying that The Sentinel is really upset right now. It is still close though.
The shards are the fragment of a shattered black gem. There is a nice desk, weapon rack, chest and more. (One round) Alzar Moves to the chest and it is unlocked and smashes in. He opened it and sees a lot of things inside. (Two rounds) He reaches in and pulls out: 2 pairs of boots Robes Cloak – 600 gold Potion vial Scroll Case (Three rounds) Alzar pops of the cap off of the bone scroll case and pulls a out a scroll and tries to see what it is. It is a Scroll of Protection from Demons (Four rounds) Alzar leaves the chest for now and moves to the desks and starts to… (Five Rounds) Suddenly, the keep shakes a little bit. |
Alzar orders Dryshik to fly into a turret and see.
There is an army marching towards the keep! Five platoons of hobgoblins are marching up the path to the upper gates. To the west in the mountain, a fire giant is pelting the keep with rocks and there are Mantcores and imp-ish looking creatures with him. Alzar orders three archers in each turret – Estaish and two in the front and three in the back. Fire at anyone attacking the keep. They move out. Alzar orders Aleigha down to the room with the hidden oil trap and use it as needed. Carum go to gate room and make sure the gate is closed. Then use the sling to keep it closed. Alzar takes the animal skeletons and goes down to the gate. They will attack anyone who breaches the gate. The archers bring down just two hobgoblins in the first few rounds. The rear ones do much better against the Screaming Devlikin flying into the keep. The battering ram has arrived at the gates, while manticores with ropes help hobgoblins into the 3rd floor. The front tower can fire at those exiting. Aleigha pours oil onto the hobies with the ram and she kills half of their platoon with a whole cauldron of oil. She puts in more oil, but it will take time to heat up. At least an hour. Alzar runs up to support Carum. After five rounds, 5 more hobbies have fallen, and now they are into the gatehouse, but now they have to deal with animal skeletons. Carum slings a stone in and misses. Alzar casts Blastbones at them at them but they take the minimum – just 2. A Mist Ball affects one for 4 damage and 2 rounds. Aleigha joins them, having completed her duties in the next room. 5 animal skeletons are dead, and they pick out two hobies. 9 left. Megala swings in and nips one for 3 damage and no sleep. Alzar’s group wins init. He gets in front and sworps a hobbie dead. Carum kills one with his sling. Aleigha kills another with her sword. The animal skeletons nip two more dead, and then a retreat horn is sounded. |
The Fire Giant is yelling:
“Worthless man! Your flea-bitten gang may have set back the first and least of my attacks, but do not deceive yourself that you have won. “Never will I leave so long as you hold my daughter prisoner. Set her free from your sorcerous prison and I will spare your worthless lives. Refuse and I will grind your miserable bones into the dust, and cast down your petty tower ‘til no stone remains standing. “You have two hours. Think not of escape for I have many eyes and I would take pleasure in hunting you down like the dog that you are That’s odd. Alzar goes up to the turret and asks for parley. A few minutes later, the Fire Giant has arrived. He is informed that the situation has changed and that the guy is no longer in charge and the gnolls are dead and gone. The Fire Giant is suspicious, and tells him that the terms still stand. Produce his daughter in two hours, or they will attack again. The men-at-arms tell Alzar about a magical prison instead of a normal one, for the keep. They head up to the desk there and search, finding a book entitled The Prison. Alzar starts reading. It tells who the prisoners are, and what the method is. A black gem is used to send a prisoner to the other plane, and then a white gem can release them back into the Release Chamber, which was that secret chamber on the ground floor. There is a secret cache of gems in the room with the pillars. Alzar takes the book and they head down. Using the directions, they find a small replica of a chest in a pillar. There is a record of a prisoner in Cell 4, Bloodfire’s Daughter in Cell 3, and then seven blank pages before four magic arcane words are written on the back cover. Alzar does the obvious and says the four words out loud. The small replica disappears and a full chest of the same appearance appears. It is unlocked. They open it up, and out comes a non-corporeal undead Alzar recognizes it when it says At Last and starts to move away. It is a revenant (successful Necrology check). Inside the chest are: Four white gems for the prison 12 violet garnet buttons 6000 gp for the set Necklace They grab the stuff and move to the release chamber. |
Alzar throws a gem down and says Cell 3. It breaks, and out comes the fire giant’s daughter. Alzar introduces himself and tells her that her father is just outside, and asks to escort her. They do, and the Fire Giant and her reunite, and then he orders his troops to leave and they move out.
XP – 500 each for the siege, and getting the daughter released He returns and tries Cell 1, to see if that is where The Gauntleted man is hiding. The gem is broken, and the man emerges. He is wearing no Gauntlet though. He attacks with his claws wildly, and it put down in seconds by arrows. They search his body just to make sure and find: Very Nice Robe – 600 gold Very nice tunic -600 gold Black opal on gold chain – 2000 gp Two black pearls 500 gp each Well, according to the record, there is one other person in the cells – Cell 4. Out comes a Giant Two-Headed Troll wearing The Gauntlet. It immediately attacks. Arrows from the men-at-arms are quite deadly, and hit three times for 9. A Mist Ball hits it and it makes the save. Alzar casts Searing Serpent and orders Aleigha, Est and Carum to stay back. Carum slings it for 3 but Est misses. The Troll attacks four times. Alzar is missed by one attack due to his cloak, and two others miss, before he takes 10. 41/51 Alzar’s team wins Init. The Troll gains 3 hp back from regen. 9 hp damage. The troll takes 8 from missiles. 17. Alzar take two when a crossbow bolt hits him instead of the troll. He casts Vamp Touch and deals 9 and gains 9 back. 26. The serpent misses. The troll nails Alzar for 12. 36/51 It heals three and goes first and Alzar takes another 20 from three hits. 23 damage on the troll. The missiles only add 2 this round, most everybody misses. 25. A Mist Ball deals 2 damage but no blindness. 27. Alzar Ray of Ondovirs it. It fails the save. The serpent misses. 16/51 The troll goes first, regens 3, 24, and misses Alzar. Alzar’s archers hit for 6. 30. The serpent adds 7. Alzar Ray of Enfeeblement’s it, it fails its save. 37. The troll wins init. It swings at Alzar and misses. It would have hit three times but those were all misses due to the Ray of Enfeeblement. It takes 14 from archers, and regens 3. Alzar takes 3 from an archer. With his spells gone, Alzar ducks out. 48 13/51 Alzar’s group wins init. It regens 3. The men at arms roll 1, 1, 2, 2, and 3. Alzar had better be glad he moved out! Est and Carumroll 4 and 5. Alzar gets a 7 with his throwing dagger. The serpent misses with a 10. The troll kills three skeletons and misses the serpent. It wins init and regens 3. 42 damage taken. The troll hits the serpent an then sees it can’t damage it, and it moves towards the group. A Mist Ball flies it and it makes its save. An arrow crits it for2 and another adds 3. 47. Alzar grabs his +3 staff from the bag. The serpent misses. It regens 3 – 44. Alzar swings and just misses by one. The archers add3 damage. 47. Only Aleigha manages to sword it for 3 damage. The serpent misses. Megala swing in and hits for 1 damage – no sleep though. 48. Dryshik tries to gate and…failure Alzar takes 4, Estiash takes 8. 9/51 9/32 The troll wins init and regens. 45. He hits Estaish and Carum. Archers add 8. 53. Alzar adds a miss. Everybody else rolls like crap too. A bunch of 3, 4, and 7s. 15 from the serpent though. 6 damage from it. That’s its last round too, it disappears. 59. Megala flits in for a hit for 1 damage. 60. 5/32 11/39 If the troll wins init…. Troll – 6 Party – 2 The troll regens. 57. It’s reeling though. Archers – hit Alzar for 5 and the troll for 4. 61 for troll. With his +3 staff, Alzar can’t connect. Estaish rolls a 14 – he hits for 8 damage. 69. That kills it. 4/51 XP – 350 each Alzar hacks a few limbs apart and tells Aleigha to get some of that oil from upstairs, he doesn’t have enough. He hacks it it keep the troll from regenerating. They pour a large jar of oil on all of its body parts, and then ignite it. |
All that is left is The Gauntlet.
It communicates telepathically to Alzar. Take me, you want to control me, to keep me safe, I will give you great power. Alzar tells it that it will take over his mind like it did to all the others, but the Gauntlet tells him that it won’t that it has such power to give. Alzar is pretty confident he actually could control The Gauntlet. Alzar’s Personality is 42 It drops by one every 8 damage Alzar takes. If Alzar is reduced to 4 HP like right now though, his Personality would be 36. The Gauntlet has a total Personality of 33. That means even at his weakest, it could never dominate Alzar. However, it could do annoying things. Alzar thanks the men-at-arms for their work and asks them to check and make sure there are no other hobgoblins around, or gnolls, or prisoners. Alzar reaches down, and tells Estaish to touch it the moment Alzar is acting as something different. He puts on The Gauntlet. The Gauntlet tries to control Alzar, and even in a weakened state, it cannot. It refuses to give Alzar any of its powers. Alzar asks for The Sentinel from Estaish. The Sentinel is screaming to Estaish to touch them together and destroy The Gauntlet. It tries to control Estaish and does so. Estaish,not of his will, reaches over and touches The Gauntlet. A flash causes both artifacts to disappear. Left behind is a Ring on Estaish’s hand and four gems in Alzar’s. The Ring gives Estaish a permanent Shield ability as the spell, but only him, since he was the wearer of The Sentinel. Alzar will have to investigate and research and the gems do. They search other places they did not fully search before and find: Ivory Ball – 30 gp Rich tapestry – 1000 gp 350 pp Sabretooth Pelt – 600 gold They men-at-arms decide to stay here, man the keep, and try to bring in others to help them. Alzar gives the sailors the 6000 silver and 5000 copper they found earlier. That’s their pay plus a lot more. Alzar gives each of his companions 100 pp. |
Magic Pile: Bracelet of Swimming half of Gauntlets of Swimming and Climbing; three pots of healing. Necklace of missiles with 5 and two threes left. Robe of Useful Items. +2 longsword. Pot of Invul – 2 doses.
XP: Alzar – 71,056 (Level 7) Estaish – 20,712 (Level 5) – Now with 38 HP Aleigha – 23,695 (Level 5) – Now has 34 HP. Carum – 15,475 Alzar’s Stuff: Gold: 10,484 Jewelry and Gems Crowns: 5000x2 and 50x4, Necklace 1500, 700, 50x3;Tiara 200; Wristbands 100x4; Bracelets 10,000 gp, 600x2, 500, 300; Pearl Necklaces, 400x2; Gold Medallion, 300, 200; Jeweled Dagger 1000, 850, 300;Gold Statues – 2000 gold eachx2; Gold Diamond Bracelet – 750 gold, Platinum and Ruby Pin – 2000, String of matched fire opals , 15000; Gold Medallion with Topaz – 1000 gold; Gold necklace – 60 gpx3; Earrings – 50 gp setx2; Gold bracelet – 700 gp, 75 gp; Gold ring – 500, 100x2, 75 gp, 50 gp, 30 gp; Pearl encrusted collar 3000 gold x2; Black-Opal Pendant on a gold chain – 1250 gold, Jeweled Hilt – 500; Gold and Turquoise Belt Buckle – 200 gp; Silver Amethyst Necklace – 1300 gp, Necklace of Topaz Beads – 1800 gp; Gold and Hematite Chain – 250 gp; Gold and Jade Bracelet – 250 gp; Silver and Amber Bracelet and Necklace Set, 800 gp; Platinum Cloak Clasp – 160 gp; Seal of Jasper – 60 gp; Black Opal on Gold Chain – 2000 gp Gems: 5000, 2000, 1000x6, 500x17, 300, 250x2, 200x2, 100x75, 50 x32, 10x11; 4x25, 120x2, 150, 400, 800, 5, 60x4 Opal., 500 gp, x8; Aquamarine, 80 gpx6; A Black Sapphire, 4000; Azurite – 800; Black Pearls 500 gpx2 65,900 in jewelry Silver Serving Set worth 4000 gp Alabaster box worth 800 ivory box worth maybe 50 gold 2 bolts of fine cloth worth 60 each a crystal flagon and 4 goblets with 80 total an inlaid wooden box with ivory handle worth 45 China and Silverware – 600 2000 gold in a small case of gems 800 gold for a tiny human shaped figurine of onyx 5000 gold worth of Amber 12,000 crown jewels Golden skull,750 gp; gold apple 150 gp; gold rose 150 gp; small set of five gold discs value 50 gp in total. Silver bowl, carafe and goblet worth 400 gp as a set Uncut stones currently worth 10x2, 15, 20, 25 and 40, and values increased by ten times if properly cut. Sabretooth Pelt – 600 gold Svartálfar gold statuette 2200 50 gp fine robe Rare perfume- 40 gp Silk Belt with detailed gold dagger and embroidered scabbard for it. 80 gp as set Cloak – 100 gold Very nice tunic -600 gold Rich Tapestry – 1000 gp Silver Comb set with pearls 1100 gp Spell Book Cover with Gems - 800 gold 12 violet garnet buttons 6000 gp for the set Silver and ebony napkin ring – 50 gold Books: Manual of Golems, Flesh 1000 gold worth of texts from Tower in Rahasia 2000 gold worth of Castanamir’s own personal journals. 3 books on golems and repair – 500 gold. 5000 gold in books on summoning and conjuring. 10 alchemy texts, 100 coins heavy, 1000 gold value to a library. 15,000 specialized summoning and conjuring texts 2500 gold Gingwatzim information, and the five books and two manuscripts that show it. 1000 gold, 12 books, info on making portals 3000 necromatic tomes for research Ye Secret of Ye Philosopher’s Stone – 500 gold Concerning Mesmerism and Lists of Effects – 50 gold The Magical Properties of Gemstones - 150 The Magical Properties of Herbs and Flowers - 150 The Metaphysics of Mathematics – 150 Principles of Navigation and Legal Distinction in Letters of Marque – 10 gold each Manual of Summoning Familiars – When read in its entirety just before casting Find Familiar or a similar spell, three possible familiars will arrive and spellcasters can choose which one they want. Cenozoic Glacial Geology, - 50 gold The Art of Coarse Angling – 75 gp History of The Gauntlet and The Sentinel – 250 gold Items: Potion of Sweet Water, Diminutionx3, Gaseous Formx2, Poisonx2, Telekinesis, Healingx7, Levitationx2, Spider Climbing, ESP, Animal Control – Horses, Clairvoyance, Fire Resistancex3, Philter of Lovex2, Control Plants, Neutralize Poisonx2, Speedx2, Cure Disease, Extra Healing, Water Breathing, Invis: 7 doses; Invulnerability – 2 doses Gauntlets of Ogre Power; Gauntlets of Dexterity Bag of Holding, 10000 coins, Bag of Holding, 5000 coins +1 Scimitar, Short Swordx2, Daggerx4, Macex2, Battle Axe, Longswordx2, Two-handed sword, +1 arrows x4, Broadsword, Short Composite Bow, Warhammer -1 Dagger +2 Longswordx2, Throwing Dagger, Bastard Sword, Dagger, Arrowsx6 +1 Plate Armorx2, Plate Mail, Chain Mailx3, Shieldx2, Leather Armor +2 Chainmail Ring of Protection +1x4 Ring of Free Action * Ring of Sustenance * Ring of Spell Storing – Read Magic, Sleep, Forget (1,1,2) Robe of Useful Items Necklace of Missiles – 2x3, 5 Bracelet of Swimming Wand of Paralyzation 3 charges Wand of Magic Missiles – 14 charges Wand of Wonder – 45 charges Rod of Terror – 8 charges The Sword of the Rock Longsword +1, +2 vs Undead, Short Sword +1, +2 vs Scaly Things, Dagger , +1, +2 vs Magic Users and Enchanted Creatures Crystal Ball Necklace of Adaptation Periapt of Proof Against Poison +2; Periapt of Health Rod of Cancellation Rope of Climbing Scrolls of: Read Languages, Aganazzar’s Scorcher, Odeen’s Magic Cloud, Levitate, Ray of Fatigue, Tongues, Invisibility, 10’ Radius, Push, Stinking Cloudx2, Haste, Fly, Gust of Wind, Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Fireball, Locate Object, Special Effects, Ice Storm, Wall of Fire, Invisibility, Magic Mouth, Dispel Illusion, Illusionary Script Scrolls of Protection from Acid, Demonsx2, Undeadx3, Magic Dust of Appearance x3 Bracers of Defense AC7 Amulet of the Planes (with command words) Gloves of Fire Resistance (As the ring, but a pair of gloves) Belt of Flying, 49 charges. Cleric scroll – sanctuary, fire resistance, cure light x4;Heal, Cure Disease, Dispel Magic Paperweight, Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancer – 2 charges Left Boot, Elven Pair of Boots, Elven Cloak of Displacement Staff of Striking 18 charges Phylactery of Action, Pearl of Wisdom Horn of Demon Dismissal – 2 charges Ear Ring Broom of Flying Snake Staff Stone of Diminution, when held acts as potion until dropped. Misc: Records of Slaver Activities and where the ship currently anchored is heading to, on a chart, near the mainland, and far away 3 Daggers, coated with dried smears of Orcish poison Took 2 Spiked Bars, with a spring action, trap, Deals 3d6 damage Alicornx3 Gold Dragon Skin and Scales Iron Cobra Body 2x Double Speed when writing quills from Monk’s room Sword, +1, Neutral Evil, Ego 2, Personality 16, Detect Good “D’Antoigne” – Long Sword, +2, Int 9, Ego 11, Wil 22 AL N – Detects Magic, Finds Traps and Detects Sloping Passages The Book of Years, Windscribe, 4 teleport jars, Mead Pitcher, Jeweled Gold Amulet can Predict Weather spell once a day Chest – 2 spellbooks for enchantment, 5 for evil, and 3 others, all trapped 5000 gold on a workshop/laboratory Temporary Magic Items - Ring of Monster Summoning 1, Wand of Repulsion and Sphere of Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere – just waiting on Permanency to make them a real magic item. These gingwatzim: Amulet +1 save vs spells, a Tim Gingwatzim. +1 staff technically a Pakim Gingwatzam. Short sword +2, technically a Graegzim Gingwatzim, and a multiform one too, can turn into Fremlin. Staff (+3, one of the Gingwatzim in bound animate form, and it talks a lot to its owner and complains) Estaish has: +2 Long Sword, +1 shield, +3 chainmail, +2 Ring pf Protection, Ring of Fire Resist, Pot of Healing: AC-2, Ring of The Sentinel – Shield in effect constantly. 4k gp, 100 pp Aleigha has: Sword of Spartusia, +1 shield, +2 Ring of Protection, Ring of Fire Resist, Neck. Of Adaptation, Pot of Healing, 4k gp, 100 pp Carum has: +1 dagger, +2 splint mail, +1 shield ,+1 Ring of Pro, AC - -1: Pot of Heal: 500 gp, 100 pp The Sea Ghost and 15130 in goods like silk, brandy, soap, seeds, wine, and such. Does not include weapons. Lavinia’s Spell Book. 1st: Audible Glamer, Read Magic, Detect Magic, Change Self, Magic Missile, Phantasnamal Force, Detect Illusion, Wall of Fog. 2nd: Hypnotic Pattern, Blur, Magic Mouth Villa Spellbook: Tenser’s Floating Disc, Leomund’s Trap, Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancer |
Alzar learns Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancer
The Periapt of Heath gives Alzar immunity to diseases. The Bracelet of Swimming – swim at 15’ underwater, 18’ on the surface. The Necklace of Missiles basically has three fireballs on it, one 5d6 one and 2 3d6 ones. You can pull one off and toss it, and then it’s used. The Robe of Useful Things is solid. There are a large number of pouches and patches on the Robe. You can take a patch off, and im it will be an item, and then the patch is used up. These are the items still in the Robe. Bag with 100 gp; two silver coffers (value - 500gp each); three 24-foot wooden ladders; 10 gems (value – 100 gp each); two scrolls, one with Read Magic and one with Mending; 2 daggers, 2 10’ poles, and a 2-foot by 4-foot window. Except for the gems, there is just one patch for each item, so there are two dagger patches, and so forth. |
X1. The Isle of Dread
After spending a week in Tangaroa, the group is fully healed and they head out. Alzar has the Sea Ghost take them to the right peninsula to drop them off and explore. On the way, they pass some broad coral reefs. Carum mentions there are lots of large oysters here underwater. Alzar orders the Sea Ghost to stop and Carum uses Deep Diving. He finds 9 large pearls, each worth 100 gp over the day. However, some sea snakes attacked and Alzar Blastbones and killed them. XP – 50 for Alzar That was fun. They continue on to the peninsula the next day. An investigation in this mountainous region results is finding this weird statue at the top of a peak. As they move towards it, it animates and shrieks loudly and flies down to attack. They hear other gargoyles answer it. Alzar Ray of Enfeeblement’s it. It makes the save. Battle ensues. Alzar swings a staff for a miss. Both Est and Ale miss. Carum’s dagger bites into it for 2 damage. It crits Est for 6, and then Alzar takes a miss, despite a high die roll – cloak. 32/38 Alzar hits for 7. Est misses , Ale hits for 10 and Carum crits for 5. The gargoyle dies and two more have arrived. Alzar misses, Est crits one for 19. RAR! Ale hits for 5. Carum just misses. One hits Ale for 3, Carum for 1, and the other hits Ale for 5. 28/34 38/39 The gargoyles hit first. Alzar takes 3, Est takes 7, Car takes 3 48/51 25/38 35/39 Alzar nails the wounded gargie for 3. It dies. The others all hit and deal 19 damage with two swords and a dagger. The next round, it moves to fly away. Alzar tosses a dagger at it and nails it in the wing for 7. It falls and dies. XP - 315 each He has Megala and Dryshik scout around. They were all close, so perhaps their nest is nearby. They find it, but it can’t be reached from the ground. In the nest is a giant ruby and scroll. They are brought back down: Protection from Elementals Scroll 600 gp Ruby |
The ship takes them to the northern part of the peninsula. Junglex4. They spend the night on the ship. They hit the shores again in the early morning. Alzar is healed. 31/34,36/39, 26/38
Mountain, Mountain, Neanderthal raid that are all put to sleep and then killed, Mountain, and Mountain. They camp and its quiet. Mountain, Hills, Caves, Caves with…Neanderthals. They raid in strength, much more than a normal amount, Alzar uses two Sleeps, including one from his Ring, 7 are down. There are 15 total, and 8 left. Missile weapons hit one for death. They other 7 run away and Megala and Dryshik follow. Alzar ties up the Neanderthals and leave them. The others run for their lair, just a mile away, and there are about 50 neanderthals here, so they push into twilight into the next hex. Caves. Night is all quiet. Junglex3, and then they come across a Red Dragon. It is attacking and now eating a megatherium.  Alzar tells Carum to stay back here, since he is not resistant against fire. Alzar, Estaish and Aleigha sneak as much as possible. The Red Dragon: 45 Hp, 9 HD, Breath Weapon – Fire, Knows Read Magic and Detect Illusion. AC 0. Alzar hands Carum the Wand of Magic Missiles and tells him to pump it if it gets close, especially if it looks ready to die. Alzar hands the Broom of Flying to Estaish in case they need to fly to chase the dragon if it gets wounded and flees. They close and while the Red Dragon eats, Alzar casts Ray of Enfeeblement at it. The dragon makes its save, and then turns its head on the neck, sees three humans in front of it, and flies up. Aleigha moves to the right and Estaish dashes to the left. The dragon rears back and breathes fire. They take 15 damage after -2 to the die, and save vs half. Only Alzar fails the save: 36/51 27/34 20/38 A Ray of Ondovir lances in. It fails its save. It will try to breathe next round (and fail). It’s only about 20 feet above the ground, hovering, so a Skull with a skulltrap in the next round deals 29 or a save for half. It fails the save. Carum has run up against orders and fires two magic missiles into the dragon. 9 damage. Estaish rides the broom up with a sword in hand and rolls an 18 and hits for 6. 44 damage taken The next round, They win init. The dragon starts to fly away very quickly due to its imminent death. Two magic missiles from the Wand fly up and hit it for 4 damage and it dies. XP – 2000 Once again, Alzar starts tearing it up, taking the horns, teeth, bottling blood, and skinning it. Dragons are just too valuable not to do that too. He orders Megala and Dryshik to fly around and see if they can find the Red’s lair. As the DM, I'm only going to give them a 10% of success. Roll of 18, no dice. Alzar takes back the broom and wand. Red Dragon: Horns, teeth, blood, skin and scales. They end the day in the mountains. |
The next day, mountain, back to the river valley, Mountainx2. Quiet day. Quiet night. Mountainx2, Mountains, but attacked by younger roc.
