This thread is dedicated to our on-going D&D campaign in Greyhawk. Set after the Greyhawk Wars, it follows some neophyte adventurers as they get wrapped up in Oerdian politics & underhanded deeds. It is intended to be a summary of our bi-weekly sessions, and to fill in the downtime gaps.
It is written as journal entries from my newest character since my initial one died fighting the boss in their previous adventure.
I will invite all the other players and DM to add their own entries as well. As it is first-person, some details may be incorrect, and they are welcome to say so.
As a random passer-by, please feel free to read and add comments and questions. I only ask that you put your comments in italics to help distinguish from actual in-game writing.
Here starts the ninth journal of Rashtun Sha-Aardi, artificer and historian of martial relics. As always, I entrust my secrets to my devices and own prowess. Sadhih is tireless, transcribing the language of the hells as gibberish Baklunish. Last page first, and with hidden ink, he secures my secrets. Upon those secrets, front to back, I overlay my musings upon my craft in many colors, further obscuring its true intent. Al'Zarad bless, it allows the casual observer to discount the book.
Tomorrow I shall meet with an individual I shall call Divinity. He holds membership in a club to which I greatly desire membership. I have heard that a group in their employ has recently recovered a cave-folk artifact of great interest.
May Mougol guide me tomorrow.
Bear 8- Patience provides.
Divinity denied my request to study the artifact but offered an opportunity to earn membership and access to their secrets. I am met with a group of mercenaries recently granted similar membership. They are the ones who recovered the artifact, and their cost was high. One member was lost, and another forsaking the ways of the sell-sword for a time. Divinity believed my skills to exist as a stop-gap for the time ahead. A chance to prove my worth.
Yesterday was a scramble to prepare to leave for an extended period of time. Supplies purchased, bills settled, farewells said to my dear Yamiya. My journals I leave in the library of Suzeem the Accomplished, as payment for his confidence and discretion over the years.
Now, I face a three day travel aboard a mystical airship. These strangers who are to be my new companions I keep at pole-distance by excusing myself to a cabin. A simple healing draught for each is sufficient to hold their curiosity at bay and leave me unaccompanied in large part. I am afforded a chance to observe at a distance.
They are 2 humans and a half-breed. Brakiss keeps his elven heritage well hidden under hood and cloak. From his dress, he functions as their cutpurse and scout. He speaks seldom, questions less, he is a Whisper. Sew Rill is a bit of a mystery He seems to be some form of mage, yet possesses far less studious an appearance than is common. He is truly a Stranger . Yet Sadhih confirms that he and the Bandaged One discuss spellcraft frequently. Dalamar, The Bandaged One is a mage, yet also bears a blade. Perhaps he is some form of hedge wizard or battle-mage. He has a bonded creature with him, a flying cat largely unknown in the Flannesses. Sadhih is intrigued.
Istus has spun her threads to bind me well this day,
Bear 11- The fierce urgency of now.
We were landed a full-day from our destination, to obfuscate our means of transport. A full day’s trek in the pouring rain to the town. The Red Death that nearly claimed me decades ago were agonized specters in my joints. Everyone was miserable. Sadhih was grumbling as Taz, the tressym, was nowhere to be found. Clearly it is a summoned spirit from Paliparan. I restored Sadhih to his base gem to relieve myself of his whining.
Our employer, a knight of this realm, remained reticent to speak of the mission. Before we disembarked Divinity spoke of the club’s desire for understanding of previously unknown abominations that we may encounter. This, I observe, he did not share with our employer. As we arrived at the destination, some of his discretion became clear. Once a small village, it was being transformed into a fortress and garrison with a Great Wall. Activity everywhere, a bustle more appropriate for a trading center than a rural village. Stranger and the Burned One speak of their time here the autumn previous, and they are in awe of the changes. The Knight saw us to our lodgings, informing us we would be educated on the morrow.
Zuoken bless this place, and those who seek to make it secure.
Bear 11- Copper beside Platinum
Never have I felt the weight of my own insignificance so profoundly. Counts and Commanders, Barons and Grand Marshalls, High priests and Arch-Mages. To even stand in the presence of such company is a privilege most never attain. To be involved, however inconsequentially, in such great schemes as theirs terrifies and thrills.
Moments happen that put the powerful under the looking glass. The Baronette’s youth betrayed her station. She reacted most inappropriately when a trusted beast-man spy was introduced. Jeremiah was a local who would assist us in our mission and her instant distrust was telling. An archmage joined us for drinks. Unheard of! And yet he also provided a few baubles to assist us. Clearly, much of their schemes rely on our simple mission.
And yet, I can’t see our importance. Determine who leads an enemy city and if leadership change was recent. Enemy troops and composition. The presence of fiends or those from the outside. How dominant the worship of Tharoth is. These are simple answers for scrying magics. Why send us? Does it have something to do with a man named Kefir, who escaped the Stranger’s justice?
Daoud guide me along the path of humility amongst such personages.
Bear 14- Mob Mentality
The end of our second day of travel. The Beastman travels with us, as does a Rhennee. I do not know which one I trust less. Whisper, Stranger, & the Burned One still leave me largely to myself, Thank Al'Asran. But I did get to witness their prowess in combat. Tas flew ahead of our party, and Stranger supported the Burned One as he observed through the creature’s eyes. Not quite as potent as the bond Sadhih and I share, but quite useful. The ambush was spotted quickly, and we probed the camouflaged enemy with spells and bolts. A full squad of bandits rushed to attack us.
Whisper proved to be quite adept with crossbow and rapier, managing best one on one against their leader. The Burned One rushed ahead, drawing his rapier. At first, I thought him mad as the enemy swarmed him. Unarmed? No shield? Yet he exhibited a knowledge of the Elven Art that I thought human’s incapable of. His battle-dance moved between their blows and bolts, supplemented only by the occasional flash of shielding magics.
The Stranger’s tactics concern me. Attacking from a distance with blasts of pure force, those he targeted seemed also cursed to wither away with each impact. I have seen the toll of dark pacts upon a mortal’s soul before. He will bear watching. Yet the Stranger and the Burned One’s friendship make more sense in light of his compact. The Burned One refused to swear upon the gods to the mission. The Stranger is bound to an Outside force.
Xan Yae watch over these who walk such shadowed paths.
I should have made mention of the events of the evening before. I hesitated since it involved one of our patrons. But what followed today makes little sense without it.
As the shadows lengthened, we found a small, ruined cottage in the remains of a former farm. Inside one of our Patrons, a mage of mighty hands, awaited us. With him were two companions of my new companions, recently arrived from other errands another Patron had assigned them. First was a half elf warrior woman I shall call Light. Sturdy and clearly competent, she asked specific questions directed at the Rhennee captain. I suspect her distrust of him comes from her past. Second, and most interestingly, was the dwarf who was in possession of the weapon I greatly desire to study. He was a remarkably taciturn person, even for a dwarf. With his bright red beard, I shall call him Flame.
As we feasted upon a meal prepared by invisible servants, the Patron explained the power structures of our enemy. 80 years ago, when the Old One was imprisoned, the Horned Lands were taken over by bandit kings. Called the Dread Presences, they whipped the humanoids into semblance of an army. They had deep connections into realms of the fiends, and many of them could be found leading and supporting the humanoid forces.
In recent years, their combined forces laid waste to large portions of the Shield Lands, taking control of vast swathes of territory. But when the Old One escaped in 583, he returned to the Horned society and put an end to the Dread Presences. Officially. But this has left Molag as a cipher for our patrons. Who is in charge? Demons, Heirarchs, puppets of Iuz? Are their enemies of our enemies among the city that might be exploited? With the involvement of the lower plains, what horror might they be crafting within the city? That is what we are to uncover, if possible. I care little. Iuz is the spawn of the Witch-Queen, and her predations of my homeland in ages past make him my enemy by default.
The next morning, we travelled with our enlarged party to another town that was being fortified. Once just a small provincial town, it swelled with uncountable numbers of workers and tradespeople. The streets were crowded beyond capacity. The town shipyards were being expanded and multiple hulls were under construction. Despite the enforced peace, or perhaps because of it, preparations for renewed war were advancing at a frenetic pace. Our Patron left us to secure transport for the morning, and I am glad to be rid of his overwhelming presence. It was like standing on a precipice while watching an approaching storm. Only the foolish would ever be in such a position.
This group is an odd collection. The Beastman and The Burned One had slipped away before we entered the town, each with their own concerns. The remainder of us settled into the Old Beholder Inn for the evening, eating and drinking quietly. My new companions paid little attention to the going’s on around them, barely commenting on the mutterings of the rumor mill. An old enemy may have passed through recently. Ships bearing the flag of Iuz seen on the great river. Groups of humanoids skirmishing with each other on the far banks. Little seemed to hold their interest. For sell-swords, they find little joy in life. I cannot understand their emotional state.
Geshtai carry us safely upon this endeavor.
Bear 18- Grounded again.
The last few days have been a trial. I detest boats, and travel upon the water. The wide, cold river brings only anxiety. We departed in pre-dawn darkness, travelling down the tributary onto the great river. Half a mile across, at least, it flowed dark and cold, carrying us downstream. Our Rhennee captain steered a course in the middle of the channel. We seldom had to paddle to maneuver. With 3 days and nights ahead of us, we split our assignments. Myself, Light, and Flame took the day shift, allowing the keen eyes of The Stranger, Whisper, and the beastman to assist the Rhennee at night. All went well during the day.
In the middle of the night, a group of the beastmen attacked us. In middle of the dark, cold river! How they managed to intercept us we may never know. But there they were. The Beastmen were competent fighters. They were able to tread water while wielding spiked shields and tridents. Our troop held their own and dispatched them quickly. Stranger used his dark magics to shift from the bow to the stern to protect the Rhennee. The rest of us used blades and magic to dispatch them. In the darkness on a crowded, rocking boat, it was a harrowing experience. My dreams afterward were dark, and filled with terrible, gurgling screams.
The next day, Light sternly reminded me that using flame-based spells while on a wooden boat may not have been the best choice in the previous battle. It weighed heavily upon my all the day. Seeking inspiration, I was able to tune my magical tool to emit bright radiant energy as well as flame. With luck it would be safer should we be attacked again.
That night, the night crew passed a large galley of human slaves and humanoids rowing upriver. The vessel bore the flag of Iuz. Fortunately, the Rhennee was able to maneuver the vessel unnoticed by the larger ship.
The next day again passed uneventfully until we approached a landing spit just upriver from the large Fort. As the boat bumped against one of the sandbars, a huge shape burst out of the water. I was able to quickly release a shower of glittering particles to assist in targeting the abomination. Those at the front of the barge were exposed to its horrid stench and withering claws. This was no normal troll. I adjusted my combat device to produce some shielding for my allies, but it was limited use. Within moments Shadow and Light both fell to its attacks after exchanging a few blows. Light was able to get them back into the fight with his healing prayers. The Stranger and I both missed repeatedly with fire attacks, allowing the creature to heal. As it moved to attack me, I finally recognized it as a Rot troll. I dodged one barrage of blows, and the party managed to fell the creature. A group of soldiers from the nearby Fort arrived shortly afterwards and escorted us into town. As we recover, I wonder if the rot troll is a sign of things to come. Could this be one of the things our Parton was mentioning? Old enemies altered through horrific experimentations to create new, more powerful monstrosities?
Al’Asran grant us strength for the trials to come.
I had expected some rest when the guard brought us to the small barracks. A chance to clean up and recover after days on the river. Alas, I barely had time to wash my hands and feet, and jot down my previous entry before we were summoned again.
The local commander seemed a competent person. His chambers were small and sparse, speaking little of the ill-gotten wealth many in his position descend to. He seemed to welcome an opportunity to unburden himself of worry. The evil capital across the water occupied his thoughts. A black dragon and a group of fire giants have been seen. Rumors of food riots and fights between the goblinoid bands. Troops supported by The Old Wicked refusing to work with remnants of the Dread Presences. Infernal creatures working openly within the city. But at least the shrieking hell-bats seemed to have returned to their planes. All in all, he painted a rather bleak picture of the state of affairs on his side. He was clever, casually probing about our mission, doubting the papers which freed the boatman and his crew. I must give my compatriots credit, they revealed very little.
Evening in our quarters went quietly, until the pre-dawn hours. Alarm bells awoke us, and we quickly turned to our familiars and assistants for news. Fire giants had waded half-way across the river and were hurling flaming balls of pitch & grass at the fortress. Stones hurled a great distance by the heavy trebuchets on the far bank crashed into the walls. And a voice echoed across the entire fortress, challenging the commander to fight one-on-one with someone. Light grew curious, despite the group’s decision to remain hidden. She returned with news that some humanoid in dark armor and with red glowing eyes stalked the far shore, shouting the challenge we all heard.
If this is a sampling of our foes, may Istus weave threads of safety around us.
Bear 19- Strangers in a Strange Land.
The next day, we joined the Rhennee band at their barge. I prudently advised the group to place their valuables in my magic bag, and set Sadhih to watch it. His crew was exactly as I had imagined- drunks, cutthroats, thieves, and harlots. I can see why the tower commander was glad to be rid of them. Still, they were competent enough, even bearing a little magic to fog the banks to aid our ruse. Upon our arrival at the docks, the Rhennee moved quickly to unload, hampered only by a nosy black robed priest of Old Wicked. Only our dwarf seemed to catch its eye. All the rest of us, by virtue of our appearance, demeanor, or clever acting, escaped its notice.
The beastman, who had slipped onboards as we departed, travelled again with us as we escorted our cargo to a warehouse. He spotted an adversary of his in the crowd, and set off after him. The Stranger and Flame shouted that he could recognize them, and so myself, Whisper and Light set off in pursuit as well. He knew the city, and the chase wound through markets and tenements for some time. Eventually, we were led into an abandoned store that was a gnoll den. As the gnolls moved to intercept us, the betrayer escaped.
I must admit I enjoyed fighting the gnolls. Savage creatures without a mote of civility, driven entirely by bloodlust. I sent a line of acid across 3 of them, and they were too stubborn or stupid to stop fighting and brush it off. In the small confines of the store, our fighters more than held their own. Light seemed distracted by the gnolls, unable to connect on her attacks. Perhaps the bipedal feliform nature distressed her. Silent was torn between engaging our foes and searching for the traitor. My own contribution, a sphere of invigoration, aided the fighters- allowing them to shrug off minor scrapes and tears that would have otherwise slowly worn them down. While not as satisfying as a blasting sphere, it was quite effective. Our losses were minimal. Sadhih fell to one of the gnolls, but I shall rebuild him after journaling. The small coinage (17 sp, 9 gp, 2 pp) we recovered will pay for it. The Beastman continued to search for the traitor, but we returned to the cart to meet our companions. Now, we rest in the warehouse “guarding” casks of fine liquor. The Rhennee will be selling it off over the next ten-day, at most. A local thief and reprobate named Greeley is the lead watchman here. I assume he is quite skilled, for the meal he provided to us was far better than I expected in this hells-adjacent city. He also liked to talk while he drinks.
The city used to be the capital, and ruled by 13 Hierarchs and supported by priests of Nerull. During the Blood Moon Festival 583, Old Wicked’s forces attacked the city. Huge battle, with humanoids & infernal on both sides. Most hierarchs dead, most infernals scattered or sent back. Iuz now rules through his priests, and military advisors posing as infernal. He mumbled something about Zuggtmoy, but by that time he was quite incoherent. The Rhennee crew put him to bed.
Good riddance, I say. Hopefully, this will be a quiet night, though the sounds of Inhumans carousing outside the building is unnerving.
We are betrayed! Greeley, the main guard at the warehouse, transformed into a werewolf and attacked us! He burst from his office, covered in the blood of the Rhennee guards who were with him. As we jumped up from our sleeping pallets, the door to the warehouse burst open as well. 4 armed thugs entered, and were quite surprised to find both our group, and a werewolf! A bad night for thievery.
I was certain we were doomed. Channelling one of my last 2 spells into my orb, I set it to protecting us once again, and then used my last prepared spell to cover two of the foes with acid. Stranger took the lead against the bandits, exchanging dark-energy blasts with their crossbowmen. Light and Flame went toe-to-toe with the lycan. Time and again, the beast’s attacks were slowed or turned aside entirely by the pale orange web of energy from my orb. My allies, scared and exhausted, fought quite brilliantly. I fell back on my fire-lance cantrip, helping as I could. Three of the four bandits fell, the fourth running out into the night. Finally, the lycan fell, with no one being bitten. A quick search found a small chest of 27 cp. 14 sp, and 13 gold. In the chaos, we hadn’t noticed that Whisper was missing. Checking his bedding, he had left a note saying he was going to look for our beastman, who had not returned.
Praise Istus for our fates this night.
Bear 20- Coin and conflict
I used my skills to rebuild Sadhih this morning. It felt good to have my confidant back. He spent most of the day recording the events since he was disassembled in battle.
The Rhennee captain arrived to recover his barrels and take them to the dockside tavern he had recruited. He was quite saddened at the loss of his crew, but grateful for our assistance. Setting aside his feelings, he quickly pushed the half-orc teamsters he hired into work. I watched the teamsters work for a time. The barrels of wine were tierce sice. 42 gallons of wine at 8 pounds per gallon, yet a pair of them handled each quite ably.
The inn he was using had a good reputation despite its run-down appearance. The owner/operator was known as Sheriff, for his strict enforcement of his rules. The large human bore the scars and wear of that enforcement. He spent the day watching the proceedings while breaking down 1 cask into individual bottles for resale.
I never put much thought into the economics of smuggling, but the day passed quite slowly. So musing upon it was enlightening. Typically, 42 gallons of wine per tierce. So, roughly 210 bottles per barrel. Black Pomarjj bottles went for 2 gold in the finer taverns of Greyhawk. Assuming double price for smuggling. The tierce were 32 inches in diameter at the belly and just about 3 and a half feet tall. His barge could easily carry dozens of barrels. By Mogoul, I am in the wrong business. No wonder most tavern owners took only portions of barrels, and only the richest nobles could take an entire tierce.
As the day waned, a strange grey dwarf came in. Red was clearly unnerved by him, perhaps it has something to do with dwarven politics. The Rhennee clearly knew him- a major domo for an important Duke. Gray wished to purchase 2 casks. As they began negotiating, a drow stepped out of a dark corner of the inn, startling all of us. Snapper, as he was referred to, wished to purchase all that was left for his mistress, the high Priest of Iuz- even at twice the price. Tensions flared, as it was clear there was some rivalry between the two- or perhaps their houses. The Rhennee spoke quietly to Gray, receiving a punch to the face for his diplomatic efforts. Gray stormed off, and Snapper finished his business, chuckling lightly at his victory as he disappeared into the shadows once again.
Snapper’s stealth prompted all of us to spare a moment for our missing companions. The beastman had been gone for an entire day now. Whisper was missing since the evening. We discussed sending Sadhih and the Stranger’s bird out to look for them, but felt that was too unlikely to amount to anything.
As the evening drew on, a group of roughly a dozen orcs came in to drink. They were dressed in the livery of the Kasdan navy. Sheriff was unhappy as these troublemakers had been here before. Predictably, they picked a fight with Light, being both female and elf. The Stranger and I tried to defuse the event by turning it into a bet, and that seemed to help a bit. While the orc used his weapon, Whisper kept to unarmed strikes. She slapped the poor orc unconscious, much to the ill humor of his fellow sailors. When the Sheriff distracted them with free drinks, we quickly made our exit.
Zouken’s Fist, it was an inspiring fight!
Bear 21- Talking Shop
In the morning, Red used a Sending to contact the beastman, with no success. But today was the day to get into the city proper, so we spent little time worrying about this ill omen at the time. The teamsters were quick to arrive again, as our little booze convoy was on the move. Light and Red kept covered as best they could, with the Stranger and I trying to draw any attention to us instead. Fortunately, neither the hobgoblin patrols or the circling black dragon took any interest in our small convoy.
The city radiated despair, permanently tainted by decades of association with God of Dread. Gibbets lined the road to the city gate, filled with the dead and dying. Ghouls skulked among them, waiting for flesh. A few sad farms filled the land between the docks and the city, but the land was barren of trees and buildings. Moving from the docks to the city would be exposed completely to the defenders of the walls. The gate itself was massive and well fortified. Horned, barbed, and bearded devils could be seen lounging in the battlements above it. Stranger and I discussed how unusual it was for devils to associate with Iuz, the cambion of a demon lord. The Blood War was a matter of fact, as well as legend, to mortals of the Flanaess. I quietly used my artifice to capture an image of the gate approach on a small clay tablet. Perhaps the visual will be useful to our patrons.
