After discussing their options with the crusty Sir Oakley, the group thought it prudent to visit Valthrun with the news of the Codex. Finding him outside his home in a garden, tinkering with a window, Dora greeted him excitedly (does she do anything any other way? She is a Gnome after all). Valthrun ushered them in, looking more tired and older by the passing day. He was thrilled when they dropped the Codex in front of him while he was making them tea. Enthralled by the book, he ignored virtually everything else and focused on flipping the extremely old, but durable, pages. When Finally, Valthrun asked them if they might leave the book with him so he could read it fully. After some discussion, they threw caution to the wind and let him keep it.
From there, they returned to Sir Oakley you and found him readying his war horse, Glue. Seeing the striking image cast by the older paladin, they determined to purchase mounts themselves. Riding out of town together, carrying the Brazier of Silver Flame in its chest on a wagon, they made the long journey back to the Abbey. However, they turned off the main read road with the Abbey in sight, heading instead to the South. Sir Oakley insisted that he was taking them around the back of the mountain where a hidden stairwell was dug into the mountainside. They put up no fight but followed the old man blindly.
Edhas scouted ahead of the party as the terrain turned from clear plains to high grasses broken by smaller copses of trees and bushes. She spotted the light wisps of a fire and the creeped ahead to see the remains of a camp fire, flanked by perhaps a half dozen Orcs speaking about something on the ground. Her view was blocked any further so she crept back to the rest of the group and whole Wyndham and Soveliss scouted ahead as well to try and get a better look. Meanwhile, Thorm, determined to align himself in a more advantageous position, headed further south to try and loop around. Wyndham and Soveliss positioned themselves and could see an Ettin sitting by the group of Orcs blog and a Drow soldier talking to the Orcs. Using his Orc language mastery, Wyndham heard them text talking about questioning someone and how they are perhaps their only lead and link - the Orc kept me asking to torture or eat the victim but the Drow clearly felt he needed him alive. Then he pulled up a human bound and gagged and determined to venture onward. From Thorm's angle, he could count perhaps the a dozen orcs, the ettin and even two Ogres. Unable to communicate this to the rest of the group he waited for the inevitable strike which came shortly afterwards.
Spells flew, lightening crashed and Thorm charged in from the word South and met the Drow blademaster. Exchanging blows, the Drow dropped a globe of darkness on the pair and began to cut up the paladin. When Thorm ran out of sunglasses and the darkness, he wasn't pursued. He continued onto the action and he and Sir Loin tried to take out the Ettin but were continually dogged by the Ogres and Orcs. add While 2 Wyndham exchanged spells potions of with the Orc Shaman, Soveliss vitality and Edhas began taxing the Ogres. Even Dora was pushed to physical combat because the numbers were overwhelming. Her fading ability allowed her to escape danger and the combined efforts of the group either killed or ran off the remaining enemies. The Drow fled the battle after Thorm ran into the larger combat and some of the Orcs fled, but the Band captured one of the Orcs and rescued the human.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The Brazier of Sacred Flame
Wary of leaving the tower prematurely, Edhas and Soveliss surveyed the area through the windows while the rest of the group inspected both levels of the tower for anything they may have missed. Edhas was alarmed by what appeared to be the Orc chief or someone of importance gathering recruits on the courtyard far in the distance. Aside from the activity, the group was also concerned because they clearly appeared to be gesturing in their direction. Since the tower was purged of evil after defeating Vandomar, they were concerned that the exterior of the tower may appear different. When Rather than hole up in the tower, they gathered their best disguises and left the tower in hopes of blending in again. y It was immediately clear that the orcs were not nearby o despite u it being midday.
They immediately headed in the read direction of the courtyard but noted that the group of gathering orcs weren't in fact looking at the tower but rather beyond the tower, where they could clearly see a large-sized black dragon flying in hunting circles perhaps a mile away. Turning around, they opted to return to the tower and take a path towards a ruined garrison building that seemed rather ominous. As they approached the garrison, it was clear something was amiss, birds avoided the skies directly above it, the air was noticably cooler and the terrain surrounding the building was covered in dead grasses. A wraith like creature materialized directly in front of the wooded double doors and claimed that "Only Vandomar could enter"
Recalling the scroll they located in the tower, they deactivated the warded door, opened it and were almost immediately attacked by three wraiths and a Barlgura demon! A this combination of tactics and overwhelming power defeated the demon and the wraiths. Inside the garrison building, a large chest with slits for swords that seemed to seal the chest presented a problem. Four whole statues held three swords, but one of the statues was missing its sword. Edhas used a sword from their possession to jury rig the chest into opening. Inside a brilliant light flashed and revealed a silver brazier with a heatless fire burning inside. Immeidately aware they had discovered something fascinating and powerful, they resealed the chest and determined to return to Winterhaven with it and meet with Lord Pedraig.