Alzar Ray of Ondovir’s it and it swoops into the ground, takes 12. It cries out for help. Another answers. Carum spears it for 7 and Aleigha adds 10 and it dies. Another young roc appears and swoops down. It charges Est and hits for double damage – 12. Alzar orders Estaish to retreat. 10/38 A Ray of Enfeeblement and failed save will give it -2 to hit and damage. It takes 14 from three hits from the fighters. It deals 14 in two hits to Aleigha 19/34 They win init, bolt from Est digs in for 2. Alzar crits it for 8, Aleigha adds 4 and Carum spears it for 4. The other young roc dies. XP – 400 each Since both younger rocs were nearby, Alzar sends out his flyers to scout the place. They find the roc aerie. Alzar heads up there, led by Dryshik. He notices a parchment in the nest, and thinking it is a scroll, he grabs a dagger and cuts it out. It is a treasure map saying that some treasure in buried in a certain place on the Isle of Dread. There is nothing else here and he casts Detect magic to be sure (nope) Mou ntain. Quiet night. Mountainx3, runs into a group of Neanderthals, and not interested in Alzar they let them go on. Mountain, Mountain. Quiet Night. Mountainx2, Valleyx2, Mountainx2. Quiet day and night. Mountain, Cavesx3. They hit a group of guzaks, and they pass by silently. That night, a cave bear enters and roars and attacks. Alzar is on watch duty. At night, Alzar is on duty for half the night due to his Ring, and the other splits the other half in thirds. A Ray of Enfeeblement hits and a Mist Ball flies in. It makes that save. Alzar yells at people to wake. Battle ensues. Alzar Ray of Ondivirs it but it fails. The bear hits just once for 3 damage. The bear wins init and Hits twice for 8. Alzar Vamp Touches it for 11. Carum throws a spear and it takes 5. The other two arrive. It wins init and hits for 1 damage. Alzar misses. Carum hits with a thrown dagger for 4. Estaish adds 4 and it dies. XP – 112 each |
The following day: Caves, hills, mountains, hillsx2. They run into a Wyvern, who is flying high above, and either doesn’t see them or ignores them.
The Night is quiet. The next day, Alzar gets a note that there was a pirate raid on Panitube’s fishers, take fish and pearls and two captives, and they think the pirates have established a base in the south west isles. They head east to the coast and arrive around 3ish in the afternoon and board the boat, and then board the ship. The ship sails off. After a day, they arrive at the first southwest island that has unexplored land, and Alzar and company land on the jungle at the south of the most southwesterly isle. They go north and jungle, and then coast with… Well, they came across the pirate settlement on the beach here. The party sees them from the hills. Megala and Dryshik provide a great vantage point as well. Alzar is now using the Crystal Ball to get a good close in look. They appear to be from other islands, they don’t have the look of natives from this one. There are four outrigger canoes that they used to raid the fishermen. They are all beached and accounted for. Four canoes x8 people in a canoe means there may be at least 32 people In the camp. They have built 16 grass huts. There is a thorn wall around the camp, and a watchtower at the two corners of the camp by the beach. A third watchtower is in the back on a mound of raised earth to give it a better vantage point. This is an established place, built for a while. The pirate obviously intend to stay here for some time. After some additional scouting, there is also a cave in the back of the camp, right by the third watchtower. The thorn bushes in the walls are 5 feet tall and 3 feet thick. A sword or axe can hack through it, and you are in. Alright time for plan of attack. One way is to run in and yell and scream and get everyone to attack you at once, and then just kill them al. Once that has happened, you can explore at your leisure. The other is to use misdirection and such to push them where you want them, then kill. Alzar likes that plan. They wait until it’s about noon and many pirates are not out and about. 1). Using Boots of Elvenkind, Alzar will sneak into lair, and place Skulltrap on ground in one place, and a carefully built up Blastbones at another place near it. 2). Alzar will Charm a pirate 3). Dryshik will cast Wall fo Fog over the cave mouth and rear Watchtower, to confuse people and prevent any from fleeing that way. 4). Carum, Estaish and Aleigha will pound through the wall on the other side and attack, and then fade quickly. 5). The charmed pirate will tell everyone that there are more fighters attacking over here, and point to a place behind where the traps are. The pirates come in and boom. Dead pirates. Then Carum ,Aleigha, Alzar and Estaish clean up the rest. |
Okay, the first part is based on whether or not Alzar will be able to sneak in. His steps don’t make tracks or noise. He carefully and quietly uses his axe to slice into the thron wall. He will be cutting a 2x2 hole into it. He is not seen doing that.
He has Megala drop a few small stones on top of the one watchtower by the beach, and then when the guards try to see where it’s coming from, Alzar will sneak in with his Elven boots, and place the Skulltrap and Blastbones in the space between two huts. The Skulltrap is between Huts A and B, with a wider space, and Blastbones between Huts B and C. The Skulltrap is set. He places debris by the Blastbones and that’s it. He is not seen. The watchtowers can’t see him from this angle anyway. Alzar grabs his Ear Ring and checks the noises in the adjacent huts. One has nothing, and the other has a group of pirates playing games out of the heat. He heads back to the first hut and listens again, and nothing. He sighs and explores the place again with his Crystal Ball and sees what he can see. There it is. Two huts down on the left is one with two people sleeping in the heat and the door is open. Alzar puts the Ball away and moves that way. He is not seen. Alzar Charms a sleeping pirate. He does not know if it worked or not, but gambles, and pokes the pirate with his staff from behind the hut. The pirate wakes up after a few pokes, sees, Alzar, and smiles at his friend. The pirate joins Alzar and he talks to the pirate about what he should do, and the pirate agrees readily. A Wall of Fog appears, as per Alzar’s telepathic contact with Dryshik, and that’s the signal that all is a go. Alzar slips behind a hut as eyes aren’t anywhere on him at the moment. In a few seconds, a cry can be heard. On the other side of the camp, battle begins as someone has seen the fighters and called for help. In a couple of rounds, Alzar sees that all of the pirates are on the fighters, or getting near, so he has Megala swoop down an around. Carum sees it and orders a retreat. They try to follow, but after a tree leg snare pulls one up into the air just outside of the hacked thorn wall, they stop and go back (thanks to a certain set snare by Carum). Suddenly, Alzar’s friend yells to the pirates that another attack is coming, over by these four huts here. They start heading for the spot, and will have to either cone between huts A and B or B and C to get there, unless they take a circuitous route. Alzar moves back there so that they will see an enemy, and grabs the axe to make it look realistic and casts Mordenkainen’s Faithful Phantom Shield-Maidens to protect him. He summons the +2 short sword’s true form to hover over to one side and come out if he needs its support. In a few seconds, the group coming through the large gap runs into the skull and it explodes. It kills 13 pirates, and the rest of the group retreat. Alzar shouts out that they are cowards. Another group comes around and hits the blastbones and 5 more die. Alzar casts sleep and five more fall asleep. Carum, Estaish ,Aleigha are back in the camp and tearing into pirates retreating. Megala and Dryshik are flying after, an Mist Balling in one case, any of those that fled. A core group of 12-15 pirate sis still advancing on Alzar. They fire some bows and all miss (cloak). Alzar Sleeps again from his Ring. Just 3 more collapse. They fail a morale check and break. A Searing Serpent appears to block one route of exit. The other is through Alzar, and the other two go through blasted pathways. The leader orders them to face Alzar, and they do. Battle is enjoined. The Shield-Maidens – AC 4, HP 20, THAC0 – 17, Damage 1d6. They use their shields to cover Alzar and his AC drops by 1 for each of them. The enemy moves in. Alzar grabs his +3 staff of annoying ness. They go first. Several attack him, all miss. Two attack the maidens. One is hit for 8 damage. Alzar introduces a pirate to the butt end of a +3 staff that is actually the material form of an annoying gingwatzim. 7 damage and a dead pirate. One maiden hits for 5 damage and kills another. The gingwatzim in true form has floated over and attacks a pirate. It drains 3 strength and traps it. The Searing Serpent has moved close and can attack next round. A flaming snake, a floating ball, two ghost fighters, the explosive death of over half of their group and several more dead to staff sword and spear of the people, the Wallof Fog in the back, and imps chasing people and putting them to sleep or blinding them to keep them there until Est, Ale or Car can kill them. That’s a lot of stuff the pirates have just had to deal with. They all throw down their weapons and surrender. They captured 6 pirates and Alzar’s friend shows them around. He knows all of the pirates, and between their bodies and the live ones- they are all accounted for. They search the camp and bodies and prisoners and find: A Ring of Water Walking A large number of weapons and armor. A large amount of ropes, sails, paddles, food, tools, tar, etc. They take replacements for the ship. 22 captives captured in a number of raids. Slaves? Labor? Torture? Ransom? Who knows. They investigate the caves, and their charmed guide shows them the location of their treasure box. The key they took from the leader should….it does. 2000 copper 3000 silver 4000 electrum 17 gems, 100 each Scroll – Shield spell Sword, +1, Neutral, I8, E9: Detect Metal; Levitate for 30 minutes and 3x a day XP – 200 each The Sea Ghost is brought around. The captured pirates, released captives, and extra weapons, armor and supplies and food and such are all loaded on board to be dropped off at Tangaroa. A few captives will bring the outrigger canoes over a day later. |
Before they leave, Alzar wants to finish exploring this and the other nearby island tomorrow.
The next day: Beach. They finished this one. The Island above it has: hills ,hills, and….hills. The while island has a lot of wild sheep, and they come across corpse of sheep with large talons in them, but nothing is seen to hunt on them. It could fly in from another island of course. They return to the ship, and on the way back, in the straight between the volcano island and the southwest peninsula of the main isle, a giant water termite attacks the ship. Sailors are scrambling and repair the hull with planks. Alzar sees the termite swimming off lazily with a big belly of wood. He sends Dryshik to Mist Ball it, and nothing. It appears immune. With the Bracelet of Swimming, he can easily catch up, and leaps into the sea. He chases after the water termite, and it dives to escape him, so he dives too. He can still go faster than it underwater with the Bracelet. It flees into its lair – an underwater cave. He emerges and moves to a small beach. Alzar follows. Cornered here, it turns to attack. Alzar summons the Maidens again and moves in to attack. It attacks and misses. Alzar does not and it takes 5 and 1 from a Maiden. It misses. It takes 6. Alzar nails it for 4. It misses. One of the maidens hits for 4. It this Alzar for 5. 46/51 It goes first for 4 on Alzar. 42/51. He Vamp Touches it for 6. The maidens spear it for 6 and it dies. 48/51 150 XP for just Alzar. He casts Detect Magic to aid a search of a small area with a lot of miscellaneous bits of things here and there. He finds a potion. Potion of Heroism He swims back out and rejoins the vessel and they continue on to Tangaroa. They arrive after dusk, and unload the captives. Only a few are from the 7 tribes. Most are from other isles. |
It will take a week for the Sea Ghost to be repaired by the crew, so Alzar and company are taken back into the island and dropped off by fisher boats. They only have time to get in a mountainous area and that’s it. Quiet night.
Mountainx5. Quiet. The next day, they hit jungle again, and run into an Aranea lair. You might remember this spiderish villains with the wizard skills from Castle Amber, and they are back again for another run. They have strung webs between trees throughout this hex in a variety of places. They have reached a place where there are 40’ webs in the air of significant size, and suddenly, three aranea spring out and attack. Magic Missiles dart into Alzar from two of them and a Sleep spell comes from a third. Alzar takes 14. Carum is still technically level 4, so he falls asleep (the dragon put him over though). 37/51 A Mist Ball flies up at one for 3 poison damage (immune) and 2 rounds of blindness – not immune. Two non-blind Aranea have sprung down and this is considered a charge. One at Est and one at Ale. Est takes 16 damage and fails a save vs poison and is slept for an hour. 18/34 Aleigha hits one for 8 damage. Alzar tries to Hypnotize – they are immune. One casts Melf’s Acid Arrow at Alzar and he takes 7 acid damage. 30/51 The next round, Alzar takes 4 more. 26/51 He won init and Vamp touches the wounded aranea for 13. It dies. Aleigha swing and hits the other one. 5 damage. The aranea casts invisibility on itself and disappears. The blinded one can now see and jumps down and tries to hit…Aleigha for 8 damage and she makes her save. 39/51 30/38 Alzar swings at the one that just jumped down. He hits for 5. Aleigha misses. It casts shocking grasp and deals 9 damage to Aleigha. The invis one stabs out at Alzar from behind, but misses (cloak) and is now revealed and out of magic. 21/38 They win init and Alzar is critted for 6 damage. He FAILS the save with a +9. He rolled a 1. Alzar is sleeping. Aleigha, against two aranea by herself, turns into a Werebear! RAR! She swings twice and bites once. She hits the wounded aranea twice for 5 damage. 33/51 She wins init and the aranea takes 3. It has taken 11. The other is damage-less. They stab at her and completely miss (rolled 6s). They win init and one hits, but cannot penetrate the magic that protects her (immune to normal weapons). She roars and hits the wounded one three times for 9 and it dies. Without a way to kill the werebear, the other aranea flees back to her lair above. Aleigha turns back into a human and slaps them awake and it takes a couple of rounds but they’re back. They can see the place where the aranea fled too – it’s home, about 40s in the air in a dense web-house. They can’t climb it so Alzar has the flyers check it out. A Mist Ball flies in and the aranea fails her save. Alzar tosses the Broom to Estaish and both of them fly up. They arrive in the aranea lair and it attacks them. It misses. They reciprocate and deal 24 damage from a crit and a regular hit. The creature is dead. XP – 150 each There are three of these web huts up here. Alzar pulls out the rope of climbing and has it establish a nice little climbing rope along a tree trunk, with knots to use to climb up or down. They begin to search. There is a large number of web furniture in these three places. In a few chests, they find: Shield - -1 cursed Scroll – Light, Mirror Image, Spectral Hand There are a large number of books used tfor spell research in here, and Alzar collects them and fills a Bag of Holding with them. 200 tomes, 12000 gp – value of books in generic mage research for spells and other mage stuff. Alzar casts Detect Magic to see if he misses anything, and a few objects glow in the ceiling of two huts. Potion of Undead Control Broom of Flying |
They climb back down, and finish the day. Mountain, jungle, mountain and mountain and…run into another Roc flying over head, and once again, it doesn’t seem interested in, or doesn’t see, their group.
They spend the night and the next day continue. 36/51, 24/38, 19/34 Mountain,x3, a pack of Neanderthals passes and doesn’t bother Alzar and company, Mountainx2. Quiet night Mountainx5. They see the kill of a creature with talons, but not the creature. They came across the plateau today. It is to the north, and past a river valley between the mountains they are on now, and it Quiet night. Mountain+++they find a bridge spanning the river valley below and over to the plateau. They skip it, but its nice to know they know how to get there now. Mountain x3. Valley. At night they are surprised to see some giant dragonflies fly by. They must have been attracted to the fire. They do not attack. Valleyx3, Mountainx3.At night, attacked by two aranea. While Aleigha is on duty. She cries out for help and magic missiles fly into her for 8 damage. A flaming sphere appears and rolls towards her and she takes just 2 damage from it for her ring. 23/38 She charges them and swings . She misses. She is hit with the sphere again for 3 damage and suddenly one of the aranea has turned into four. Another tries to bite her and misses. They win init and She takes a bit for 2 damage and a failed save vs poison and 2 from the sphere. 16/38 A spear flies into the ground just in front of one aranea as Carum misses. Estaish has his weapon, but no armor other than a shield. He slashes and hits for 7 damage. Est swings and connects for another 10. Carum stabs with his other spear and misses. The aranea bite both for 10 and 6. While Carum makes the save, Est is sleeping. 29/39 17/34 A Mist ball flies in and the aranea makes its save. Carum stabs and the wounded one dies after taking 4. Alzar’s dagger misses. The other aranea misses Carum. They win init. Carum stabs out and kills an image. Alzar casts Ray of Ondovir. It misses, hitting an image instead and killing it. Carum is hit for 1 and fails his save and is sleeping. Alzar runs up and snaps out with his staff for 3 damage on the aranea. A Mist Ball flies in and it fails its save for 3 rounds of blindness. Alzar cracks it for 3. Alzar kills the illusion, and Alzar cracks it for 4. It misses every time. 16/34 It begins to run, and Alzar has the final Mist Ball fly in. it fails the save, and Alzar thwarps it for 8 and kills it. XP – 100 each Mountainx4, and then another mountainous region when they spy some ogres. They watch them and see them just outside a cave they made their lair. There appear to be 5. They charge in and Alzar casts sleep. One drops. They grab giant smashing clubs. Battle ensues. They win init and a sleep from a Ring of Spell Storing drops another. 3 left awake. Two hits deal 17 with almost max damage from Est and Car. The ogres swing. One just nails Aleigha for 12 damage. Alzar orders her back immediately. 4/38 Alzar moves in and swings. He hits the injured ogre and kills it for 4 damage. Est and Car miss badly. The ogres miss too. The enemy wins init and one misses Alzar (cloak). Carum crits one for 12. Alzar adds 7 and it dies leaving one alive and awake. It makes its morale check. It wins init and this time Alzar takes 11. Alzar Vamp Touches it for 13. Est adds 6 and Carum 3 and the last ogre drops. They kill the two sleepers. And then search the caves. XP – 338 each They find: 2000 silver 1000 gold Three sabre-tooth skulls, and 6 teeth They take it all. |
Mountain, Mountain, Mountain, and camp by the sea. Quiet night.
They are only a couple of miles from the sea, and meet up with the Sea Ghost, and unload items and then hole up for three days in Tangaroa before heading back for more exploring. They are dropped off nearby where they were picked up, getting close to the northeastern jut of lands. They’ve been going around the plateau for a bit. Hillsx3, Mountainx2. Quiet night. Mountain, hillsx4. During the day, they run across a pair of pteranodons flying and searching for food. They sweep down to try and grab someone, a Mist Ball forces them off.  Quiet Night. Junglex4, and wait. What’s this? Jungle. They come across a major set of ruins, and lots of critters around, but they skip it for now. Quiet Night. Hillsx3, Mountain, Caves. Quiet. Hillsx2, Jungle – they come across a few crocodiles in the jungle, while crossing a wide brook. A quick demonstration of their power forces them away after they kill two. Aleigha took 6 from a croc. 16/38 |
The next space is a jungle/hill area. As they pass a low stony hill, they notice a broad opening in the hillside. As they come to the mouth of the cave, they heavy, labored breathing coming from inside. Whatever is in there is big. Could be a dinosaur or a giant or a dragon or a megatherium or something. Alzar uses the Ear Ring, but can only hear it louder.
He uses the Crystal Ball, and it is a green dragon on a giant pile of treasure.  Alzar tells Aleigha to loan the necklace to Estaish, and she does. Her and Carum are ordered far away, since they are damageable to the dragon. Each of Estaish and Alzar move in with a Broom of Flying at hand for each of them. They move in. The dragon hears them, and prepares for their arrival by backing up and getting ready to breathe chlorine gas. They arrive at the main room and Chlorine Gas encircles them. Alzar casts skull trap and throws it at the dragon. 24 damage is dealt, but it makes the save and takes 12. It is surprised that someone could survive its main weapon. It rears back and casts a spell at Alzar – magic missile. Alzar casts Ray of Ondovir. Estaish is charging in. Dryshik is flying in, staying away from the breathe weapon, for a possible Mist Ball. What happens first? Alzar takes 21 damage from the missiles. The Ray hits and the dragon makes its save. Estaish swings and hits for 9 damage. 21 taken so far. Dryshik has arrived and cast Mist Ball next turn. 30/51 Alzar wants to cast Ray of Enfeeblement, it wants to attacks Estaish three times, and Estaish wants to slice it. And Mist Ball wants to fly in. Who wins? The dragon makes its save against the Mist Ball, fails it against the Ray, Estaish misses and it attacks three times. It rolls 10, 17, and 10. Each gets -2 for the Ray and -2 for Estaish’s AC. That’s a 6, 13, and 6. The THAC0 is 12, so it hits once for 5 damage. 18/38 Alzar wants to grab that wand and pepper this twice. Est wants to swing, Dryshik wants to flee. The Dragon wants to attack 3x. Who wins? 6 from Alzar, Est cuts into it for 10. 37 so far. It misses Est three times. The dragon has taken a lot of damage, and it wants to Wing Buffet away Alzar and Estaish, preferably into a wall. Alzar wants to pump in more missiles. Est wants to swing. Alzar rolls a 3, but the dragon is quicker with juts a 1. Estaish is blown back and falls. He will miss this turn getting up and charging again. Alzar is not affected. The dragon takes 6 more from the magic missiles. 43 so far. This time, they win init. Est nails it for 8. 51. It dies. XP – Alzar and Estaish split 3500 Alzar again hacks it up. This place is full of treasure. Alzar sends Megala to bring in Carum and Aleigha. A message is sent to the Sea Ghost to come over. They are about 7 miles from the coast and he needs a group of sailors to land, bringing sacks and such for carrying loot. They spend the day counting coins and get bored. Green dragon scales, teeth, horns, and vials of blood. 40400 silver 200 gold 30 assorted pieces of jewelry worth 18k total There are no magical items in here at all. (Which is a rip off, because in D&D, Dragons would have a treasure type or three that gives tonsof great magic. However, because this encounter was set…) They stay here for two days. Alzar’s Bag of Holding is full of coins, and the sailors are met by Estaish and Aleigha who show them the path to the cave. Everything is loaded up and sent back, and put in numerous crates in Alzar, Estaish, and Aleigha’s rooms under key and lock. Alzar promises the ship some of the treasure and they are quite happy to help. |
Junglex6, quiet night. Junglex6. During the final jungle, they hear a roar, and suspect it might be another dragon, until they see the creature.