At the gate itself, the Rhennee quickly bribed the guards to let us pass. But that same priest of Iuz from the docks was there. He made a point of indicating the gibbet nearest to the gate. Inside, the corpse of our beastman friend. The priest confirmed he suspected our party of bringing it into the docks, but did not move to arrest us. Still, we knew we would be suspect from here forward. The priest warned us to be out of the city by nightfall.
The docks are may have been depressing, but inside the walls was absolute squalor. Mud filled streets ran in a circle around a second, inner wall. What could only charitably be described as buildings lay haphazardly along the walls. Most were closer to tents or yurts of the poorest design. The city was covered in a haze of foul smelling smoke, blowing down from the north side of the city. Hobgoblins wearing horned society livery patrolled the streets. Slaves and oppressed non-humans moved slowly about their business. They seemed less animated that the occasional zombie or skeleton moving about on some errand. There wasn’t a mote of hope or happiness within the city.
We moved slowly clockwise from the eastern gate, stopping at the occasional tavern or whorehouse for deliveries. It was evident that the city was divided along racial lines- south and east are the nonhumans. Their dwellings more like undergound dens or covered nests. On the west and north were the human bandit allies. Their hovels were relatively better kept, and continued to improve as we approached the north-west side of the wall. Here, there were proper mansions. Well kept, but smoke and soot covered due to their proximity to the Flame Shops, the great forges of the city.
We saw many gnomes and dwarves in chains, laboring over anvils quenching forgings in foul-smelling oil barrels. Fire-giants manned vast forges. Other craftsman worked wood and leather, crafting weapons for the coming war. Privately, I mused that there might be an opportunity for a slave revolt here. But I kept it to myself for fear of enraging Red into something foolhardy. As we approached the largest mansion, we could spy a massive human working atop his own forge. Stepping down to meet him, he donned his armor. He was the creature on the bank a few nights before! In his armor, he clearly looked like a devil- a fact he remarked upon as if it was a great joke. He invited all of us in to sample the vintage, clearly starved for conversation. His major-domo and a few servant boys attended us.
I must admit, his equipment was fascinating. I indulged my curiosity as he sipped his wine, talking forgings, artifice, and magical enchantments. I was even able to engage Red in some of this shop talk. The Warduke, as he was called, gloated more and more as he drank. He relished in showing off all of his armaments. He didn’t like the Iuz priests at all, but was stuck with them when the Old One removed the heirarchs. But they were stuck with him as well. Some time ago, all the devils and demons fled the city and cannot return. Althea, a name unknown to us, had hired him to impersonate a demon-lord – this was critical to maintaining the ruse. We asked him about the devils along the walls and he laughed- they were demihumans with disguises and illusions. What a joke! The fools across the river were terrified of play acting! As the soporific effects of the black wine took hold, he muttered that the only thing he truly feared was what the priests might be doing with the wagonloads of dragon eggs that have come into the city in the last 6 months.
With him ‘taking an afternoon nap’ as his aide told is, we quickly departed his manor. Honestly, I do not know how much of his story was true. If both Iuz and the Heirarchs used infernals as military commanders, then their sudden disappearance might be the reason why various non-human armies had clashed in the past. Perhaps, if there is an opportunity, we should capture on of the ‘fiends’ and see if that is the truth. A dangerous proposition indeed.
Our deliveries took us into the Inner City itself. Bone Devils guarded the small portcullis gate. The inner city itself was far more desolate than the outer city. It appeared largely abandoned except for pockets of troops. The Rhennee noted a lone barbed devil, gnawing on bones, and suggested it might be an opportunity to verify what we were told. Sadhih and I attempted to converse in infernal with the creature, but it was clear it did not understand its native tongue. It quickly devolved into a melee, with everyone piling on the creature. Its attacks were with claw and tail, so it wasn’t an illusion. But the hobgoblin it returned to when it died showed us it was some form of shape change. Quickly, we posed the body as an unconscious drunk and made to leave.
We were approached by some kind of dragon-man. Unable to understand it, The Stranger used his telepathic connection to establish discourse. Dragon creature was aggressive, but not looking for a fight at the moment. Several other similar creatures were in a courtyard nearby- the sanitarium, the Rhennee informed us. As we drove on, we quietly discussed whether this might be the end result of the dragon eggs we were told were being brought into the city. Some kind of bipedal half-dragon abomination could be a true menace for any opposed to them.
Eventually, we arrived at the Palace of the hierarchs and were escorted around to the loading dock. Everything went well until the Stranger and Flame were spotted by the traitor from earlier. He fled, and a brief, terse argument between the Stranger and I occurred. Discretion being a better choice, we finished unloading and quickly fled. A short time later, 2 orogs stopped us and extorted a toll. While the Rhennee was negotiating, the traitor and a Drow priestess accosted us. I must admit to a smug glance at the Stranger as we faced greater enemies here than we would have earlier. Flame squared off against the orgos while Light went after the traitor. The Stranger and I tried to keep the priestess off guard, including a stellar intuition and Counter spell from my warlock friend. The priestess mistook the Rhennee as our leader, afflicting him with blindness- which was a waste of her resources. My protector device shielded the team against multiple blows, though my spells missed more often than not. Light fell, to be quickly revived by Flame. He took several harsh hits in doing so. The traitor fell first, then the orogs, then the priestess. It was all over in less than a minute, but the noises echoed through the empty inner city. Tossing the bodies onto the wagon, we took off.
Our wagon charged through the outer city and past the gates, raising alarms but moving too quickly to be stopped. We barely made it back to the river before the entire city was up in arms. I made sure the priestess’ corpse was loaded onto the raft- even the dead can answer questions. Light ensured the traitor’s body was lost into the river- a fitting end for such duplicitous trash. We desperately poled our way into the current. My worst fears were realized as the black Dragon rose and moved towards us. I am not ashamed to say I was truly terrified of the beast, cowering under any cover I could. It made one pass against our raft, burning holes in the craft and wounding several sailors. Still, we survived, somehow.
I was told that Bigby himself came to our aid, matching his arcane skills against the physical might of the dragon. His arcane fist grappled with the creature and sent it crashing into the river. That gained us enough time to escape, and the dragon retreated back to the city. It was Bigby himself who met with us later as we recovered to debrief us. It is clear that Iuz controls the city through his proxies and ethe hierarchs are no more. All of the infernals and abyssals that were once enforcers for both the Hierarchs and Iuz are gone, as if banished. The mages and priests use their spells to maintain the illusion of extra support, while someone has evidently bred some kind of half-dragon abominations to eventually take their place. Bigby was appreciative of our efforts and rewarded us handsomely. Perhaps adventuring is more profitable than smuggling after all.
Al’Akbar rewards those that execute their duty faithfully.
Zuoken forgive me, for I have been remiss in journaling. Our adventure in Molag provided both intellectual and financial stimulation sufficient to command my attention. Our patron Divinity has left us to our own devices for more than a month. A month in the Free City! He provided me with a small chamber to use a lab, and a smaller bedchamber. Consumed by the spirit of Al’Zarad, I barely spoke to my companions at all this month. I barely used my billet. Sadhih fetched meals and implored me to eat at annoying regular intervals.
It is obvious to me now that my offensive powers are insufficient. With only the four of us, too much of the martial burden has fallen upon Light and Flame. Stranger’s is a powerhouse at a distance, and I needed to match him. I thought perhaps, when I prove such potency is available through other means, he might start re-evaluating the eldritch entity with whom he has entered into a bargain.
My Universal Tool is a powerful focus, but it could be better. Many pages of this journal document my various attempts at enhancing and focusing its energies. Many failures. So many failures. One sent me reeling from my rooms to avoid caustic fumes, another costing me the hair on my right arm, beard & eyebrow. Eventually, I settled upon a series of lenses & guides built along the top of my shield. This provided the stability and resilience to handle the extra stress. My initial tests seem to indicate a power boost by a third, roughly.
I didn’t completely forget my new allies. I produced a salve for each of them. It is quire superior to those potions pedaled in the streets. Not only will it treat and protect wounds, it also provide a reinvigoration when used as an inhalant. I estimate it to have twice the restorative powers of those so-called Potions of Healing.
Emerging at last, I realize I have missed much Spring, Al’Asran forgive me. It is a mere 5 days until Growfest, 9 until the Spring Equinox. The Free City was a tumult of different races all preparing to celebrate in their own ways. I indulged myself in the Tea Market, browsing the baskets of fresh-picked leaves. I even placed a few coins on my favorites to win the tea competition that is on the equinox. The Backlunii maintain a small quarter in the free city. Proper food, entertainment, and pipe always works wonders upon the spirit. Mougol abjure, I don’t not seek to speak ill of my patron. But he is Oerdian, and their palate lacks refinement. His kitchen reflects it. Today, we were summoned to a meeting with a new potential client. He was a rotund, well dressed, and affluently accessorized dwarf. I found him a bit garish, so I will omit his name here. He was a member of the Jewelers Guild, and need a troupe to investigate a mine in the nearby Cairn Hills. The output has been steadily dropping over the last few weeks, and miners are going missing. This is problematic going into a festival week. There is money to be spent, and the gems must flow to the jewelers. The Stranger and Light took the lead, inquiring about the encampment. Roughly 80 souls worked there, a mix of races. It was a newer mine, still being developed. He offered 200 gp each, rations, and a wagon to investigate, with the promise of further reward if we resolved the issue. Flame expressed concern when the dwarf mentioned that there were no bodies of the missing. The Cairn Hills, he informed us, were named that for a reason. The Accursed were known to prowl their burial sites. Ever the optimist, we decided to set out early tomorrow.
Istus guide us upon the morrow.
Lion 24- Field Testing
We had a most peculiar meeting on the way to the mining settlement. At a crossroads, a mounted bugbear greeted us. Distracted by his clean appearance, fine clothing, and excellent equine livery, we did not attack. Nor did he, which was more odd. The Stranger took the opportunity to speak with him, exchanging pleasantries. We neither gave nor received much information, yet he seemed pleased with the interaction. He turned his horse and went back the way he came. The Stranger said he spoke to the creature in its head, but there was no shock or surprise at that.
At mid-day, we reached the site. It was devastated. Many small huts were smashed and collapsed, with evidence of fire. Only the largest building in the center remained intact. It was quiet, and we saw no one until we knocked on its door. Inside, 20 or so miners hid behind crude fortifications at the windows. Their leader let us know that the attacks were escalating. It started out with miners going missing after they uncovered a newer tunnel in the lowest mine level. 4 nights ago the first attack came. Small dwarf-like creatures and a large living rock attacked the buildings and smashed them. The people were uncertain what happened to those inside. No bodies were found. Light asked about undead, but the miners didn’t recall any. But they did recall magical darkness being used, so they couldn’t rule them out. Nor have they seen the strange bugbear we described. The cowards were truly of little help. They agreed to stay in the building and watch our horses while we investigated. I suspect that both will be gone when we return.
The mine entrance was nearby, and we quickly descended to the lowest level. It was pitch black here, despite numerous human miners. My companions, of course, had less issue. Sadhih could see as well, and sat upon my head, steering me like a riding mule with kicks to the temples. It didn’t really matter, though. Soon, we approached a lit section of tunnels where 4 miners were toiling under the supervision of 4 drow. They were picking at the wooden support, attempting to collapse the tunnel. The Stranger paused, and I assumed made telepathic contact with one of the miners. His reaction caused him to pause, and the drow beat him to his knees. Which was enough for us.
Flame and Light moved forward to engage the drow, but the narrow passage and cowering miners congested the narrow passage. Stranger attacked with his eldritch energy blasts. I was eager to try out my modifications, but my first and second fire beams went wide. But it was only a few moments before 2 of the drow fell and the others retreated. We spent a few moments inspecting the bodies and talking with the miners. The bodies yielded no clues about their intentions or affiliation. The miners told us of a large group of them that were captured over the last week and put to work deeper in the mines. Most distressing was the poor functioning of my new weapon. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why it wasn’t functioning correctly. As we moved along, I spoke quietly to Sadhih on it, discussing the structure and lensing. And walked into yet another ambush.
Six drow were waiting in an area where the tunnels expanded into a natural cavern. We caught a glimpse of a spellcaster of some kind, a drow female, and then the tunnel was plunged into magical darkness. Stranger, by whatever unholy pact he made, could see through the darkness. And as the rest of us blundered forward, he pummeled her with a pair of blasts that broke her concentration. She replaced it with a targeting glow, catching Fire as the only one of our group. I did the same, managing to catch 2 of the 4 I could have. I laughed at her lack of prowess, Al Ak’bar forgive. Poor Flame was pummeled with multiple poisoned arrows. Even his impressive dwarf stamina succumbed eventually. My three companions made short work of these underdwellers. For my part, my modifications continued to need fine tuning. But eventually I found the portion of my inscription that was incorrect. With a quick scribe, I was able to resolve it. The resultant blast channeled all the energy I had expected, and quite a bit that was ‘stuck’ as a residual. The poor drow was reduced to ash by the overwhelming fire.
We inspected the corpses, but they still did not possess anything that revealed their intent. Just tattoos and necklaces with spider motifs. The cavern connected to several mining tunnels, and a natural side passage beyond some collapsed stone. Clearly, this is the ‘new tunnel’ the miners were referring to. Again, our lack of clear leadership raised its head, and we spent considerable time discussing whether to forge ahead or check the remainder of the intersecting mining passages for other ambushers. We doubled back and spent 10 or 15 minutes exploring the darkened mining tunnels. They were empty. But yet again, the cavern wasn’t.
This time it was a spellcaster with 2 giant spiders. They filled the cavern with webs as our fighters ran forward. This caster was clever. She dispelled the spiders as soon as they had done their job slowing our approach, and then used some kind of magical gem to summon a creature of the earth behind them. Light managed to break free and go after the caster. The elemental attempted to stop her, allowing the Stranger and I to slip into the passage and target its mistress. Sadhih, poor little thing, was tasked to carry a large lantern into the cavern to illuminate my target. Four on one are poor odds, and her spellcasting was uniformly ineffectual. She fell to Light’s blade, assisted by the holy rays from Flame guiding her attacks. Lacking a mistress, the elemental collapsed to dust. I believed that she summoned the creature with some kind of token; indeed we did find a gem-encrusted rock in her possession. It will need identification to see if it is still viable.
The natural passage wound south for sometime, opening up into a larger cavern. This must have been where the drow were encamped- bedding and personal effects lay scattered around the edges of the cavern. To the north, a door had been wedged into an outcropping, creating a small room. Spiders covered the wall in ritualistic scrawling. The priestess' chambers, with a bed and table, and chest. We relieved it of the 750 or so mixed coins, as well as a scroll of protection against plants and a vial of liquid that I could not identify. In the main cavern, a passage to the southwest opened into a shrine or temple of some sort. Dozens of candles lit the room, and an earthen altar dominated the far side. Evidence of blood sacrifice was clear, but there were no bodies. Some twisted elemental magics must have been performed here. As a precaution, we removed the small pile of gemstones on the altar. They could carry a terrible drow curse, and it wouldn’t do to let them into the general public.
Last, the southern passage turned quickly into a chattel room. 20 prisoners sat shackled to each other along the walls. More miners. As we freed them, they confirmed they were captured over the last week. More of them were taken through the exit to the south, their fates unknown. We escorted them back to the main mining tunnel and bid them return to the surface and join their fellows. We would continue on, to rescue the others.
As the miners moved out, we decided to accompany them back to the surface. It was prudent given their condition. We had a large stash of unapraised gems, and 750 in various coins. Almost as much as the 200 gold each we were offered for resolving this issue. And a gem that might be able to summon an earth elemental. Perhaps. Overall, a decent result of our efforts.
Someone else had arrived at the mining camp during our expedition. A few wagons were dispensing food and medical assistance to the miners. A large tent had been set up, and we were ushered inside. Fine furnishings and low tables with warm beverages and treats were a welcome rest for us after our exertions in the deeps. A dwarf lord by the name of Baron Rodrigo Costa had arrived to provide assistance to the miners. He held a financial interest in the mines, and others across the region. We relayed our tale, and he was particularly interested in the temple and the drow tunnels. He has been seeking a lost dwarven city from a time when the elves and dwarves were not so estranged. Abandoned after an earthquake, it was further destroyed by evil creatures warring over the ruins. Specifically, he was searching for a series of magic swords called the Shards of the Day within Dylvwyllynn
I must admit I do not recall much of the conversation after this point, for he removed a elegantly crafted sword from a secure chest. Called the Sword od Dawn, it captivated me. Sadhih and I immediately began documenting and probing the sword for inlays, metals, and details. We filled several pages with sketches and details. It was clearly magical, holding its razor-like edge and unblemished sheen. Its metal rippled with delicate colors of blues and pinks, as if it was reflecting the pre-dawn sky unsullied by the smoke and pollution of civilization.
Evidently, my companions agreed to recover three swords and a hemisphere-like holder for the sum of 2000 gold each while I worked. No matter, I would have taken the assignment for free to be close to such creations. Briefly, I perked up when Baron Costa mentioned that the Sword of Dawn had the ability to find the Sword of Twilight. The Sword of Noon and Midnight he had no idea how to find. We would have ample opportunity to experiment on the artifact.
We wound our way back underground, through the mines and the small temple complex, and down a long descending tunnel. Flame noted that it looked like it was dug in a hurry, if such things are possible for a tunnel that we traversed for over an hour. Perhaps those fleeing the ancient city created an emergency exit of some sort. It ended in a small cavern, roughly 250 feet across, with numerous dwarven statues ruined by age, quake, or malice scattered about it. A large gatehouse blocked the far end of the cavern. Numerous darkened windows flanked a ruined gate. Skeletons hung from spider-silk across the gateway like a gruesome curtain. All were long dead and not our missing miners. We cautiously worked past them, lest we disturb the monstrous arachnids that crafted it. Inside, numerous passageways led to other portions of the gatehouse. All but 1 were collapsed. And the one remaining was trapped.
Three gray dwarves emerged behind us, pulling a barrier across our escape path. From further along the corridor, four more appeared, two mounted upon riding lizards A pair of monstrous spiders dropped from the ceiling. It was a brutal fight. Flame called upon Moradin, filling the air with vaporous hammers which damaged foes around him. The Stranger and I managed to side-step most of the combatants, slaying one spider int the process. I was able to activate my cannon, this time in the form of a small metallic dragon. Its cone of fire worked well against both lizard and rider. The lizards could climb walls! Easily maneuvering their riders around the combat, they presented more of a challenge than the other duergar. Flame and Light’s defenses proved the fulcrum of the fight- keeping the enemy in tight formation where the Spirit Guardians could wear them down.
We rested for a bit in a side passage where the guards had made camp. A few meager coins (8 gold, 47 silver, 42 copper) and 100 gold worth of poorly crafted jewelry were all we found. A small enclosed antechamber full of webs led to another small room just beyond. A Snirvneblin was chained here, and the Stranger used his telepathic powers to speak to the poor creature. We provided food and water as he told us of his troop’s attempts to carve an enclave out of a portion of the city that lay just beyond. Duergar and Drow also were resident in the city. He offered us safe haven with his people for the night.
The city itself was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was massive, stretching out of light and sight in every direction we looked. In parts, it towered above us, built into cliffsides. Other areas were small stone buildings stacked side by side, clearly the residences of the poor at one time. Larger buildings, like factories and warehouses, were clustered in another area. Still others were clearly once temples and houses of worship and commerce. I used up all four of my memory stones to capture images to encompass what I saw. Everywhere there were signs of ruin and pillage. Metal and stone remained, but wooden doors, shutters, and furnishings were absent. Whether taken for firewood or rotted away by the numerous fungal growths we could not say. We followed our guide for hours as he wound a deliberately convoluted path deep into the narrow alleys of what could have been warehouses. Their enclave was beyond sentries and a concealed gate, and we were cautiously welcomed. Their leader Urzago was thankful their wayward member was returned. He confirmed our story about gray dwarves and the dark elves, and our missing miners. He even offered to help us, for a price. An eyeball monster had taken up residence in another section of the cave-city that was their path to a vast fungal garden. They needed access for food and needed us to get rid of the creature.
We all feared the potential of a beholder, though I think few if any of us had ever seen, let alone contended with one. They offered little intelligence, only that those who went there never came back. We debated at great length as the ‘evening’ came. It was the vast, labyrinthine nature of the city that informed our decision. We could spend days searching for the lost miners, and the sword. These deep gnomes could scout much larger territories far quicker than us. So the next morning, we planned to head off to confront Urzago’s eyeball-monster problem. May Istus guide our fate on the morrow.