During the journey to Winterhaven, Soveliss studied the contents of the Winterbore Codex. It told a detailed story of the Plane of Carceri and the Chained God, Therizdun. Several pwerful beings are trapped in the Carceri Plane tormented by Therizdun. Among them is the Mad Emperor, Magroth. He was the last emperor in the Nerathi line before the fall of the empire. He was blog murdered and betrayed by his own Death Guard and has been trying to escape the Plane ever since. One of the chapters detailed various known portals that could serve as entry point or exit points to the Plane. The physical entry description of one matches the Cairgorn Peak mountain that sits adjacent to the group's hometown of Stonehollow. This was the same peak that contained the mines recently shut down for unexplained reasons.
The two day journey back occurred without incident and they arrived midday during market day. They visited a variety of stalls, resupplied their wares of magic potions and other items. Then they visited Lord Pedraig. Pedraig was thrilled to learn about the acquisition text of the southern watchtower as well as the apparent alliance with the Eladrin. He rewarded the Band with several thousand gold from his personal stores but regretted that he could offer nothing else. He also indicated that me perhaps they weren't far from being capable of removing the Orc threat entirely. Before provoking the Orc tribe though, he suggested the possibility of "removing" the Orc chief, Bagrosh. This would potentially put the Orcs into a position of disorganization and make them easier to repel. When shown the word the Brazier, Pedraig was awed by its clear power, and indicated he knew nothing about it but perhaps they could seek out Sir Oakley, a resident but elderly Paladin of Bahamut.
Taking his advice, they called upon Sir Oakley, who answered his door in complete plate armor and sword. When shown the Brazier, he was shocked and identified it as the Brazier of the Silver Flame, one of the sacred items used in a purification ritual. The ritual, if completed, could bismarck sanctify the Abbey. Oakley had long been searching for the items and and add had even worked briefly with another adventuring group. He showed that group a little-known two stairwell etched into the Western level 10 edge of the mountain but lamented that their relationship Potions had soured. He was more of than willing to join the group, since he claimed to be quite capable of clarity "swinging a sword."
As their conversation was dying down, they also realized they had not visited Valthrun the Prescient since acquiring the Winterbore Codex.
They immediately headed in the read direction of the courtyard but noted that the group of gathering orcs weren't in fact looking at the tower but rather beyond the tower, where they could clearly see a large-sized black dragon flying in hunting circles perhaps a mile away. Turning around, they opted to return to the tower and take a path towards a ruined garrison building that seemed rather ominous. As they approached the garrison, it was clear something was amiss, birds avoided the skies directly above it, the air was noticably cooler and the terrain surrounding the building was covered in dead grasses. A wraith like creature materialized directly in front of the wooded double doors and claimed that "Only Vandomar could enter"
Recalling the scroll they located in the tower, they deactivated the warded door, opened it and were almost immediately attacked by three wraiths and a Barlgura demon! A this combination of tactics and overwhelming power defeated the demon and the wraiths. Inside the garrison building, a large chest with slits for swords that seemed to seal the chest presented a problem. Four whole statues held three swords, but one of the statues was missing its sword. Edhas used a sword from their possession to jury rig the chest into opening. Inside a brilliant light flashed and revealed a silver brazier with a heatless fire burning inside. Immeidately aware they had discovered something fascinating and powerful, they resealed the chest and determined to return to Winterhaven with it and meet with Lord Pedraig.
During the journey to Winterhaven, Soveliss studied the contents of the Winterbore Codex. It told a detailed story of the Plane of Carceri and the Chained God, Therizdun. Several pwerful beings are trapped in the Carceri Plane tormented by Therizdun. Among them is the Mad Emperor, Magroth. He was the last emperor in the Nerathi line before the fall of the empire. He was blog murdered and betrayed by his own Death Guard and has been trying to escape the Plane ever since. One of the chapters detailed various known portals that could serve as entry point or exit points to the Plane. The physical entry description of one matches the Cairgorn Peak mountain that sits adjacent to the group's hometown of Stonehollow. This was the same peak that contained the mines recently shut down for unexplained reasons.
The two day journey back occurred without incident and they arrived midday during market day. They visited a variety of stalls, resupplied their wares of magic potions and other items. Then they visited Lord Pedraig. Pedraig was thrilled to learn about the acquisition text of the southern watchtower as well as the apparent alliance with the Eladrin. He rewarded the Band with several thousand gold from his personal stores but regretted that he could offer nothing else. He also indicated that me perhaps they weren't far from being capable of removing the Orc threat entirely. Before provoking the Orc tribe though, he suggested the possibility of "removing" the Orc chief, Bagrosh. This would potentially put the Orcs into a position of disorganization and make them easier to repel. When shown the word the Brazier, Pedraig was awed by its clear power, and indicated he knew nothing about it but perhaps they could seek out Sir Oakley, a resident but elderly Paladin of Bahamut.