A Tyrannosaurus!  It is huge and towers over them. Alzar has to make a quick decision – fight or flight. He’s not much of a runner. The Tyrannosaurus: HP 66, THAC0 – 5, XP – 12,000, 3 attacks for 1d6, 1d6 and 5d8. Swallows a man on a natural roll of 18, 19 or 20. AC 5, so easily to hit. Alzar grabs the Brooms from his bag and tosses one each to Estaish and Carum. He tells Aleigha to hide, and werebear if she needs to protect herself from it. He activates the Belt of Flying. All three fly up, and Carum and Estaish start pelting it with missile fire. They are at -2 to hit for flying on a broom while shooting. Alzar cast Greater Malison on it, and it is at -2 to saves. The T Rex is roaring at them. Both miss with missiles. The next round, it tries to hop and snap at one, but misses. Alzar tells them to stay near it. If they fly too high, it will likely flee. Alzar casts Ray of Enfeeblement, and it’s save is at -2 from the Malison. It makes it easily. It takes 1 from a sling. Alzar wants to distract it, and casts Searing Serpent at the ground by its feet. It takes 4 from a sling and misses the flyers. It jumps and it out of range again. The serpent burns it for 7 and it looks down and sees the fire snake. Estaish DROPS the crossbow accidentally as he tries to shoot it, and it falls down to the ground and breaks. Carum hits the T Rex for 1 damage. It has taken 12 so far. Alzar flings a Skulltrap at it. It’s easy to hit and takes 21, with a failed save for half. Carum hits again for 3. The serpent misses, and suddenly a werebear charges out and surprises the T Rx, hitting it three times for 8 damage. 44 damage so far. The T Rex tries to stomp the serpent and fails, and tries to eat Aleigha. He misses. The T wins init and tries to attack Aleigha three times. It trolls a 20 and swallows her. Alzar just has to hope she will realize that she needs to stay a werebear while in the T Rex. A Blastbones deals 6 to it, and the serpent hits for 5. 55 damage so far. They win init. Carum misses. The serpent hits for 2. 57. The T Rex is reeling. Alzar decides to try to coup de gras it by flying in and Vamp Touching it. 12 damage to it, and it dies. They quickly move to cut out Aleigha, who is covered in T Rex digestive juices, and goes to a nearby stream to clean off. 3000 XP each Alzar takes the teeth and blood of it too, in case it comes up. He may never get a chance to kill one of these again. |
Quiet Night Junglex5. Quiet Night. Swamp, Swamp, Swamp, Swamp, Catoblepas. They run across another of these, and again, Alzar uses a Mist Ball from Dryshik, but it fails, so he has Dryshik just drop a Wall of Fog down so no one can see each other, and then they charge in and kill it.
100 XP each They have finished the northeastern peninsula. They have found ruins as yet unexplored. The Sea Ghost collects them and drops them off as the coast the next morning. Caves , Caves, they run into some trogs and kill and sleep all of them easily. Mountain, Swamp, Hills. Quiet night. Mountainx5, and they come across another triceratops. But it’s dead. Something big brought it down, ate the stomach, and left. Quiet Night. Hills, and then they arrive at a swampy area. This is the area on their map. While they grab shovels Alzar procured from the Sea Ghost, they suddenly hear a crashing sound, and out of the bush comes a normally peaceful Ankylosaurus and it is charging them.  AC 0, 3d6 with its clubbed tail, 33 HP, 1400 XP. Carum sets a spear for a charge. Estiash and Aleigha draw weapons and ready themselves. Alzar Ray of Enfeeblements unsuccessfully. It arrives. It rolled an 11 to hit Carum. 11 -1 for his AC is 10. Its THAC0 is 11, so it just misses. That Ring of Pro +1 looks really nice now. Carum rolls a 5, and they miss each other. Est slashes its side for 6 damage. It wins init and swings its tail at Aleigha. It hits for 11. She slashes it for 4 with the Sword of Spartusia. Est drops his sword. Alzar steps in and swings, he hits (rolled a 19) for 3 damage. 17/34 They win init. Alzar is the only one that hits this round, and 8 damage is added. It misses Aleigha It wins init and misses Alzar despite rolling a 17. Cloak. Alzar crits it for 10. Est rolled a 13 +0 for AC and +2 for the sword is 15. His THAC0 is 16. A miss. They win init easily and the dinosaur bites it after taking 7 from a spear from Carum. XP – 350 each |
They continue digging, and as they do, the smell of the corpse attracts another dinosaur, an Allosaurus.
 (Not kidding, this is a set encounter with both of those dinos in the hex, not rolled or anything) AC 5, Hp 55, THAC0 8, 3 attacks, 1d4, 1d4, 6d4. 9000 XP. Alzar Grater Malisons it as it runs towards them. Aleigha turns into a werebear. Carum again sets the spear. It arrives and rolls a 6. It misses Carum. Carum rolls a 5 and misses back. Est slashes for 7. Aleigha hits once for 3. Alzar casts Ray of Ondovir, and it fails its save. It ducks its head and moves forward, but without the momentum from before, it hardly moves at all, just a few yards. It takes 21 from the spear and two claws and sword that hit it this turn. Alzar summons two Faithful Shield Maidens and moves forward into the Allosaurus’s line of line and space. They win init and Alzar smashes it for 3, Est cuts it for 4, Carum misses, and Ale misses three times. 38 taken so far. The maidens misses. It reciprocates and attacks Carum for 3 from claws, and Critical this Alzar, who dodges because of the cloak. 30/39 They win init again. One maiden hits for 3, Alzar adds 5, and Carum adds 7, Aleigha slashes it one for 2. 55 damage exactly, and it dies. 2250 XP each They finish digging for gold and find a treasure of: 2000 gp Three diamonds worth 3000 gp each Sapphire Necklace worth 6000 |
They rest for the night, all quiet. They are on the shore of a lake. Swamp, Jungle, Swamp, Jungle, Swamp, Jungle. Quiet night. Swampx3, Junglex3. Quiet night. Swamp, Swamp, they see a massive water dinosaur, peaceful, in the large lake, Jungle, Jungle, Jungle with/…..more extensive ruins. They’ll come back later and explore/. Swamp. Quiet Night. Mountain, Swamp, they run into another ankylosaurus. This time its peaceful and they skip it. Swamp, Swamp, Mountain. Quiet. Mountain, Swampx3,hills. They have circuited the lake and are back to where the treasure and multiple dinosaurs were. Quiet Night.
Hills, Mountainx, Hillsx2, Quiet Night. Hillsx2, then they run into a Stone Giant. Luckily, they see her from far away, and don’t bother her. She skips by. Hills, Plains!?!?, Mountain. What was plains doing here. Never expected to see that. Mountainx3, Hillx2. Then they see a pair of mated brontosauruses eating quietly, and pass them by. Quiet Night. Hills, Mountain, Hills, and then that’s it. Except for the Plateau, and both of those ruins, the Isle and its surroundings has been fully searched. They load into the Sea Ghost and head back to Tangaroa for refreshment before planning the next course. XP: 9315 for Aleigha and Carum. 12815 for Estaish before the 10%. 13015 for Alzar pre 10%. Alzar – 85,372 (Level 7) Estaish – 34,808 (Level 6) – Now with 45 HP Aleigha – 33,010 (Level 6) – Now has 41 HP. Carum – 24,790 (Level 5) – Now has 48 HP. Each of the fighters levels up, and Alzar gets a big chunk of the XP he needs to do the same, at 90k. |
The stuff:
Protection from Elementals Scroll 600 gp Ruby A Ring of Water Walking 3200 gp 2000 copper 40000 silver 4000 electrum 17 gems, 100 each Scroll – Shield spell Sword, +1, Neutral, I8, E9: Detect Metal; Levitate for 30 minutes and 3x a day Potion of Heroism Scroll – Light, Mirror Image, Spectral Hand 200 tomes, 12000 gp – value of books in generic mage research for spells and other mage stuff. Potion of Undead Control Broom of Flying Three sabre-tooth skulls, and 6 teeth 30 assorted pieces of jewelry worth 18k total Three diamonds worth 3000 gp each Sapphire Necklace worth 6000 9 pearls worth 100 gold each Red & Green Dragon: Horns, teeth, blood, skin and scales. Tyrannosaurus – teeth, claws, blood, some of the skin Alzar gives 5400 silver to the crew, and that number is reflected above. Used 2 charges on Belt of Flying. Used four charges on Wand of Magic Missiles. |
Time to make a decision. Ruins on the Northeast Peninsula in the swamp? Ruins in the Northwest peninsula in the jungle? The central plateau and whatever is there?
They choose to head to the Central Plateau. After a week of study and research into the book they found, and over things available to him, plus identify spells, Alzar now knows what the four gems from The Gauntlet will do: The first gem allows 1 hp regen every ten minutes, but will not reattach limbs or bring back from death The second gives the user an 18 charisma when dealing with creatures of own alignment The third gem grants immunity to charm and suggestion spells. The fourth gem is very evil and non-evil people seeing it will be instantly upset with the gem and its owner. If displayed, it will act as a jewel of attacks. When displayed it will double the chance of a wandering monster hitting the party – good in some circumstances. Alzar has the first three attached to his Belt of Flying. Fully healed and rested, they have the Sea Ghost drop them off at top of the eastern peninsula, the closest to the central plateau it gets. It takes one day and night to get to the plateau. All quiet. They cross the bridge the following morning and enter the plateau. The plateau is roughly 14 or 15 miles across. There is a river in the south east, and some trees and woods in some places. There is a huge ridge in the middle of the plateau and nothing more can be seen right now. They explore east and find woods and plains, but nothing else. No jungle,s just woods. It is colder up here. They head north of that and there is a riverish creekish brook here. They find nothing else and push further north. They pass some ravines, nothing else of much note. West is clear open prairie. West of that is a few woods and another stream. South is a thick woods and they are told by several Treants to treat the plants nicely. It is almost dusk, and they have walked around the plateau. They camp out under the trees, and protected by Treants. The following morning they move in and look at the ridge and cliffs that encircle whatever is at or near the center of the plateau. The note they got from the captain long ago said that there was something very impressive in here. What is it? It will take about 10 hours of climbing to hit the top, and Alzar’s magical rope will ensure that no one falls. They arrive at the top of the cliff and look down. The rocks up here are covered with ice and snow and the temperature is almost freezing. This is obviously once a volcano. Inside is a caldera lake about 1-1.5 miles across. On the edge is a village, on their side, with some houses and huts. In the lake itself is a small island, and something else on it, but it’s hard to make out from here. It will take 8 more hours to descend, and that takes them to darkness. The Rope ensures their safety though. They falls asleep at the base of the cliff-face. |
In the morning, and hour gets them to the village of Mantru. Carum says that he never knew there was a village here before, he’s not sure any of the natives did. This area is never spoken of among his people.
This small village is on the shore of the lake. The west edge of the village is surrounded by crude stockade of palm trunks and branches. It runs into the water on both sides of the village to create fish pens. The village has just 6 thatched huts, raised off the ground on stilts. There are two huts on the lake and on stilts as well. They are barricaded from entering, and Carum speaks to them. They allow us to pass and we are welcome in Mantru, and speak to the chief and cleric. There are no more than 50 people in the village, men, women and children. They have not had visitors in decades. They have a feast tonight with turtle soup and fermented yam beer. Carum tells them about Alzar and their escapes and news from the outside. A black mark falls over the camp as the chief begins to tell their tale of woe. Recently, a schism has occurred in their village, and the daughter of the chief, along with many others, has fled for the ruined temple on the island in the lake. They call it Taboo Island. They will not go there, but they can give Alzar and Carum and such a canoe to go there themselves. If the splinter group could be taken care of, then their raids on the food supply would cease. Alzar agrees to help the following day. They boat out onto the caldera lake and in a short period of time, they have arrived at Taboo Island. Taboo Island is a rocky spire adorned with small ruins, statues and broken terraces. The largest ruin on the island in a temple that is carved into the cliff wall of the island’s western shore. They enter it from the lake side, with broad steps that descend into the water of the lake. The entire temple is damp, foul smelling and hot and stale. Torches show small blind creatures moving here and there. The temple entrance has been carved into the cliff, and two docks of narrow poles and weak planking extend from the steps. There are few boats here, which may signify the rebels are in here. There are decorations abounding in this old ruin. Feathered totems and hanging carving from bone signify someone lives here, and recently. The rock is red marble. They search and find nothing. They continue down a passage which has been carefully narrowed by rubble so that only one person can pass at a time – smart. |
As they move through it, four warriors confront them and start throwing javelins at them from behind cover. They miss. Alzar orders everyone forward and they move out. They fighters are ordered to withdraw in the face of four determined faces into a large chamber. Alzar sends in Megala and takes a quick look. There are the four fighters ordering a defense. A hole has been cut into the ceiling and a rope goes up it, there are more than 20 women and children in the room and someone is calling for more help.
Time to go now. Alzar orders everyone in. The children start scrambling up the rope, the women and men grab weapons. Battle begins. He orders the fighters to concentrate on attacking the warriors they just encountered, in spears and shields to the left. They win init. The fighters try their spears. Carum and Aleigha are both hit for 5 and 1. Dryshik casts a Wall of Fog at the top of the room to the right where a door is, in order to keep the people that might be in there in there. Alzar casts Faithful Phantom Shield-Maidens. Carum spears a fighter for 6 damage. Aleigha kills her for 4 damage. Three left. Megala causes a local woman to fall asleep. 21 randoms and 3 fighters left. 43/48 – Carum 40/41 – Aleigha The Shield-Maidens – AC 4, HP 20, THAC0 – 17, Damage 1d6. Alzar’s group wins init. Aleigha deals 5 damage to a fighter. Est kills him for 12 damage off a crit. Carum hits another for 8 and kills him, leaving just the 5th level fighter leader. She spears Est for 6 damage. Megala misses. The regular people have grabbed slings or javelins and are throwing them. They are concentrating on Alzar, and all miss (cloak). He summons a Searing Serpent in their midst. 39/45 – Estaish The next round, 14 young men in leather armor and armed with spears and bows come out of a room to the left. Alzar’s group wins Init. Alzar sleeps 6 of the young men. He failed a poison use check and doesn’t notice that the tips of their arrow shafted are all smeared with a gummy vegetable poison. (They are 40’ feet away or so). Only Carum hits the fighter for 5 damage. She nails Carum back for 5. The serpent hits and kills a local for 5 damage. 20 left. Some locals are fleeing from the serpent and moving towards Alzar. Megala hits a local and she falls asleep. 19 left. Dryshik tries to gate in more mephits. Failure. The natives staying in one place swing at the serpent and a few note their weapons go right through it. 38/48 – Carum 8 arrows fly from the young men and pepper the fighters and three come close to hitting, but two ricochet off Estaish’s great armor. One nails Aleigha for 2 damage and she fails her poison save and takes an additional 2 poison damage and is rocked with tremendous pain. -1 to attacks. Several natives try to attack Alzar. All but one miss, and that one misses because of the cloak. The 5th level fighter nails Carum for 3 damage. Only Carum hits her, for 5 back. Alzar ensleeps 5 more young men, with the Sleep from his ring. 3 more young men left. The serpent misses. 1 fighter, 19 tribesmen, 2 young men. More natives get close to Alzar. 36/41 – Aleigha -1 to hit 35/48 – Carum Alzars group wins init. Out of the Wall of Fog comes the chief and her three sons, and the witchdoctor. The shield maidens swing and kill a tribesman. 18 left. The serpent kills another. 17 left. Megala crits one for 6 damage and kills form that. 16 left. The fighters all miss the female level 5 one. Dryshik is Mist Balling the fighter. She makes her save. Alzar Hypnotizes 7 of the tribemen to drop weapons and fall to the ground. 9 tribesman, 2 young men, 1 l5 fighter, 1 chief, 1 witchdoctor, 3 sons. The fighter speras Estaish for 8 damage. Two arrows fly for misses. The tribesman are ordered to use water on the serpent and manage to put it out. The Witchdoctor gave that order, and then casts Hold Person on just Alzar in order to get that -4 save and it ails (Free Action). The tribesman not attacking the serpent swing at Alzar and He takes 6 from two hits. The chief, with bone armor and a sword and shield, moves forward, with her sons. 31/45 - Estaish 45/51 – Alzar They win init. Arrows miss. The l5 fighter hits for 3 on Estaish. Tribesmen hit Alzar for 9. The chief and sons have arrived at Alzar and the witchdoctor is moving. The fighter takes 9 from Aleigha and Carum. Megala sleeps a tribesman – 8 left. Alzar casts Vamp Touch on the chief. 10 damage dealt. 28/45 – Estaish 46/51- Alzar They win init again. Two arrows miss. The fighter misses. Alzar takes 3 from tribesmen. The sons and chief all attack Alzar. Only the sons hit, and thus miss. The chief does not hit. They rolled 9, 17, 18, 19 – normally great but not in that first round. The witchdoctor arrives. Dryshik Moist balls the fighter and success. She is blinded for five rounds and takes 5 damage. Only Carum hits her for 4 damage, and he orders Aleigha and Estaish to join him next round. Megala rakes a tribesman for 2 damage but she makes her save. Shield-Maidens hit one tribesmen for 3 damage and he is still rocking. Time to change the odds. He drops a skull with a skull trap on it, while still far away from hs allies. Everybody takes 26 or a save to 13. The tribesmen are dead. The conjured cannot take the damage, so the maidens are immune. Alzar takes 13from a save. Only the middle son makes the save and the others fail and die. The chief makes the save. The witchdoctor makes it too. 2 young men, blinded fighter, 13 damage to middle son and witchdoctor and 23 to chief. 30/51 Alzar’s group wins init. Carum kills the l5 fighter with a hit of 8 damage. Aleigha and Estaish arrive to back up Alzar. Megala is sent over to the young men and misses. The shield maidens miss. Alzar aims for ht witchdoctor with his staff. He hits for 4. The witchdoctor casts cause light wounds and he takes 8. Both the chief and her son miss. An arrow hits Carum for 1 damage and he nails his save. They make a morale save 22/51 34/48 – Carum They win init and Alzar takes 13 from the son and another Cause Light wounds. An arrow hits Carum for three. He misses the save and takes 2 more and a -1 to hit. Carum runs to the archers. Megala misses one. Alzar misses. The shield-maidens miss twice. Est is aiming for the son and misses. Aleigha misses the chief. A big ol turn of misses. No one even rolled double digits. 9/51 29/48 – Carum – -1 to hit They win init. The maidens kill the witchdoctor for 11 damage off a crit and another hit. Est kills the son after a hit of 9. Aleigha hits the chief for 5. Carum misses Megala misses. They fail their morale check and the two young men break. A Mist Ball hits one for a crit of 6 damage and the man dies. The other is escaping and Megala follows, leaving just the chief, who makes her save (her sons are dead, her tribe is dead, she knows nothing is left for her – at this point, why run?) Alzar slides back out of the way of her sword. She stabbed at Aleigha for 6. 30/41 – Aleigha Megala rakes the final young man and puts him to sleep. Estaish nails the chief for 8 damage and she dies. They kill th sleeping ones. The children were able to escape. They search this five room complex and find nine young girls who are covering in two rooms, and tie them up. XP – 500 each They find: +1 spear given to Carum. +2 bastard sword Gems worth 1200, 1000, 800, 500 and 50 Potion (Flying) Six furs worth 100 gold each |
They find two secret doors to a secret viewing chamber and the old priest’s quarters. There is a giant obsidian humanoid face on the wall, but is has been carved and aged over time. The priest’s quarters have a door that continues into the ret of the temple complex
Alzar orders them to take the women and boat back to Mantru. They are turned over to the tribe, where they will be reassimilated. Alzar and crew spend a few days here. He regens for healing, while the others benefit from a few Cure Light Wounds by the local cleric. On the fourth day, they return to the temple and move on There is a passage behind the priest’s quarters and they continue. It heads down and ends at a crude wall of stones completely closing off the passage. It looks recently built. They don’t have shovels or anything with them, since those were returned to the Sea Ghost a while ago. Alzar doesn’t want to waste a couple of hours going back to mantra, borrowing digging tools which may not be that advanced, and then coming back. He grabs his axe, and Carum his spear and magic weapons are handed to Aleigha and Estaish – a Warhammer and a staff. They begin to hack, smash, and pry the stones and earthwork. It takes 90 minutes, but eventually, they have made a hole big enough for one person to crawl through. They walk around the passage, and suddenly the floor drops out and everybody falls into a watery chamber below. It’s about 5 feet deep in here. There are harmless cave fish in here. There is an open door here and more water outside of the room. Alzar grabs the two brooms of flying and him and Carum fly up through the hole and down the passage above to a door and get of f the brooms and put them away. The door opens into a private altar room with a square stone pedestal, with intricate inlaid bejeweled bowls and a crumbling bamboo flute. A search turns up na intricate carved stone box with an unusual statuette of gold and coral. It looks like an amphibious humanoid that has a smooth head, large eyes and a tentacle mouth. The torso is humanlike, and has two arms that end in webbed, clawed hands. From the waist down, the body divides into three long tentacles. Three intricate inlaid bejeweled bowls 500 gold each. 2000 gold kopru statuette They search again to verify there are no secret doors and head back down. |
They leave behind the room they fell into, pass some waterlogged jails, and enter a passageway and can do right or left Right to a door, left to a bend in the corridor. Right.
The door opened and this is filled with 20 feet of water and there are stairs into the deep water. Alzar orders the armored ones to stay at the corridor and he moves in. He dives underwater and searches around. Two giant crabs are moving towards him and his group from underwater and have just hit the base of the stairs. He surfaces and tells everybody to move back ad fight them in the corridor, which is still 5 feet underwater. They arrive and battle begins. Everybody but Alzar is at -4 to hit and -2 to damage underwater due to drag on weapons. Alzar’s staff misses. Aleigha cracks one for 1 damage. Alzar is hit twice, oh but the cloak saves him. The crabs win init and miss. One takes 7 from Aleigha. 8 total so far. They win and Alzar crits the damaged one for 12 and damages it badly. Carum pierces it with he spear for 4 and kills it. The other one miss. It goes first and misses. It takes 6 from Aleigha. It wins init again and Alzar takes 18 from a giant pincer. Alzar hits for 4. They win init and Alzar crits again for 6. Est hits for 6. It dies. XP – 100 each |
Alzar dives back into the room while they search the crabs and find nothing. The room is big, and Alzar finds a dais in the room. At the top is a huge giant oyster with a bigger black pearl in it. This is the black pearl the captain talked about wanting to come and find. Alzar can try to pick the pearl like picking pockets, and puts on the gauntlets of dexterity to try. He rolls a 81, not good enough. The oyster clams down and misses Alzar’s hand by a bit. He waits for it to open and checks the back hallway. There are ten giant rats that move into this hallway and a blastbones clears them out. It’s still underwater. Alzar now has 7 animal skeletons.