Morning came, if such a thing can be said underground. It did seem as if certain species of bioluminescent fungus have a natural cycle to their brilliance. The enclave of these dark gnomes has gone from completely dark to having just the faintest glow. I can see the common folk dart about, just outside of the beam of Sadhih’s lantern cone. I must be a clumsy, bumbling giant to them, constantly bumping into and tripping over things. My companions, an elf, half elf, and dwarf, also snicker behind my back, I am certain.
We joined the foraging party and headed out of the warehouse district had fortified. We travelled about a hour through a series of tunnels and natural caverns, steadily climbing. As we approached the cavern of the eyeball monster, our guides pulled back. I cast enlarge on Light, and Flame called upon Moradin to Bless our efforts. Light moved ahead and took aim at the floating giant eye. A single arrow pierced the creature, and it exploded into a massive gas cloud. She dodged out of the way, pulling her cloak across her mouth. Flame stood stoically in the cloud. Dwarves have some natural tolerance to poisonous gasses found in the underground. We moved forward into the natural cavern. It was a tall, chimney-like formation, with a tall ceiling. Some strange kind of half-drow, half spider dropped out of the darkness in front of us, and a quartet of spiders fell among us. We walked right into its trap.
Flame, Stranger and myself set to work against the spiders, while Light fired arrows at the creature. The abomination could cast spells, sending a shower of glowing spider-shaped sparks at our group. I was the only one unfortunate enough to be coated in them, and I glowed like a torch in the darkness.
As an aside, Flame informed me that the abomination was called a Drider. I’m not certain how much of his tale was truth and how much veiled hatred of an underground foe, but the Spider Queen cursed Drow who failed her tests of power, turning them into these things. The combination of pain from the transformation and shame of failure made them violent and aggressive.
This Drider didn’t seem overly aggressive, however. It fired arrows rapidly at our group as we used spells and Flame’s summoned weapon against it. Eventually, it broke and ran off down another tunnel. We pursued for a short time, but lost track of it in the dark, barren tunnels. We re-gathered the foragers and moved forward.
Some period of time later, we climbed into a large cavern. A large spire rose out of the middle of it, and the floor was covered in moss and fungus of a startling variety. Many glowed softly, casting the entire area in a undulating dim light in a wide variety of colors. My companions told me that, with darkvision, it was as beautiful and vibrant as the cultivated gardens of Grayhawk.
As we rested, the workers went about gathering food. It was going to take them about an hour, they told us. Though how anyone can tell time in these darkened caverns is beyond me. Still, as we sat and observed, I began to notice the complexity and depth of this place. The gnomes gathered various fungus. Bluecap, they told me, produced massive amounts of flour-like spores that they gathered to make bread. Firelichen, an orange web-like organism, grew along the edges of the small streams and pools in the cavern. It was to be dried and turned into a spicy paste. Tall, thin mushrooms, almost 5 feet tall, were harvested. Trillimac stalks were cut into rounds and roasted. Flame swore that it tasted like much like lamb or roebuck. In this cave, the floor was covered with decaying matter which the fungi fed upon. I could hear cave crickets, and see small fish in one of the nearby pools, nibbling algae off the rocks. A centipede emerged from on of these pools, a small pale crayfish in its mandibles, only to be snatched up into the darkness by a large bat. The sounds of falling water, chittering of bats, and the quiet undercommon of the gnomes was actually quiet soothing. Even the foot long snail that nibbled slowly on my boot-leather was strangely calming.
But and adventurer’s life is never static, and soon my companions spotted a stairwell spiraling up the central pillar. We ascended cautiously, checking for traps, but found none. Passing through a hole in the cave roof, we found ourselves in another large cavern. This one was dominated by larger fungi. Later in the day, I asked Flame about these as well. Zurkhwood had gray strips along its exterior stalk. This could be removed without killing the fungus. Dwarves used the strips as paneling and shelving in their homes. Barrelstalk, wasn’t an actual fungus, but a true plant as big as an evergreen. It pulled water out of the ground and stored it inside in hollow chambers. Attached to the insides was brewer’s web, a lichen that sifted the waters for nutrients and produced carbon dioxide and alcohols that the plant used to grow. The web-like lichen was used like yeast to make dwarven beer. AllGill was a low, wide fungus that resembled a fern. Constantly producing glowing spores, they illuminated the entire area except for a dark, sandy, well-worn path stretching off into the dim light.
But at the moment, our concern was the dozen dwarf and gnome like creatures emerging from the undergrowth and blocking the path. They were glassy eyed and had fungal protrusions across the body. Flame called upon Moradin to rebuke the undead, to no effect. I used my cannon to spew fire at them, but they seemed non-plussed. The Stranger tried mentally connecting, but all he received was the overwhelming urge to chase us away. Wisely, we retreated back down the stairs. They did not follow. But the mushroom-men who accosted us once we reached the bottoma again were clearly agitated. Rather than risk the workers, we chose to accompany the Myconids to their leader.
The miasma of spores as we approached their colony effected us subtly at first. The colors became brighter and more vibrant, and we started to love the colony. We also understood their waffling, humming speech. Their leader stood among a series of concentric stone circles and conversed with us. The short of it was that it would allow the deep gnomes to harvest from the lower levels as they have been doing and would help guide us towards one of the swords we were seeking. In return, we needed to find an anti-dote to the poison the tentacled-ones were using against its people. It drove them mad, turning them against each other. It didn’t like the drow or dark dwarves much either. It warned us about the three guardians on our way to where the tentacled-ones live, and provided a couple of healing potions.
Following the mental map it imprinted upon us, we wound our way into a terraced section of the city built into one cliff-side. At one time, this must have been a wealthy section, with large villas and stone-walled gardens up against the walls, and a road along the outside drop-off. It was all ruin now. Again, I wondered at what this all may have been like in ages past, and exhausted Flame’s patience with my questions. Sadhih certainly expressed his frustrations as I sent him continually darting about with our lantern, looking at one unique thing or another.
Which is probably why the trolls we ran into were ready for us. The first one was straight-forward, rushing at us from under a pile of rubble. Flame and Light stood against it, while the Stranger and I pelted it with magic and fire. Both of our front-line fighters took some damage, but it fell quickly. The second one came later, and was trickier. It lured our fighters into closing with it, then clawed its own chest, spraying them with a poisonous spray. Each hit from a weapon caused more of this spray to coat our fighters. Flame was seemingly immune, which angered the troll greatly. But Light was seriously injured, falling unconscious. The Stranger and I managed to lure it away from our fallen ally while Flame tended to her. It eventually fell to our magics, but all of us were depleted from a day of battle and exploration. We retreated into a ruined home and barricaded ourselves within.
When we awoke in the morning, Light was missing. She held the last watch, but there was no sign of her. Perhaps the poison troll was too much for her, and she fled. Or perhaps she tired of the rest of us tripping over our own feat and sounding like an avalanche in this echoing space. Admittedly, that may be due to the Stranger, Flame, and my humble self lacking the skills to find our own footprints, much less any others. But there were promises to keep, so we continued on. A third guardian awaited us, so we moved cautiously.
The Spirit Troll glowed bright blue, so it was easy to see it coming. The Stranger and I started hitting it with fire and eldritch energy, and Flame engaged it. I activated my invigorating field generator, bolstering our resolve. But the troll’s attacks were more than just physical. It did not appear to damage the arms and armor, yet wounds appeared on wherever it contacted flesh. The body reflects what the mind believes. I feared we were outmatched. The Stranger saved us. He spotted a collar upon the troll, and made the quick decision that it must be some kind of control device. He managed to dispel whatever magic it held- quite a feat, he claimed! The creature turned and ran off down the path we were following. With luck, it would clear our way. I pocketed the collar for further study.
The path we followed entered into a tunnel that wound and wound through the darkness. Here and there was evidence that it was once a natural cave artificially widened by the dwarves. In places, side tunnels were collapsed or partially blocked. And in several places it appeared as if rubble had been cleared away in some time past. How grand this city must have been in its prime. I could imagine the passageway as a bustling thoroughfare filled with cartage and pedestrians. The passage ended in a modest cavern surrounding a small lake. A few dozen small domed buildings clustered near the shore, many in disarray. But light shone through the ruined door of one of them
Throwing caution aside, we entered. The main room took up half of the dwelling, with 2 doors leading further inward. Several oil lamps were lit in the room, illuminating a large table surrounded by many shelves. An acrid, acidic smell filled the air, emanating from several bubbling pots. Upon the shelves were a myriad of upturned and sealed human skulls, each bearing a label etched into it. A complete intact brain sat on a small table in one corner. Intrigued, I moved over to it. In a flash, it uncurled onto its 4 legs and attacked! Almost simultaneously, A tall, thin purple-skinned creature with a bald head and tentacles where its nose and mouth should have been, emerged from one of the interior doors. Istus smiled upon us, for my field generator was still active, shielding me from some of the raking claws. But I was horrified as I felt a presence in my mind, pushing at my consciousness, trying to suppress my thoughts. I pushed back mentally, recalling sounds and smells, the pain of the trauma from the troll, anything I could to bolster my mind-body connection. Success. Flame called upon his god, and the air filled with whisps of smoke and the sound of ringing hammers. The mind flayer and intellect devourer both recoiled from his guardian spirits, but could not escape it. In response, the flayer sent out a powerful burst of psychic energy, causing the Stranger to freeze in place. I tuned my arcane weapon slightly, and sent 3 bursts of fire into our foes, as Flame laid into them with his weapons. Another blast of psychic energy paralyzed Flame also. But by that time, its pet lay dead and it was sorely wounded. Seeing that I was on my feet and preparing another gout of flame, it disappeared.
After rousing my companions, we realized it must have teleported away. We quickly loaded everything we could into my bag. The skulls turned out to be alchemical component containers worth an exceptional price (2000 gp). We found the notes to making something called a Dust of Contrariness. This must have been what was afflicting the mushroom people. There also were several other items- a potion of speed, potion of mind reading, and oil of slipperiness. In the other rooms- a storeroom and bedroom, we quickly confiscated several books on the outer planes and other alchemical musings. I have several friends in various places who will be very interested in them.
We fled back to where we had encamped for the night. I had hoped Light would have returned, but she hadn’t. An hour’s rest and most of hour healing potions later, we were ready to make the long trek back. I made an attempt to read the books, but I lacked the ability to do so. The Stranger perused them as well. Whatever dark pact he has made, it allows him to read any written language. I will admit to a certain jealousy about that, but shudder at the potential cost in that trade.
We wandered our way back to the cavern of the myconids. They were grateful to receive all of the notes about the dust that was causing such tumult in their community. In exchange, we received the magical hemisphere that was part of the mythology of the magical swords. However, with Light missing, I could not experiment with it. Azol’alq preserve her. We also negotiated 3 healing salves out of them. Made from yet another subterranean plant, they functioned as well as the healing potions I could brew. Stranger took 1 and I kept a pair. Perhaps I could find a way to further enhance them. They assisted in our return to the deep-gnome warren. The little folk were glad to see us, thinking us lost to the creatures. Stranger explained what we knew of them, and suggested attempting to form an alliance for both groups benefit. We settled into an early evening in the relative safety of the warren. Sadhih and I had a lot of catching up to do in our books.
Zouken be praised that our mental fortitude held this day.
Lion 27- It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
Light had not returned when we set out the next morning. We left word on where we were going. The small gnome we rescued several days earlier set off with us as our guide. They explained that there was a lake over which the drow came and went. The boats arrived at no set interval. So if the miners were still in the city, that is where they would be. We travelled through their encampment and out to a wider road. Along one side, we entered a culvert and descended into a narrow, slippery tunnel with a modest slope. In a normal city, I would consider this the sewers. And it seemed to serve a similar function as it dumped out into a dark cave full of rotting smells, wet ground, and moldering piles of refuse everywhere. Ancient pottery shards and rotting metal bits shone out of the grey, rotting sludge. We should have expected something, but the centuries of dust and decay we had walked through lulled us. The trash-monster that burst out of the ground should not have caught us off-guard. It was a short, but brutal, fight. Despite its best efforts, it found Flame indigestible, repeatedly failing to stuff the dwarf into its maw. We spent some time fixing the bite dents in his armor afterwards. Our poor guide fared less well, being grabbed and knocked around by one of the tentacles. Reviving him, we decided he should guide from the middle of our group from now on. The Stranger called on his patron again to show him the auras of magic. He found a ring with a blue oval gem. Lines of gold crawled across the gem, giving it the appearance of a brain. He called it a Ring of Mind Shielding. Given how the mind-flayer quickly incapacitated him, Flame and I concurred that he should wear it from now on. Maybe that would make him useful when something assaulted his mind.
We climbed up into another drainage tunnel and followed it for a long time, emerging from the total darkness into a slightly less dark space. Or so my companions told me. Beyond the lantern light, everything was pitch black to me in the tunnels. But as my eyes adjusted to the wider space, the grandeur of this place left me awestruck. The lack was vast, far beyond anything I thought possible underground. The water had gentle waves lapping against the hard stone. Something in the water caused it to glow with a purplish hue. Stranger and Flame told me that, in darkvision, it ripples with colors from bright yellow to the a barely-perceptible violet. Here, the lake came into a sharp bay. Countless walkways stretched from tunnel openings out to large, extravagantly adorned buildings built on pillars coming out of the water, interconnecting and spanning one another in a beautiful web of worked stone. The large buildings, Flame explained, were likely once government buildings and temples. But the earthquake centuries ago had wrought the most damage here. Most of the bridges were broken, the buildings toppled into ruin. Yet the hint of the scale of the place remained.
We gradually worked our way along the less-ruined bridges and causeways until we reached an area clear of rubble. Here, the ground became fine powdered stone and the smallest, roundest of pebbles. A small wooden wall, more ornamental than functional, enclosed an area about 200 feet from the water and stretching off into the darkness on the sides. A large fountain stood along our path, still functional after centuries of neglect. Its water gently cascaded down several layers of catch pools. Our guide paused at another low wall and pointed down to the water. A small camp of tents sat alongside a crude wood and stone slab dock. A half dozen drow sat nearby. No boat was to be seen. We discussed attacking the camp, but the choice was taken out of our hands.
5 more drow emerged from the darkness beyond our sight, the bubbling fountain hiding their approach. Had they not yelled for us to surrender, they could have taken all of us by surprise. Instead, I offered them the chance to surrender, and they drew their weapons. Their leader, a spellcaster, cast a glittering dust upon us, but my two allies dodged aside. I responded with a scorching ray, but the enhanced rod didn’t function well. Sadhih sent a blast of force into one, dispatching it as he closed. Another one closed with the Stranger, landing a brutal cut with its weapon. The Stranger responded by reaching up and touching its chain shirt, sending a killing pulse of electricity through it. Flame closed upon the spellcaster and landed a pair of cuts as well, felling that person. The remaining two could not break Flame’s guard, pelting him with crossbow bolts that slide harmlessly off his armor and shield. I attempted to blast one with fire, and missed. The Stranger closed on another, zapping it through its metal armor again. The remaining drow disengaged and fled into the darkness.
After dispatching the picket patrol, we strategized how to attack camp. Albingo the deep gnome was going to stay behind as we advanced on the docks. X caught up with the party. She had no excuse for being gone for a full day- no real memory of where she was or what she was doing. Perhaps the myconid spores had effected her mind more than ours. In any event, her return buoyed the rest of us. We strategized for a time on how best to approach the camp. There was a pit of some kind, a makeshift storage building, and several tents.
Approaching from the near side, we were remarkably stealthy. The Stranger broke off to look in the pit while the rest of us approached the hovel from the side opposite the door. Peeking through a gap in the hovel wall, I saw motion and heard growling. That was enough for me. I activated the flaming cannon and sent a blast through the wall. At the same time, spiders swarmed out of the pit. The stranger fled back to us, and they pursued. Several large, white-furred creatures bust through the wall. Flame identified them as quaggoths- some kind of semi-sentient bezerker bear-men of the underdark. A close and vicious combat broke out on the edge of the camp. The Stranger and I had to fall back on stunning shocks to keep the spiders and beasts from hemming us in. X and Flame had all the attention they could handle.
In a short time, we had regained our footing and were slowly whittling the creatures down. But we attracted the attention of a Drow weilding a strange arcane device and another with a deadly pair of swords. By now, both X and Flame had advanced between the hovel and a large, ornate tent. The arcane device emitted loud cracking sounds, and X was hit with a poisonous bullet of some kind. The flame cannon was less useful in a swirling melee, grabbed it and moved around to the hovel. I dropped it in the doorway. A squad of 6 drow had emerged from tents of the other side, and were slowly advancing. Stranger and I were able to fell one each with the help of the blasts of fire. The cannon drew their attention, and slowly their arrows whittled it down. X managed to cut her way into the large tent, looking for cover. But a drow priestess and a huge spider occupied it, turning X’s bad situation into a worse one. The priestess sent some glowing webbing out across our party. My cannon and Flame could not avoid it. In the darkness, their glow made them easier targets.
Flame responded by summoning his spiritual guardians, a whirling cloud of hammers and tongs. The priestess dismissed the spider since it seemed unable to penetrate our front-liners’ armor and called upon a cloud of insects instead. By this time, Stranger and I had finished off the drow skirmishers. Just in time, as they had demolished my cannon. We moved to engage the trio of gunslinger, Guard Captain, and Priestess. Both X and flame fell, but The Stranger and I were able to concentrate a pair of Shattering Blasts against the weakened Captain and Gunslinger. I drew upon my reserves and altered the cannon gem, turning it into a renewing field. Its energy reinvigorated us, if only temporarily. We both missed with our blasting cantrips. But it provided enough time for Flame to get X on her feet again. She felled the priestess with a pair of thrown axes.
The remaining miners were imprisoned in another tent. We also recovered several interesting magical items- an eye-patch, a pair of slippers, some magical bolts, a potion or two. Most interesting to me was the device the gunslinger was using. It was some kind of device that propelled slugs of metal coated in poison a fair distance. It is very worth of study. We also recovered the other special swords we were sent to retrieve. They were in the priestess’ possession.
After that, our large group retreated into the city to rest and recover before making our way out of this underground ruined city.
The last 8 days have been largely unconsequential. We returned to the surface with the remaining miners. Their fellows were elated, and threw as grand a party as they could manage. The dwarf was waiting for us, and we were well paid for the swords and holding array. I attempted to delay for a few days so I could them in more detail, but my allies were anxious to get back to civilization Growfest started the next day, and the appeal of Greyhawk’s . The brief sketches Sadhih made, and my initial analysis done during the long night before we started our return to the surface, will have to suffice.
We returned to the villa, and our partron was gone yet again. But Growfest, celebrating the Spring Equinox, was in full swing. The organization threw multiple parties that week, and we were the center of attention for many of them- both small and large. It was honestly quite uncomfortable for me. I prefer to toil in quiet obscurity. I used our need to replenish our healing elixers as an excuse to avoid several events. I’ve noted where the myconid variations we were given allowed me to bring greater shelf-stability to my own recipe.
The archmage Otto frequented our organization’s parties. Probably wistful for his adventuring days. He brought around several of his associates, prominent hunters and collectors of antiquities. Most were looking for groups to go off on one task or another. Somehow, perhaps it was the excellent Suundian Ice Wine, we agreed to go hunt for griffin eggs. Light and I were noncommittal about the venture. While they were valuable, money holds little true value to me. I suspect Light was concerned with offending elven sensibilities around griffin riding. So we delayed until the end of Growfest before setting off.
Zuoken forgive us our indulgences these past days.
Frog 4- The Bright Desert.
The 4 day boat ride to Zarrack was mild and pleasant, with no pirates or sea-beasts to contend with. Selintan is a well-travelled river, and Wooly Bay well sounded and tame. An excellent expenditure of 10 gp. I spent a great deal of time with the Poisonous Pistol we claimed from our fallen Drow soldier. With some tinkering, I might be able to make it useful. But its need for reloading after each firing makes it suboptimal to my own spell-cannon.