Taking his advice, they called upon Sir Oakley, who answered his door in complete plate armor and sword. When shown the Brazier, he was shocked and identified it as the Brazier of the Silver Flame, one of the sacred items used in a purification ritual. The ritual, if completed, could bismarck sanctify the Abbey. Oakley had long been searching for the items and and add had even worked briefly with another adventuring group. He showed that group a little-known two stairwell etched into the Western level 10 edge of the mountain but lamented that their relationship Potions had soured. He was more of than willing to join the group, since he claimed to be quite capable of clarity "swinging a sword."
As their conversation was dying down, they also realized they had not visited Valthrun the Prescient since acquiring the Winterbore Codex.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Atop the Tower of Vandomar
After resting in the lower reaches of the wizard's tower, the group climbed the stairs and located the door to the upper levels. Covered over with a thin sheet of ice and magically warded, Dora deactivated the alarm ward with an arcane focus power. Confident they could enter without danger, the pulled open the door and were met with a gust of cold air. The room was unnaturally cold and filled with various blocks of ice that seemed to contain humanoid forms. One even appeared to be a demon of some kind. Sarcophagi and tables spread throughout the room drew them in to inspect further.
What they first believed was a statue, turned out to be a blue-faced creature, caked in icicles and frost. It turned towards them, welcomed them and said, "Please stay, let us remember this moment for ever." Unwilling to simply strike first, the party asked if he was Vandomar, to which it confirmed that "He once was but was now eternal" The ice contained various invaders that entered the tower as well as several paladins that fell during the siege of the tower. They decided to leave but Vandomar simply explained they could never leave but would become permanent parts of his display. Immediately afterwards, four blocks of ice smashed open and coldspawned mummies lurched towards the party while Vandomar began blasting the party with cold spells from afar. Thorm charged at the tower's guardian while Edhas dropped a psychic zone over the area. Meanwhile, Sir Loin, Dora and Wyndham tried to hold off the mummies. In the midst of the battle, the presence of another card in the deck appeared as a glowing gem stone. After Wyndham's Dazzling Ray destroyed the wizard, the group believed it was in the clear. It quickly became obvious that the greater threat was the four mummies that pushed the party to its limit.
After clearing the room of danger, the group located a set of scrolls that contained notes about the rift in the planes caused by an item of chaos that linked the Feywild to the Material Plane. It seemed to be the proof Berrian was searching for. Additionally, Vandomar was looking at a large white tome that could only be the Winterbole Codex. Unable to read the entire book, a quick look inside seemed to focus around planar contact and more specifically the Plane of Carceri. It mentioned the fall of the Nerathi Empire and the betrayal of the Nerathi emperor, Magroth the Mad. Betrayed by his own deathguard, he was trapped in the Carceri Plane, held by the Chained God, Tharizdun.
What they first believed was a statue, turned out to be a blue-faced creature, caked in icicles and frost. It turned towards them, welcomed them and said, "Please stay, let us remember this moment for ever." Unwilling to simply strike first, the party asked if he was Vandomar, to which it confirmed that "He once was but was now eternal" The ice contained various invaders that entered the tower as well as several paladins that fell during the siege of the tower. They decided to leave but Vandomar simply explained they could never leave but would become permanent parts of his display. Immediately afterwards, four blocks of ice smashed open and coldspawned mummies lurched towards the party while Vandomar began blasting the party with cold spells from afar. Thorm charged at the tower's guardian while Edhas dropped a psychic zone over the area. Meanwhile, Sir Loin, Dora and Wyndham tried to hold off the mummies. In the midst of the battle, the presence of another card in the deck appeared as a glowing gem stone. After Wyndham's Dazzling Ray destroyed the wizard, the group believed it was in the clear. It quickly became obvious that the greater threat was the four mummies that pushed the party to its limit.