He moves forward and uses them to go ahead of him, and arrives at a door. He opens it and it is another chamber under 5’ of water, with a door at the other end. He moves to it, and a trap fires, putting oil and grease on top of the water, and then igniting it. Alzar stays underwater breathing easily until the fire is out, then he decides to head back without opening the next door. A half hour or so has passed, and the giant oyster is open again. Another pick pockets is attempted for 16 and it succeed and Alzar has the pearl: 3000 gp black pearl He heads back and joins the group and they go the other way, because Alzar doesn’t want them taking off their armor to swim the big flooded room unless its the final option. They go up a corridor and run into three crocodiles. They have been very hungry from feeding off lizards and such, and they attack the party. Alzar wins init and misses. Aleigha hits for 2 damage on the third one. One hits Alzar, then misses. Alzar crits the wounded one for 4. The others add 19 and kill it. Two left. One hits Alzar for 7 and clamps down on him. Next turn it will try to spin around and take Alzar’s arm off. Alzar smashes it with a +2 dagger (close range, on hand, drops the staff) for 7 damage. The fighters all miss it 6, 6, 4 rolled The croc tries to barrel roll and deals another 8 damage to the arm and Alzar feels some tears opening up in it as he is spun with the croc. The other one misses. Alzar stabs and misses. The fighters hit just once for 5 damage. It spins and Alzar takes 10 more damage. The arm is about to come off. The other croc misses. Megala and Dryshik swing down ordered in desperation to try and claw the croc. Dryshik crits and deals double damage – 2. Alzar manages to stab it for 4. Est drops his sword, Ale does as well, and Carum pierces it with his magical spear for 6 and kill sit. The final croc hits Alzar and miss (cloak – first time attacking him). Alzar vamps it for 12 and it dies. 33/51 XP – 250 each |
They move to a door and open it and enter a praying chamber with a small altar. Water sweeps in and floods the chamber. They search and find a hidden cache. Inside is:
+2 mace Metal Potion (Healing, 2 doses) 500 gp 2 coral statuettes worth 1000 each They head back, and Alzar and Aleigha go to the dais, and then send the necklaces back and the other two go along the bottom of the big room and join them. They move back down the corridor where the giant rats were, enter the formerly trapped room and open the door. Water rushes out through a portcullis and down stairs. It takes about 30 minutes but it has mostly washed down stairs. There is a switch by the portcullis, and Alzar flips it, and it raises. A door to their left is opened. It has a boiling well in it, fed by volcanic geysers likely. They head down the steps. This is a single natural cavern of great size. The air is quite hot and steamy and fouled by the gases from the volcano. The floor of the cavern is a field of bubbling med pots, small geysers, hot springs and mineral crusts. They have to walk along terraces, and avoid the pits, geysers and springs. |
They hang a right along the wall for a bit, and then take a left. The terraces are very slippery and characters will attack at -3 while down here plus +3 AC as well. They go forward for the bit, and then left. They eventually arrive at the hot spring that feeds the boiling well above. As they return., there is a mud burst an Alzar is caught but takes no damage (Gloves of Fire Protect). As they take the left terrace, out of the mud comes a Kopru.
 It is identical to that statue found before. It tries to charm…Aleigha. She makes a save. It is floating above the mud 20 feet away. Alzar has Dryshik Mist Ball. It fails the save and…it takes 2 poison damage but is not blinded. Alzar Greater Malisons it. Carum slings but fails, and Est misses with a bolt. Aleigha cannot do anything. Megala flies by and tries to claw it. It crits the kopru for 4 damage and it is immune to sleep. It has taken 6. The Kopru wins init and calls for aid. It tries to charm…Carum and…he makes the save. Alzar grabs brooms of flying for Aleigha and Carum. They can fly over next turn. Est misses. The Kopru wins init again. Estaish fails his save and points the cross bow at Alzar and fires, missing him (cloak) Carum and Aleigha fly out and can attack next turn. Another Mist Ball flies in and it takes 5 more poison damage. Megala keeps missing. Alzar casts Ray of Ondovir at it and it fails the save. They hear another kopru behind them. One rose from the mud more than 70 feet away but it is closing. The kopru wins init. The one in the back arrives. Est drops the crossbow in the mud and draws a sword and swings at Alzar. Alzar takes 10. Aleigha nails the kopru for 4. Carum adds 5. Megala misses. Dryshik Wall of Fogs into front of the kopru in the back, forcing it to waste a turn moving in. Alzar summons his shield-maidens. 39/51 The Kopru win again. The one in the back pushes out of the Wall of Fog. The one in the front tries to charm Alzar and fails. Est swings and hits for 10 more. 29/51 Aleigha and Carum hit for 11 and kill the kopru. Est is no longer charmed. The next round, the kopru goes first and charms Est unsuccessfully. He moves in. Alzar casts Ray of Enfeeblement on it and it fails. Carum and Aleigha fly over to it, as do Megala and Dryshik. It wins init YET AGAIN and charms Aleigha…successfully. She turns, and dives for Alzar and misses him with her sword. Est misses the kopru. Alzar moves in. Carum hits for 5 damage. Dryshik deals 5 from his final Mist Ball and Megala misses. It wins init again and tries to charm…Alzar and fails. Aleigha deals 5 to Alzar. Carum hits, Est misses – 4 more dealt. Megala misses too. The shield maidens hit for 1 and Alzar misses. 24/51 The kopru wins init again and tries to charm Carum. Success. Carum spins and attacks Alzar and misses. Aleigha misses too. Est misses. Alzar misses. But, the maidens deal 8, they both hit. The Kopru levitates up and starts to leave. Both of the people with brooms are charmed. Megala follows and slashes it for 1 damage. Alzar grabs his wand and pumps two magic missiles into it for 9 damage and kills it. XP – 1500 each |
There is nothing more on the corpses. They search the rest of the area down here and find a old hidden throne with a grinning skeleton on it. They search the area and find :
+2 Longsword Ring of Telekinesis – 50 lbs They find nothing else here. They leave, go back up the stairs, use the brooms to get back up, and leave, having completed Taboo Island. Used two charges, Wand of Magic Missiles. They leave and arrive at Mantru, and spend a few days ther healing before climbing back over the ridge and heading off the plateau, and moving back to Tangaroa. Nothing attacks them. Two eeks late,r they are back at Tangaroa. Taboo Island: 2350 XP: Alzar – 88,107 (Level 7) Estaish – 37,393 (Level 6) – Now with 45 HP Aleigha – 35,360 (Level 6) – Now has 41 HP. Carum – 27,140 (Level 5) – Now has 48 HP. Stuff: +1 spear given to Carum +2 bastard sword Gems worth 1200, 1000, 800, 500 and 50 Potion (Flying) Six furs worth 100 gold each 3000 gp black pearl Three intricate inlaid bejeweled bowls 500 gold each. 2000 gold kopru statuette +2 mace Metal Potion (Healing, 2 doses) 500 gp 2 coral statuettes worth 1000 each Ring of Telekinesis +2 longsword |
In Tangaroa, they have a few options. Alzar has decided to stop for a while and research a 4th level spell. It should give him 2000 XP and cost him 2300 gold. He has the books for it already.
Alzar’s Undead Expertise (Alteration, Necromancy, Artifice) Level: 4 Casting Time: One Hour Components: VSM Duration: Permanent At the time this spell is cast, the caster must have contact with an undead and a magical item. As a result of this spell, the undead and the magical item are mystically linked. For as long as the undead remains undestroyed, it can use this item, even if the item normally required things the undead does not have (such as intelligence, race or class based restrictions). No other creature, including the caster, can use the item until the undead is destroyed. The caster cannot use this spell on themselves, in case they are undead. No undead may have more than one Alzar’s Undead Expertise active at a time. The component for this spell is the sacrifice during casting of one magical item in addition to the magic item melded to the undead. Any item will do, from a potion to a cursed item to a scroll to a wand with one charge left. 2 months later, Alzar has gained 2200 XP. Alzar – XP – 90,307- Level 8! Alzar now can cast: 5/4/4/3 He currently memorizes: Charm Person, Detect Magic, Sleep, Animate Dead Animals, Hypnotize, Ray of Ondovir, Ray of Enfeeblement, Blastbones, Empathic Control, Vampiric Touch, Searing Serpent, Skulltrap, Mordenkainen’s…Maidens, Greater Malison, and now Dire Charm and the Maidens twice. Alzar gains 3 hp and now has 54 hp. |
Alzar can now use all of his old warrior abilities and gain XP while using them. This means:
He can use his trusty +1 axe. That’s +4 to hit and +5 to damage with axe mastery, strength and its enchantment. He can attack twice every other round. His ac drops by two when fighting with just an axe and no shield, but he can use a shield, and if he manages to get a +2 or better shield, he could fight with it and the axe at the same time and increase his AC more. His THAC0 rises significantly to a 14. He can use warrior only magic items, like a Potion of Heroism. When he fights with just an axe, he can use his other hand for drinking potions, throwing things (not attacking though, unless he wants to get major penalties with both axe and weapon thrown). He also now gets only a -2 when fighting with a weapon he does not know how ot use, instead of -5 as a wizard. He can wear armor but cannot cast spells when doing so, but he may want to put on a suit a plate mail from his bag of holding for a battle or something. |
After two months, Alzar wants to get cracking with the next book – the level 5 one. He has spent one of the two months finishing it off and then the last month starting on the 6th level evil spells. He grabs the tome, having dropped 60 dispels on it. Has one worked?
Yes. Level Five “Evil” Spells: Animate Dead Avoidance Cloudkill Domination Magic Jar Deathmaster’s Vial Eyefire Fiendform Nystul’s Enveloping Darkness Persona of Death Vile Venom Xult’s Magical Doom Persona of Death is a necro spell and makes an undead zombie look like they are alive again, for a few hours. It can’t give them a mind or anything. A corpse looks sleeping. Eyefire, Cloudkill are evoc spells and not available. Xult’s Magical Doom is another way to protect books, maps and scrolls. It involves polymorphing, permanently, someone who messes with it. Vile Venom costs some weapons with poison. The Darkness makes a darkness that Alzar can see through, and that gives -2 to attack him in addition to darkness modifiers. Fiendform has a material component of 3000 crystal statuette, and turns the caster into a random powerful fiend that gains all of the powers thereof for a few rounds. Then the statuette is destroyed. Magic Jar is a classic necro spell that allows you to put your soul temporary in a vessel, and then try and jump into someone else’s body and control them, then jump back and keep it up, or turns to your normal body. Domination is a powerful enchantment charm that forces someone to do what you want. Unlike the second level spell Empathic Control, the person can be ordered to fight, it lasts for a long time, and no damage to the caster and the caster can do other things and doesn’t have to concentrate. Here is the cool one he got: Deathmaster's Vial Level 5 Necromancy, Alchemy Range: Touch Duration: Special Area of Effect: 1 or more vials Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 5 Saving Throw: None This spell activates an evil fluid that has been sealed in a specially prepared vial. The activated concoction can be hurled as a grenadelike missile. A direct hit inflicts 2d8+3 points of rotting damage. A miss within 5 feet inflicts 1d4+1 points of rotting damage. The casting activates one vial per 3 levels of the caster (round down, minimum of one), up to a total of five vials at 15th level. The vials must be used within two hours of exposure to direct sunlight, but they last for 2d10 days if kept in darkness. Exposing the liquid to the air after activation destroys it within a round. The vials radiate evil. The material component of the spell is the base fluid, which is made from boiling the remains of a ghoul or ghast for 24 hours and adding various noxious substances worth about 300 gp. This yields enough liquid to fill 6 small vials (like those used to carry holy/unholy water). Alzar learns Xult’s Magical Doom, Deathmaster’s Vial, Domination, Vile Venom, and Magic Jar. In the future, Alzar will be not automatically opening up spellbooks in case he runs across more trapped like Castanamir’s ,unless the caster appeared to be of low level. After two months, Alzar has decided to sail a few weeks away to the island with the next slaver’s stronghold on it. That’s probably more time sensitive than the ruins on the island and investigating them. 5 days into the journey, they have bad weather and are blown off course by three days. It’s no longer the easy season to sail. 16 days later, they arrive at a medium sized island to the west and a bit north of the Isle of Dread. This is supposedly where the next foes are at. Alzar orders the ship to anchor a while away, and using his various scrying methods to see what’s up – in this case, the Crystal Ball. He can only search the area of the island he can just make out, but suddenly, it’s as if he’s there in the ball. |
A2. Secret of the Slavers’ Stockade
 This one is co-written by Tom Moldvay and Harold Johnson. Each of the A1—4 is written by someone else, which makes them a bit uneven in terms of tone and flavor. (and quality). |
Should be fun seeing Alzar being able to utilize his entire arsenal now. Not that you'll probably have to rely on the axe all that much, but nice that you don't have to worry about ignoring it for XP purposes anymore.
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We'll see, but I suspect he'll axe it up quite a lot for a while.
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On the maps they took from the slave lord, this island was not even named. He sees a Hill Fort on the north side of the island, and orders the Sea Ghost to the southern side. A boat sends them ashore, and will wait for them in case of a speedy retreat.
For today, Alzar has swapped ESP for Empathic Control, because he suspects he may need it at least once, and perhaps twice. Alzar searches the north side where the hill fort is. It is a combination of recent construction on top of the remains of a stone fortress weathered and worn. Alzar has Megala and Dryshik looking from a ridge above, looking down on the stockade. The outer wall of the hill fort is an earth rampart topped by a wooden palisade. This then meats the curtain wall of the old fortress. There is a gatehouse behind that wall. The structure is one story except for a guardhouse one level up., and the gatehouse and curtain wall, which go up a lot, giving the soldiers there a good vantage point. The keep abuts the rampart in three places. There are outward and downward fitted spikes all around to discourage people climbing up, and patrols everywhere. Observation shows a lot of movement, and any attack or excursion would likely be quickly found How to get in? There does not appear to be any secret entrances this time. The drawbridge is raised and the portcullis down. Maybe they could pretend to be slaves? Or slave purchasers? That last one would make no sense for a group without a boat ,here on an island. Fly over the wall? That’s pretty obvious. Invisibly fly over the wall? Potion of Invis + Broom of flying should get the group over the wall unseen and then to a corner of the place from which they could start exploring. That’s not to bad, but they don’t have enough flying methods (just three) and all are too big for a teleport jar to have the fourth join. The Rope of Climbing could get between the spikes of a palisade, but the people scaling the wall would have to cut them off, making their entry way really obvious. Alzar makes a mental inventory of his items, and then…ah yes…. Carum is handed the Diminution Stone, and he shrinks to somewhere around 18 inches tall. Carum is held in Alzar’s hand, and Brooms of Flying are given to Estaish and Aleigha. Dryshik and Megala are ordered one on each of Alzar’s shoulder, so they will be invisible as well. They each drink a dose of the potion of 7 drinks. Alzar activates his Belt and they fly in. Alzar and them move in quietly, since the invisibility potion lasts for a while, and they can whisper to each other about where to go inside the keep. |
There are basically three choices – Outer courtyard between curtain walls and gatehouse, the parade ground inside of the gatehouse, and the inner courtyard adjacent to that. There are hobgoblins around the place. In fact, there are a dozen hobgoblins in the inner courtyard and none in the outer one or parade ground.
They could also land on the gatehouse, guard tower, or curtain wall. Or stockade parapet. Alzar guesses that all they can do this landing is reduce their foe’s numbers as much as possible, and then leave. Alzar even hears the hobgoblins call out to each other every few moments to see if the other group is still there. These are well trained foes. They will need some special encouragement to get crazy. Alzar decides to land in the parade ground just in front of some double doors and then open them up and go inside, and see what’s there. They land smoothly in the parade ground. A few guards can see the ground, but only a couple have line of sight to the door. Alzar cracks the door and smells a stables inside. He slowly opens it, so as not to gain attention of others, and orders Aleigha and Estaish o stay here. In his Boots of Elvenkind, he walks without leaving footprints and places Carum on the floor behind two hobgoblins. Alzar cannot attack or else he becomes visible, but Carum can. He drops the stone with a spear in his hand, grows, and impales one of the hobgoblins for a sneak attack double damage for 11 and it dies. The other turns. Carum wins init and pierces it for 5 damage. It yells for help and stabs with a pitchfork and drops it. Carum hits and kills it. Did anyone hear it yell for help? Carum shrinks back down, and Alzar hold him inside his cloak. No one appears to be coming. Perfect. Alzar has Carum drop the stone and grow again. There are 6 oxen, 11 medium horses, and 2 light horses. Carum quickly moves about and undoes the various animals from their reins, so they are free to go anywhere. Alzar hands him a flask of oil and Carum throws oil all over the barn, and grabs a couple of torches . He lights the barn in several places, and the oil causes it to goup immediately. A smashes lantern adds its oil to the lames, and Carum grabs the stone,, shrinks, and Alzar and Carum, move out. The group flies above the keep and observes. The fire is quickly noticed, and fire gongs ring down. Animals have galloped out and oxen and horses are running frantically around the place. A score of hobgoblins are moving down, but the ones on the palisade are not among them. An ogre and a large 7’ tall grey humanoid Alzar does not recognize emerge and start ordering everyone around. Time to move in. Carum is handed to Estaish Alzar lands on top of the building and across from the gatehouse and above the chaos. Estaish and Aleigha land on each side of the curtain wall. There are two hobgoblins that patrol this wall on each side of the guard house atop the curtain wall. The plan is for Aleigha and Estaish, to wait until the hobgoblins are at the same place passing each other, and then strike, killing both as quickly as possible, and then move to the guard house, enter, and kill whatever is in there, and they are inside. Hopefully, they can pull that off. Then Carum will be there to join them. Alzar is readying a trick of his own. He is going to have Dryshik cast Wall of Fog to confuse them, and then start casting Skulltrap, Blastbones and using the missiles on the Necklace to kill as many of the creatures down there as possible. If he casts sleep, and then leaves ,that’s won’t do anything. Maybe he’ll use Dire Charm to turn someone on the ground into a berserk attacker. Whatever. The point is to kill as many as possible, while the other three kill an entire wall of people and try to inflict maximum damage. With a battle plan in motion, it is time to execute. Alzar will wait until he sees the attack on the curtain wall, and then strike the chaos and bunches of hobgoblins below. |
Aleigha is by herself. She has landed, and she turns into a werebear. This will give her the force to kill the hobgoblins by herself. She waits until they are together, and then uses her strength to try and heave them both off the front of the wall, into the ditch and such far below.
She manages to grab one each on her bear paws, can she push them over? Yes (She rolled 16 and 19 to hit, and then 14 and 12 to push.) The hogoblins are pushed off the higher curtain wall by a tremendous werebear. They scream as they fall. Each of them dies. Estaish drops Carum just before he strikes, sword already drawn. He pauses a breath, and then a suddenly enlarged Carum and Estaish strike with surprise at each hobgoblin. Carum easily hits for 9 damage and a dead hobby. Estaish hits barely, with ambush, and deals 13 damage and kills the other, silently, dead in two strokes, and the men rush for the door. # of hobgoblins dead: 6 Alzar immediately finishes casting Skulltrap and throws it into the chaos just as a Wall of Fog is dropped. He aims for that ogre he saw., barking out orders. 28 damage. Save for half though. All of the hobgoblins in its 20 foot cube die. 11 dead. The ogre was in it too, and he takes death after failing his save. A few humans move out at that, and Alzar is suddenly getting some attention from a few nearby guards. The Wall of Fog prevents the people down there from seeing him. It’s high enough that the gatehouse and curtain wall are unable to see him too, and just a few guards along the rampant wall can. # of hobgoblins dead: 17, Executioner is dead as well. Est and Carum are in and two hobgoblins are in this side of the curtain wall, having just heard the screams from outside. They jump on them as quick as they can, and the hobs yell for help. Both are hit, one for 8 and one for 11 and both die. Aleigha crashes through the door and three hobbies are in here, and they choose to run, and hit Estaish and Carum. Both Est and Carum hit and 9 and 8 damage later two are killed and Aleigha runs up and kills the other one, but they screamed a lot. # of hobgoblins dead: 22, Executioner is dead as well. The tall humanoid is rallying troops and ordered them to find weapons to attack him with. Then, a blind man emerges and starts barking orders. The giant humanoid starts flying towards Alzar. In the meantime, Alzar cast his Shield Maidens to help against the arrows coming his way. None have hit him yet. # of hobgoblins dead: 22, Executioner is dead as well. There is no one on the second floor of the curtain wall, so they head to the ground floor. They enter the outer courtyard, and there is no one in here. They run to the other side where they saw a door before, and suspect a gate mechanism may be. # of hobgoblins dead: 22, Executioner is dead as well. With a flying giant coming his way, Alzar orders Dryshik to Mist Ball it. It fails and takes 4 damage and is blinded for 3 rounds. 15 more hobgoblins emerged from the gatehouse and Alzar turns back and casts Dire Charm on the one telling them what to do and barking out orders. If it can just work…Success (rolled a 6). The hobgoblin Kairn draws his two handed sword and suddenly attacks a nearby hobgoblin. He misses , but it causes some confusion easily. # of hobgoblins dead: 22, Executioner is dead as well. They open the winch room and inside are the winches used but they have locked on them, and cannot be used. They were hoping it would be that easy. Open the portcullis and lower the drawbridge, maybe break the mechanism and then run away when forced back. They start moving towards the gatehouse and across the outer courtyard when suddenly they feel a vibration, and something emerges to attack them – an ankheg!  # of hobgoblins dead: 22, Executioner is dead as well. Alzar takes 5 damage from a couple of arrows from snipers on the rampart. He casts Blastbones and tosses it into the area and hopes to kill a few hobbies. 5 died. The charmed Kairn swings and hits, and deals 3 damage to a hobgoblin. He is hit three times for 13 damage. 49/54 # of hobgoblins dead: 27, Executioner is dead as well. This is not what they expected to be fighting! Luckily, the won init. Estaish swings and rolls a 9. +2 for its AC and +2 for sword, but that’s not enough. Carum tries to pierces its belly. He hits for 7 damage to it. Aleigha tires to hit it She misses three times. It tries to bite Estaish and misses. Ank – 7 hp # of hobgoblins dead: 27, Executioner is dead as well. Kairn hits and kills the wounded hobgoblin and then dies himself. Alzar launches a 3 HD fireball from his necklace while they are still bunched up and hits his target. All of the hobbies there die but one. # of hobgoblins dead: 36, Executioner and Kairn are dead as well. They lose init and the ankheg bites Estaish and he misses his combat. He takes 9 damage. Carum crits the belly for 7 damage. Aleigh hits three times for 7. 36/45 – Estaish Ank took 21 Alzar moves to the giant before it is unblinded. It is hovering a few feet off the top of the building he is on. He casts Ray of Ondovir at it, and then runs up to it. He fails the save. Next turn, Alzar’s axe can try and bite deep into it. He takes 11 from arrows. 38/54 # of hobgoblins dead: 36, Executioner and Kairn are dead as well. They win init. Carum misses. Aleigha hits but once for 2 damage. Estaish manages to try an awkward swing at -2. Success! 9 to the ankheg, and it screams a terrible death. # of hobgoblins dead: 36, Executioner and Kairn are dead as well. Ankheg killed. Alzar swings mightily with his axe at a quiet and silent creature and deals 15 due ot the ambush to it. He takes another 3. 35/54 As they move forward, group of hobgoblins turn around from the gatehouse to see what the noise as, they notice their guard beast dead and three people moving in. They sound the alarm that attacks are on the march and activate the fire entrance. The entrance from the outer to inner courtyard now has a bunch of fire in it. Arrow start firing into the courtyard, and Estaish and Aleigha move into and through the fire and into the parade grounds where the chaos Carum moves but stays on the edge, away from the entrance, and still in the outer courtyard. The creature wins init and tries to charm Alzar. Failure. Alzar swings once with the axe, hits for 9, swings again with the axe, this for 7, and kills the ogre mage, which takes ogre mage upon his death. He takes 9 more. Dryshik Mist Balls the closest guard that has ht him a few times, and he fails and take s2 and is blinded for 5 rounds. Megala flies into him, attacks him, and he falls off the platform and dies. # of hobgoblins dead: 37, Executioner, Blackthorn and Kairn are dead as well. Ankheg killed. 26/54 Estaish slices at a hobbie but misses. Aleigha misses as well. Many hobbies are moving to attack them. No one can touch either of them, due to good ac and invulnerability to normal weapons. # of hobgoblins dead: 37, Executioner, Blackthorn and Kairn are dead as well. Ankheg killed. With a large number of hobgoblins now attacking Est and Ale, he lobs another 3 HD fireball over and deals 13 damage to 11 more and they all die. He used another charge and flies up and calls it. Dryshik uses a final Mist Ball on another guard on the wall and it fails the save, and Megala and Dryshik combine to force it off the ledge and it dies with the fall + poison damage. Est and Ale took some fire damage from the Fireball too. # of hobgoblins dead: 49, Executioner, Blackthorn and Kairn are dead as well. Ankheg killed. 34/41 – Aleigha 38/45 - Estaish With the enemy dead near them, they back up through the flame, pick up Carum on his small form, and fly away. They head back towards the boat, with a nice number of kills. |
They land near the boat, and suddenly, a Fireball flies between everybody and goes off!