Sadhih and I also had a serious conversation. It was clear from our misadventures in the underground city that we needed to increase his utility. So, with his consent, we re-worked his body. I crafted a built-in hooded lantern, powered by a crystal containing a continual flame. It made him somewhat bulkier and barrel-chested, but he could provide me light on demand. I also equipped him with a small harness between his flying mechanisms. This was for Ears. I had also been studying The Stranger’s spell which summoned a spirit to act as a familiar. Following the ritual, I reached out into Paliparan, the Domain of Delight. A spirit responded to me, taking the form of a green-bellied weasel that was native to my home. She has the cutest little ears and was very proud pf them. So, we agreed I would call her that while she assisted me. I could have spent a whole week in that cabin, watching my two assistants play together and get to know one another.
In Zarak, we quickly found ourselves a guide. Haddam quickly proved his trustworthiness. The coffee and toboacco he procured for me was decent quality and reasonably priced. He knew his business and charged reasonable rates. And the bath-house he recommended was, if not top tier, certainly repuatable and accommodating. Our plan was to set off the next morning with a desert guide he would find for us.
As we wandered the city towards the Inn Haddam recommended, I spotted a familiar face. The same hobgoblin we had met on the road to the mines was also in the city. This was unsettling. We tried to follow the being, but it managed to lose itself in the crowd. I suspected that it might be our patron in disguise. He might be using our activites as cover for his more covert ones. But my companions seemed doubtful.
Zan Yae guard us from those who lurk in your shadows for our detrminent.
Frog 5.
It turned out Haddam was going to guide us. We set off with 6 horses. I was able to unload most of my Pack of Carrying to the various mounts. The day was uneventful. Hot sun, clear skies, dusty trails. At night, the temperature dropped significantly. I was glad I purchased a tent, though my companions didn’t appreciate my foresight- or their lack of it. I was able to use the enhanced portions from my pack to reinforce the my breastplate at the flexible joints.
Al’Asran shine upon us to tomorrow.
Frog 6 The wicked unrested
Our activites in the mines were not going to go unpunished, it seems. A drow priestess has put a bounty of 1000 gold on each of our heads, dead or alive. A group of 10 hobgolblins, including a mage and a monk of some type, ambushed us today. Foolishly, we let Haddam move ahead to talk to a desert tribesman. He attacked and stunned our guide as his companions emerged from their hidden locations in the hills on either side of us.
The Stranger has had a recent upgrade to his powers. Not only was he able to counter a spell cast by the enemy, he summoned a wall of fire that consumed an entire flank of enemies. Light and Flame moved up and attacked the monk and the caster. Prudently, I used my mount for partial cover and exchanged their crossbow bolts for my flame cannon strikes. It was only a few moments before we turned the ambush back upon them and sent the survivors running. That is when we found the wanted poster.
Haddam was justly concerned with us- what had he signed up for? But as we told the tale around the firepit that night, he came to understand that we do not go looking for trouble, but it tends to find us.
Mougol set your scales to our advantage.
Frog 7 Desert Shark, do do do do do do do.
We left the twisting hills and entered the desert proper. Haddam explained that it was quicker to cross the desert and rejoin the hills than stay in them and curve far to the west. He was our guide, and knew his business. The desert was even hotter than the hills. I was grateful for the desert clothes we purchased in the market, but I suspect Flame was slowly turning into a whistling tea-kettle in his armor.
As it approached mid-day, a strange craft appeared on the horizon and approached us. It was a long, thin, wooden boat of some kind, with a pair of outriggers and a large claw sail. A young man with fair skin hailed Light, attempting to create a favorable impression. He was Sir Jasper of Veluna and he was land-shark fishing. Looking behind the craft, a long rope was dragging a decesased jackal across the sands.
I noted the pilot of the craft was a fellow Backlunii. Speaking in our native tounge, he le me know the man was an idiot, but his coin was good. There were no land sharks around here. But, as ever, our presence drew misfortune, as a bullette leapt out of the sands. Flame was able to roll out of the way. But the creature was remarkably agile, and leapt away from our melee combatants. And onto me. Twice. The first time wasn’t too bad, as I was quickly able to escape and retreat. But not far enough, as it pounced again and wounded me quite badly. Lcukily for me, my companions harmed it enough for it to retreat below the sands. The ‘fishing boat’ had sailed away as well.
We returned to the horses and took a small break. Birel made use of the Eyepatch we had found to enhance her vision and scout around. About a mile away, the land rose again into high hills. Standing like a sentinel on the boundary was a large wind-swept pillar of rock. Distnatly, we spied a large flying shape circling it. Haddam indicated that this is where we should start our search.
Approaching the hill, we spied a lone figure riding toward the same location. It was clear the individual was not dressed for the desert. Haddam warned us that Castle Keirsten was nearby. Zealouts of Heironious, they were know to battle first, ask questions maybe. So we approached cautiously. It was an Oerdian male in light armor, carrying a bow and sword. He introduced himself as Yoshi-Eve. He was a hunter of giant-kind, following the trail of a stone giant. We were, perhaps, overly candid about our own plans. But he decided to join us temporarily anyway. Travelling the land-shark filled sands alone upon a tasty horse was not a recipe for longevity.
Haddam lead us up the outcropping and set up camp at its base. It towered 300’ above. Su’ril sent his owl, and I sent Sadhih and ears up to the summit. There was a large nest, over 20 feet across and made of cast-off dried wood and cloth. Inside, there appeared to be an egg. We took our rest, deciding to gain the egg the next day.
Torvald was amused by my modificiations to Sadhih. A glowing belly lamp made him appear like an over-grown firefly.
Mougul bless our venture on the morrow.
An addendum- I have made the decision to use formal names henceforth. There is little likelihood anyone will be able to break my ciphers and concealment practices in these journals.
Frog 8- Death From above, or how to remember to listen to the natives.
The path upward was hard to navigate. Little more than the path of the runoff for the sparse rains, it took us over an hour to traverse 50 feet up. From here , it was a long climb to the summit. Birel attempted to hook a rope up with a grapple, only to fail to find purchase. As we contemplated the long climb, a large bipedal creature landed behind us. I had hears stories of the bird-folk, but thought them myths. Yet here stood one. As tall as my fellow human, it perched on a pair of taloned feet. Its massive wings folded gently behind it- pale blue and grey on the inside, dull brown with darker streaks upon the exterior. It had a head that contained features reimiscent of both parrots and eagles. It introduced itself as Dirk, scout for the Sun Glider clan that claimed these lands. Cautiously, we revealed our intent to climb the mountain to look for a stone giant we were hunting. Not entirely untrue. It warned us that HellFeather nested there. Hellfeather was a massive griffin that hunted his clan for food. Despite their efforts, they could not drive it away. Dirk thought us fools. But if we were to tangle with the beast then all the better for its clan.
He ushered us to another path, obscured by a boulder and tucked back into an overhang. We had walked past it without taking note. He explained the path lead to an abandoned temple that had a stair that led to the summit. Or so his clan thought. No one in their clan had investigated in living memory. Su’ril seemed to trust the bird-person, so we continued on.
A tortuous path wound through a cleft of rock to a small natural ampitheater. Natural gaps pointed east, allowing the mid-morning sun to light the ruins. Torvald noted that the symbol of a glowing war hammer. Fortubo, he informed us, was a guad of Stone, Metals, and Mountains. He appeared more dwarf-like than a human, and was part of the Suel pantheon originally. Birel noted that the entrance to the temple itself had sustained damage, as if something had torn open the entrance.
Fifteen feet in, the temple itself was in ruins, several alcoves blocked by cave ins. Torvald and Yoshi apprached the cave-in at the back. A stone giant rushed out, scattering rocks across the temple. Yoshi, Torvald & Birel moved to engage it as Su’ril and I held back. This was a mistake, as the giant had a pet wyvern who moved to engage us. It bit me, but its claw and stinger devastated Su’ril. Su’ril unleashed a new horror, as slimy black tentacles slithered out of the darkness of the uneven ground and enveloped the wyvern. It allowed both of us to break contact as it struggled to get free. It turned to chase me, closing again. I struck it with my weapon, causing electricity to course through the creature. This gave me a chance, again, to break contact and run. It only took the three melee combatants to fell the giant. Their ranged attacks drove the wyvern back, forcing it to retreat through the tunnel that Su’ril had retreated into. He was ready for it, and felled the beast. In the alcove, the giant had hidden its valuables- a sack of coins, a coil of rope, a hand-axe, and a blue vial. Su’ril, Torvald, and myself quickly identified it as a Rope of Climbing, a magical axe of modest power, and Potion of Greater Healing. A rough-hewn stair lead upward. I sent Sadhih with the bag of coins back to the camp to inform Haddam- using a couple of my recording stones to communicate to him.
At the top, the stairs were blocked by several loose slabs of rock that we moved aside. We could see the nest just beyond. None of us noted the griffin anywhere in the immediate area. Su’ril summoned a cloud of fog to obscure the nest from above and Birel took my magic bag to the nest. She gathered the egg, a few gems, and a scroll tube amongst the remains of its meals. As she retreated back, Hellfeather dove through the fog cloud and landed beside the stairwell. The beast was well named. It unleashed a screech that struck like a bomb. For a moment, I felt the thunderous blast as if I had been struck by a lightning strike in a storm. Su’ril, Yoshi, and I were nearly knocked unconscious. Torvald And Birel were less effected. My thoughts were scrambled and I responded by using my own concussive blast to attempt to push it away from the hole. To no one’s surprise but my own, it absorbed the blast handily. Feather armor, I suppose. Torvald had to grab me bodily and hustle me down the stairs. Luckily, Hellfeather’s bite missed as we fled.
And flee we did. We noted that Hellfeather decided to chase after Dirk and his clan rather than us. Not that it mattered. Haddam had the horses saddled, and we raced away from there as fast as we could. Our only plan was to cross the desert as quickly as possible and get out of there. Sadhih awaited my on my horse, casually noting that the bag had 500 gold and 700 silver. The two gems I estimate are worth about 50 and 100 gold, relatively.
We spent two long days fleeing across the desert from Hellfeather. We rested only long enough for the horses to regain their strength. We reached the smuggling town late in the evening on the second day. Tired. Will update the logs later.
Frog 14- The return trip.
Haddam arranged transportation on a boat back to Greyhawk that morning. Only 5 gp each was a bargain. He also gave us a report from one of his allies in the city. The hobgoblin was called Old One Eye. A former slaver for Iuz, he has a bounty on his head from the Wolf Nomads. He leads a group of hobgoblins called the 5 Fingers of Death, bounty hunters. Which is probably why we keep running into him. Overall, 50 gp for Haddam, with a 50-gp tip from Su’ril was a worthy investment.
On the subject of investments, we managed 650 gold and 700 silver in coins and gems. So that was 100 gold, 120 silver each for the 5 of us. I retained 100 gold to use to manufacture 4 healing potions during our return trip. I have also retained the magic rope and the Drow Tentacled Rod, since no one seemed to want them. And this pistol still warrants more research. I have so much to do. I sincerely hope for a lengthy rest upon our return. The upriver trip was slower, but equally uneventful.
Azor-Alq rewards our heroics with a well-earned rest.
Frog 15- The Duties of Membership.
Ambrose met with us the day after we returned. We briefed him on our adventures in the Bright Desert. He accepted our new member Yoshi with little comment. In fact, the rotund dwarf seemed pleased that we found a member to fill a skills gap in our group. He had an urgent mission for us on behalf of the Order. There was an elf wizardress named Gilithreal who was on their most wanted list. Agents of the Order uncovered that she was encamped with a priest of Erythnul in a fortress / temple complex in the Suss Forest. We protested that we had a mercantile interest to resolve. The great wizard Otto himself intervened, promising to keep our prize safe and viable until we return. We were quickly whisked off to a field outside the city. I barely had enough time to restock on coffee and tobacco! Really, there are urgencies, but few worthy of foregoing the trappings of civilization.
A trip on Ambrose’s airship made up for his haste. I spent the day prowling about and noting the many enchantments upon it. He carried it as a small model ship, uttering a command word to cause it to become full size. I have been on hot air balloons before. A terrifying experience in a wicker basket which I never wish to repeat. The balloon portion was larger and shaped like a pointed oval. Suspended by uncountable ropes was a large passenger and cargo vessel. Shaped much like a ship, it had an open deck with a fore and aft castle, and a lower cargo area below deck. Layers upon layers of enchantments were layered onto the structure and ropes. I could not determine how the vessel was propelled. Fanciful children’s tales spoke of flying creatures being used as draft horses to pull ships through the sky. Yet I saw none of those.
If I were to build such a device, I would propel the vessel using Gust of Wind spells. The technical challenges of such a device occupied much of the remainder of my trip, I am sad to say. See technical drawings on pages 97-102.
A Crew of Kenku and a were-raven Captain were manifested when it enlarged. They were not constructs and seemed to be some kind of summoned entity. Unfortunately, I lack the necessary tools to determine if they were fey, fiend, or celestial. But their summoning is clearly linked to the vessel. I wonder if the vessel exists in some other space and is summoned here when needed. Perhaps the ship and crew ply their trade across the vast astral sea, being called to Oerth only as needed. Somehow, I find that more comforting than the ship being some kind of prison, carried about in the pocket of a spell-casting dwarf. It makes me more concerned about the welfare of Sadhih and ears. I should be a better familiar-parent.
My companions occupied themselves discussing the Suss Forest. On the northern border of the Pomarjj and south of Celene. It had an evil reputation and was full of evil humanoids. But they knew little else.
Mouqol guide us on this new venture.
Frog 17- Desert to jungle.
Arrived outside the halfing town of Rittersmark to pick up a guide. As we travelled further south and east, we met our guide. Tenzor Tenbelly was a cleric of Brandobaris, the halfling deity of being a scamp. He knew the way to the temple where she was hiding. In return for his assistance, he requested our aid. At some point we would be needed to hunt down a traitor to the local halfling court. Seems a literally small price to pay.
By afternoon, Ambrose had dropped us off at the edges of the forest and went on his way. Tenzor lead the way with Yoshi taking up rear guard- our two best survivalists bracketing the party. The place was evil. The trees were all dark bark and sullen leaves, as if the very color was drained away. Between the tree-covered hillocks were bogs full of fetid water and biting black flies. Thorny brambles wound around everything, competing for any scrap of sunlight let in by the sullen trees. Spiderwebs were everywhere; some colonies large enough to make us worry about monstrous ones coming for us. Even the other plant-life seemed animated in malice toward us. We travelled until late in the evening, setting up a camp without a fire to avoid attracting attention. Luckily for me, Sadhih and ears kept my small tent insect free as a settled in for the night.
Xan Yea protect us in this benighted place.
Addendum-
In the middle of the night, noises of combat woke me up. I got out of the tent and called upon Sadhih to light the area. It appeared two massive bushes were attacking our camp! Tenzor yelled out that they were shambling mounds. But I didn’t recognize the name. But they had approached stealthily and were among our camp before we knew it. Thunder seemed effective against them, but when I attempted to stun the one engaged with me, I discovered something. These plants were invigorated by lightning energy, not damaged by them. After a brief combat, we reduced them to fragments. There were some minor injuries, but we were ok. Tenzor mentioned how lucky we were that no one was engulfed by the creatures. It was rumored to be a horrible fate. Still, we moved our encampment an hour or so away, just to be safe.
Frog 18- The Dark Woods
Continued to travel for the better part of the day, avoiding may pitfalls. A patrol of 6 bandit types with three war dogs crossed our path. We hid well, partially with Tenzer’s use of a spell to hide us in sound-dampening shadows. I quickly crafted a small device that emitted a strong smell of fresh meat. Tossing it far away from our path, I hoped that it would defeat the strong sense of smell of the war dogs. Evidently, it worked, as we were not troubled by them as the day continued.
Tenzer called Birel to the front during one of our pauses. With the magic eyepatch and her half-elf perceptiveness, she was able to spot a concealed cave entrance. We hustled across the open space and through the concealing brush.
4 gnolls awaited us at the far end of a 40x15’ passage next to a heavy door. We were able quickly dispatch them, but not before one of them was able to bang a hanging gong, alerting the place. I utilized my fire-breathing cannon to great effect. Birel deftly avoided a concealed pit trap as she closed with them. Once inside, we found ourselves at a cross-junction. Across from the door, a heavy portcullis blocked the passage. 4 Guards with heavy crossbows began firing at us. We split into the left and right-side passages to avoid fire and exchanged fire with them. Torvald, Yoshi and I took the left passage while Su’ril & Birel took the right. Gnolls came out of the darkness down their passage, while hobgoblins came charging up ours. Torvald filled the hallway with magical fire which defeated all but the hardiest of the creatures. I shifted over and quickly injected Birel with a concoction I had been working on. It caused her to grow to almost twice her size, filling the hallway and blocking the gnolls ability to get around her. Su’ril used his shadow powers to jump past the portcullis and reach the winch.
Combat continued. Torvald and Yoshi held the left passage against the hobgoblins. Tenzer and an enlarged Birel exchanged attacks with the gnolls. Suril managed to magically jump through the portcullis and get it opened. We beat a hasty retreat past it and closed ourselves in. After this, the combat degenerated to exchanging missile and spell fire with the remaining enemies. The battle turned to our favor- clearly both enemies were more suited to smashing things than precision shooting.
We cleaned up after the battle, stacking the fallen aside and searching the left and right passageways. The gnoll side was as disgusting and refuse strewn as expected. Gnolls are filthy abominations. But they do seem to have some appreciation for shiny things. A large amythest and 18 pieces of agate and malachite jewelry were found among the piles of refuse. On the hobgoblin side, things were better. Orderly barracks with beds and chests, well-kept weaponry. They even had a storeroom with a net trap, which Tenzer quickly dealt with. A great deal of construction supplies were present for such a small place. That was worth considering. The hobgoblin leader had a small throne and a collection of trophy skulls. We retrieved 4 star rose quartz, and rare Black Pearl.
Returning back to the main hall, we considered the massive double doors. It was barred from the inside. I convinced the team to use some of the materials to bar the door from our side, so that we could recover for a time. We needed it before pressing on.
Eventually, we broke through the door and entered a large temple. Black stone floors with intricate carvings supported blood stained pillars around the perimeter. Large tapestries dominated the left and right walls, and behind the altar. A warrior and priest stood at the altar, clearly awaiting us. With a cry, a dozen guards and half as many red-robes cultists of Erythnul came out from behind the tapestries on either side. It got very bad, very quickly. The priestess retreated beyond the tapestry behind the altar. Arrows from the guard and crimson-tinted magical blasts hammered our party as we retreated out the broken door and into the hallway. A series of those blasts knocked Birel down. Summoning my protector field generator, I managed to haul her out of the way. This made me the target of the cultists, but I was able to quickly respond with a magical shield while I poured a potion down her throat. The warrior waded into our group as well.
And in the background, we could hear the yipping of the patrol-dogs we dodged earlier.
Torvald squared off against the large warrior, using a Heat Metal spell to distract him. It worked, to a degree, with most of their attacks failing. Suril used his powers to continue to hammer him with blasts. Yoshi and Birell focused on attacking the cultists, and Tenzer utilized their clerical prowess to keep us all up and fighting. I disengaged and barred the door to the outside, hoping to keep the patrols at bay.
Eventually, we were able to push into the temple. Once there, Torvald summoned his Spiritual Guardians, which wreaked havoc on the guards. The wizardess appeared from behind one of the tapestries and cast a blinding spell on Yoshi. But even blinded, the archer was quite adept at shooting down the noisy guards.
Pausing, we looted the temple. The tapestries were pulled down, revealing passageways to the left and right, and the one behind the altar as well. We knew the wizardress retreated down that passageway, but we needed a pause. I must admit my greed got the better of me. I used my jewelers tools to remove 2 sets of gems from the eyes of the statues around the altar. I should have known better, but I did it anyway. Two ogres magically appeared next to the statues- some kind of enchanted guardian. They fell quickly to the group, much to my chagrin.
Off balance and exhausted, we checked out the passage behind the altar. The wizardess had retreated down that passage. 6 suits of armor lined alcoves along the narrow path, and a large rune adorned the floor. Clearly another trap. Without thinking to disarm it, I tossed a corpse down the hall. The suits came to life, and we were once again engaged. But the narrow hallway and a pair of shatter spells from Suril and myself dispatched them quickly. I gathered mis-matched parts left over for further examination.
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This thread is dedicated to our on-going D&D campaign in Greyhawk. Set after the Greyhawk Wars, it follows some neophyte adventurers as they get wrapped up in Oerdian politics & underhanded deeds. It is intended to be a summary of our bi-weekly sessions, and to fill in the downtime gaps.
It is written as journal entries from my newest character since my initial one died fighting the boss in their previous adventure.
I will invite all the other players and DM to add their own entries as well. As it is first-person, some details may be incorrect, and they are welcome to say so.
Also, link to Greyhawk Calendar, to understand the dates: Greyhawk Calendar - Greyhawk Wiki (greyhawkonline.com)
As a random passer-by, please feel free to read and add comments and questions. I only ask that you put your comments in italics to help distinguish from actual in-game writing.
3246 HC, 586 CY, Month of the Bear, Day 6
Here starts the ninth journal of Rashtun Sha-Aardi, artificer and historian of martial relics. As always, I entrust my secrets to my devices and own prowess. Sadhih is tireless, transcribing the language of the hells as gibberish Baklunish. Last page first, and with hidden ink, he secures my secrets. Upon those secrets, front to back, I overlay my musings upon my craft in many colors, further obscuring its true intent. Al'Zarad bless, it allows the casual observer to discount the book.
Tomorrow I shall meet with an individual I shall call Divinity. He holds membership in a club to which I greatly desire membership. I have heard that a group in their employ has recently recovered a cave-folk artifact of great interest.
May Mougol guide me tomorrow.
Bear 8- Patience provides.
Divinity denied my request to study the artifact but offered an opportunity to earn membership and access to their secrets. I am met with a group of mercenaries recently granted similar membership. They are the ones who recovered the artifact, and their cost was high. One member was lost, and another forsaking the ways of the sell-sword for a time. Divinity believed my skills to exist as a stop-gap for the time ahead. A chance to prove my worth.
Yesterday was a scramble to prepare to leave for an extended period of time. Supplies purchased, bills settled, farewells said to my dear Yamiya. My journals I leave in the library of Suzeem the Accomplished, as payment for his confidence and discretion over the years.
Now, I face a three day travel aboard a mystical airship. These strangers who are to be my new companions I keep at pole-distance by excusing myself to a cabin. A simple healing draught for each is sufficient to hold their curiosity at bay and leave me unaccompanied in large part. I am afforded a chance to observe at a distance.
They are 2 humans and a half-breed. Brakiss keeps his elven heritage well hidden under hood and cloak. From his dress, he functions as their cutpurse and scout. He speaks seldom, questions less, he is a Whisper. Sew Rill is a bit of a mystery He seems to be some form of mage, yet possesses far less studious an appearance than is common. He is truly a Stranger . Yet Sadhih confirms that he and the Bandaged One discuss spellcraft frequently. Dalamar, The Bandaged One is a mage, yet also bears a blade. Perhaps he is some form of hedge wizard or battle-mage. He has a bonded creature with him, a flying cat largely unknown in the Flannesses. Sadhih is intrigued.
Istus has spun her threads to bind me well this day,
Bear 11- The fierce urgency of now.
We were landed a full-day from our destination, to obfuscate our means of transport. A full day’s trek in the pouring rain to the town. The Red Death that nearly claimed me decades ago were agonized specters in my joints. Everyone was miserable. Sadhih was grumbling as Taz, the tressym, was nowhere to be found. Clearly it is a summoned spirit from Paliparan. I restored Sadhih to his base gem to relieve myself of his whining.
Our employer, a knight of this realm, remained reticent to speak of the mission. Before we disembarked Divinity spoke of the club’s desire for understanding of previously unknown abominations that we may encounter. This, I observe, he did not share with our employer. As we arrived at the destination, some of his discretion became clear. Once a small village, it was being transformed into a fortress and garrison with a Great Wall. Activity everywhere, a bustle more appropriate for a trading center than a rural village. Stranger and the Burned One speak of their time here the autumn previous, and they are in awe of the changes. The Knight saw us to our lodgings, informing us we would be educated on the morrow.
Zuoken bless this place, and those who seek to make it secure.
Bear 11- Copper beside Platinum
Never have I felt the weight of my own insignificance so profoundly. Counts and Commanders, Barons and Grand Marshalls, High priests and Arch-Mages. To even stand in the presence of such company is a privilege most never attain. To be involved, however inconsequentially, in such great schemes as theirs terrifies and thrills.
Moments happen that put the powerful under the looking glass. The Baronette’s youth betrayed her station. She reacted most inappropriately when a trusted beast-man spy was introduced. Jeremiah was a local who would assist us in our mission and her instant distrust was telling. An archmage joined us for drinks. Unheard of! And yet he also provided a few baubles to assist us. Clearly, much of their schemes rely on our simple mission.
And yet, I can’t see our importance. Determine who leads an enemy city and if leadership change was recent. Enemy troops and composition. The presence of fiends or those from the outside. How dominant the worship of Tharoth is. These are simple answers for scrying magics. Why send us? Does it have something to do with a man named Kefir, who escaped the Stranger’s justice?
Daoud guide me along the path of humility amongst such personages.
Bear 14- Mob Mentality
The end of our second day of travel. The Beastman travels with us, as does a Rhennee. I do not know which one I trust less. Whisper, Stranger, & the Burned One still leave me largely to myself, Thank Al'Asran. But I did get to witness their prowess in combat. Tas flew ahead of our party, and Stranger supported the Burned One as he observed through the creature’s eyes. Not quite as potent as the bond Sadhih and I share, but quite useful. The ambush was spotted quickly, and we probed the camouflaged enemy with spells and bolts. A full squad of bandits rushed to attack us.
Whisper proved to be quite adept with crossbow and rapier, managing best one on one against their leader. The Burned One rushed ahead, drawing his rapier. At first, I thought him mad as the enemy swarmed him. Unarmed? No shield? Yet he exhibited a knowledge of the Elven Art that I thought human’s incapable of. His battle-dance moved between their blows and bolts, supplemented only by the occasional flash of shielding magics.
The Stranger’s tactics concern me. Attacking from a distance with blasts of pure force, those he targeted seemed also cursed to wither away with each impact. I have seen the toll of dark pacts upon a mortal’s soul before. He will bear watching. Yet the Stranger and the Burned One’s friendship make more sense in light of his compact. The Burned One refused to swear upon the gods to the mission. The Stranger is bound to an Outside force.
Xan Yae watch over these who walk such shadowed paths.
Bear 15- Vagabonds
I should have made mention of the events of the evening before. I hesitated since it involved one of our patrons. But what followed today makes little sense without it.
As the shadows lengthened, we found a small, ruined cottage in the remains of a former farm. Inside one of our Patrons, a mage of mighty hands, awaited us. With him were two companions of my new companions, recently arrived from other errands another Patron had assigned them. First was a half elf warrior woman I shall call Light. Sturdy and clearly competent, she asked specific questions directed at the Rhennee captain. I suspect her distrust of him comes from her past. Second, and most interestingly, was the dwarf who was in possession of the weapon I greatly desire to study. He was a remarkably taciturn person, even for a dwarf. With his bright red beard, I shall call him Flame.
As we feasted upon a meal prepared by invisible servants, the Patron explained the power structures of our enemy. 80 years ago, when the Old One was imprisoned, the Horned Lands were taken over by bandit kings. Called the Dread Presences, they whipped the humanoids into semblance of an army. They had deep connections into realms of the fiends, and many of them could be found leading and supporting the humanoid forces.
In recent years, their combined forces laid waste to large portions of the Shield Lands, taking control of vast swathes of territory. But when the Old One escaped in 583, he returned to the Horned society and put an end to the Dread Presences. Officially. But this has left Molag as a cipher for our patrons. Who is in charge? Demons, Heirarchs, puppets of Iuz? Are their enemies of our enemies among the city that might be exploited? With the involvement of the lower plains, what horror might they be crafting within the city? That is what we are to uncover, if possible. I care little. Iuz is the spawn of the Witch-Queen, and her predations of my homeland in ages past make him my enemy by default.
The next morning, we travelled with our enlarged party to another town that was being fortified. Once just a small provincial town, it swelled with uncountable numbers of workers and tradespeople. The streets were crowded beyond capacity. The town shipyards were being expanded and multiple hulls were under construction. Despite the enforced peace, or perhaps because of it, preparations for renewed war were advancing at a frenetic pace. Our Patron left us to secure transport for the morning, and I am glad to be rid of his overwhelming presence. It was like standing on a precipice while watching an approaching storm. Only the foolish would ever be in such a position.
This group is an odd collection. The Beastman and The Burned One had slipped away before we entered the town, each with their own concerns. The remainder of us settled into the Old Beholder Inn for the evening, eating and drinking quietly. My new companions paid little attention to the going’s on around them, barely commenting on the mutterings of the rumor mill. An old enemy may have passed through recently. Ships bearing the flag of Iuz seen on the great river. Groups of humanoids skirmishing with each other on the far banks. Little seemed to hold their interest. For sell-swords, they find little joy in life. I cannot understand their emotional state.
Geshtai carry us safely upon this endeavor.
Bear 18- Grounded again.
The last few days have been a trial. I detest boats, and travel upon the water. The wide, cold river brings only anxiety. We departed in pre-dawn darkness, travelling down the tributary onto the great river. Half a mile across, at least, it flowed dark and cold, carrying us downstream. Our Rhennee captain steered a course in the middle of the channel. We seldom had to paddle to maneuver. With 3 days and nights ahead of us, we split our assignments. Myself, Light, and Flame took the day shift, allowing the keen eyes of The Stranger, Whisper, and the beastman to assist the Rhennee at night. All went well during the day.
In the middle of the night, a group of the beastmen attacked us. In middle of the dark, cold river! How they managed to intercept us we may never know. But there they were. The Beastmen were competent fighters. They were able to tread water while wielding spiked shields and tridents. Our troop held their own and dispatched them quickly. Stranger used his dark magics to shift from the bow to the stern to protect the Rhennee. The rest of us used blades and magic to dispatch them. In the darkness on a crowded, rocking boat, it was a harrowing experience. My dreams afterward were dark, and filled with terrible, gurgling screams.
The next day, Light sternly reminded me that using flame-based spells while on a wooden boat may not have been the best choice in the previous battle. It weighed heavily upon my all the day. Seeking inspiration, I was able to tune my magical tool to emit bright radiant energy as well as flame. With luck it would be safer should we be attacked again.
That night, the night crew passed a large galley of human slaves and humanoids rowing upriver. The vessel bore the flag of Iuz. Fortunately, the Rhennee was able to maneuver the vessel unnoticed by the larger ship.
The next day again passed uneventfully until we approached a landing spit just upriver from the large Fort. As the boat bumped against one of the sandbars, a huge shape burst out of the water. I was able to quickly release a shower of glittering particles to assist in targeting the abomination. Those at the front of the barge were exposed to its horrid stench and withering claws. This was no normal troll. I adjusted my combat device to produce some shielding for my allies, but it was limited use. Within moments Shadow and Light both fell to its attacks after exchanging a few blows. Light was able to get them back into the fight with his healing prayers. The Stranger and I both missed repeatedly with fire attacks, allowing the creature to heal. As it moved to attack me, I finally recognized it as a Rot troll. I dodged one barrage of blows, and the party managed to fell the creature.
A group of soldiers from the nearby Fort arrived shortly afterwards and escorted us into town. As we recover, I wonder if the rot troll is a sign of things to come. Could this be one of the things our Parton was mentioning? Old enemies altered through horrific experimentations to create new, more powerful monstrosities?
Al’Asran grant us strength for the trials to come.
Bear 18- The Spear Tip
I had expected some rest when the guard brought us to the small barracks. A chance to clean up and recover after days on the river. Alas, I barely had time to wash my hands and feet, and jot down my previous entry before we were summoned again.
The local commander seemed a competent person. His chambers were small and sparse, speaking little of the ill-gotten wealth many in his position descend to. He seemed to welcome an opportunity to unburden himself of worry. The evil capital across the water occupied his thoughts. A black dragon and a group of fire giants have been seen. Rumors of food riots and fights between the goblinoid bands. Troops supported by The Old Wicked refusing to work with remnants of the Dread Presences. Infernal creatures working openly within the city. But at least the shrieking hell-bats seemed to have returned to their planes. All in all, he painted a rather bleak picture of the state of affairs on his side. He was clever, casually probing about our mission, doubting the papers which freed the boatman and his crew. I must give my compatriots credit, they revealed very little.
Evening in our quarters went quietly, until the pre-dawn hours. Alarm bells awoke us, and we quickly turned to our familiars and assistants for news. Fire giants had waded half-way across the river and were hurling flaming balls of pitch & grass at the fortress. Stones hurled a great distance by the heavy trebuchets on the far bank crashed into the walls. And a voice echoed across the entire fortress, challenging the commander to fight one-on-one with someone. Light grew curious, despite the group’s decision to remain hidden. She returned with news that some humanoid in dark armor and with red glowing eyes stalked the far shore, shouting the challenge we all heard.
If this is a sampling of our foes, may Istus weave threads of safety around us.
Bear 19- Strangers in a Strange Land.
The next day, we joined the Rhennee band at their barge. I prudently advised the group to place their valuables in my magic bag, and set Sadhih to watch it. His crew was exactly as I had imagined- drunks, cutthroats, thieves, and harlots. I can see why the tower commander was glad to be rid of them. Still, they were competent enough, even bearing a little magic to fog the banks to aid our ruse.
Upon our arrival at the docks, the Rhennee moved quickly to unload, hampered only by a nosy black robed priest of Old Wicked. Only our dwarf seemed to catch its eye. All the rest of us, by virtue of our appearance, demeanor, or clever acting, escaped its notice.
The beastman, who had slipped onboards as we departed, travelled again with us as we escorted our cargo to a warehouse. He spotted an adversary of his in the crowd, and set off after him. The Stranger and Flame shouted that he could recognize them, and so myself, Whisper and Light set off in pursuit as well. He knew the city, and the chase wound through markets and tenements for some time. Eventually, we were led into an abandoned store that was a gnoll den. As the gnolls moved to intercept us, the betrayer escaped.
I must admit I enjoyed fighting the gnolls. Savage creatures without a mote of civility, driven entirely by bloodlust. I sent a line of acid across 3 of them, and they were too stubborn or stupid to stop fighting and brush it off. In the small confines of the store, our fighters more than held their own. Light seemed distracted by the gnolls, unable to connect on her attacks. Perhaps the bipedal feliform nature distressed her. Silent was torn between engaging our foes and searching for the traitor. My own contribution, a sphere of invigoration, aided the fighters- allowing them to shrug off minor scrapes and tears that would have otherwise slowly worn them down. While not as satisfying as a blasting sphere, it was quite effective. Our losses were minimal. Sadhih fell to one of the gnolls, but I shall rebuild him after journaling. The small coinage (17 sp, 9 gp, 2 pp) we recovered will pay for it.
The Beastman continued to search for the traitor, but we returned to the cart to meet our companions. Now, we rest in the warehouse “guarding” casks of fine liquor. The Rhennee will be selling it off over the next ten-day, at most. A local thief and reprobate named Greeley is the lead watchman here. I assume he is quite skilled, for the meal he provided to us was far better than I expected in this hells-adjacent city. He also liked to talk while he drinks.
The city used to be the capital, and ruled by 13 Hierarchs and supported by priests of Nerull. During the Blood Moon Festival 583, Old Wicked’s forces attacked the city. Huge battle, with humanoids & infernal on both sides. Most hierarchs dead, most infernals scattered or sent back. Iuz now rules through his priests, and military advisors posing as infernal. He mumbled something about Zuggtmoy, but by that time he was quite incoherent. The Rhennee crew put him to bed.
Good riddance, I say. Hopefully, this will be a quiet night, though the sounds of Inhumans carousing outside the building is unnerving.
Bear 19- Claws from the Darkness
We are betrayed! Greeley, the main guard at the warehouse, transformed into a werewolf and attacked us! He burst from his office, covered in the blood of the Rhennee guards who were with him. As we jumped up from our sleeping pallets, the door to the warehouse burst open as well. 4 armed thugs entered, and were quite surprised to find both our group, and a werewolf! A bad night for thievery.
I was certain we were doomed. Channelling one of my last 2 spells into my orb, I set it to protecting us once again, and then used my last prepared spell to cover two of the foes with acid. Stranger took the lead against the bandits, exchanging dark-energy blasts with their crossbowmen. Light and Flame went toe-to-toe with the lycan. Time and again, the beast’s attacks were slowed or turned aside entirely by the pale orange web of energy from my orb. My allies, scared and exhausted, fought quite brilliantly. I fell back on my fire-lance cantrip, helping as I could. Three of the four bandits fell, the fourth running out into the night. Finally, the lycan fell, with no one being bitten. A quick search found a small chest of 27 cp. 14 sp, and 13 gold. In the chaos, we hadn’t noticed that Whisper was missing. Checking his bedding, he had left a note saying he was going to look for our beastman, who had not returned.
Praise Istus for our fates this night.
Bear 20- Coin and conflict
I used my skills to rebuild Sadhih this morning. It felt good to have my confidant back. He spent most of the day recording the events since he was disassembled in battle.
The Rhennee captain arrived to recover his barrels and take them to the dockside tavern he had recruited. He was quite saddened at the loss of his crew, but grateful for our assistance. Setting aside his feelings, he quickly pushed the half-orc teamsters he hired into work. I watched the teamsters work for a time. The barrels of wine were tierce sice. 42 gallons of wine at 8 pounds per gallon, yet a pair of them handled each quite ably.
The inn he was using had a good reputation despite its run-down appearance. The owner/operator was known as Sheriff, for his strict enforcement of his rules. The large human bore the scars and wear of that enforcement. He spent the day watching the proceedings while breaking down 1 cask into individual bottles for resale.
I never put much thought into the economics of smuggling, but the day passed quite slowly. So musing upon it was enlightening. Typically, 42 gallons of wine per tierce. So, roughly 210 bottles per barrel. Black Pomarjj bottles went for 2 gold in the finer taverns of Greyhawk. Assuming double price for smuggling. The tierce were 32 inches in diameter at the belly and just about 3 and a half feet tall. His barge could easily carry dozens of barrels. By Mogoul, I am in the wrong business. No wonder most tavern owners took only portions of barrels, and only the richest nobles could take an entire tierce.
As the day waned, a strange grey dwarf came in. Red was clearly unnerved by him, perhaps it has something to do with dwarven politics. The Rhennee clearly knew him- a major domo for an important Duke. Gray wished to purchase 2 casks. As they began negotiating, a drow stepped out of a dark corner of the inn, startling all of us. Snapper, as he was referred to, wished to purchase all that was left for his mistress, the high Priest of Iuz- even at twice the price. Tensions flared, as it was clear there was some rivalry between the two- or perhaps their houses. The Rhennee spoke quietly to Gray, receiving a punch to the face for his diplomatic efforts. Gray stormed off, and Snapper finished his business, chuckling lightly at his victory as he disappeared into the shadows once again.
Snapper’s stealth prompted all of us to spare a moment for our missing companions. The beastman had been gone for an entire day now. Whisper was missing since the evening. We discussed sending Sadhih and the Stranger’s bird out to look for them, but felt that was too unlikely to amount to anything.
As the evening drew on, a group of roughly a dozen orcs came in to drink. They were dressed in the livery of the Kasdan navy. Sheriff was unhappy as these troublemakers had been here before. Predictably, they picked a fight with Light, being both female and elf. The Stranger and I tried to defuse the event by turning it into a bet, and that seemed to help a bit. While the orc used his weapon, Whisper kept to unarmed strikes. She slapped the poor orc unconscious, much to the ill humor of his fellow sailors. When the Sheriff distracted them with free drinks, we quickly made our exit.
Zouken’s Fist, it was an inspiring fight!
Bear 21- Talking Shop
In the morning, Red used a Sending to contact the beastman, with no success. But today was the day to get into the city proper, so we spent little time worrying about this ill omen at the time. The teamsters were quick to arrive again, as our little booze convoy was on the move. Light and Red kept covered as best they could, with the Stranger and I trying to draw any attention to us instead. Fortunately, neither the hobgoblin patrols or the circling black dragon took any interest in our small convoy.
The city radiated despair, permanently tainted by decades of association with God of Dread. Gibbets lined the road to the city gate, filled with the dead and dying. Ghouls skulked among them, waiting for flesh. A few sad farms filled the land between the docks and the city, but the land was barren of trees and buildings. Moving from the docks to the city would be exposed completely to the defenders of the walls. The gate itself was massive and well fortified. Horned, barbed, and bearded devils could be seen lounging in the battlements above it. Stranger and I discussed how unusual it was for devils to associate with Iuz, the cambion of a demon lord. The Blood War was a matter of fact, as well as legend, to mortals of the Flanaess. I quietly used my artifice to capture an image of the gate approach on a small clay tablet. Perhaps the visual will be useful to our patrons.