Carum – 25/48 Aleigha – 28/41 Estaish – 32/45 Alzar – 22/54 They turn around and two mages were waiting for their arrival. One is the invoker from the ship, and the other one is the tall man illusionist from the smuggling house. Actually, Alzar now can see through that illusion and see that the illusionist is actually a female that looks a lot like the invoker. They fly down and everybody charges them. Both of their foes cast defensive spells. The illusionist is now under a Mirror Image and the Invoker under a Stoneskin. Alzar takes the turn to cast another pair of maidens. Alzar and crew win init. Alzar summons a Searing Serpent behind the magi. The fighters arrive. Dryshik tries to gate in more mephits. Success finally. Two ice mephitis emerge, and Dryshik tells them to attack these mages. Megala misses the stoneskinned invoker. The illusionist casts Blur, and her AC drops two. The invoker flings a bunch of magic missiles at Alzar for 12 damage. 10/54 They win init. Alzar quaffs an extra healing pot knowing what might likely be coming next. He gains 16. He charges in while doing that. The ice mephitis both breathe ice shards on the illusionist and her 6 mirror images. One destroys an illusion but the other hits her for 2 damage. Alzar has ordered the fighters to concentrate on the invoker, so one hits for a stoneskin – 7 left. The serpent attacks the invoker and takes off another skin. Megala and Dryshik are ordered to fly by and both miss. The invoker tries to finish off Alzar with a lightning bolt. It’s 24 with a save for 12. The bolt went through Estaish and he makes the save, and Alzar…rolled a 1. The Illusionist tries to blind Aleigha and…she fails the save and is blinded. 2/54 20/45 Alzar flies up (charge on Belt still working) and away. Two more images of the illusionst fall off from ice mephits’ shard balls. Dry and Meg miss. The maidens are close enough and start swinging, away from Alzar. One hits a skin. Three more skins are destroyed by the fighters, and our invoker has 3 left. 3 skins and 3 images. The illusionist casts Stoneskin and now has 7 of those. The invoker can’t get to Alzar and so turns her attention to the fighters and casts Melf’s Acid Arrow at Carum for 8 damage. 17/48 - Carum Carum is now at 13/48 from another hit of the acid. The illusionist casts Phantasmal Killer on Carum and…he just makes the save, rolling exactly what he needed. The Invoker wants to drop an Ice Storm on her enemies, but her and her sister would get caught up, and stoneskin and mirror image would not protect from that, plus the ice mephits would be unharmed. Instead she reaches out and touches Est for 11 electrical damage from a shocking grasp. Dry and Megs miss. Two more icy blasts take out two more images on the illusionist. One of the three summoned creatures hits for another skin. 2 left. Carum and Est both grab healing pots and quaff them. Blind Aleigha misses. Alzar gets on the range of his spells, and tries to charm person the illusion is, but fails. 16/45 21/48 Mag and Dry take a skin. One Maiden takes off the last skin. Seeing their chance, the fighters attack the now open invoker, and yet, only Carum hits for 7. The ice mephitis fly by and try to damage the illusionist and hit an image. 2 images left. Seeing Carum hits the Invoker, Alzar casts Ray of Ondovir and she fails her save. She tries to cast Shocking Grasp and has none. The illusionist casts her only damage dealing spell, Flame Arrow, and flings it at Estaish for 1 piercing damage and 9 fire damage –p no chance of save. 6/45 A polymorph spell is cast and the invoker turns into a griffon and starts to fly away. The illusionist turns herself invisible. Alzar flies in and uses the Dust of Appearance. They can make her out. She’s a bit away. Megala and Dry fly after her and one hits, taking the final image. The ice mephitis take off a skin – 6 left. Carum throws his spear and hits a skin. Est loads a bolt and misses. Aleigha can’t see. The invoker is gone and the illusionist, knowing that she can be seen, turns and casts Chromatic Orb. She throws it at the wounded Alzar, but misses him thoroughly. She rolled a 5. A bolt would have hit, but misses due to her blur. A sling misses. Alzar flies in and vamp touches her, which goes through the skins for 7 damage. All four imps returns miss. The serpent is gone and the maidens are moving up. 9/54 The invoker flies back seeing her sister on trouble, and the sister tries to climb on her back. Success. They get once chance this round to stop her. She loses three skins to imps and a maiden. Est and Carum miss. Alzar is right there and…swings his axe and eats another skin. The sister flies away. Alzar makes a quick decision and flies after them, despite his damaged body. With one axe in hand, he can use potions, and he quaffs another draught of the Invis potion himself and then lifts off, Dryshik and Megala on his shoulder. Without knowing they are being pursued, they fly back to the castle, and it is still in chaos. The fire is done its course, and the stone gatehouse above the stables is sturdy still. The number of people is lessened. They land at the rear upper guardhouse. Alzar will basically get once shot to take out the illusionist before he needs to flee. His only spells left are ESP, Detect Magic, Greater Malison, Hypnotize, and Animate Dead Animals. He draws the Wand of Paralyzation from it’s place and readies it. He uses it, and the illusionist makes the save! The invoker in griffon form, however, does not. With Axe in hand, Dryshik and Megala fly off to harass the illusionist. The defensive spells have gone. The illusionist calls for help and casts slow on Alzar. It works. He slashes the invoker for 8 damage. The imps miss the illusionist. Two hobgoblins emerge from the guardhouse. Alzar loses init auto but his imps win. They miss. The illusionist casts Sleep but it doesn’t work. Alzar hits for 11 on the invoker. The hobgoblins, and three more have arrived. The illusionist moves herself in front of her sister. Alzar misses two hobgoblin blades. He casts Hypnotism and all five drop their weapons and move to the side. One imp hits and takes off the last skin from the illusionist. With the guards dead, and herself without any defenses and any spells, and her sister about to die, the illusionist decides to run into the guardhouse. Alzar finishes off the invoker, and she dies and changes back to human form. Alzar slashes and kills the hypnotized hobbies, and cast Detect Magic. The only things that glow are her dagger and an amulet. He grabs both since he doesn’t have time for a full search and more noises be heard. He has enough juice to get him past the battlements and back home. # of hobgoblins dead: 54 Executioner, Blackthorn and Kairn are dead as well. Ankheg killed. Invoker killed. XP – 1250 each |
He inspects the dagger, and cannot figure out what it is but the Amulet? It is an Amulet of Finding, and it has a twin. The wearer can see what the other wearer sees, and vice versa. He dons it and concentrates. He can see through the illusionist’s eyes. She is talking to someone, a female, of great authority in some caves. Alzar covers his up with a sack and studies the surroundings from the Amulet, and then takes it off and moves to the Crystal Ball. On the way back to the boat, he spends ten minutes surveying the room where the illusionist was.
They arrive back at the boat and Alzar orders them to sail away a few days, and then sail back. That should give them a week of rest time. The illusionist took off the Amulet after a few hours, and Alzar leaves his in the bag. The dagger was just a +1 dagger. +1 dagger Amulet of Finding Alzar’s scrying shows that there are still a bunch of hobgoblins running around the hill fort. They may have killed 54 hobgoblins, but there are at least 100 left. Who knows how many more are in the caverns. Alzar tells Aleigha to stay out of werebear form. They may have loaded up with wolfsbane to attack any more werebears attacking them. Alzar has moved to a much more combat heavy set of spells for today. The Ring of Spell Storing now has Sleepx2 and Ray of Ondovir in it. He is memorizing Sleep, Hypnotize, Charmx2, Detect Magic, ESP, Ray of Enfeeblement, Ray of Ondovir, Empathic Control, Blastbones, Skulltrapx2, Dispel Magic, Vamp Touch, Shield-Maidens, Dimension Doorx2. The plan is simple. No invis, and no flying by Alzar. The two fly in with Carum. Carum is given the Gloves of Fire Resistance and Alzar will now be wearing the Gauntlets of Ogre Power, which will set his strength at 18/00. As a result, Alzar will get +3 to hit and +6 to damage. That means he will be +7 to hit and +10 to damage. He is turned into a tank of death. He will not be resistant to fire anymore, but oh well. Then plan is simple. Estaish and Aleigha are going to drop a cask of oil on top of each of the gatehouses where archers and a pair o’ballista are. Then fire is set and the hobbies and weapons will burn. That will keep people from claiming that space as a place to fight from. They will land in the fire (immune to normal fires all three), and then fire weapons, and wreak havoc on the yard. Meanwhile, Alzar will Dimension Door in and start launching Skulltraps and try to kill some more hobgoblins. No doubt they have increased the guards, which should increase their density for range spells like skulltraps. |
They initiate the plan. The ten hobgoblins on top of the gatehouse die and are on fire. There are a lot more guards along the walls. The three fighters grab weapons and get ready for combat.
# of hobs killed, take 2: 10 Alzar Dimension Doors to the back of the south gatehouse and opens the door. Inside are 16 hobgoblins, resting, working, and looking out. His skull flies in and wipes them out. Dryshik drops another Wall of Fog, this time in front of the gatehouse, so that people can be directly in front and see up, and blocking sight from the guards along the ramparts. Alzar cannot be seen. He just doored in, and then opened a door and walked inside, and no one knows where he is. # of hobs killed, take 2: 26 The fighters note that there are not as many people charging them as they thought there would be. Carum and Aleigha are on top of the right one, and Estaish on top of the left one. Carum decides to open the trap door and see what’s below – about ten hobgoblins. Est does for his and sees 5. Man, if they had been able to carry more than one cask of oil each…. # of hobs killed, take 2: 26 Alzar takes the obvious trapdoor down and enters a hallway with no one in the moment in it, but noise buzzing. Alzar casts his Shield Maidens, and moves and opens a door, to the kitchens. Three hand axes fly at him from three people behind a table. All miss. A tall man with dark skin kicks a cask at Alzar and he evades, and he charges in. This is the blind man he saw organizing the defense earlier. # of hobs killed, take 2: 26 Aleigha throws a few ballista bolts and misses wildly. Carum slings and misses. Estaish kills a hobby with a crossbow bolt. The roof is still burning, and it is hard to make them out in the fog and smoke and flames in addition to the normal angle on the sniper roon. # of hobs killed, take 2: 27 Alzar draws his axe. 8 hobgoblins enter the room, and he casts Sleep from his ring (which is much faster). 6 fall asleep. The blind man arrives, and the men who throw hand axes have turned into wereboars and charged as well. Megala attacks a Hobby for 1 damage and…it fails. 7 asleep now. Est crits a hob over on the curtain wall firing at him for 8 damage. Dead hob. Carum hits another for 3 damage. # of hobs killed, take 2: 28 Alzar just wins init. He swipes his axe at the third wereboar for 14 damage. His maidens attack the same target for no damage (immune) Alzar orders their target to change to the warrior for next round. Megala tries to claw a hob, rolls a 17, and deals 2 damage and…it fails its save. 8 asleep. Everybody misses Alzar One wereboar would have hit, and now can hit starting next round. # of hobs killed, take 2: 28 Carum kills the hob with another sling for 4 damage. Est misses. # of hobs killed, take 2: 29 They win init. Alzar takes 6 from that wereboar. The fighter drops his sword. The other two would have hit him, and missed, so now they can hit too. Alzar attacks twice. He hits and kills the one wereboar and attacks the next one. It is critically hit for 5 on the roll, doubles to 10, and then 11 added for 21 damage. RAR! The fighters miss, and Megala misses. 48/54 # of hobs killed, take 2: 29, Wereboars – 1 Est hits one for 3 damage. A miracle shot nails Carum for 2 damage. 46/48 Alzar wins init, misses the wereboar in front of him. The maidens miss the fighter. They roll 12, 5, and 5. The 12 and 5 are from wereboars. The first wereboar has a THAC0 of 15. Alzar’s AC is normally a 7 with is Bracers, -2 for his Cloak. That’s -2 for wielding his axe and -2 for the Maidens, so he currently has an AC of 1, which is a miss. Let’s just do a few rounds of Alzar. They win init and one wereboar hits for 7. 41/54. Alzar swings twice and misses, and then hits and kills the injured one. The maidens and Megala miss. Alzar wins init and nails the last wereboar for 15. It makes its morale check. One maiden crits the fighter for 8. The boar hits Alzar for 5. 41/54 They win init and Alzar takes 4 from the boar. He kills the wereboar with a hit for 12 (his minimum) and then turns on eh fighter for 16. One maiden adds 3. 27 damage for the fighter. 37/54 Alzar casts Vamp Touch and deals 11 to the fighter. 38. Megala crits him for 2 damage and…he falls asleep. Alzar kills him and the hobgoblisn in here. 48/54 # of hobs killed, take 2: 37, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed Rewind: Both archers miss. Est kills the wound hob and Carum nails one for 4 damage. They miss. The fire is starting to burn out. Carum hits and kills the wounded hob. # of hobs killed, take 2: 39, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed Alzar takes the obviously magic sword and a few items from Icar that could be magic, like his rings, and armor, and such. Est misses, and Carum nails one for 1 damage. # of hobs killed, take 2: 37, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed Alzar finds several casks of oil in the kitchen and rolls them up the stairs and back into the guard house – easily to do when you have the strength of an ogre – will take two turns. Est and Carum miss. The fire will be out next turn, but smoke lingers. They each hit. Carum deals 3 and Est 6 and kills one. # of hobs killed, take 2: 38, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed Alzar opens the back door to the gatehouse which overlooks the inner courtyard, with about 25 goblins in it and kicks a cask of oil down and tosses a torch he grabbed from the guardroom. 10 hobs die, others run for cover. # of hobs killed, take 2: 48, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed The trap doors are flipped open and hobgoblins start pouring out onto the roofs. Aleigha kills one. They are moving out and Est and Carum grab sword and spear and move to fight them. Est is on a roof by himself and Carum and Aleigha are together. # of hobs killed, take 2: 49, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed Knowing people may come upstairs to take his location, Alzar drops and breaks the other cask inside the guard room, on the stairs and landing, and lights and readies a torch and hands it to Megala to drop if people start coming up in large numbers. Est misses. Carum an Aleigha combine to kill a hob. 6 are attacking Estaish. He takes 4 damage, More than 10 are out and trying to attack Carum and Aleigha. That’s too many, and they back up and grabs the brooms, Carum shrinks, and they fly of to meet up with Alzar in the guard house. Aleigha will take 6 from two arrows as they fly. 41/45 – Estaish 35/41 – Aleigha 46/48 - Carum 48/54 – Alzar # of hobs killed, take 2: 50, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed The inner courtyard has cleared and three more hobgoblins bit it. Someone is organizing the rest in the parade grounds. He can’t who from this far out. He goes down and hears company, so he retreats and waits. # of hobs killed, take 2: 53, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed The fighters arrive and enter the guard room and Alzar sends them to the other side. Up the stairs come 15 orcs led by two officers, and obviously, this shows either people from below attacking them or a more concentrated effort to kill them. Alzar orders the torch dropped from Megala, which only catches about 12 of them on fire and kills them. I roll and they do not notice the oil in the middle of battle. The rest make it through unscathed and with no line of retreat, move to attack. # of hobs killed, take 2: 50, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed, Orcs – 12 They win init and the orcs charge Alzar, the closest one to them and swing. They all miss – cloak. Alzar hacks one into pieces 3 left, and they are the two officers. The fighters arrive this turn, the maidens are gone. Alzar mises, and then drops his axe (rolled a 3 and then a 1) Carum drops his spear. Est misses and only Aleigha manages to hit an orc for 8 damage and killed him leaving just the two officers. One hits Aleigha for a crit 8. 27/41 Est and Ale swing and miss. The orc leaders crit Carum for 10. Alzar deals 15 to one and Carum misses. 36/48 Alzar swings once, and drops his axe. Carum kills the orc leader with 7 more damage deals and Est deals 9 to the other. He hit Alzar for 4. Alzar grabs his axe and drops it again/ 44/54 They win init and Est, Ale and Car hit twice for 13 damage and the other leader is killed. That was four fumbles and two crits against in that small little scuffle. # of hobs killed, take 2: 50, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed, Orcs – 16 They are relatively healthy, and decide to press on. They jump down to the inner courtyard aided by the rope of climbing and take no damage. There are no hobgoblins here and it gets them out of side of the snipers from the walls. Snipers have taken position on top of the gatehouse again. Xp -750 each |
They kick in the double doors and enter the entrance corridor to the rear part of the keep. There are doors right and left. They go left. This is an empty room with an exit to a section of the house normally cut off from traffic. There is not a lot of footsteps in the dust. Alzar shuts the door and they search the area, but find nothing. He opens the door to the next section, and there is a hallway with four doors on the right, and three on the left. And again, few footprints.
The first door on the right enters a collapsed room with rafters and the building roof exposed. They move around and find some snakes in the corner, poisonous ones . Alzar moves in and kills them. They search the room and find nothing. The next door on the right in an abandoned storeroom and there are rows of dusty boxes and creates and as they examine the place, one flies off a pile and crashs at Alzar’s feet and a spooky voice tells them to Begone, for you disturb its rest. He tries to control the spirit, and feels nothing. There is no undead here. A search reveals nothing and the next room reveals a dusty bed, chest of drawers and night stand, with a luminous figure in the fireplace that tells them to leave and disappears. The rooms has nothing in it, and the final room on the right is an old abandoned armory with empty weapon racks, and again a search turns up nothing. They enter the last room on the left and there is a long wooden table and high backed chairs covered with dust and cobwebs. They search and find nothing. The next room is an abandoned kitchen with a large fireplace, cupboards, and such. As they enter a ceramic plate flies by and smashes against the wall. A knife is next but it bounces off Estaish’s great armor. On the north wall beside the door is a message in blood ”behold the harbinger of your fate.”There is a knife impaling a hobgoblin hand below it. The final room has an abandoned bedchamber with the remains of a strangled hobgoblin dangling from the ceiling by a sash cord. It’s been here for a few weeks and the room smells like it. They search and find nothing. Alzar needs to think. They searched everywhere in this section of the fort and found nothing, but someone is here. It’s obviously not a hobgobglin nor a friend of theirs. On the other hand, the ydon;t have time right now. Why haven’t the orcs or hobgoblins or someone invaded this area? They must have seen them enter the double doors and then here. Alzar listens with the Ear Ring and there is no sound in the next room, the empty one. They enter it cautiously. |
He uses the Ear Ring on the next door and hears a lot of people out in the hallway. They are obviously preparing an ambush to meet him. He hears someone bark orders. He tells the fighters what he saw. He guesses there are a lot of people in the hallway and ready to attack them. He will grab a skull, fling open the door, Skulltrap the hallway, and hopefully clear it out and then either close the door if they didn’t, or have everyone move in if they did.
He flings open the door and throws out the skull. There are about 30 hobgoblins in here and they fire a bunch of arrows at him All miss (cloak). The skull triggers and everyone in the hallway takes 26, or save for half. 28 die, and two are wounded badly. Alzar orders everyone into the hallway. # of hobs killed, take 2: 78, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed, Orcs – 16 The two left turn to run. Megala claws one for 1 damage and it falls asleep. A +2 throwing dagger bites into the other for 10 damage and kills it. # of hobs killed, take 2: 80, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed, Orcs – 16 They search the weapons and see nothing obviously magical in weapons or armor and move on. Alzar opens the double doors back again and sees no one in the courtyard. He doesn’t want to leave enemies at his back, so they emerge and move into the parade grounds. The goblins have been pulled off the walls, but some fire arrows from the gatehouse. He orders everyone to open the door on the bunkhouse. There is no one in there and they head up stairs. There is no one in here. They leave by opening a door to the barracks. There appears to be tons of cots for hobgoblins in here, but they were pulled for the ambush and to replace those dead. No one is in here. They kick open a door to the wall walk and attack the three hobs here. They die easily to spear and dagger and bolt and sword. They move back, open a door to the captains room, but he is not here anymore. A search finds a set of keys. They move back into the barracks and three hobgoblins have moved to here from the left wall and they are surprised. Alzar decapitates one and swords kill the other two before Carum gets a chance to spear one. # of hobs killed, take 2: 86, Wereboars – 3, Icar killed, Orcs – 16 Alzar pops up through a trap door and enter the eastern guardhouse. In here is the captain of the guard and 12 hobgoblins who have flipped over some tables and pallets in the past few minutes and now fire bows. They are lucky with their shots, but Alzar doesn’t take any damage. He emerges and casts sleep and 5 fall asleep. The three fighters come up. Alzar’s group wins init. He charges with his axe and swings and hits a hob for death. 6 down. They others grab weapons and close. The hobs grab swords and swing. One hits Aleigha for 5 damage. 30/41 – Aleigha They win init and have four good rolls 15 against Aleigha, 17 vs Alzar, 18 vs Aleigha and 18 vs Carum. They have THAC0 19. Carum has a -1 AC and they miss him. They other are all hit. Aleigha takes 7 and Alzar 6. Alzar attacks twice, rolls a 5 and hits an AC2 with that, so he kills a hob. Then he fumbles his axe again. Est kills another for 7. Aleigha hits for 4 and just wounds one. Carum hits that one and kills it off. Three dead. 23/41 39/54 – Alzar Alzar orders everyone to aims for their leader and hews into him for 19 damage – his max. Carum spears the leader as well for 7. Aleigha adds 8 and he dies. The remaining frwe hobs try to scramble and are chased down and killed. # of hobs killed, take 2: 98, Wereboars – 3, Icar, Gorbin Stalworth killed, Orcs – 16 XP – 100 each They have killed everyone in the gatehouse, since they were all brought together for that one big ambush. They take some weapons and such. A search finds: Silver and coral necklace of 1100 gp Gold belt buckle – 500 gp They find nothing else of value in the gatehouse and the parapets are clear. |
Alzar orders everyone down and they head to the curtain wall and check it. It’s been completly abandoned. They head back and the keys fit the locks and they open the portcullis and drop the drawbridge for a later escape if needed. Alzar also find a giant barrel of marbles – thousands of them in there. He grabs them and moves them outside to claim later if possible.
They double check the burnt stables and nothing. Now that Alzar has verified that there are no more enemies to their rear, they move forward. They reopen the double door, and no one is here. They recheck the abandoned section to make sure no one is behind them, and then move into the next room. This appears to have once been a study, that has been converted to general space with tables, hangars, and such. A search finds a jewel. Left or right? Left should take them into a smaller space. They enter a hallway and it bens, with a door on the left and more down the hallway. The left door in locked but unlockable by the keys they found. This is a storeroom with extra weapons, supplies, arrows, and such. There are food, water, linen, pots and pans, and more. There is a small locked chest in the back and Alzar fails to pick it. They take it. (just 250 silver in it) They turn right and take the right door and it opens to a bunkroom. It held more soldiers, but they are all out or gone. A search finds a belt pouch of marbles that could be scattered behind done to hinder pursuit. Nothing else is there. They take the left door and arrive in a rec room with tables, chairs, and a throwing knife game on the wall. Nothing special or of interest is found here. They next room is the officers quarters, and again vacant. They search and find nothing. The last room is a latrine. Having left behind the east wing guard chambers and wings, they open the right hand door in the old study and enter an odd hallway. There is a strait corridor more than 100 feet long, lit by torches and such. The opposite door opens and three mummies move towards them. Alzar tires to control them, and they aren’t mummies. He orders everyone to stay still, and in a moment, they punch and kill three more hobgoblins. They probably thought that since weapons weren;t going to work, maybe scaring them would. Nope. They advance and get close to a mirror and out spring more hobgoblins spring out from behind the mirror and sling stones at Alzar (who is usually in front in these places) and miss. Alzar advances and carves a hobby. 5 left. Carum’s spear flies in and kills another. 4 left. Three grab short swords and the fourth keeps using his sling. Slingboy misses. A short sword clangs off Est’s armor. Alzar wins init the next round, steps past the hobs, and hits the slinger for 12 and then 19 and kills her. Est and Aleigha kill two more and Carum’s normal spear deals 7 and kills a third. All dead. XP – 75 each They search and grab stuff for the magic pile, and move on. This room is a hobgoblin barracks, and everyone just attacked them. They search and find: 150 gold amethyst Silver Chalice worth 500 gold 80 gold |
They move into the next hallway. They find a pit trap, already sprung, and easily leap over. They arrive at a door and open. It was a storeroom. There are a few barrels of grease in here, but the rest is empty or worthless. Another room along the corridor is a storeroom too, and it is locked but opened with the keys. Bolts of cloth, iron tools, and iron pots. They have a good value in sum (about 2k) but are way too bulky to take.
They open a door to a well room with a variety of barrels of water and a metal well. There is nothing in here at all. They continue and arrive at an odd sight. This is a long terraced room with a narrow passage running through with raised stone platforms set in a series of steps. There appears to be a door on the other side. On the steps are dozens of humans staring blankly ahead and are chained by their necks to the wall, but are not struggling at all. There are scraps of clothing on the floor and cloaks and blankets on the walls. They start searching and in a few seconds, they start feeling uneasy. There is something going on with this room. They keep searching and Alzar says skip it, and starts throwing cloaks into the Bag of Holding for a later magic pile check. They start moving, and suddenly, they feel afraid. They have cleared cloak from half the room or so. They keep pushing on, and the effect intensifies. Alzar and Carum are fine, but Aleigha and Estaish have to leave the room for a bit. They keep grabbing cloak and are getting to the end. The fear changes into paralyzation and Alzar is immune while Carum fails his save and is paralyzed. There are just a few cloaks left, so Alzar grabs one, and then the next one flies off the wall and attacks! It’s a cloaker!  Alzar’s axe is out. The cloaker wins init due to surprise and misses Alzar. He slashes and hits it for 13 damage. Alzar wins init and slashes it twice for 33 damage. It dies. XP – 1400 for just Alzar They finish searching the room and those afraid have returned and those stunned have been unstunned, but the slaves re not moving, Alzar uses the keys to undo the braces, so that if they come out of it sometime, they can leave freely. |
They enter the hallway and door to left is taken. This is a large furnace with an orc and two other orcs pounding away at items. They look up, see Alzar and his party, and then look back down and continue smithing. Well, odd a bit. Alzar takes the door ot the next room where the family of the smith is, and playing with some cards. They leave the room before and move back to the hallway.
The left room is another storeroom, with bones filled with a large assortment of goods. A search finds nothing. The next room is an orc barracks and they were all killed in the attack so there is no one here. A search finds nothing. They next room is on the right and in here are orc officer quarters, and they were also killed. A search finds nothing in here either except for a ivory weapon. Ivory dagger – 30 gold The next room is the guest bedroom. Holed up in here are two weird looking guards and a human. They are hiding and waiting for the trouble to blow over, but it didn’t , It’s obvious that the human is a trader, and most likely in slaves. The two guards are mutated people that have tails, claws, and more, and can’t speak. They jump over and into Alzar and his party, and the merchant draws an axe on them. Time for battle. They win init and miss Alzar a lot. His axe does not, and kills a guard. The others arrive. They win init and the guard misses twice and the warrior hits Alzar, which turns into a miss. Alzar’s axe bites into the guard just once out of two times, for 17 damage. Estaish hits the creature for 8 more and it falls. Aleigha’s ruby blades slides into the merchant for 8 damage. Alzar nails the merchant for 12. Est and Carum add 17 and he dies. They search the room and find: 600 gp 20 pp 5 amethyst 50 gp each Papers that say the slave route has another stop somewhere in the Sea of Dread, but the location has been damaged and cannot be read. Alzar identifies a wand on the guy. Wand of Opening (12 charges) – acts as a Knock spell XP - 250 to group |
The next room was Executioner’s quarters, and they have not been reassigned since his died in the first assault. A search finds nothing but a huge compound bow that only a character of 18 strength can use. The next room are servants quarters, and some guzaks are huddled in a corner, with no weapons of any kind. Alzar orders them to leave, and they do. There is nothing in the room.
They arrive back at the kitchen and thecorpses of the wereboars and Icar are still here. A more thorough search is ordered and nothing additional is found. The next door reveals a cook’s quarters, and the female orc is still hiding under the bed. Alzar ties her up and gags her, so that she cannot inform anybody that they are still in and where they are. They also find the wereboar’s quarters with a large boar here. Its on a chain, and they lead it around while searching the chamber, find nothing of value, and return it and lock the door. They find a larder with nothing of value. The second to last door is a storeroom, and stairs going down. The final door appears to be someone’s quarters, and there is a simple bed in the northwest, and wine, chess board and carved wooden chest. There is a door on the south wall with a lock on it. The furniture is bolted and the chess board has raised grid on it – probably the room of the blind officer. They search and find nothing. Alzar tries the closet door and a curse comes through, demanding its release. Alzar grabs the gauntlets of dexterity and succeeds, barely, at picking the lock. The door opens and Alzar makes an INT roll at 50%. He makes it (rolled a 3) and sees the body of a medusa and avoids her glare and shuts the door. A perfect guard for a blind man. She does not push on the door or anything, so she is probably chained in there. Alzar orders everyone to stay out, closes his eyes, switches to the ogre strength gauntlets and opens the door and uses Blind Fighting to sense his opponent. He wins inti and axes her for 19 damage. She misses him. He wins init and kills her easily. He waits, and hears and senses nothigjn else, orders Megala in and looks through his yes – nothing. 400 to Alzar only. . There is an iron chest on the floor. Inside is: 2000 gp 10 jet pieces 100 gp each 10 matches silver and opal bracelets – 200 each There is a locked small brass coffer and Alzar takes it out and tries to pick the lock, but its quite complex. Failure. (Inside is Potion of Undead Control, and Pot of Diminution, Cleric scroll with Cure Serious, Purify Food and Drink, Feign Death, Cure Light Wounds, Resurrection and Wind Walk; Ring of Warmth and Quaal’s Feather Token. ) There are also directions to the specialist quarters downstairs and where the secret doors are to the treasure in that room. |
They head back to the door and head down. There is a door in front of them, and a corridor that heads to the left. The door opens and they see about 12 goblins eating at a table with their back to them, but as Alzar steps in, they suddenly grab hidden crossbows and spin! They were preparing an ambush of a different kind, but none of the bolts hit Alzar. They grab clubs and charge the group. A Hypnotism spell forces 7 of them to drop their clubs and fall down. The rest are easily killed, but Alzar took 4 from a club.
47/54 (gained life from the regen of his gem on the belt). They search and find nothing but: Large Brass Key 20 gp Ivory – 75 gp There is a man in a cell in here and the door swings open, and the man runs past them and starts gulping the food from the table. They move on. The corridor is dusty and cobwebby above, and slopes down. Suddenly, the axe flies from Alzar grip and hits the wall, and other metallic objects are being similarly pulled from him. He manages to wrest it free with his strength, and carries the armor from Estaish and Carum so that they can get past. The corridor turns left and there is a door on the right. It opens easily into a small hallway that leads to a deserted room with a wooden table. A search shows a concealed door that simply has a winch to lower a stone block in the hallway in front of the magnetic trap in order to keep their own people from getting caught in it. Alzar turns it off. They continue on and enter a corridor with a ghastly white shape hovering above the floor. As they get near, it appears to be someone webbed, and a clicking can be heard nearby. A web falls on Alzar, who is immune. He slips through the web and throws a dagger at one of the giant spiders above. It hits for 10 damage. It recoils and backs into a corner in the corridor. The fighters have arrived. Alzar grabs a +1 dagger and they move to the next round. A dagger flies out and misses, clanking against the wall. A crossbow bolt hits the wounded spider for 6. Carum’s sling hits for 4 and kills it. The other jumps on top of Alzar and misses (cloak) but would have done double damage. The spider goes first and tries to skewer Alzar but misses. The fighters kill it after dealing 39 with a hit by every one of them XP 215 each The corpse is cut down and searched and they find a Ring and add it to the magic pile. |
A door to the right is in front of them and it appears to be a deserted storeroom with chests, bundles and crates of various goods. They search and find bales of linen, tin pots and pans, dishes, and such. They find nothing else.
The next door appears to be an abandoned storeroom. There are piles of trade goods with a significant amount of dust and debris in the room. Suddenly, there is a hair raised scream, and a figure appears in the corner, of a dying human. There is the clank of chains as the human struggles against the chains that bind him to the wall. This is an undead, a phantom that replays the final minutes of its life over and over again. It manages to break free from its chains and charges forward, kicks open the door, overcomes his guards and grabs a sword, and runs through several doors and stairs, until coming to a door he cannot open. As he struggles to hack through the locked door, a pack of guards arrive and pull him into this room, on this spot, and a group of wolves arrive and devour him. Having been seen, the phantom disappears and the room is normal, and they search, but find nothing. Back to the corridor they head. As they walk, Alzar triggers a pit trap and falls into a pit 20’ down but with 4 feet of water, so he takes no damage. There is a ledge the others can use to cross it and his Rope of Climbing easily gets him out. He will begin rapping on the floor ahead of him now. They reach a door and as they open it, a trap is triggered and a bunch of logs begin rolling down the corridor towards them. Alzar grabs the rope still out, and it jumps up and creates handing handholds on it above them, and they jump up and hold on, above the hallway. The logs smash through the door and fake wall, and then roll over the pit trap on the ledges and end at the wall behind them. They drop down, grab the rope, and move on. The corridor bends to the left and the entire corridor walls – ceiling and floor is a grillwork with 1’x1’ spaces. Whenever someone takes the time to mess with the floors, you know something is about to go wrong. A closer look shows a viscous liquid that covers the grillwork. Alzar puts his torch to it and it lights up, and the entire grillwork is on fire. They wait patiently for about ten minutes for it to burn out and the grillwork to cool down. The grillwork will take a while to cross, and Alzar bets there is something else in there besides the oil they burnt. Lava plumes or a monster of some sort or acid or something. It’s about 60 feet long or so. Alzar has the Rope of Climbing stretch it’s whole 50’ feet long and secure itself to the wall. Alzar tries poking the air and the holes with a staff, but nothing happens. It’s five feet to the rope, then one can use the rope to get the rest of way then five feet to the end. Alzar goes first and gets to the rope easily, and suddenly some blue humanoids teleport in and attack Alzar (and miss) and jump into the holes and disappear. Alzar jumps back and recalls the rope. Now that he knows what the issue is. He grabs three of the logs from the trap and lashes them together with the Rope of Climbing. He gets a big run and throws them down and slides across the grille work easily. He makes it across in one round without any problems. Because he is so strong, it might have helped, so he throws the log back and attaches a regular rope to the end. They will jump/slide and he will pull with his strength, and the two together should get the others across, and it does. No problems. There are three doors on the right, two on the left, and then the corridor bends. They find several storerooms and search and find nothing but food like honey and cheese. The fourth room they search has casks and such, plus a table and more. They search and find a secret door that bypasses the grille on the way back. The final room is another storeroom and nothing more can be found in it. |
The corridor ends at a door. An Ear Ring reveals sounds of minor shuffling and that’s like – like the people in there are trying to keep quiet. Alzar kicks open the door after warning everyone and reveals a room with 15 orcs with short bows hiding behind kicked up torture devices, and two bugbears to their left, and four worgs that are released and now charging towards them. The welcoming committee is here.
Alzar launches his final Sleep – from the ring. 7 goblins fall asleep. 9 arrows fly in and miss Alzar. The bugbears move forward wielding wicked looking morning stars. Alzar moves forward to stay in the line of sight of the goblins and worgs while the three fighters move in and move towards the bugbears. Battle begins. Alzar’s axe bites into the 2nd worg for 15 damage. Est misses, Ale hits a bugbear for 7. Carum hits the same one for 5. The worgs miss Alzar. He takes 6 from arrows. One bugbear hits Est for 4 damage. 48/54 37/45 Alzar hits the injured worg for death. Est kills the injured bugbear and the others miss. Alzar takes 7 from a worg bite. The arrows miss. The bugbear misses. Alzar’s second axe swing bites a worg for 15. 41/54 The worgs attack and one hits Alzar for 4. Arrows hit hit for 2 as well.The bugbear hits Estaish for 6. Alzar kills the wounded worg. Only Ale hits the bugbear for 4. 35/54 31/45 – Estaish Alzar wounds a worg for 16. Est and Carum hit for 15 and kill the bugbear. Alzar is bit for 8 and takes 2 from an orcish arrow. Alzar swings again and kills the wounded worg. 25/54 Morale check and they make it. Arrows at Alzar miss, the worg misses. Alzar axes the worg 19 damage and it dies. The fighters charge the orcs position. They break, but daggers, swords and spear easily bring down the other 7. XP – 300 each |
A search of the torture chamber finds a pair of tortured humans in the corner, who tell Alzar they came in from the south wall. There are no obvious doors out, but there are some cells in here. They find two secret doors south, one in a cell room and the other in the base of the room. The one on the cell appears to be wizard locked. Alzar uses the Wand to open it.
They enter a room lit by a ruddy glow with the air alive with the aroma of wild herbs and rotting flesh. There are crates ,bookshelves, and more in here, with a table and cabinet piled high with books, clay crocks, canisters and jars and such. A search finds alchemical and lab equipment worth 2000 gp Three flasks of potions (Giant Strength, Levitation, Healing) Five Pellets in a small box (Flash Pellets) 1500 gp worth of alchemical books There is a corridor on the other side, and they follow it to an end but a door here is easily opened. They emerge into a bedroom with an aged human sitting by a table and pouring a yellow flask into a glass cylinder. He looks up, and then continues. “I’m not going to stop you or get in your way.” Alzar asks where they are, and the alchemist says the specialist quarters ,where the specialists of the stockade stay and sleep. Alzar offers money to the alchemist to switch to his side and help him. “I’m not going to help or hinder you, I’m staying out of everybody’s way.” They exit and enter a hallway with many doors on the sides. This is the area marked on the map from the captain’s chest. Alzar recognizes it. They enter the next room and find this is locked. Alzar manages to pick it, and they open it to find a man with a crossbow aimed at his chest and demanding to know his business. Alzar sees no point in lying and says he intends to shut this place down. He offers the man money to help. He agrees. There are some werewolves down here that are used as the shock troops, and they will be used on anyone, even loyal staff like himself. He is Carlstar Wiorfether, a 3rd level fighter, neutral, with a crossbow, military pick, and silver dagger, but just 15 hp. He is employed as the engineer of the area. Alzar offers him 1000 gold to escort them and show them the various areas, and he agrees, but he will only fight in self defense. The engineer grabs his things and has 500 gp and a potion of Curing lycanthropy. Alzar grabs his books on siegecraft and defenses and pockets them, as a token of thanks. His ESP spell proved Carlstar intends to keep his side of the bargain. He points to a door and tells them it is a scribes quarters. He is totally loyal to Markeesa. Alzar grabs his throwing dagger, opens the door and flings it at the man sitting quietly at a table. It hits for 10 damage and the scribe dies. They find papers showing how profitable the operation is, and how widespread. Slave peddlers and purchasers are given code words. Outside of Valia, other nations have all banned slavery, so the outposts are outside their purview in these islands off the coast. A search turns up: Keychain 100 ivory pipe. |
The next room to the left are the bugbear leaders. There are two in the torture room stationed there, so the are dead, and the other two are likely in there. Alzar orders ranged weapons and throws open the door and they see two bugbears, one sitting on his bed and the other the other sharpening her bastard sword on a chair by a table. Alzar flings his dagger at one and…hits for 9 damage. A bolt silences that one after it takes 6. A magic spear is flung and misses the other, and the third bugbear gets up, shouts for help, and moves towards them.
Battle begins. They win init and Alzar deals 17 and kills the bugbear. They move to defend, in case others investigate the shout. A door nearby opens and then another. Carlstar tells them the werewolves are nearby and Aleigha growls while still human. Two hobgoblins and three werewolves arrive. The werewolves can smell Aleigha and jump in front of the hobgoblins. Alzar jumps in front, and they win init. All five miss him. He moves to the side and wings an axe for the max – 19. One werewolves falters, but remains standing. Est bolts a hob for 2. Carum retrieves his magic spear. Aleigha moves to the front with Alzar. Werewolves and werebears are archenemies. Alzar trust Aleigha to hit the one he just hit and he moves to the next werewolf and nails it for 13. Aleigha easily hits and kills the one he hit earlier. Est bolts a hob for 1 more. Carum’s long spear lances out and hits the third werewolf for 5 damage. The wolf and hobbies attack. The wolf attacks Aleigha, no question. It misses one and hits the other time for 3 damage. The hobs hit Alzar for 3. He swings his axe again and kills the werewolf Carum injured for 16 damage. The two hobs start to run and they are eaily cut down. 20/41 - Aleigha XP – 500 each They search the three rooms open and move down and shut the door to the corridor beyond so any more noise won’t attract attention. One of these rooms was the ogre mage’s and hasn’t been cleaned out since his death in the first assault on the stockade. A journal shows that Blackthorn was quietly organizing a resistance against Markessa for her damaging the trade by her experiments and inability to manage an operation this big. The werewolves were among the people he counted as allies in this conflict. They find 300 gold They open the secret door and head to a secret chamber. There is just a small corridor down the path, way too small for a humanoid, but a track is there. Alzar sends in Megala and Dryshik and they reveal six large chests, two metal coffers and a small locked mahogany box are stacked in the room on a metal cart. They throw the rope pulling the cart to Alzar, and they just fit and get pulled down the track to the party. The first chest is unlocked and has just copper pieces in it (6000) The second chest is locked. Alzar fails to open it. They skip it for now. The third chest is locked. Alzar fails – skip it. The fourth is unlocked and has 9000 sp The fifth is unlocked and has 3000 pp in it. There is a small poison gas trap that triggers and everybody else leaves for 10 minutes until it clears. The 6th one is locked. No lock pick here either. The first coffer is opened. Inside is a ruby worth 2000 gp, 10 tourmaline worth 100, 6 aquamarines worth 400 each, a scroll, The second coffer is locked. It appears to be wizard locked. The wooden case is locked. Alzar cannot pick it. The case will be pocketed and opened later, same with the coffer added to a Bag of Holding. Alzar acids the chests unable to be locked and inside are: 13000 gp 7000 ep Oil Scroll Uncut 8 Sapphires worth 250, Ruby worth 500 – value can be 4 by gem cutter They leave the area and enter a hallway. |
Carlstar tells them that one door leads to a laboratory that often has Markessa in it. Another door leads into more bedrooms, including those of a sister pair of mages, but one died and the other left, and just one bedroom is still occupied back there. He points to the cells, and the dining room and latrines - all off this passageway. Alzar suggests attacking Markessa in the lab. Carlstar points out there they are double doors on the other side she could flee through. Alzar pulls out the Crystal ball, because he’s seen this room before, and looks into it. Markessa is working at a bench just 20 feet in front of the door. There are orc guards and two owlbears in a cage that could be released. Still, the distance between Markessa and them means they could easily catch her.
The plan is this – Alzar throws open the door with axe in hand and charges Markessa and swings. Carum and Aleigha move to the center of the room and attack the orcs. Estaish runs in and backs up Alzar. Alzar and Estaish keep Markessa behind the desk and keep her from running to the main door, and Ale and Car keep her from leaving via the double doors in the back. Sounds like a plan. With axe in hand, Alzar flings open the door and charges Markessa. Est right behind, and Carum and Aleigha take up positions. 11 goblins grab arrows and Alzar is at Markessa in a moment. Battle ensues. Alzar wins init but she gets to go first anyway due to a magic item she has. She misses Alzar. Alzar’s axe rolls a 6. Plus her AC of 1 is 7. Add +3 for str, and +3 for axe mastery and +1 for the +1 axe and it’s a 14 – exactly Alzar’s THAC0. She takes 18 damage and winces. Est swings and crits her for 15 damage. Carum kills an orc with his spear for 6 damage. Aleigha misses another. A Mist Ball flies in and she makes her save. Markessa attacks again for a miss on Alzar (rolled a 3). Arrows fly in and no one is hit They win Init. Markessa grabs a flask and throws it down and makes a cloud of smoke. Alzar orders Est and him to stand beside each other and together they stand across the space between the desk and wall, preventing her from leaving that way. The owlbears are released. Carum takes 7 from three arrows. Carum spears an orc for just 4 and he survives. Aleigha misses. Alzar uses Blind-Fighting to sense Markessa. He senses her moving down and around the desk, and can attack with a -4. He rolls a 12. -4 to 8. +1 for her AC is a 9. Then add the bonuses and he hits her for 16 and she dies. 29/48 - Carum With their leader dead, the orcs flee out the double doors The owlbears move forward. A growling from the hallway beyond can be heard as two worgs move into the room. A dagger bites into an owlbear for 12 damage. A bolt from Est hits it for 5 more damage. Aleigha and Carum move forward. Alzar and Est move forward as well. The owlbears win init and attack Aleigha for 17 damage after three hits, a crit, and another hit from the fourth one. She changes into a werebear instinctively to avoid more damage. Carum misses the wounded owlbear. Aleigha hits twice for 6 damage and kills the owlbear. Alzar and Est are here as are the worgs. 3/41 – Aleigha. Aleigha deals 3 to an owlbear. Alzar drops his axe. Est adds 11 and Carum misses. Aleigha takes no damage from an owlbear and it looks confused. The worgs try to hit her as well and miss. They move around her to attack others next turn. Aleigha bites the damaged owlbear for 8 damage. Carum drops his spear, Est misses. The owlbear keeps attacking Aleigha. Stupid. One worg tries to bite into Estaish but can’t penetrate his armor. Alzar swings at the worg in front of him. He rolls just a 3, but that hits. 18 damage to a worg. He can swing again and kills it. They go first, barely, and Alzar is attacked and missed. The owlbear misses Aleigha. Alzar nails the worg for 16, Est misses, Carum misses and Aleigha deals 5 to the owlbear. The worg runs and Crum throws his spear since its handy. It hits for 7 and kills it. Alzar crits the owlbear for max damage 27. It is bisected. They search the lab and find: XP – 1000 each Leather armor. Short Sword 5000 gp worth of alchemical equipment Pair of adamantite claws worth 200 gp Electrum bracers – 560 gp Neckguard of electrum - 1400gp Aleigha quaffs a pot of healing. 11/41 |
They head back and check the rooms where the magi were. Two are empty. The final one was the room of the ogre they killed on the first assault. There is nothing else of interest in here.