At the gate itself, the Rhennee quickly bribed the guards to let us pass. But that same priest of Iuz from the docks was there. He made a point of indicating the gibbet nearest to the gate. Inside, the corpse of our beastman friend. The priest confirmed he suspected our party of bringing it into the docks, but did not move to arrest us. Still, we knew we would be suspect from here forward. The priest warned us to be out of the city by nightfall.
The docks are may have been depressing, but inside the walls was absolute squalor. Mud filled streets ran in a circle around a second, inner wall. What could only charitably be described as buildings lay haphazardly along the walls. Most were closer to tents or yurts of the poorest design. The city was covered in a haze of foul smelling smoke, blowing down from the north side of the city. Hobgoblins wearing horned society livery patrolled the streets. Slaves and oppressed non-humans moved slowly about their business. They seemed less animated that the occasional zombie or skeleton moving about on some errand. There wasn’t a mote of hope or happiness within the city.
We moved slowly clockwise from the eastern gate, stopping at the occasional tavern or whorehouse for deliveries. It was evident that the city was divided along racial lines- south and east are the nonhumans. Their dwellings more like undergound dens or covered nests. On the west and north were the human bandit allies. Their hovels were relatively better kept, and continued to improve as we approached the north-west side of the wall. Here, there were proper mansions. Well kept, but smoke and soot covered due to their proximity to the Flame Shops, the great forges of the city.
We saw many gnomes and dwarves in chains, laboring over anvils quenching forgings in foul-smelling oil barrels. Fire-giants manned vast forges. Other craftsman worked wood and leather, crafting weapons for the coming war. Privately, I mused that there might be an opportunity for a slave revolt here. But I kept it to myself for fear of enraging Red into something foolhardy. As we approached the largest mansion, we could spy a massive human working atop his own forge. Stepping down to meet him, he donned his armor. He was the creature on the bank a few nights before! In his armor, he clearly looked like a devil- a fact he remarked upon as if it was a great joke. He invited all of us in to sample the vintage, clearly starved for conversation. His major-domo and a few servant boys attended us.
I must admit, his equipment was fascinating. I indulged my curiosity as he sipped his wine, talking forgings, artifice, and magical enchantments. I was even able to engage Red in some of this shop talk. The Warduke, as he was called, gloated more and more as he drank. He relished in showing off all of his armaments. He didn’t like the Iuz priests at all, but was stuck with them when the Old One removed the heirarchs. But they were stuck with him as well. Some time ago, all the devils and demons fled the city and cannot return. Althea, a name unknown to us, had hired him to impersonate a demon-lord – this was critical to maintaining the ruse. We asked him about the devils along the walls and he laughed- they were demihumans with disguises and illusions. What a joke! The fools across the river were terrified of play acting! As the soporific effects of the black wine took hold, he muttered that the only thing he truly feared was what the priests might be doing with the wagonloads of dragon eggs that have come into the city in the last 6 months.
With him ‘taking an afternoon nap’ as his aide told is, we quickly departed his manor. Honestly, I do not know how much of his story was true. If both Iuz and the Heirarchs used infernals as military commanders, then their sudden disappearance might be the reason why various non-human armies had clashed in the past. Perhaps, if there is an opportunity, we should capture on of the ‘fiends’ and see if that is the truth. A dangerous proposition indeed.
Bear 21- Resolve into Focus
Our deliveries took us into the Inner City itself. Bone Devils guarded the small portcullis gate. The inner city itself was far more desolate than the outer city. It appeared largely abandoned except for pockets of troops. The Rhennee noted a lone barbed devil, gnawing on bones, and suggested it might be an opportunity to verify what we were told. Sadhih and I attempted to converse in infernal with the creature, but it was clear it did not understand its native tongue. It quickly devolved into a melee, with everyone piling on the creature. Its attacks were with claw and tail, so it wasn’t an illusion. But the hobgoblin it returned to when it died showed us it was some form of shape change. Quickly, we posed the body as an unconscious drunk and made to leave.
We were approached by some kind of dragon-man. Unable to understand it, The Stranger used his telepathic connection to establish discourse. Dragon creature was aggressive, but not looking for a fight at the moment. Several other similar creatures were in a courtyard nearby- the sanitarium, the Rhennee informed us. As we drove on, we quietly discussed whether this might be the end result of the dragon eggs we were told were being brought into the city. Some kind of bipedal half-dragon abomination could be a true menace for any opposed to them.
Eventually, we arrived at the Palace of the hierarchs and were escorted around to the loading dock. Everything went well until the Stranger and Flame were spotted by the traitor from earlier. He fled, and a brief, terse argument between the Stranger and I occurred. Discretion being a better choice, we finished unloading and quickly fled. A short time later, 2 orogs stopped us and extorted a toll. While the Rhennee was negotiating, the traitor and a Drow priestess accosted us. I must admit to a smug glance at the Stranger as we faced greater enemies here than we would have earlier. Flame squared off against the orgos while Light went after the traitor. The Stranger and I tried to keep the priestess off guard, including a stellar intuition and Counter spell from my warlock friend. The priestess mistook the Rhennee as our leader, afflicting him with blindness- which was a waste of her resources. My protector device shielded the team against multiple blows, though my spells missed more often than not. Light fell, to be quickly revived by Flame. He took several harsh hits in doing so. The traitor fell first, then the orogs, then the priestess. It was all over in less than a minute, but the noises echoed through the empty inner city. Tossing the bodies onto the wagon, we took off.
Our wagon charged through the outer city and past the gates, raising alarms but moving too quickly to be stopped. We barely made it back to the river before the entire city was up in arms. I made sure the priestess’ corpse was loaded onto the raft- even the dead can answer questions. Light ensured the traitor’s body was lost into the river- a fitting end for such duplicitous trash. We desperately poled our way into the current. My worst fears were realized as the black Dragon rose and moved towards us. I am not ashamed to say I was truly terrified of the beast, cowering under any cover I could. It made one pass against our raft, burning holes in the craft and wounding several sailors. Still, we survived, somehow.
I was told that Bigby himself came to our aid, matching his arcane skills against the physical might of the dragon. His arcane fist grappled with the creature and sent it crashing into the river. That gained us enough time to escape, and the dragon retreated back to the city. It was Bigby himself who met with us later as we recovered to debrief us. It is clear that Iuz controls the city through his proxies and ethe hierarchs are no more. All of the infernals and abyssals that were once enforcers for both the Hierarchs and Iuz are gone, as if banished. The mages and priests use their spells to maintain the illusion of extra support, while someone has evidently bred some kind of half-dragon abominations to eventually take their place. Bigby was appreciative of our efforts and rewarded us handsomely. Perhaps adventuring is more profitable than smuggling after all.
Al’Akbar rewards those that execute their duty faithfully.
Lion 23- Time Flies
Zuoken forgive me, for I have been remiss in journaling. Our adventure in Molag provided both intellectual and financial stimulation sufficient to command my attention. Our patron Divinity has left us to our own devices for more than a month. A month in the Free City! He provided me with a small chamber to use a lab, and a smaller bedchamber. Consumed by the spirit of Al’Zarad, I barely spoke to my companions at all this month. I barely used my billet. Sadhih fetched meals and implored me to eat at annoying regular intervals.
It is obvious to me now that my offensive powers are insufficient. With only the four of us, too much of the martial burden has fallen upon Light and Flame. Stranger’s is a powerhouse at a distance, and I needed to match him. I thought perhaps, when I prove such potency is available through other means, he might start re-evaluating the eldritch entity with whom he has entered into a bargain.
My Universal Tool is a powerful focus, but it could be better. Many pages of this journal document my various attempts at enhancing and focusing its energies. Many failures. So many failures. One sent me reeling from my rooms to avoid caustic fumes, another costing me the hair on my right arm, beard & eyebrow. Eventually, I settled upon a series of lenses & guides built along the top of my shield. This provided the stability and resilience to handle the extra stress. My initial tests seem to indicate a power boost by a third, roughly.
I didn’t completely forget my new allies. I produced a salve for each of them. It is quire superior to those potions pedaled in the streets. Not only will it treat and protect wounds, it also provide a reinvigoration when used as an inhalant. I estimate it to have twice the restorative powers of those so-called Potions of Healing.
Emerging at last, I realize I have missed much Spring, Al’Asran forgive me. It is a mere 5 days until Growfest, 9 until the Spring Equinox. The Free City was a tumult of different races all preparing to celebrate in their own ways. I indulged myself in the Tea Market, browsing the baskets of fresh-picked leaves. I even placed a few coins on my favorites to win the tea competition that is on the equinox. The Backlunii maintain a small quarter in the free city. Proper food, entertainment, and pipe always works wonders upon the spirit. Mougol abjure, I don’t not seek to speak ill of my patron. But he is Oerdian, and their palate lacks refinement. His kitchen reflects it.
Today, we were summoned to a meeting with a new potential client. He was a rotund, well dressed, and affluently accessorized dwarf. I found him a bit garish, so I will omit his name here. He was a member of the Jewelers Guild, and need a troupe to investigate a mine in the nearby Cairn Hills. The output has been steadily dropping over the last few weeks, and miners are going missing. This is problematic going into a festival week. There is money to be spent, and the gems must flow to the jewelers. The Stranger and Light took the lead, inquiring about the encampment. Roughly 80 souls worked there, a mix of races. It was a newer mine, still being developed. He offered 200 gp each, rations, and a wagon to investigate, with the promise of further reward if we resolved the issue. Flame expressed concern when the dwarf mentioned that there were no bodies of the missing. The Cairn Hills, he informed us, were named that for a reason. The Accursed were known to prowl their burial sites. Ever the optimist, we decided to set out early tomorrow.
Istus guide us upon the morrow.
Lion 24- Field Testing
We had a most peculiar meeting on the way to the mining settlement. At a crossroads, a mounted bugbear greeted us. Distracted by his clean appearance, fine clothing, and excellent equine livery, we did not attack. Nor did he, which was more odd. The Stranger took the opportunity to speak with him, exchanging pleasantries. We neither gave nor received much information, yet he seemed pleased with the interaction. He turned his horse and went back the way he came. The Stranger said he spoke to the creature in its head, but there was no shock or surprise at that.
At mid-day, we reached the site. It was devastated. Many small huts were smashed and collapsed, with evidence of fire. Only the largest building in the center remained intact. It was quiet, and we saw no one until we knocked on its door. Inside, 20 or so miners hid behind crude fortifications at the windows. Their leader let us know that the attacks were escalating. It started out with miners going missing after they uncovered a newer tunnel in the lowest mine level. 4 nights ago the first attack came. Small dwarf-like creatures and a large living rock attacked the buildings and smashed them. The people were uncertain what happened to those inside. No bodies were found. Light asked about undead, but the miners didn’t recall any. But they did recall magical darkness being used, so they couldn’t rule them out. Nor have they seen the strange bugbear we described. The cowards were truly of little help. They agreed to stay in the building and watch our horses while we investigated. I suspect that both will be gone when we return.
The mine entrance was nearby, and we quickly descended to the lowest level. It was pitch black here, despite numerous human miners. My companions, of course, had less issue. Sadhih could see as well, and sat upon my head, steering me like a riding mule with kicks to the temples. It didn’t really matter, though. Soon, we approached a lit section of tunnels where 4 miners were toiling under the supervision of 4 drow. They were picking at the wooden support, attempting to collapse the tunnel. The Stranger paused, and I assumed made telepathic contact with one of the miners. His reaction caused him to pause, and the drow beat him to his knees. Which was enough for us.
Flame and Light moved forward to engage the drow, but the narrow passage and cowering miners congested the narrow passage. Stranger attacked with his eldritch energy blasts. I was eager to try out my modifications, but my first and second fire beams went wide. But it was only a few moments before 2 of the drow fell and the others retreated. We spent a few moments inspecting the bodies and talking with the miners. The bodies yielded no clues about their intentions or affiliation. The miners told us of a large group of them that were captured over the last week and put to work deeper in the mines. Most distressing was the poor functioning of my new weapon. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why it wasn’t functioning correctly. As we moved along, I spoke quietly to Sadhih on it, discussing the structure and lensing. And walked into yet another ambush.
Six drow were waiting in an area where the tunnels expanded into a natural cavern. We caught a glimpse of a spellcaster of some kind, a drow female, and then the tunnel was plunged into magical darkness. Stranger, by whatever unholy pact he made, could see through the darkness. And as the rest of us blundered forward, he pummeled her with a pair of blasts that broke her concentration. She replaced it with a targeting glow, catching Fire as the only one of our group. I did the same, managing to catch 2 of the 4 I could have. I laughed at her lack of prowess, Al Ak’bar forgive. Poor Flame was pummeled with multiple poisoned arrows. Even his impressive dwarf stamina succumbed eventually. My three companions made short work of these underdwellers. For my part, my modifications continued to need fine tuning. But eventually I found the portion of my inscription that was incorrect. With a quick scribe, I was able to resolve it. The resultant blast channeled all the energy I had expected, and quite a bit that was ‘stuck’ as a residual. The poor drow was reduced to ash by the overwhelming fire.
We inspected the corpses, but they still did not possess anything that revealed their intent. Just tattoos and necklaces with spider motifs. The cavern connected to several mining tunnels, and a natural side passage beyond some collapsed stone. Clearly, this is the ‘new tunnel’ the miners were referring to. Again, our lack of clear leadership raised its head, and we spent considerable time discussing whether to forge ahead or check the remainder of the intersecting mining passages for other ambushers. We doubled back and spent 10 or 15 minutes exploring the darkened mining tunnels. They were empty. But yet again, the cavern wasn’t.
This time it was a spellcaster with 2 giant spiders. They filled the cavern with webs as our fighters ran forward. This caster was clever. She dispelled the spiders as soon as they had done their job slowing our approach, and then used some kind of magical gem to summon a creature of the earth behind them. Light managed to break free and go after the caster. The elemental attempted to stop her, allowing the Stranger and I to slip into the passage and target its mistress. Sadhih, poor little thing, was tasked to carry a large lantern into the cavern to illuminate my target. Four on one are poor odds, and her spellcasting was uniformly ineffectual. She fell to Light’s blade, assisted by the holy rays from Flame guiding her attacks. Lacking a mistress, the elemental collapsed to dust.
I believed that she summoned the creature with some kind of token; indeed we did find a gem-encrusted rock in her possession. It will need identification to see if it is still viable.
The natural passage wound south for sometime, opening up into a larger cavern. This must have been where the drow were encamped- bedding and personal effects lay scattered around the edges of the cavern. To the north, a door had been wedged into an outcropping, creating a small room. Spiders covered the wall in ritualistic scrawling. The priestess' chambers, with a bed and table, and chest. We relieved it of the 750 or so mixed coins, as well as a scroll of protection against plants and a vial of liquid that I could not identify. In the main cavern, a passage to the southwest opened into a shrine or temple of some sort. Dozens of candles lit the room, and an earthen altar dominated the far side. Evidence of blood sacrifice was clear, but there were no bodies. Some twisted elemental magics must have been performed here. As a precaution, we removed the small pile of gemstones on the altar. They could carry a terrible drow curse, and it wouldn’t do to let them into the general public.
Last, the southern passage turned quickly into a chattel room. 20 prisoners sat shackled to each other along the walls. More miners. As we freed them, they confirmed they were captured over the last week. More of them were taken through the exit to the south, their fates unknown. We escorted them back to the main mining tunnel and bid them return to the surface and join their fellows. We would continue on, to rescue the others.
Azol’alq grant me courage for what is to come.
Lion 24- New Allies
As the miners moved out, we decided to accompany them back to the surface. It was prudent given their condition. We had a large stash of unapraised gems, and 750 in various coins. Almost as much as the 200 gold each we were offered for resolving this issue. And a gem that might be able to summon an earth elemental. Perhaps. Overall, a decent result of our efforts.
Someone else had arrived at the mining camp during our expedition. A few wagons were dispensing food and medical assistance to the miners. A large tent had been set up, and we were ushered inside. Fine furnishings and low tables with warm beverages and treats were a welcome rest for us after our exertions in the deeps. A dwarf lord by the name of Baron Rodrigo Costa had arrived to provide assistance to the miners. He held a financial interest in the mines, and others across the region. We relayed our tale, and he was particularly interested in the temple and the drow tunnels. He has been seeking a lost dwarven city from a time when the elves and dwarves were not so estranged. Abandoned after an earthquake, it was further destroyed by evil creatures warring over the ruins. Specifically, he was searching for a series of magic swords called the Shards of the Day within Dylvwyllynn
I must admit I do not recall much of the conversation after this point, for he removed a elegantly crafted sword from a secure chest. Called the Sword od Dawn, it captivated me. Sadhih and I immediately began documenting and probing the sword for inlays, metals, and details. We filled several pages with sketches and details. It was clearly magical, holding its razor-like edge and unblemished sheen. Its metal rippled with delicate colors of blues and pinks, as if it was reflecting the pre-dawn sky unsullied by the smoke and pollution of civilization.
Evidently, my companions agreed to recover three swords and a hemisphere-like holder for the sum of 2000 gold each while I worked. No matter, I would have taken the assignment for free to be close to such creations. Briefly, I perked up when Baron Costa mentioned that the Sword of Dawn had the ability to find the Sword of Twilight. The Sword of Noon and Midnight he had no idea how to find. We would have ample opportunity to experiment on the artifact.
We wound our way back underground, through the mines and the small temple complex, and down a long descending tunnel. Flame noted that it looked like it was dug in a hurry, if such things are possible for a tunnel that we traversed for over an hour. Perhaps those fleeing the ancient city created an emergency exit of some sort. It ended in a small cavern, roughly 250 feet across, with numerous dwarven statues ruined by age, quake, or malice scattered about it. A large gatehouse blocked the far end of the cavern. Numerous darkened windows flanked a ruined gate. Skeletons hung from spider-silk across the gateway like a gruesome curtain. All were long dead and not our missing miners. We cautiously worked past them, lest we disturb the monstrous arachnids that crafted it. Inside, numerous passageways led to other portions of the gatehouse. All but 1 were collapsed. And the one remaining was trapped.
Three gray dwarves emerged behind us, pulling a barrier across our escape path. From further along the corridor, four more appeared, two mounted upon riding lizards A pair of monstrous spiders dropped from the ceiling. It was a brutal fight. Flame called upon Moradin, filling the air with vaporous hammers which damaged foes around him. The Stranger and I managed to side-step most of the combatants, slaying one spider int the process. I was able to activate my cannon, this time in the form of a small metallic dragon. Its cone of fire worked well against both lizard and rider. The lizards could climb walls! Easily maneuvering their riders around the combat, they presented more of a challenge than the other duergar. Flame and Light’s defenses proved the fulcrum of the fight- keeping the enemy in tight formation where the Spirit Guardians could wear them down.
We rested for a bit in a side passage where the guards had made camp. A few meager coins (8 gold, 47 silver, 42 copper) and 100 gold worth of poorly crafted jewelry were all we found. A small enclosed antechamber full of webs led to another small room just beyond. A Snirvneblin was chained here, and the Stranger used his telepathic powers to speak to the poor creature. We provided food and water as he told us of his troop’s attempts to carve an enclave out of a portion of the city that lay just beyond. Duergar and Drow also were resident in the city. He offered us safe haven with his people for the night.
The city itself was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was massive, stretching out of light and sight in every direction we looked. In parts, it towered above us, built into cliffsides. Other areas were small stone buildings stacked side by side, clearly the residences of the poor at one time. Larger buildings, like factories and warehouses, were clustered in another area. Still others were clearly once temples and houses of worship and commerce. I used up all four of my memory stones to capture images to encompass what I saw. Everywhere there were signs of ruin and pillage. Metal and stone remained, but wooden doors, shutters, and furnishings were absent. Whether taken for firewood or rotted away by the numerous fungal growths we could not say. We followed our guide for hours as he wound a deliberately convoluted path deep into the narrow alleys of what could have been warehouses. Their enclave was beyond sentries and a concealed gate, and we were cautiously welcomed. Their leader Urzago was thankful their wayward member was returned. He confirmed our story about gray dwarves and the dark elves, and our missing miners. He even offered to help us, for a price. An eyeball monster had taken up residence in another section of the cave-city that was their path to a vast fungal garden. They needed access for food and needed us to get rid of the creature.
We all feared the potential of a beholder, though I think few if any of us had ever seen, let alone contended with one. They offered little intelligence, only that those who went there never came back. We debated at great length as the ‘evening’ came. It was the vast, labyrinthine nature of the city that informed our decision. We could spend days searching for the lost miners, and the sword. These deep gnomes could scout much larger territories far quicker than us. So the next morning, we planned to head off to confront Urzago’s eyeball-monster problem.
May Istus guide our fate on the morrow.
Lion 25- Darkness Surrounds us
Morning came, if such a thing can be said underground. It did seem as if certain species of bioluminescent fungus have a natural cycle to their brilliance. The enclave of these dark gnomes has gone from completely dark to having just the faintest glow. I can see the common folk dart about, just outside of the beam of Sadhih’s lantern cone. I must be a clumsy, bumbling giant to them, constantly bumping into and tripping over things. My companions, an elf, half elf, and dwarf, also snicker behind my back, I am certain.
We joined the foraging party and headed out of the warehouse district had fortified. We travelled about a hour through a series of tunnels and natural caverns, steadily climbing. As we approached the cavern of the eyeball monster, our guides pulled back. I cast enlarge on Light, and Flame called upon Moradin to Bless our efforts. Light moved ahead and took aim at the floating giant eye. A single arrow pierced the creature, and it exploded into a massive gas cloud. She dodged out of the way, pulling her cloak across her mouth. Flame stood stoically in the cloud. Dwarves have some natural tolerance to poisonous gasses found in the underground. We moved forward into the natural cavern. It was a tall, chimney-like formation, with a tall ceiling. Some strange kind of half-drow, half spider dropped out of the darkness in front of us, and a quartet of spiders fell among us. We walked right into its trap.
Flame, Stranger and myself set to work against the spiders, while Light fired arrows at the creature. The abomination could cast spells, sending a shower of glowing spider-shaped sparks at our group. I was the only one unfortunate enough to be coated in them, and I glowed like a torch in the darkness.
As an aside, Flame informed me that the abomination was called a Drider. I’m not certain how much of his tale was truth and how much veiled hatred of an underground foe, but the Spider Queen cursed Drow who failed her tests of power, turning them into these things. The combination of pain from the transformation and shame of failure made them violent and aggressive.
This Drider didn’t seem overly aggressive, however. It fired arrows rapidly at our group as we used spells and Flame’s summoned weapon against it. Eventually, it broke and ran off down another tunnel. We pursued for a short time, but lost track of it in the dark, barren tunnels. We re-gathered the foragers and moved forward.
Some period of time later, we climbed into a large cavern. A large spire rose out of the middle of it, and the floor was covered in moss and fungus of a startling variety. Many glowed softly, casting the entire area in a undulating dim light in a wide variety of colors. My companions told me that, with darkvision, it was as beautiful and vibrant as the cultivated gardens of Grayhawk.
As we rested, the workers went about gathering food. It was going to take them about an hour, they told us. Though how anyone can tell time in these darkened caverns is beyond me. Still, as we sat and observed, I began to notice the complexity and depth of this place. The gnomes gathered various fungus. Bluecap, they told me, produced massive amounts of flour-like spores that they gathered to make bread. Firelichen, an orange web-like organism, grew along the edges of the small streams and pools in the cavern. It was to be dried and turned into a spicy paste. Tall, thin mushrooms, almost 5 feet tall, were harvested. Trillimac stalks were cut into rounds and roasted. Flame swore that it tasted like much like lamb or roebuck. In this cave, the floor was covered with decaying matter which the fungi fed upon. I could hear cave crickets, and see small fish in one of the nearby pools, nibbling algae off the rocks. A centipede emerged from on of these pools, a small pale crayfish in its mandibles, only to be snatched up into the darkness by a large bat. The sounds of falling water, chittering of bats, and the quiet undercommon of the gnomes was actually quiet soothing. Even the foot long snail that nibbled slowly on my boot-leather was strangely calming.
But and adventurer’s life is never static, and soon my companions spotted a stairwell spiraling up the central pillar. We ascended cautiously, checking for traps, but found none. Passing through a hole in the cave roof, we found ourselves in another large cavern. This one was dominated by larger fungi. Later in the day, I asked Flame about these as well. Zurkhwood had gray strips along its exterior stalk. This could be removed without killing the fungus. Dwarves used the strips as paneling and shelving in their homes. Barrelstalk, wasn’t an actual fungus, but a true plant as big as an evergreen. It pulled water out of the ground and stored it inside in hollow chambers. Attached to the insides was brewer’s web, a lichen that sifted the waters for nutrients and produced carbon dioxide and alcohols that the plant used to grow. The web-like lichen was used like yeast to make dwarven beer. AllGill was a low, wide fungus that resembled a fern. Constantly producing glowing spores, they illuminated the entire area except for a dark, sandy, well-worn path stretching off into the dim light.
But at the moment, our concern was the dozen dwarf and gnome like creatures emerging from the undergrowth and blocking the path. They were glassy eyed and had fungal protrusions across the body. Flame called upon Moradin to rebuke the undead, to no effect. I used my cannon to spew fire at them, but they seemed non-plussed. The Stranger tried mentally connecting, but all he received was the overwhelming urge to chase us away. Wisely, we retreated back down the stairs. They did not follow. But the mushroom-men who accosted us once we reached the bottoma again were clearly agitated. Rather than risk the workers, we chose to accompany the Myconids to their leader.
The miasma of spores as we approached their colony effected us subtly at first. The colors became brighter and more vibrant, and we started to love the colony. We also understood their waffling, humming speech. Their leader stood among a series of concentric stone circles and conversed with us. The short of it was that it would allow the deep gnomes to harvest from the lower levels as they have been doing and would help guide us towards one of the swords we were seeking. In return, we needed to find an anti-dote to the poison the tentacled-ones were using against its people. It drove them mad, turning them against each other. It didn’t like the drow or dark dwarves much either. It warned us about the three guardians on our way to where the tentacled-ones live, and provided a couple of healing potions.
Following the mental map it imprinted upon us, we wound our way into a terraced section of the city built into one cliff-side. At one time, this must have been a wealthy section, with large villas and stone-walled gardens up against the walls, and a road along the outside drop-off. It was all ruin now. Again, I wondered at what this all may have been like in ages past, and exhausted Flame’s patience with my questions. Sadhih certainly expressed his frustrations as I sent him continually darting about with our lantern, looking at one unique thing or another.
Which is probably why the trolls we ran into were ready for us. The first one was straight-forward, rushing at us from under a pile of rubble. Flame and Light stood against it, while the Stranger and I pelted it with magic and fire. Both of our front-line fighters took some damage, but it fell quickly. The second one came later, and was trickier. It lured our fighters into closing with it, then clawed its own chest, spraying them with a poisonous spray. Each hit from a weapon caused more of this spray to coat our fighters. Flame was seemingly immune, which angered the troll greatly. But Light was seriously injured, falling unconscious. The Stranger and I managed to lure it away from our fallen ally while Flame tended to her. It eventually fell to our magics, but all of us were depleted from a day of battle and exploration. We retreated into a ruined home and barricaded ourselves within.
May Isutus watch over us tonight.
Lion 26- A meeting of the Minds
When we awoke in the morning, Light was missing. She held the last watch, but there was no sign of her. Perhaps the poison troll was too much for her, and she fled. Or perhaps she tired of the rest of us tripping over our own feat and sounding like an avalanche in this echoing space. Admittedly, that may be due to the Stranger, Flame, and my humble self lacking the skills to find our own footprints, much less any others. But there were promises to keep, so we continued on. A third guardian awaited us, so we moved cautiously.
The Spirit Troll glowed bright blue, so it was easy to see it coming. The Stranger and I started hitting it with fire and eldritch energy, and Flame engaged it. I activated my invigorating field generator, bolstering our resolve. But the troll’s attacks were more than just physical. It did not appear to damage the arms and armor, yet wounds appeared on wherever it contacted flesh. The body reflects what the mind believes. I feared we were outmatched. The Stranger saved us. He spotted a collar upon the troll, and made the quick decision that it must be some kind of control device. He managed to dispel whatever magic it held- quite a feat, he claimed! The creature turned and ran off down the path we were following. With luck, it would clear our way. I pocketed the collar for further study.
The path we followed entered into a tunnel that wound and wound through the darkness. Here and there was evidence that it was once a natural cave artificially widened by the dwarves. In places, side tunnels were collapsed or partially blocked. And in several places it appeared as if rubble had been cleared away in some time past. How grand this city must have been in its prime. I could imagine the passageway as a bustling thoroughfare filled with cartage and pedestrians. The passage ended in a modest cavern surrounding a small lake. A few dozen small domed buildings clustered near the shore, many in disarray. But light shone through the ruined door of one of them
Throwing caution aside, we entered. The main room took up half of the dwelling, with 2 doors leading further inward. Several oil lamps were lit in the room, illuminating a large table surrounded by many shelves. An acrid, acidic smell filled the air, emanating from several bubbling pots. Upon the shelves were a myriad of upturned and sealed human skulls, each bearing a label etched into it. A complete intact brain sat on a small table in one corner. Intrigued, I moved over to it. In a flash, it uncurled onto its 4 legs and attacked! Almost simultaneously, A tall, thin purple-skinned creature with a bald head and tentacles where its nose and mouth should have been, emerged from one of the interior doors. Istus smiled upon us, for my field generator was still active, shielding me from some of the raking claws. But I was horrified as I felt a presence in my mind, pushing at my consciousness, trying to suppress my thoughts. I pushed back mentally, recalling sounds and smells, the pain of the trauma from the troll, anything I could to bolster my mind-body connection. Success. Flame called upon his god, and the air filled with whisps of smoke and the sound of ringing hammers. The mind flayer and intellect devourer both recoiled from his guardian spirits, but could not escape it. In response, the flayer sent out a powerful burst of psychic energy, causing the Stranger to freeze in place. I tuned my arcane weapon slightly, and sent 3 bursts of fire into our foes, as Flame laid into them with his weapons. Another blast of psychic energy paralyzed Flame also. But by that time, its pet lay dead and it was sorely wounded. Seeing that I was on my feet and preparing another gout of flame, it disappeared.
After rousing my companions, we realized it must have teleported away. We quickly loaded everything we could into my bag. The skulls turned out to be alchemical component containers worth an exceptional price (2000 gp). We found the notes to making something called a Dust of Contrariness. This must have been what was afflicting the mushroom people. There also were several other items- a potion of speed, potion of mind reading, and oil of slipperiness. In the other rooms- a storeroom and bedroom, we quickly confiscated several books on the outer planes and other alchemical musings. I have several friends in various places who will be very interested in them.
We fled back to where we had encamped for the night. I had hoped Light would have returned, but she hadn’t. An hour’s rest and most of hour healing potions later, we were ready to make the long trek back. I made an attempt to read the books, but I lacked the ability to do so. The Stranger perused them as well. Whatever dark pact he has made, it allows him to read any written language. I will admit to a certain jealousy about that, but shudder at the potential cost in that trade.
We wandered our way back to the cavern of the myconids. They were grateful to receive all of the notes about the dust that was causing such tumult in their community. In exchange, we received the magical hemisphere that was part of the mythology of the magical swords. However, with Light missing, I could not experiment with it. Azol’alq preserve her. We also negotiated 3 healing salves out of them. Made from yet another subterranean plant, they functioned as well as the healing potions I could brew. Stranger took 1 and I kept a pair. Perhaps I could find a way to further enhance them. They assisted in our return to the deep-gnome warren. The little folk were glad to see us, thinking us lost to the creatures. Stranger explained what we knew of them, and suggested attempting to form an alliance for both groups benefit. We settled into an early evening in the relative safety of the warren. Sadhih and I had a lot of catching up to do in our books.
Zouken be praised that our mental fortitude held this day.
Lion 27- It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
Light had not returned when we set out the next morning. We left word on where we were going. The small gnome we rescued several days earlier set off with us as our guide. They explained that there was a lake over which the drow came and went. The boats arrived at no set interval. So if the miners were still in the city, that is where they would be. We travelled through their encampment and out to a wider road. Along one side, we entered a culvert and descended into a narrow, slippery tunnel with a modest slope. In a normal city, I would consider this the sewers. And it seemed to serve a similar function as it dumped out into a dark cave full of rotting smells, wet ground, and moldering piles of refuse everywhere. Ancient pottery shards and rotting metal bits shone out of the grey, rotting sludge. We should have expected something, but the centuries of dust and decay we had walked through lulled us. The trash-monster that burst out of the ground should not have caught us off-guard. It was a short, but brutal, fight. Despite its best efforts, it found Flame indigestible, repeatedly failing to stuff the dwarf into its maw. We spent some time fixing the bite dents in his armor afterwards. Our poor guide fared less well, being grabbed and knocked around by one of the tentacles. Reviving him, we decided he should guide from the middle of our group from now on. The Stranger called on his patron again to show him the auras of magic. He found a ring with a blue oval gem. Lines of gold crawled across the gem, giving it the appearance of a brain. He called it a Ring of Mind Shielding. Given how the mind-flayer quickly incapacitated him, Flame and I concurred that he should wear it from now on. Maybe that would make him useful when something assaulted his mind.
We climbed up into another drainage tunnel and followed it for a long time, emerging from the total darkness into a slightly less dark space. Or so my companions told me. Beyond the lantern light, everything was pitch black to me in the tunnels. But as my eyes adjusted to the wider space, the grandeur of this place left me awestruck. The lack was vast, far beyond anything I thought possible underground. The water had gentle waves lapping against the hard stone. Something in the water caused it to glow with a purplish hue. Stranger and Flame told me that, in darkvision, it ripples with colors from bright yellow to the a barely-perceptible violet. Here, the lake came into a sharp bay. Countless walkways stretched from tunnel openings out to large, extravagantly adorned buildings built on pillars coming out of the water, interconnecting and spanning one another in a beautiful web of worked stone. The large buildings, Flame explained, were likely once government buildings and temples. But the earthquake centuries ago had wrought the most damage here. Most of the bridges were broken, the buildings toppled into ruin. Yet the hint of the scale of the place remained.
We gradually worked our way along the less-ruined bridges and causeways until we reached an area clear of rubble. Here, the ground became fine powdered stone and the smallest, roundest of pebbles. A small wooden wall, more ornamental than functional, enclosed an area about 200 feet from the water and stretching off into the darkness on the sides. A large fountain stood along our path, still functional after centuries of neglect. Its water gently cascaded down several layers of catch pools. Our guide paused at another low wall and pointed down to the water. A small camp of tents sat alongside a crude wood and stone slab dock. A half dozen drow sat nearby. No boat was to be seen. We discussed attacking the camp, but the choice was taken out of our hands.
5 more drow emerged from the darkness beyond our sight, the bubbling fountain hiding their approach. Had they not yelled for us to surrender, they could have taken all of us by surprise. Instead, I offered them the chance to surrender, and they drew their weapons. Their leader, a spellcaster, cast a glittering dust upon us, but my two allies dodged aside. I responded with a scorching ray, but the enhanced rod didn’t function well. Sadhih sent a blast of force into one, dispatching it as he closed. Another one closed with the Stranger, landing a brutal cut with its weapon. The Stranger responded by reaching up and touching its chain shirt, sending a killing pulse of electricity through it. Flame closed upon the spellcaster and landed a pair of cuts as well, felling that person. The remaining two could not break Flame’s guard, pelting him with crossbow bolts that slide harmlessly off his armor and shield. I attempted to blast one with fire, and missed. The Stranger closed on another, zapping it through its metal armor again. The remaining drow disengaged and fled into the darkness.
Lion 27- A Desperate Rescue
After dispatching the picket patrol, we strategized how to attack camp. Albingo the deep gnome was going to stay behind as we advanced on the docks. X caught up with the party. She had no excuse for being gone for a full day- no real memory of where she was or what she was doing. Perhaps the myconid spores had effected her mind more than ours. In any event, her return buoyed the rest of us. We strategized for a time on how best to approach the camp. There was a pit of some kind, a makeshift storage building, and several tents.
Approaching from the near side, we were remarkably stealthy. The Stranger broke off to look in the pit while the rest of us approached the hovel from the side opposite the door. Peeking through a gap in the hovel wall, I saw motion and heard growling. That was enough for me. I activated the flaming cannon and sent a blast through the wall. At the same time, spiders swarmed out of the pit. The stranger fled back to us, and they pursued. Several large, white-furred creatures bust through the wall. Flame identified them as quaggoths- some kind of semi-sentient bezerker bear-men of the underdark. A close and vicious combat broke out on the edge of the camp. The Stranger and I had to fall back on stunning shocks to keep the spiders and beasts from hemming us in. X and Flame had all the attention they could handle.
In a short time, we had regained our footing and were slowly whittling the creatures down. But we attracted the attention of a Drow weilding a strange arcane device and another with a deadly pair of swords. By now, both X and Flame had advanced between the hovel and a large, ornate tent. The arcane device emitted loud cracking sounds, and X was hit with a poisonous bullet of some kind. The flame cannon was less useful in a swirling melee, grabbed it and moved around to the hovel. I dropped it in the doorway. A squad of 6 drow had emerged from tents of the other side, and were slowly advancing. Stranger and I were able to fell one each with the help of the blasts of fire. The cannon drew their attention, and slowly their arrows whittled it down. X managed to cut her way into the large tent, looking for cover. But a drow priestess and a huge spider occupied it, turning X’s bad situation into a worse one. The priestess sent some glowing webbing out across our party. My cannon and Flame could not avoid it. In the darkness, their glow made them easier targets.
Flame responded by summoning his spiritual guardians, a whirling cloud of hammers and tongs. The priestess dismissed the spider since it seemed unable to penetrate our front-liners’ armor and called upon a cloud of insects instead. By this time, Stranger and I had finished off the drow skirmishers. Just in time, as they had demolished my cannon. We moved to engage the trio of gunslinger, Guard Captain, and Priestess. Both X and flame fell, but The Stranger and I were able to concentrate a pair of Shattering Blasts against the weakened Captain and Gunslinger. I drew upon my reserves and altered the cannon gem, turning it into a renewing field. Its energy reinvigorated us, if only temporarily. We both missed with our blasting cantrips. But it provided enough time for Flame to get X on her feet again. She felled the priestess with a pair of thrown axes.
The remaining miners were imprisoned in another tent. We also recovered several interesting magical items- an eye-patch, a pair of slippers, some magical bolts, a potion or two. Most interesting to me was the device the gunslinger was using. It was some kind of device that propelled slugs of metal coated in poison a fair distance. It is very worth of study. We also recovered the other special swords we were sent to retrieve. They were in the priestess’ possession.
After that, our large group retreated into the city to rest and recover before making our way out of this underground ruined city.
We are heroes! Praise Doud!
Growfest 7 - Spring Renewal
The last 8 days have been largely unconsequential. We returned to the surface with the remaining miners. Their fellows were elated, and threw as grand a party as they could manage. The dwarf was waiting for us, and we were well paid for the swords and holding array. I attempted to delay for a few days so I could them in more detail, but my allies were anxious to get back to civilization Growfest started the next day, and the appeal of Greyhawk’s . The brief sketches Sadhih made, and my initial analysis done during the long night before we started our return to the surface, will have to suffice.
We returned to the villa, and our partron was gone yet again. But Growfest, celebrating the Spring Equinox, was in full swing. The organization threw multiple parties that week, and we were the center of attention for many of them- both small and large. It was honestly quite uncomfortable for me. I prefer to toil in quiet obscurity. I used our need to replenish our healing elixers as an excuse to avoid several events. I’ve noted where the myconid variations we were given allowed me to bring greater shelf-stability to my own recipe.
The archmage Otto frequented our organization’s parties. Probably wistful for his adventuring days. He brought around several of his associates, prominent hunters and collectors of antiquities. Most were looking for groups to go off on one task or another. Somehow, perhaps it was the excellent Suundian Ice Wine, we agreed to go hunt for griffin eggs. Light and I were noncommittal about the venture. While they were valuable, money holds little true value to me. I suspect Light was concerned with offending elven sensibilities around griffin riding. So we delayed until the end of Growfest before setting off.
Zuoken forgive us our indulgences these past days.
Frog 4- The Bright Desert.
The 4 day boat ride to Zarrack was mild and pleasant, with no pirates or sea-beasts to contend with. Selintan is a well-travelled river, and Wooly Bay well sounded and tame. An excellent expenditure of 10 gp. I spent a great deal of time with the Poisonous Pistol we claimed from our fallen Drow soldier. With some tinkering, I might be able to make it useful. But its need for reloading after each firing makes it suboptimal to my own spell-cannon.