The dining room is completely free of people, and the kitchens next to it. The chef believes they are mercenaries and early for their meals and to come back later. Alzar decides to do just that. They enter the chambers of a female hobgoblin witchdoctor. They have not met her, but they search the room. They find 3 pieces of jade 60 gp Necklace of garnet and electrum 1300 gp As they finish, the witchdoctor arrives back, by herself, and sees 5 adventurers, and decides to run. A Mist Ball flies at her and she fails the save and falls down. Alzar ties her up and takes her back into her chamber. She is a priestess of Mahte, goddess of pain and pleasure. He waits until she can see again, tells her who he is, and that Markessa is already dead. He intends to take out this place, and free the slaves here, and there is no one who will stop him. She will remain tied up here and they will come back for her if they aren’t killed. Alzar shuts the door behind him and exits. They move down the corridor and find a door with two bugbears flanking it. Thinking Alzar and crew are mercenaries, they have not attacked. He attacks with his axe and gains surprise. He crits, so that is 2x damage from the surprise and x2 from the crit. He rolled jus t a3, but that’s still 23 damage and a dead bugbear. Est attacks the other for 11 and Carum adds another crit for 15 and she dies. They search the bodies and find nothing. The door opens and reveals a bed chamber where a female human looks exactly like Markessa. Alzar asks if she is the real Markessa or a doppelganger or illusion or something. This can’t be the real Markessa, the first one had more powerful magic, knowledge and weapons, This one has just a dagger. He casts Charm Person as she casts Shield. She fails the save and becomes Alzar’s good friend. She is another person who was magically altered b experiments to look like Markessa and then brainwashed to believe she was, but a part of her has always known otherwise. She shows them the valuables in this room: 2 polar bear rugs – 180 gp each 4 pairs of fancy slippers 150 gp each There are two secret doors they open and the charmed mage will accompany them, in the back. Alzar opens a secret door and they enter the exercise room of a burly fighter. He is tall, slender, muscular, and n padded armor and shield and working out on the quintain.  The fighter was magically altered to be very strong, and brainwashed to fall in love with Markessa, but instead has fallen in love with the double. She tells him they are leaving, and he goes to his room, gathers his weapons and armor, and comes with them. Bodyguard – platemail armor + shield, 18/59 str so +2, +3 in battle. Fights with battle axe. 21 hp, AC 0, They move to a room that is dirty and foul smelling. There is a angry Taurian in here. This is the special guard of Markessa’s. The double commands him to stay silent and move back, and he does. They open a secret door and enter Markessa’s Spell Room. The room have bins and shelves filled with materials necessary for spell research and experimentation. There are white candles that lit when they entered, and do not appear to be burning the wick. There is a pentagram with an amulet in the middle. Alzar uses the Ring of Telekinesis to pick it up and brings it to him. They find a spellbook, and Alzar does not open it anymore, as per his previous rules. The stuff in here is worth 1300 gold, but is quite heavy. They move into her quarters with a luxurious bed chamber, costly furniture, expensive tapestries. And such. They find a wall safe and Alzar can’t unlock it. He damages it with acid – his last dose. Inside the damaged lock are valuables, and a poison dart trap but the needle was in the lock and damaged from the acid. They find another spellbook in it too. There is a Wand on her dresser. 3000 gp value of furnishings Gold and ruby necklace worth 1400 600 gp gold earrings 50 pp 3 Sapphire – 150 |
There is an escape tunnel from there that leads to a cave with 8 Dřkkálfar, a very rare underground race of humanoids quite powerful and evil. The leader introduces herself to Alzar in Typic and asks where the slaves are she ordered. Alzar uses his innate ability to ESP once a week, and determines that this fighter/cleric is impatient for her lack of service, but word of Markessa’s death has not been heard here yet, and with Markessa’s double, they obviously think she has come to give them an update. If Markessa were not here, the Dřkkálfar would likely attack and interrogate Alzar and his group, they are that upset and arrogant.
Alzar grabs a skull and starts talking about how the slaves will not be coming right now because – casts Skulltrap and flings the skull. He catches them unprepared. All 8 are in the blast. 21 damage to everyone, unless they make their save and then 10 taken. The leader dies. The guard leader just takes damage. All of the guards die from it. So 7 out of 8 die. The leader runs for the back exit. Alzar grabs a dagger, and Carum throws his spear which is handy. Carum spears him for 7 damage. The dagger kills him. They search the Dřkkálfar corpses and find exactly what Alzar suspected. He has never encountered them before. Their armor and weapons are very powerful, and yet if exposed to light, they will decay and be destroyed. They also do not radiate as magical. He gains: Dřkkálfar Armor and Weapons: +3 chain, +2 mace, +2 chain, +1 shield, +1 dagger, +2 short sword, +1 chainx6, +1 short swordx612 poisoned javelins They have nothing else on them. He puts them in a Bag of Holding and will not pull them out unless underground. XP – 500 each This tunnel is the exit, so they turn around. They pass a tunnel on the right and take it. There are two kennels of worgs behind a portcullis. A search uncovers a secret door. They enter a giant goblin and orc barracks This is on the other side of the lab from the double doors. They have all fled. A search turns up nothing. They follow the tunnel and pass a guard post – now empty. They enter a room with a lot of cheesecloth suits of hobgoblin size. There are many clay crockery pots, now empty, but with the residue of honey. The next chamber has the large number of beehives, so they leave and return to the slave area, having explored this entire level except for them. |
These are the slave pens. The slaves are locked up, and no overseers can be seen anymore, so they must have gotten a message. There are about 20 listless and apathetic slaves in one room. There are 21 more in another. The third large cell has an entrance to their area. These are the mutated and strange creatures made by magic and twisted in various ways. Some have claws, tails, missing limbs, and special abilities.
 They head down into the tunnels and are greeted by many of the creatures down here. They ask if Alzar is the Messenger of Light who will take them to the world of light and away from these tunnels, and he agrees to do so, right now. The 61 mutated creatures gather their things and begin a pilgrimage. The false Markessa and bodyguard go with them, up to the top floor. They head back and begin to free more slaves . They find chambers with: 3 bald women 5 qwith, one of which is pregnant 6 men, and one pot bellied and looks fat and well fed 8 children 6 strong and able bodied women 3badly beaten men 7 men and one claims to be a leader from the north and will pay a handsome reward 2 very powerful and nasty looking men 7 women and children 6 sis’sharr 3 dvergr, tied up 8 children 4 middle aged men 10 pretty teenage girls, early to mid teens, dressed well 6 men and women, old 3 men and women, and badly beaten 1 man in the center of the cell, studying and meditating 4 barbarians Total – 92 slaves, plus the 41 lethargic ones here and those above that are still lethargic. Alzar swings by the witchdoctor’s room, takes her armor and morning star, and loosens her bonds. She is free to go or stay. They head back and grab 12 more slaves from the cloaker room. Alzar pays Carlstar 1000 gp as per the agreement. He moves and talks with the false Markessa and her bodyguard. They cannot take both the slaves and the mutated one son the ship, there is not enough room. But the slavers will come back to try and find out what happened, and its best that the mutated not be here when they do. He will take the slaves and drop them off 8 days away at a settlement on the coast, and then sail back and pick up Markessa, her bodyguard and the mutated. 17 days later, they return and pick them up. Alzar knows a place to take them, and they agree to follow his lead. 23 days later, after some storms and fighting off some griffons, they arrive at Tangaroa. There is an island in between the village islands with nothing on it. It seems like a good, out of the way place to set up shop and build a future. The natives will help them and teach them the skills needed to survive here. |
4725 XP for non-Alzar
6525 for Alzar + 10% Alzar – 97,485 (Level 8) Estaish – 42,591 (Level 6) – Now with 45 HP Aleigha – 40,085 (Level 6) – Now has 41 HP. Carum – 31,865 (Level 5) – Now has 48 HP. Carum is that close to level 6, but ah well. The below numbers reflect the 1000 gp given to Carlstar and 2500 gold to the ship captain and sailors and 4500 given to the three fighters. Alzar got the coins changed over in that town they stopped in for one day. He paid 2k for the service. He got some of the bigger and expensive stuff changed over too. Gold - 30195 10 tourmaline worth 100, 6 aquamarines worth 400 each Uncut 8 Sapphires worth 250, Ruby worth 500 – value can be 4 by gem cutter 4 pairs of fancy slippers 150 gp each Ivory – 75 gp 3 pieces of jade 60 gp Necklace of garnet and electrum 1300 gp 5 amethyst 50 gp each Silver and coral necklace of 1100 gp Gold belt buckle – 500 gp Gold and ruby necklace worth 1400 600 gp gold earrings 3 Sapphire – 150 5000 gp worth of alchemical equipment Pair of adamantite claws worth 2000 gp Electrum bracers – 560 gp Neckguard of electrum - 1400gp 100 ivory pipe. 10 jet pieces 100 gp each 10 matches silver and opal bracelets – 200 each 150 gold amethyst A search finds alchemical and lab equipment worth 2000 gp 1500 gp worth of alchemical books Ivory dagger – 30 gold Silver Chalice worth 500 gold Amulet of Finding Wand of Opening – 11 charges left Potion of Undead Control; Diminution, Cleric scroll with Cure Serious, Purify Food and Drink, Feign Death, Cure Light Wounds, Resurrection and Wind Walk Ring of Warmth Quaal’s Feather Token. Three flasks of potions (Giant Strength, Levitation, Healing) Five Pellets in a small box (Flash Pellets) Potion of Longevity Potion of White Dragon Control Philter of Love Ring of Water Walking Wooden case has a jar with an amulet suspended in an ochre colored liquid. A check shows this to be an ochre jelly, and the amulet is non magical. Opening the jar probably released the ochre jelly – a clever little trap. Markessa’s high level spellbook – Lightning Bolt Markessa’s low level spellbook – Magic Missile, Protection from Good, Read Magic, Detect Magic, Shocking Grasp, Scare, Wizard Lock and Darkness, 15’ radius Magic Pile: +1 dagger, Ring of Fire Resist, +1 broadsword, +1 scimitar, Periapt of Proof vs Poison +2, Sling of Seeking +2. Cloak of Protection +2. Ring of Infravision. Scroll – Continual Darkness, Paralyzation, Shadow Door. Scroll – Atonement, Oil of Etherealness. +1 studded leather, protection from normal missiles (-1 per die from magical ones too). +1 Short Sword of Speed. Amulet of Protection from Good, 3x daily. Wand of Magic Missiles – 12 charges left. +2 chainmail, +1 morning star Dřkkálfar Armor and Weapons: +3 chain, +2 mace, +2 chain, +1 shield, +1 dagger, +2 short sword, +1 chainx6, +1 short swordx6, 12 poisoned javelins Used 2 Charges on Belt, 4 Invisibility Drink. Used both 3 HD Fireball. Used Extra Healing Pot. Healing x2, Dust of Appearance. Use charge of Paralyzation. Used Charge of Wand of Opening, Aleigha’s pot of healing. Alzar gives the pot of healing from this adventure to Aleigha. The Sling of Seeking gives +2 to both to hit and damage, and missiles are considered +1 for determining if they hit. Quaal’s Feather Token is an odd item that be used once, and then is used up. This is a Finger Token, so it gives a one-shot, perfect teleport to any place the user can see (even in a scrying device, such as a Crystal Ball). Alzar hands the Sling to Carum as well as the Ring of Infravision |
After another two month, Alzar has completed 40 Dispels on one of the three books not destroyed by fire in Castanamir’s library. It’s a book at random and it has…
This is not one of Castanamir’s spell books, but instead it is the Transcendental Impenetrabilities. It is a famous spellbook, of which there are several copies, by the mage Leomund. It includes the spells: Leomund’s Tiny Hut, Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Globe of Invulnerability and Prismatic Sphere. Not much there, and Alzar doesn’t bother to learn the Hut. He goes back through and learns a few spells he skipped before – Conjure Spell Component, Leomund’s Trap, Minor Globe of Invulnerability. Now that they are back in Tangaroa, they have a few options. Explore one of those ruins, or try to find the other slave place. There are a lot of small islands in the Sea of Dread, and they would need to really scour the area around the Isle of Dread all the way back to the mainland to try and find it. Since that would take a while, Alzar thinks they should go ahead and start, |
XSOLO. Lathan’s Gold
 This is one of the solo adventures. They are basically Choose your Own Adventure or Lone Wolf, but with the D&D rules. This one introduces new rules like how to quickly end a combat, but we will be doing a regular D&D combat and exploration and such for all of the areas in it. We will be using the mechanics of Lathan’s Gold, but not the plot or the main characters. The main plot has Lathan, the ship captain who owns his own ship and is betrothed to this hot princess but she is captured for ransom for 1000 gold, but Lathan doesn’t have that money (despite owning a boat) so he borrows 750 gold to equip himself and enable himself to get the money and get the princess. Stupid. Why not borrow the last 250 gold? Or sell an item or two for it? There are a lot of plot holes in modules sometimes. Why did the pirates in Isle of Dread wear metal armor during the day in camp when not expecting combat in the hot of the tropics, and wear metal armor on pirate raids, in boats? Why did the people in the Taboo Island temple wall up the back section in order to keep monsters and creatures away, and it worked, when they only things down there were crocodiles, two giant crabs a giant oyster and two kopru, and there were no stairs down, just a pit trap in one place and a collapsed floor – neither of which had been triggered at the time? How does Mantru have a splinter group with more than 40 people, when the village only has 7 houses? They aren’t even longhouses. Maybe they left due to a lack of shelter. Why did a fire giant send only two out of five hobgoblin armies to attack a strong fort? There are numerous examples of monsters too big to fit in the corridor, or poor designs (like this stockade just now, which has the only way you can get to the back half, and the stairs down, through someone’s office. WTF? Or the keep’s design where the private bedchamber of the lord goes through the armory? WTF? Or Castle Caldwell’s stupid design which lacks many things in a castle, like throne room, private quarters, and other essentials . In the dungeons of the stockade, the only way from the torture room and that section of the castle was through the secret lab and the alchemist’s chamber, or through a huge tract of tunnels that meanders through beehives and a chasm you have to walk along the wall, and so forth. Why would you make that design? ) I can understand a mage caught unawares having tool spells like Detect Magic and Read Magic instead of combat spells, but what about one heading for combat? I came across a dragon that had memorized levitate and I laughed at that spell being memorized. Anyway, Lathan’s Gold will be Alzar’s Quest since he owns the ship and so forth. We will be sailing around and looking to find some goodies. I expect this will lead into: MSOLO2, X8, A3, and eventually I1 and C1 back in the Isle of Dread. As you can see, I keep adding modules to our super Isle of Dread campaign, but I think they all work. X8 is being added since it takes place on a small island in the Sea of Dread. How could I not include that as well? I keep pushing back I1 and C1 because I saw how hard they are, especially I1. I think C1 could be run anytime now, but other modules have higher important in the storyline than look, here’s a shrine. Oh, did you see how the Gauntlets of Ogre Power are really powerful. No wonder I was surprised to see them in a low level module. I cheated. I rolled twice to see if I got the 10% chance they became another item, and nope. As a reminder, whenever a spell appears in a scroll or a named item appears, there is a 10% chance it’s a random spell from the Wizard’s Spell Compendium or item from the Encyclopedia Magica. I roll a d10 to figure out what kind of spell it is 1-4 common, 5-7 uncommon, 8-9 rare, 0 very rare, with adjustments made for the class and situation. Alchemy spells are more likely to be in an alchemist’s spellbook, no matter the rarity. |
We begin with 30 days of rations, having stocked up in Tangaroa. Instead of starting on the shore in a big city, we are starting in V40, off the coast of the Isle of Dread.
The thing has a variety of entries – V are voyages in the open ocean, and come with these rules: Order of events. Follow this sequence for each voyage entry you read: 1. Read the entry you have chosen. Before going on to the next entry, allow your character and his party to study and change any spells that they wish. Note any spell changes on your character sheet. If you want, you may record any distinguishing features about this location in your ship’s log. 2. Check to see if your party encounters a wandering monster. Roll 1d6. If you roll a 6, you encounter a monster. Go to Table 1 and roll ld8. If your party encounters no monsters, skip to step 4. 3. Go to the interaction sequence to resolve the wandering monster encounter. 4. If you have a navigator aboard, skip to step 5. If you have no navigator aboard, you must check to see if your party becomes lost. Roll ld6. On a roll of 1, your party becomes lost. If you do not roll a 1, skip to step 5. Check to see if your current sea entry tells you where to go if you become lost. If it doesn’t, decide which direction in which you want to try to go. If you go north, subtract 9 from your current sea entry number and go to the new sea entry. If you go south, subtract 10 from your current sea entry number and go to the new sea entry. If you go east or west, stay at your current sea entry. 5. Choose your next sea or land entry from the choices given in your current sea entry. If you are drifting, subtract 10 from your current sea entry number and go to the new sea entry. 6. Go to your Expedition Record Sheet. Unless an entry directs otherwise, subtract 1 day from the Days Remaining column. You should also subtract 1 ration per party member from the Rations column. 7. As long as you are reading voyage (V) entries, repeat this process. Go back to step 1. We do have a navigator. There are also T entries for Trade Routes, C for coastal, number numbers for encounters, U for Urban, S for Specularum, which is replaced by the coastal city of Kathetia, and E for Island Exploration. We can go north, east or west. We go west. To V30. No monsters. We are still north of the Isle of Dread. West to V20 has a reef, so we head north to V32. Monster. A ship of 25 buccaneers sails into us and they have the wind and we cannot escape. They grapple us and begin to board. A sleep spell handles just 3 of them prior to their grapple and 4 more after. 7 are down. Dryshik Wall of Fogs the Sea Ghost where they are trying to board us, and that slows them down a lot. Meanwhile, the fighters (in no armor obviously) move in and start slicing. One takes 8 from Aleigha and dies. 8 down. Several swing and miss, but one hits Carum for 2. A Hyptotism spell takes out 6 more. Carum kills another. 15 down. With the Wall of Fog inhibiting them, they begin to back into their ship, and Alzar and group go over on their grapples and fight the rest there. Alzar goes first, as usual. His axe kills a pirate. They all miss him. The next round they win init and Alzar takes 11 from three hits. He then axes one, then a second. Est and Aleigha kill one each as well. 5 left. Alzar cleaves another. Est just nicks one for 4. Ale kills it. Carum hits for 8 and kills a third. 2 left. They jump overboard. They sleepers are killed and the hypnotized are captured. It looks like this vessel was recently on the losing side of a battle and its badly damaged from the rear and the other side. They find 5 days rations. Since they are close to Tangaroa, they sail 3 days back and it’s all quiet. They drop off the injured ship for later, and restock to 30 rations and head back out. |
They sail back to the same place, V32. We are getting close to an island to the north. We sail north to V33. No monsters. This is supposedly Spider Isle. We can land or keep sailing. I choose to land. I turn to E6.
We encounter a wandering monster on Spider isle – a Cyclops. A 54 hp giant with one eye. It sees us land and starts throwing boulders. One misses Alzar (cloak). He is bout 150 feet away and it will take two rounds of running to get to him. A rock crashes into Aleigha and she takes 9. Another rock nails Alzar for 17. The Cyclops picks up a giant club and battle ensues. Alzar crits it for 23 damage. Aleigha hits for 7. It crushes Estaish for 9 damage. It wins init and misses Est. Alzar swings twice, hits once for 18 damage. Est misses, Ale misses, Carum crits it for 5 damage. They in init and Alzar kills it. XP – 1000 each A search reveals 1875 gold. We choose to explore the island. We turn to E21. We harvest 3 rations from the fruit on the island. An ancient building surrounded by eight standing and crumbling pillars is in the center of the island, and the roof of it is shaped like a spider. This is the Lost Temple of the Aranea. +3 rations They head down to investigate. The temple is just a few rooms, all abandoned. The rest have been destroyed, and numerous searches find nothing more. They leave and return to the Sea Ghost. |
We head west to V23. Quiet. We head west again. To V13. Quiet. There are reefs to the west and an island to the south tentatively identified as Skeleton Key. We go south, quiet. V12. More reefs to the west. We disembark to E8.
We do not encounter any hostility upon our arrival. We move to explore the key – E23. 2 rations from the fruit here as well. There are thousands of bones littering the ground near the center of the key. This is the site of a major battle more than a hundred years ago, as the remnants of the Taurians that fled from the destruction of their homeland in Hithtris settled here, and were attacked in one great assault. +2 rations As they search the battlefield, they find the ruins of the old fort that was once here. They uncover a large plug in the ground and lift it up, and the darkness stretches below them for a long time. Alzar drops a torch and it falls more than 150 feet. There appears to be some sort of tunnel down there. They tie three ropes together and descend, Alzar first. |
M2 (aka MSOLO2). Maze of the Riddling Minotaur
 I haven’t ever read or played this one, I just picked it up from eBay and will play it through along with everything else. This is one of the solo modules that used a magic pen to reveal things, and that’s just a cute little kitschy 80’s vibe. I’ll be playing this one straight. This series was originally released as M1 and M2, and then they released the Master set for D&D and released the new modules as M1-5. Obviously that caused problems, so many sites named this two part series as MSOLO1 and MSOLO2 just like BSOLO and XSOLO and XS2. |
The tunnels are strange to Alzar. They feel different magically, and perhaps spells will work differently in here. The rope is dropped and no one else descends. Alzar sends Megala up to investigate but the seal is placed back on before he can get there!
With no other options, Alzar picks up the dropped torch and looks around. There are exits from this small room in all four directions. With no real way to choose, he goes left. The corridor branches but he sees another room ahead so he keeps going. He enters the intersection and sees a Taurian made of shiny black obsidian. It turns, raises its axe, and then intones a riddle: “You may see across my width Though my beginning and end may be leagues apart I am forever moving But you will always see me in the same spot. What am I?” My rule for this is if I can guess it, Alzar can too. The sky is my early answer. You can see across it, its beginning and end are far apart, it moves but always is in the same place. Let’s go with that. The answer is a river. The bullman-golem moves to attack. Alzar wins init and cuts into it for 14 damage. It swings an axe back and misses automatically. Alzar wins init. He crits it for 25 damage and kills it. A quick investigation shows nothing but obsidian. Alzar can go forward, backward, left or right. He sees a room to his left and walks to it, passing a corridor to the right He can only see about 20 feet with a grey mist settling in the maze. XP - 1200 |
This passageway ends in broken glass and debris. There is the corpse of a taurian, decayed, but still here, and it moves towards him – zombie-taurian. He tries to control it. Success, automatically. There is nothing else here, and he will start leading with the zombie-taurian.