Sadhih and I also had a serious conversation. It was clear from our misadventures in the underground city that we needed to increase his utility. So, with his consent, we re-worked his body. I crafted a built-in hooded lantern, powered by a crystal containing a continual flame. It made him somewhat bulkier and barrel-chested, but he could provide me light on demand. I also equipped him with a small harness between his flying mechanisms. This was for Ears. I had also been studying The Stranger’s spell which summoned a spirit to act as a familiar. Following the ritual, I reached out into Paliparan, the Domain of Delight. A spirit responded to me, taking the form of a green-bellied weasel that was native to my home. She has the cutest little ears and was very proud pf them. So, we agreed I would call her that while she assisted me. I could have spent a whole week in that cabin, watching my two assistants play together and get to know one another.
In Zarak, we quickly found ourselves a guide. Haddam quickly proved his trustworthiness. The coffee and toboacco he procured for me was decent quality and reasonably priced. He knew his business and charged reasonable rates. And the bath-house he recommended was, if not top tier, certainly repuatable and accommodating. Our plan was to set off the next morning with a desert guide he would find for us.
As we wandered the city towards the Inn Haddam recommended, I spotted a familiar face. The same hobgoblin we had met on the road to the mines was also in the city. This was unsettling. We tried to follow the being, but it managed to lose itself in the crowd. I suspected that it might be our patron in disguise. He might be using our activites as cover for his more covert ones. But my companions seemed doubtful.
Zan Yae guard us from those who lurk in your shadows for our detrminent.
Frog 5.
It turned out Haddam was going to guide us. We set off with 6 horses. I was able to unload most of my Pack of Carrying to the various mounts. The day was uneventful. Hot sun, clear skies, dusty trails. At night, the temperature dropped significantly. I was glad I purchased a tent, though my companions didn’t appreciate my foresight- or their lack of it. I was able to use the enhanced portions from my pack to reinforce the my breastplate at the flexible joints.
Al’Asran shine upon us to tomorrow.
Frog 6 The wicked unrested
Our activites in the mines were not going to go unpunished, it seems. A drow priestess has put a bounty of 1000 gold on each of our heads, dead or alive. A group of 10 hobgolblins, including a mage and a monk of some type, ambushed us today. Foolishly, we let Haddam move ahead to talk to a desert tribesman. He attacked and stunned our guide as his companions emerged from their hidden locations in the hills on either side of us.
The Stranger has had a recent upgrade to his powers. Not only was he able to counter a spell cast by the enemy, he summoned a wall of fire that consumed an entire flank of enemies. Light and Flame moved up and attacked the monk and the caster. Prudently, I used my mount for partial cover and exchanged their crossbow bolts for my flame cannon strikes. It was only a few moments before we turned the ambush back upon them and sent the survivors running. That is when we found the wanted poster.
Haddam was justly concerned with us- what had he signed up for? But as we told the tale around the firepit that night, he came to understand that we do not go looking for trouble, but it tends to find us.
Mougol set your scales to our advantage.
Frog 7 Desert Shark, do do do do do do do.
We left the twisting hills and entered the desert proper. Haddam explained that it was quicker to cross the desert and rejoin the hills than stay in them and curve far to the west. He was our guide, and knew his business. The desert was even hotter than the hills. I was grateful for the desert clothes we purchased in the market, but I suspect Flame was slowly turning into a whistling tea-kettle in his armor.
As it approached mid-day, a strange craft appeared on the horizon and approached us. It was a long, thin, wooden boat of some kind, with a pair of outriggers and a large claw sail. A young man with fair skin hailed Light, attempting to create a favorable impression. He was Sir Jasper of Veluna and he was land-shark fishing. Looking behind the craft, a long rope was dragging a decesased jackal across the sands.
I noted the pilot of the craft was a fellow Backlunii. Speaking in our native tounge, he le me know the man was an idiot, but his coin was good. There were no land sharks around here. But, as ever, our presence drew misfortune, as a bullette leapt out of the sands. Flame was able to roll out of the way. But the creature was remarkably agile, and leapt away from our melee combatants. And onto me. Twice. The first time wasn’t too bad, as I was quickly able to escape and retreat. But not far enough, as it pounced again and wounded me quite badly. Lcukily for me, my companions harmed it enough for it to retreat below the sands. The ‘fishing boat’ had sailed away as well.
Istus has watched over my Fate this day.
Frog 7- New Allies
We returned to the horses and took a small break. Birel made use of the Eyepatch we had found to enhance her vision and scout around. About a mile away, the land rose again into high hills. Standing like a sentinel on the boundary was a large wind-swept pillar of rock. Distnatly, we spied a large flying shape circling it. Haddam indicated that this is where we should start our search.
Approaching the hill, we spied a lone figure riding toward the same location. It was clear the individual was not dressed for the desert. Haddam warned us that Castle Keirsten was nearby. Zealouts of Heironious, they were know to battle first, ask questions maybe. So we approached cautiously. It was an Oerdian male in light armor, carrying a bow and sword. He introduced himself as Yoshi-Eve. He was a hunter of giant-kind, following the trail of a stone giant. We were, perhaps, overly candid about our own plans. But he decided to join us temporarily anyway. Travelling the land-shark filled sands alone upon a tasty horse was not a recipe for longevity.
Haddam lead us up the outcropping and set up camp at its base. It towered 300’ above. Su’ril sent his owl, and I sent Sadhih and ears up to the summit. There was a large nest, over 20 feet across and made of cast-off dried wood and cloth. Inside, there appeared to be an egg. We took our rest, deciding to gain the egg the next day.
Torvald was amused by my modificiations to Sadhih. A glowing belly lamp made him appear like an over-grown firefly.
Mougul bless our venture on the morrow.
An addendum- I have made the decision to use formal names henceforth. There is little likelihood anyone will be able to break my ciphers and concealment practices in these journals.
Frog 8- Death From above, or how to remember to listen to the natives.
The path upward was hard to navigate. Little more than the path of the runoff for the sparse rains, it took us over an hour to traverse 50 feet up. From here , it was a long climb to the summit. Birel attempted to hook a rope up with a grapple, only to fail to find purchase. As we contemplated the long climb, a large bipedal creature landed behind us. I had hears stories of the bird-folk, but thought them myths. Yet here stood one. As tall as my fellow human, it perched on a pair of taloned feet. Its massive wings folded gently behind it- pale blue and grey on the inside, dull brown with darker streaks upon the exterior. It had a head that contained features reimiscent of both parrots and eagles. It introduced itself as Dirk, scout for the Sun Glider clan that claimed these lands. Cautiously, we revealed our intent to climb the mountain to look for a stone giant we were hunting. Not entirely untrue. It warned us that HellFeather nested there. Hellfeather was a massive griffin that hunted his clan for food. Despite their efforts, they could not drive it away. Dirk thought us fools. But if we were to tangle with the beast then all the better for its clan.
He ushered us to another path, obscured by a boulder and tucked back into an overhang. We had walked past it without taking note. He explained the path lead to an abandoned temple that had a stair that led to the summit. Or so his clan thought. No one in their clan had investigated in living memory. Su’ril seemed to trust the bird-person, so we continued on.
A tortuous path wound through a cleft of rock to a small natural ampitheater. Natural gaps pointed east, allowing the mid-morning sun to light the ruins. Torvald noted that the symbol of a glowing war hammer. Fortubo, he informed us, was a guad of Stone, Metals, and Mountains. He appeared more dwarf-like than a human, and was part of the Suel pantheon originally. Birel noted that the entrance to the temple itself had sustained damage, as if something had torn open the entrance.
Fifteen feet in, the temple itself was in ruins, several alcoves blocked by cave ins. Torvald and Yoshi apprached the cave-in at the back. A stone giant rushed out, scattering rocks across the temple. Yoshi, Torvald & Birel moved to engage it as Su’ril and I held back. This was a mistake, as the giant had a pet wyvern who moved to engage us. It bit me, but its claw and stinger devastated Su’ril. Su’ril unleashed a new horror, as slimy black tentacles slithered out of the darkness of the uneven ground and enveloped the wyvern. It allowed both of us to break contact as it struggled to get free. It turned to chase me, closing again. I struck it with my weapon, causing electricity to course through the creature. This gave me a chance, again, to break contact and run.
It only took the three melee combatants to fell the giant. Their ranged attacks drove the wyvern back, forcing it to retreat through the tunnel that Su’ril had retreated into. He was ready for it, and felled the beast. In the alcove, the giant had hidden its valuables- a sack of coins, a coil of rope, a hand-axe, and a blue vial. Su’ril, Torvald, and myself quickly identified it as a Rope of Climbing, a magical axe of modest power, and Potion of Greater Healing. A rough-hewn stair lead upward. I sent Sadhih with the bag of coins back to the camp to inform Haddam- using a couple of my recording stones to communicate to him.
At the top, the stairs were blocked by several loose slabs of rock that we moved aside. We could see the nest just beyond. None of us noted the griffin anywhere in the immediate area. Su’ril summoned a cloud of fog to obscure the nest from above and Birel took my magic bag to the nest. She gathered the egg, a few gems, and a scroll tube amongst the remains of its meals. As she retreated back, Hellfeather dove through the fog cloud and landed beside the stairwell. The beast was well named. It unleashed a screech that struck like a bomb. For a moment, I felt the thunderous blast as if I had been struck by a lightning strike in a storm. Su’ril, Yoshi, and I were nearly knocked unconscious. Torvald And Birel were less effected. My thoughts were scrambled and I responded by using my own concussive blast to attempt to push it away from the hole. To no one’s surprise but my own, it absorbed the blast handily. Feather armor, I suppose. Torvald had to grab me bodily and hustle me down the stairs. Luckily, Hellfeather’s bite missed as we fled.
And flee we did. We noted that Hellfeather decided to chase after Dirk and his clan rather than us. Not that it mattered. Haddam had the horses saddled, and we raced away from there as fast as we could. Our only plan was to cross the desert as quickly as possible and get out of there. Sadhih awaited my on my horse, casually noting that the bag had 500 gold and 700 silver. The two gems I estimate are worth about 50 and 100 gold, relatively.
Frog 10- Hubris
We spent two long days fleeing across the desert from Hellfeather. We rested only long enough for the horses to regain their strength. We reached the smuggling town late in the evening on the second day. Tired. Will update the logs later.
Frog 14- The return trip.
Haddam arranged transportation on a boat back to Greyhawk that morning. Only 5 gp each was a bargain. He also gave us a report from one of his allies in the city. The hobgoblin was called Old One Eye. A former slaver for Iuz, he has a bounty on his head from the Wolf Nomads. He leads a group of hobgoblins called the 5 Fingers of Death, bounty hunters. Which is probably why we keep running into him. Overall, 50 gp for Haddam, with a 50-gp tip from Su’ril was a worthy investment.
On the subject of investments, we managed 650 gold and 700 silver in coins and gems. So that was 100 gold, 120 silver each for the 5 of us. I retained 100 gold to use to manufacture 4 healing potions during our return trip. I have also retained the magic rope and the Drow Tentacled Rod, since no one seemed to want them. And this pistol still warrants more research. I have so much to do. I sincerely hope for a lengthy rest upon our return. The upriver trip was slower, but equally uneventful.
Azor-Alq rewards our heroics with a well-earned rest.
Frog 15- The Duties of Membership.
Ambrose met with us the day after we returned. We briefed him on our adventures in the Bright Desert. He accepted our new member Yoshi with little comment. In fact, the rotund dwarf seemed pleased that we found a member to fill a skills gap in our group. He had an urgent mission for us on behalf of the Order. There was an elf wizardress named Gilithreal who was on their most wanted list. Agents of the Order uncovered that she was encamped with a priest of Erythnul in a fortress / temple complex in the Suss Forest. We protested that we had a mercantile interest to resolve. The great wizard Otto himself intervened, promising to keep our prize safe and viable until we return. We were quickly whisked off to a field outside the city. I barely had enough time to restock on coffee and tobacco! Really, there are urgencies, but few worthy of foregoing the trappings of civilization.
A trip on Ambrose’s airship made up for his haste. I spent the day prowling about and noting the many enchantments upon it. He carried it as a small model ship, uttering a command word to cause it to become full size. I have been on hot air balloons before. A terrifying experience in a wicker basket which I never wish to repeat. The balloon portion was larger and shaped like a pointed oval. Suspended by uncountable ropes was a large passenger and cargo vessel. Shaped much like a ship, it had an open deck with a fore and aft castle, and a lower cargo area below deck. Layers upon layers of enchantments were layered onto the structure and ropes. I could not determine how the vessel was propelled. Fanciful children’s tales spoke of flying creatures being used as draft horses to pull ships through the sky. Yet I saw none of those.
If I were to build such a device, I would propel the vessel using Gust of Wind spells. The technical challenges of such a device occupied much of the remainder of my trip, I am sad to say. See technical drawings on pages 97-102.
A Crew of Kenku and a were-raven Captain were manifested when it enlarged. They were not constructs and seemed to be some kind of summoned entity. Unfortunately, I lack the necessary tools to determine if they were fey, fiend, or celestial. But their summoning is clearly linked to the vessel. I wonder if the vessel exists in some other space and is summoned here when needed. Perhaps the ship and crew ply their trade across the vast astral sea, being called to Oerth only as needed. Somehow, I find that more comforting than the ship being some kind of prison, carried about in the pocket of a spell-casting dwarf. It makes me more concerned about the welfare of Sadhih and ears. I should be a better familiar-parent.
My companions occupied themselves discussing the Suss Forest. On the northern border of the Pomarjj and south of Celene. It had an evil reputation and was full of evil humanoids. But they knew little else.
Mouqol guide us on this new venture.
Frog 17- Desert to jungle.
Arrived outside the halfing town of Rittersmark to pick up a guide. As we travelled further south and east, we met our guide. Tenzor Tenbelly was a cleric of Brandobaris, the halfling deity of being a scamp. He knew the way to the temple where she was hiding. In return for his assistance, he requested our aid. At some point we would be needed to hunt down a traitor to the local halfling court. Seems a literally small price to pay.
By afternoon, Ambrose had dropped us off at the edges of the forest and went on his way. Tenzor lead the way with Yoshi taking up rear guard- our two best survivalists bracketing the party. The place was evil. The trees were all dark bark and sullen leaves, as if the very color was drained away. Between the tree-covered hillocks were bogs full of fetid water and biting black flies. Thorny brambles wound around everything, competing for any scrap of sunlight let in by the sullen trees. Spiderwebs were everywhere; some colonies large enough to make us worry about monstrous ones coming for us. Even the other plant-life seemed animated in malice toward us. We travelled until late in the evening, setting up a camp without a fire to avoid attracting attention. Luckily for me, Sadhih and ears kept my small tent insect free as a settled in for the night.
Xan Yea protect us in this benighted place.
Addendum-
In the middle of the night, noises of combat woke me up. I got out of the tent and called upon Sadhih to light the area. It appeared two massive bushes were attacking our camp! Tenzor yelled out that they were shambling mounds. But I didn’t recognize the name. But they had approached stealthily and were among our camp before we knew it. Thunder seemed effective against them, but when I attempted to stun the one engaged with me, I discovered something. These plants were invigorated by lightning energy, not damaged by them. After a brief combat, we reduced them to fragments. There were some minor injuries, but we were ok. Tenzor mentioned how lucky we were that no one was engulfed by the creatures. It was rumored to be a horrible fate. Still, we moved our encampment an hour or so away, just to be safe.
Frog 18- The Dark Woods
Continued to travel for the better part of the day, avoiding may pitfalls. A patrol of 6 bandit types with three war dogs crossed our path. We hid well, partially with Tenzer’s use of a spell to hide us in sound-dampening shadows. I quickly crafted a small device that emitted a strong smell of fresh meat. Tossing it far away from our path, I hoped that it would defeat the strong sense of smell of the war dogs. Evidently, it worked, as we were not troubled by them as the day continued.
Tenzer called Birel to the front during one of our pauses. With the magic eyepatch and her half-elf perceptiveness, she was able to spot a concealed cave entrance. We hustled across the open space and through the concealing brush.
4 gnolls awaited us at the far end of a 40x15’ passage next to a heavy door. We were able quickly dispatch them, but not before one of them was able to bang a hanging gong, alerting the place. I utilized my fire-breathing cannon to great effect. Birel deftly avoided a concealed pit trap as she closed with them. Once inside, we found ourselves at a cross-junction. Across from the door, a heavy portcullis blocked the passage. 4 Guards with heavy crossbows began firing at us. We split into the left and right-side passages to avoid fire and exchanged fire with them. Torvald, Yoshi and I took the left passage while Su’ril & Birel took the right. Gnolls came out of the darkness down their passage, while hobgoblins came charging up ours. Torvald filled the hallway with magical fire which defeated all but the hardiest of the creatures. I shifted over and quickly injected Birel with a concoction I had been working on. It caused her to grow to almost twice her size, filling the hallway and blocking the gnolls ability to get around her. Su’ril used his shadow powers to jump past the portcullis and reach the winch.
Frog 18- The Longest Day
Combat continued. Torvald and Yoshi held the left passage against the hobgoblins. Tenzer and an enlarged Birel exchanged attacks with the gnolls. Suril managed to magically jump through the portcullis and get it opened. We beat a hasty retreat past it and closed ourselves in. After this, the combat degenerated to exchanging missile and spell fire with the remaining enemies. The battle turned to our favor- clearly both enemies were more suited to smashing things than precision shooting.
We cleaned up after the battle, stacking the fallen aside and searching the left and right passageways. The gnoll side was as disgusting and refuse strewn as expected. Gnolls are filthy abominations. But they do seem to have some appreciation for shiny things. A large amythest and 18 pieces of agate and malachite jewelry were found among the piles of refuse. On the hobgoblin side, things were better. Orderly barracks with beds and chests, well-kept weaponry. They even had a storeroom with a net trap, which Tenzer quickly dealt with. A great deal of construction supplies were present for such a small place. That was worth considering. The hobgoblin leader had a small throne and a collection of trophy skulls. We retrieved 4 star rose quartz, and rare Black Pearl.
Returning back to the main hall, we considered the massive double doors. It was barred from the inside. I convinced the team to use some of the materials to bar the door from our side, so that we could recover for a time. We needed it before pressing on.
Eventually, we broke through the door and entered a large temple. Black stone floors with intricate carvings supported blood stained pillars around the perimeter. Large tapestries dominated the left and right walls, and behind the altar. A warrior and priest stood at the altar, clearly awaiting us. With a cry, a dozen guards and half as many red-robes cultists of Erythnul came out from behind the tapestries on either side. It got very bad, very quickly. The priestess retreated beyond the tapestry behind the altar. Arrows from the guard and crimson-tinted magical blasts hammered our party as we retreated out the broken door and into the hallway. A series of those blasts knocked Birel down. Summoning my protector field generator, I managed to haul her out of the way. This made me the target of the cultists, but I was able to quickly respond with a magical shield while I poured a potion down her throat. The warrior waded into our group as well.
And in the background, we could hear the yipping of the patrol-dogs we dodged earlier.
Frog 18- The Longest Day, part 2
Torvald squared off against the large warrior, using a Heat Metal spell to distract him. It worked, to a degree, with most of their attacks failing. Suril used his powers to continue to hammer him with blasts. Yoshi and Birell focused on attacking the cultists, and Tenzer utilized their clerical prowess to keep us all up and fighting. I disengaged and barred the door to the outside, hoping to keep the patrols at bay.
Eventually, we were able to push into the temple. Once there, Torvald summoned his Spiritual Guardians, which wreaked havoc on the guards. The wizardess appeared from behind one of the tapestries and cast a blinding spell on Yoshi. But even blinded, the archer was quite adept at shooting down the noisy guards.
Pausing, we looted the temple. The tapestries were pulled down, revealing passageways to the left and right, and the one behind the altar as well. We knew the wizardress retreated down that passageway, but we needed a pause. I must admit my greed got the better of me. I used my jewelers tools to remove 2 sets of gems from the eyes of the statues around the altar. I should have known better, but I did it anyway. Two ogres magically appeared next to the statues- some kind of enchanted guardian. They fell quickly to the group, much to my chagrin.
Off balance and exhausted, we checked out the passage behind the altar. The wizardess had retreated down that passage. 6 suits of armor lined alcoves along the narrow path, and a large rune adorned the floor. Clearly another trap. Without thinking to disarm it, I tossed a corpse down the hall. The suits came to life, and we were once again engaged. But the narrow hallway and a pair of shatter spells from Suril and myself dispatched them quickly. I gathered mis-matched parts left over for further examination.