Zombie-Taurian, HP 19 hp, THAC0 – 18, AC – 6, 1d8, always attacks last XP – 100 He takes the passageway to the right, now left, and enters another room, with just one exit. There is a large pile of shattered obsidian here and the message on the wall saying – seek the riddler of steel and gold. He continues and gets back to the starting room from the forward entrance. They turn the other way and enter a room with another obsidian taurian. “A warrior amongst flowers He bears a thrusting sword He uses it whenever he must To defend his golden horde What is he? My guess is a bee. Sting is a sword. Golden horde is honey. It’s correct, and the golem moves aside. All directions are options, and he goes right. He winds up in a room with a smashed golem. A search finds nothing. There are two other exits, and one goes back ot the starting room, so he presses on. The tunnel turns 90’, and then passes another tunnel, Alzar skips for now. It hits two tunnels to the right and the second one is the last one. Alzar takes the first. He winds up in a circular room, south of the starting room. There is a broken sword in here. Alzar leans over to inspect it, and then picks it up. It is a valuable sword at one time, and was snapped clean in half by a mighty blow. |
He continues back to the starting room. He returns and takes the other left passage. There is another golem here:
Hard as glass And just as clear I am found in the north lands Where warmth I do not fear What am I? Seems pretty obvious its ice. That’s right. Alzar can go forward or left. He goes forward. It arrives in a room with a thick layer of dust but nothing else. He then arrives in a room with the statue of a tiger. Carved of amber. Alzar chooses to investigate it. It has not animated yet, so Alzar moves past it and it does not animate. Must be a poor copy of that one golem he encountered in Castle Amber. He arrives back in the first room he moved to after leaving the starting room. Alzar has been marking the rooms he has been in with a copper piece each time. He goes forward from this room and after passing by a room elsewhere, the tunnel curls into a room the ends this passage. There is a table with a vial on it, that says “For Those that Rush Towards Their Doom.” Alzar picks up the vial and tries to identify it. He pockets it for later since he cannot. He returns to the room and goes back to the starting room. Instead of this constant spinning around the starting room, he decides to commit to a direction and explore it all. He goes forward, skips past the golem with the bee question, and then heads forward. He sees three right tunnels in quick succession and checks them all. The mid one just hits a room and that’s it so he enters. There is a human skeleton and a collapsed shrine. Alzar investigates more. He takes the 1000g gold statuette of a taurian and takes it. |
He backs up and takes the first tunnel, which hits a room with a dry foundation and the words – looks for gold and steel carved into the bottom. He continues down the only other entrance and arrives in another room. He hears the clank of chains and a growl. They arrive and see a large lion on a chain of metal links. He pounces on the taurian zombie in front of it, and Alzar moves up for support. It just misses and the zombie misses too. Alzar drops his axe.
The next round, the lion claws at the zombie twice for 5 damage. It nails the lion for 5 back. Alzar adds two hits for death. -5 hp for zombie XP – 250 They continue on and arrive at a room with a basin carved of pure white marble and set into the north wall. There are broken flasks in here and the water has a spring. Alzar drinks the water, and its normal. He finds two empty flasks that are not broken with the holy symbol of Harkangi on them, and fills them, and gains two flasks of holy water. He can go left or right. Left. He takes a right branch and enters another room. There is a large fountain of black stone in here. The green water that fills it smells of chlorine. Alzar goes right. The corridor ends with a large pile of coins and a sleeping, small, green dragon. Alzar tries to attack the creature. He gets one free hit in. He deals 12 damage. It awakens and flies up, but it has no breathe weapons. This is just a creature that looks like a dragon, but isn’t a true one. Alzar wins init, pierces the AC3 scales for 16 damage and kills it. Without knowing exactly what kind of creature it is, he treats it like a regular dragon, and skins it, and takes the scales and vials of blood. The room has a modest amount of treasure, which he collects in a bag of holding XP – 150 |
He heads out and goes right and the tunnel ends at a room. There is a ladder here, and Alzar climbs up to a small trap door and opens it. There is a giant scorpion in a room up here. Alzar grabs his axe and moves in. It wins init and snips twice and tails once Alzar, but auto misses. His axe bites deeply for 18 damage. It wins init and Alzar takes 8 and makes a poison save. He kills the scorpion with his second attack for 13. There is nothing up here, Alzar searched twice.
XP – 400 He leaves this section and goes right and then right again. The zombie taurian falls into a pit trap and took 2 damage. It easily climbs back out. The tunnel ends at a dead end, with nothing here. Hew returns to sections he has done, and then moves in the same direction as before. He finds a room to the side by itself. The zombie takes 4. -6 for zombie for these two recent traps. There is nothing else in the room and Alzar moves forward and then right. This passage opens into a circular room with a large bell in the center, but without a clapper, so to ring it, you’d have to hit it with something. Alzar skips ringing it. Alzar grabs a couple of rooms off the main corridor. One has a natural spring, and he searches and finds a silver ring. The next one has a large copper statue of a taurian that looks angry. Alzar investigates and it’s a two side statues with another head on the other sid,e but nothing happens, so they move on. They pass a broken bones room, and then enter one with a another zombie taurian. Alzar controls it and adds it to his team. This one only has 9 hp but an AC of 5. They arrive at a passage with a pale green gas, and Alzar is immune. They arrive at a room that ends a tunnel, and there is a trap here. Alzar and the zombies are teleported west several squares. It’s to a corridor he’s been in before, so he just backtracks until he gets to where he wants to be. They find the body of an adventurer missing her sword and in badly damaged chain mail. Her body was pierced by many blades, and there is a parchment in her hand that says to seek the guard of gold and steel. They arrive at a room with glowing fungus, and Alzar moves forward. It’s not harmful, just pretty. Left to another room . There is a pool of clear water at this intersection, and in the center is a white granite pillar, topped by a statue of a three headed winged humanoid. It tells Alzar to stop and not enter but he does and nothing happens. Alzar goes forward and arrives at another intersection where a statue in chiseled quartz shows a man in robes wearing a headdress. Alzar examines and finds nothing. He presses on. |
This corridor ends in a small square room where a table sits on the far wall. A silver chalice is on the table. Alzar investigates and it is not of very good workmanship, and the gems are pasted glass. It looks like a trap, so he leaves it. They return and hit another room. They arrive at a intersection with a sign pointing in one direction and saying that nothing lives there. He takes it. The passage ends in a small circular room and there is another zombie minotaur here with 12 hp and AC5. He adds it to his force. Nothing else can be found here.
He heads up from the intersection. There is a large pool of water covering all of the floor except for one spot on either side. Alzar investigates and the water is only a few inches deep. He walks through, all is normal, and they move on. They pass a circular chamber with a broken remnants of several different statues. There is a grey spiral staircase going up to a trap door and Alzar takes it. It reveals a small, well furnished cell, with an iron door leading out. There is sobbing from the curtained bed. Alzar waits and listens, and hears the low hissing of snakes. The obvious thing is a medusa, so Alzar closes his eyes and moves forward, and addresses the person behind the bed, but the hissing shows she is attacking so Alzar and the medusa fight it out. Megala provides eyes. She wins init and misses auto, Alzar slides his axe into her shoulder for 17 damage. He wins init and crits her for 13 damage. She dies. He searches and finds a small chest with 100 50 gp gems. XP – 1000 The door out is locked on the other side and barred, and Alzar can’t get it open so he descends again. He heads forward and arrives at a room with a fountain in the center of a large open area. Alzar skips it and goes forward to a dead-end at a cave in. There is nothing here. He returns and takes a forking passage to another obsidian taurian golem room. Sees without sight Flies without feathers Darkness is his Favorite weather What is he? The moon? No, how about a bat? Yeah, that looks like it. Alzar guesses bat. Yup. They head left and arrive at a dead end room off the main tunnel. It’s another cave in dead end. He returns to the tunnels and finds the next room, a three way intersection. There are piles of rotted wood, once carved and painted and now decomposing. He sifts through them and finds nothing and the tunnel out takes a 180 bend and moves to another room. This section is behind the previous section, so it may go on for a while back here. There is a wild boar in here. The zombies and it engage. It misses a zombie. It is hit twice for 5 damage. It hits the wounded zombie for 5, and it is barely standing. The three zombies attack back and one hits for 8. The boar is reeling too. It misses. One zombie nails it for 5 damage and it dies. There is nothing on interest here and they continue. XP – 50 |
There is a foundation here with a deep green liquid. Alzar investigates it, and it has no odor, and he pushes the staff in and nothing happens, so he moves on. He is definitely behind the other section now. There is another room with a large statue of a Cyclops with a fiery gem in its eye socket. Alzar moves to investigate. It’s not a gem, but a living rock statue, with AC4, and 35 hp. Alzar hafts his axe and orders the zombies back. Alzar wins init and misses the statue. It misses him, and its shooting lava from its eye. The fiery gem was apparently just the lava inside showing. The Cyclops wins init and misses. Alzar can swing twice and…Two hits for 35. The statue dies but Alzar took 6 from the lava splash.
XP – 750 Nothing else is in here. The tunnel bends and twists before arriving at a three way intersection. This is another minotaur golem and the riddle is: I have legs but walk not A strong back but work not Two good arms but reach not A seat but sit and tarry not What am I The final one gives it away, and chair. Correct. He continues to a room empty of anything but a message written in charcoal that says steel and gold guard the great treasure. He returns and takes the third tunnel out of the statue room. A short and small circular room juts off the main passage and in it is a tall stone statue of a screaming man. Alzar investigates. Alzar makes a save vs spells. A wave of fears rushes over him, and then leaves. He investigates and finds a 100 gp onyx |
He continues along the main path and enters an odd place:
This is a circular room whose walls are covered with primitive and almost unreadable writing. Alzar’s ancient languages ability helps It tells the story of the last days of the Taurians on Skeleton Key. “I am Kandros, leader-chief of the bull-headed people in service to Camulos, God of Conflict and Strife. For years many we have been in service to Him and came here to restore the glory of our people after the weak nations gained strength only but grouping together. Though we slay many, ultimately we had to flee our homeland of Hithtris and chose this small island out of the way from which to reforge an empire. This was for many years and as our power grew again, so did our pride. Despite not having the strength of old, we yearned to again sail the seas and terrorize the people, which we did. This revealed our continued presence to the nations of man, and again did they seek to slay us. They regathered a navy of a size not before seen and the ocean was dark with the sails of their ships. The man people arrive and the were lead by the sword-leader Cathos. He led the coalition and drove our people from their homes, and they fled to our fort – out last bastion against the combined strength of the humans. Many of our kind fled to the mazes and tunnels below to prepare another welcome for the humans, in the temple of Camulos below. Then the human horde struck against our mighty keep and wave and wave of men broke against our strong fortifications, but they wore us down and broke into the keep. They overran us and slew our soldiers, our women, and our children. Some of us escaped to the holy mazes below, and were able to keep their existence a secret from the rest of the world. That was months ago. In that time, our people have been unable to emerge with the human outposts on the Key above us. We have lacked for food, but water is plenty, so we did not starve immediately. Over time, one by one we have fallen, and now I am the only one left. I am the last of our people. But I will not die in vain like so many of my kin. I will ensure that Cathos and his descendants feel my rage for eternity. Nothing I can do could bring justice or even vengeance. Spite will have to be enough.” There are bones on the floor and a scorched and almost complete skeleton of a huge taurian. It’s missing its head. They continue and arrive at another side dead-end room and check it out. This is the wrecked wooden remains of more minotaur statues. However, as Alzar approaches, they animate and are four unarmed, damaged wood golems. He orders the zombies back, these guys can only be hit by magic. Alzar wins init and destroys one with an axe. They all miss. He wins init and rolls a 3. +7 for their AC is 10. +4 for mastery + bonus, and that’s a hit, and he kills it. One hits him for 4 damage. His backswing kills another golem. He wins init and kills the fourth. XP – 250 |
Nothing else is in here. A cave in and it looks recent, and there is a carrion crawler munching on some mushrooms. It moves to attack alzar, all 8 tentacles miss, it attacks again and cannot paralyze him, and attacks a third time, no paralysis, and just leaves him and his zombies alone and he moves on. He takes a side corridor and it is another cave in with fallen rocks and timbers. He sees some harmless snakes and move son
This is a 4 way intersection with a pool with grey stones in the middle, filled with clear blue water. Alzar skips it and goes left. Empty except for the bodies of two wild boars. The other way, right, has the ruins of a trophy room. There are heads of wild creatures in various stages of decay. A pair of decaying deer heads start talking to themselves about Alzar’s sudden appearance. Alzar asks the way out, and they don’t know, very few people pass by in the past hundred years or so. He continues on. He arrives in a corridor guard by a well made rock crystal statue carved into the shape of a sis’sharr. It starts to move and Alzar orders the zombies to attack it. It kills the wounded zombie. The other two swing and one hits for 5 damage. It hits twice for 6 damage on a zombie, and Alzar orders them back and grabs his axe and moves in. Alzar wins init and misses it (rolled a 2). It misses him back. He hits once for 13. It dies. XP – 150 Alzar has just two zombies left one has taken 6. He walks down a long passageway which finally terminates at a circular room. There is a dais with a cool blue light. On the lowest step is a another creature identical to the one just beaten Alzar moves forward. He wins init and deals 13. It shatters. Alzar investigates and it does nothing, just looks pretty, so he goes back and takes a side tunnel XP – 150 A side room has several skeletons on the floor of a chamber with a yellow fungus. Alzar moves in and investigates. He uses an Oil Flask to kill the yellow mold. He searches and finds nothing of value and continues. He arrives at a golem room: My head more high than any cloud My roots more deep than any tree My size more great than any beast I stand proud for all to see What am I My guess is a mountain. True! They pass a side passage to a room with glints of gold among the remains of ruined and old rope. He investigates. There is a rat pack here with many members, and Blastbones kills them all and Alzar animates 8 of them. 8 animal skeletons Jeweled Helm – 3000 gp |
The tunnel enters a room that is barren except for a ladder down in the middle. Alzar decides to go down. He is on the western end of a long thin sand bar on an underground pool. There is a chest on the island with him, but a crocodile slithers out of the pool. Alzar is here by himself and Megala and Dryshik, so he moves forward, axe ready, and it moves to attack. Alzar wins init and rolls a 10 and slashes the crock for 14 damage. It misses. Alzar wins init and cleaves it for 13 and kills it. The chest is opened and reveals 2000 gp and 3 100 gp gems. He checks the water and finds nothing in there and climbs back up.
XP - 150 The corridor begins to fill with an inky black smoke, and Alzar pushes ahead. It does not affect him. The corridor goes for a while and bends a few times, and arrives at a four way taurian obsidian room. The new riddle is: It goes bare in winter And fully clothed in summer It is the most colorful In fall but not spring What is it An easy one - a tree. The next room has a large wooden chest wrapped with copper bands. Alzar looks at it and it is unlocked, and discover a silver pile with a bottle on top in a snake skin, and it’s labelled. 3000 sp Potion of Invulnerability He finds a blank room with a tapestry of a hunt and nothing else. A cave in that hides nothing. A billowing gas ignored. A fountain with black water spitting from it. And a ugly creature on top. It animates and attacks - a gargoyle. This is a job for magic axe. It wins init and misses Alzar. He swings and doles out 17 damage to it. It dies. There is nothing else in the room. XP – 210 |
The next room to the left has another zombie taurian and Alzar adds it to his collection. 9 hp for this one. A large pool covers the floor except for a one foot ledge on one side. Alzar investigates, finds nothing, and sends animal skeletons along the ledge. Nothing happens. The zombie taurians are not able ot make it across, so he orders the wounded one into the water to swim across but a giant octopus lance out and kills it. The other two are left here. They pass a trap where a dart deals 2 damage to Alzar, and the find a small shrine in a dead end room with a statue of a winged man. It’s actually terra cotta under investigation. He tips it and inside the hollow statue is a scroll, and it’s a simple Protection from Lycanthropes. They arrive in a passage with a large chest on the wall. Alzar investigates by rapping it with his staff, nothing, so he moves in and touches it, and takes 5 damage from electrification. The chest is empty. They arrive at another golem room:
Inside a great blue dome Lives a shy young maiden She blushes in the morning and in the evening And is not seen at all at night Who is she? This one is much harder. The sun? That’s the only thing I can think of, so we go with that. Correct. They take a corridor that ends in a one way room with a ladder going up, and Alzar takes it and flips a trap door. He appears to be in a small tower and suddenly hears the song of a harpy. He is immune and moves up. He wins init against her and deals 17 damage to her. She dies. He follows by searching, finds nothing and returns. XP - 250 They pass by a room with a bronze statue, took 4 damage from a room dripping acid, pass an empty room, and then find a room with rotted tapestries and an old wooden chest. It opens, music starts playing, Alzar grabs the music box and it explodes and deals 8 damage to Alzar and destroys the cloth items in the chest. There are 100 50 gp gems in it. They find a dead end passage and then another golem room with the following puzzle: A home of wood in a wooded place Built not by hand High above the earthen ground It holds its pale blue gems What is it? No obvious clue. Hmmm. Alzar can’t figure it out – it’s a nest. He orders the undead back and fights the golem himself. It wins init and misses him. He hits it for 12 damage. It wins init and hits for 7. Alzar gets two swings and just one hits for 19 damage. He wins init and hits for 17 and breaks the golem. XP – 750 |
They pass a cave in, another large fountain, and enter another golem room:
My father’s the king Tis fortunate since I’ll rule after him, But I’m not the prince Who am I? Princess. Yup. There are stairs here leading up and Alzar takes them. There is nothing up here but an old rotted bedroom, which multiple searches showing nothing. Alzar returns and moves on. They pass a statue of a taurian cleric. Alzar investigates and discovers it is clockwork, and he breaks it and then moves to a room with stairs up. It’s an old laboratory with a half made minotaur golem on the table. There is still some lab equipment here but it was made for Taurians not Humans, and little of it sis of use, other than a breaker of powered diamonds worth 500 gp. There are no exits, and he heads back down. They pass wet walls, a chest, picked by Alzar, with an ochre jelly in a glass jug, they pass yet another fountain, and then a ladder down. Alzar takes it and arrives in a cavern, very hot, that is the home for a flame salamander.  It wins init and Alzar takes 5 from the heat. It misses Alzar does not and 12 damage is dealt from the edge of his axe. It wins and misses. Alzar hits twice for 31 damage. It is dead. There is nothing else down here. XP - 1000 |
They pass a cave-in, a rubble and debris ridden room, and then another Zombie Taurian now controlled with 14 hp, and a statue of a huge fighting man with a tremendous two-handed weapon, but non-magical. Finally they end in another riddle room:
When whole I have A hole in my center I go many miles While travelling in circles. What am I? Another obvious one – wheel. Left to a shrine with a golden statute of a kneeling taurian. Alzar takes it and takes 7 damage from a bolt from the heavens. Alzar dodges a dart trap in another room, and then find another pool of water, a dead end, and then a circular room with a deep evil glow, ad hovering about a pool is a taurian skull, who tells Alzar it is the spirit of all of the fallen taurians down here, This is an undead that can only be hit by magical weapons, and energy drains. Alzar moves back and flings a throwing dagger at it, since his command ability won’t work here in its locus of power. The dagger deals 12 damage to it. It moves towards Alzar much more rapidly and he orders the zombie to get in its way and it stupidly does. The spirit moves around the race it protects and Alzar draws two more daggers. He flings one and misses, and then the other and hits for 11. He is out of magic daggers. The spirit is again closing. He really doesn’t have an answer in his spells, unless Ray of Ondovir will work on it. He casts the Ray and the spirit makes a save and rolls a 9, it fails. It will just move forward next turn. Alzar grabs his axe. Alzar swings and hits for 13 damage. The turn after that arrives and it wins init and misses. Alzar now has two swings and needs to put this thing down. He rolls a 13 and hits for 16 damage. Still not dead. He rolls a 7. +3 for mastery, +3 for str, +1 for magic, THAC0 of 14 exactly for an AC0 spirit. It takes 14 and dies. XP – 2000 |
He heads right and finds two taurian skeletons and an urn with 2000 cp and 200 gp in it.
Taurian Skeleton – AC7,HP 7 or 8, 1d6 damage They return and go forward. They pass a statue of a warrioress with a shield and spear, and then find rotting clothes and some moisture that has seeped in from above, then the corridor ends at a trap door. Alzar goes up. This is a stuffy dark room with a stale room and a thick layer of dust. Suddenly, taurian shaped body, preserved very well with a mummified process, moves forward. Alzar tries to control this mummy, wearing robes of gold and steel. He needs a 10 or higher on a d20. He rolls a 12 and it is now his. Taurian Mummy – AC3, Hp32, D1-12+ rot, THAC0 16. In here is the following treasure: 6000pp 14 1000g gems 10 pieces of jewelry worth 1200 each Amulet of Protection vs Crystal Ball and ESP Shield +2 Scroll – Curse (The mummy told him it will curse you if you cast Read Magic on it) And there is a door here to the outside. Alzar exits and he is about a mile away from where he started. He hides the mummy in some brush and gets the captain to bring all of the sailors on the island, and then takes the mummy and the 8 animal skeletons and returns them to his cabin, behind that tapestry that hides his undead. He leaves the large zombie and skeletons. It appears that they lingering magic of the maze causes the seal to re-establish itself after one person enters. He has completed the adventure successfully |
9691 XP after 10% bonus. +1000 each for adventures prior to this one in Lathan’s Gold. Carum leels up to level 6 and now has58 hp.
Alzar – 108,276 (Level 8) Estaish – 43,691 (Level 6) – Now with 45 HP Aleigha – 41,085 (Level 6) – Now has 41 HP. Carum – 32,865 (Level 6) – Now has 58 HP. Items: 1000g gold statuette of a taurian 1000g golden statute of a kneeling taurian 2 flasks of holy water 6000 copper 6000 pp 100x9 gems 50 gemsx200 Silver Ring – 300 100 gp onyx Jeweled Helm – 3000 gp 2200 gp 3000 sp Potion of Invulnerability Scroll - Protection from Lycanthropes Breaker of powered diamonds worth 500 gp 14 1000g gems 10 pieces of jewelry worth 1200 each Amulet of Protection vs Crystal Ball and ESP Shield +2 Scroll – Curse (The mummy told him it will curse you if you cast Read Magic on it) Ochre jelly in a glass jug. Pocket Dragon – skins, scales, teeth, blood, horns Magic Pile: Potion of Speed Alzar hands the +2 shield to Carum and takes his +1 one back. His ac drops to -2. They load up the ship and move out. |
XSOLO. Lathan’s Gold
They are back to V12. Just one day passed. There is a reef to the south and west. North. Quiet. North. Quiet. North, Quiet. V14. North to V15, quiet. East is a island. They go east. Quiet. V25, Insect Island, according to some scraps on a paper the captain has. They disembark (E4). No monsters. They explore the island. E19. 2 rations found. Some of the ship’s rations are infested with worms – 10%. They lost 3 rations. There is nothing here. They spend another day on the shore picking rations and get 4 more. A monster attacks us though 2 medusas are moving towards us. Are they seen before they attack? No. One member of the crew is petrified, and the shout goes out. Alzar sends Megala and Dryshik to investigate and as soon as he sees what’s up, he has Dryshik Wall of Fog them off. That will prevent them from petrifying anybody else. Alzar runs in and closes his eyes. He orders everybody else back, as he sees through his flyers, and then casts the Maidens. He gets to the Wall just as they are emerging. Alzar wins init and nails one for 17. They miss him. They win init and one hits him for 2 damage and he makes the save. He kills the wounded one, and then hits again for 19 damage on the other. He wins init and cleaves the final one for death. XP – 1000 for just Alzar They aren’t able to get the stone crewman to the ship because it’s too heavy for the boat. +6 rations -3 rations -1 crew |
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