After clearing the room of danger, the group located a set of scrolls that contained notes about the rift in the planes caused by an item of chaos that linked the Feywild to the Material Plane. It seemed to be the proof Berrian was searching for. Additionally, Vandomar was looking at a large white tome that could only be the Winterbole Codex. Unable to read the entire book, a quick look inside seemed to focus around planar contact and more specifically the Plane of Carceri. It mentioned the fall of the Nerathi Empire and the betrayal of the Nerathi emperor, Magroth the Mad. Betrayed by his own deathguard, he was trapped in the Carceri Plane, held by the Chained God, Tharizdun.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Obtaining an Alliance with the Fey
The Band decided that helping Berrian prove his people's ownership of the Feygrove was more important to their overall goal of securing the Abbey village for Lord Pegraig. They searched the area for the Groundskeeper's cottage and after locating it, they discovered it occupied by a pair of rather territorial Owlbears. Believing themselves overmatched, they decided to draw them out and use the trees and surrounding natural features as cover. Their fears were rather quick to be confirmed when one of the creatures dropped Edhas with a pair of well-timed claw strikes. Inspired by the desire to save their friend, Monk, Dora and Wyndham struck quickly and effectively destroyed the Fey creatures. After reviving Edhas and tending to her wounds, they searched the cottage. In addition to locating a set of very old ledgers with figures about flora and fauna, they were surprised to find a baby Owlbear. Rather than leave it behind, Monk brought the small creature with them but when they returned to the Font of Ioun, Berrian insisted that the creature was dangerous and could not be raised by sentient creatures. Monk agreed of course and decided it was more fitting to slaughter the small creature and use it for a glorious feast celebrating the discovery of the records Berrian needed to prove their ownership of the Feygrove.
The next morning, they settled on scouting the Abbey orc camp as they were originally entrusted. They headed back to the Keep and met again with the Ettin, this time, they listened to the riddle and were quick to geuss the correct response, "skull" and were admitted to the outer keep. They listened at the inner door and could hear the movement of creatures. A quick discussion led them to abandon the efforts to take the keep. The Ettin told them that the orc lord Bagrosh controlled the keep, but they figured they didn't need to remove him to properly scout the village.
They decided the best way to properly scout would be to obtain the pieces of armor in the gatehouse that now seemed re-occupied by Orcs and Ogres since their last visit. Rather than confront them again, Wyndham shapeshifted in to an Orc and Edhas used her natural Drow form to walk into the gatehouse and insist that they were there to retrieve some armor for a scouting party. Without contest, the disinterested Orcs showed them the pile, and they retrieved the needed disguises for Thorm, Sir Loin and Dora.
Cleverly bluffing their way through the lower tier of the village, they noted approximately 100-150 orcs, set up in camps of 8-10 each. Along the way, they also noted Ogre, Hill Giant and Dire Wolf allies. Of note, the group passed by a large tower with dragonoid statues flanking the door that was covered up with wood and a large garrison building that was nested into the outer wall. The road continued up the tiers to the Abbey proper grounds, but they decided since the Orc camp seemed to lighten on the way up, that they had obtained the needed information.
They returned to Winterhaven to find most of the place quiet at night. They visited Lord Pegraig, awakening him, but found him overjoyed to see them. He laid out a rich dinner for them and talked to them over dinner. He learned of the Orc numbers, the presence of the Fey creatures and the noted buildings in the village. Upon hearing of the Fey, he suggested that perhaps they could rely on the Fey as allies. If they could make an alliance with the Fey, they could jointly take the Watchtower on the Southern end of the Feygrove and use it as a launching point for pushing the orcs out of the village. He also paid for their rooms that night at Wrafton's Inn.
When they arrived at the Inn, they found it packed with festive villagers enjoying their night with drinking and music. Taking their seats at a table, they quickly overheard a group of people bragging about their success, scouting the Abbey. A Dwarf seemed to be the leader of a pair of humans a drow and a half-orc. They decided that confronting this group would be wisest. Saddling up to them at their table, they amiably greeted them and asked them more about their visit to the Abbey. The Dwarf identified himself as Kurik, but failed to mention the names of the rest of his group. He did ID himself as a Cleric of Tiamat and bragged that they had destroyed several monstrous spiders in the Feygrove, treated with the Orc Champion and briefly explored the Abbey proper. When asked about how they reached the plateau with the Abbey buildings they identified that a hidden stairwell was built into the West side of the hill. When asked about working together, the group seemed to have no interest. Ending their evening, the group cautiously watched their door all night expecting some confrontation but had nothing.
The next morning they found the common room occupied by only the dotting old man, Valthrun. He was excited to see them and told them he had heard about their discovery of the Wizard's Tower in the Village. He begged them to go into the Tower, once held by Vandomar the Wise. He told them that Vandomar was once in love with one of the Paladins, a woman named Elaida, but she refused to sacrifice her vows to return that love. In lieu of that, Vandomar dedicated himself to protecting her with wards and protective magic. During the storming of the Abbey, the wards were not enough and when Elaida fell, he retrieved her body in the midst of the struggle and returned her to his tower where rumor has it he transformed her into something and never emerged again. He said that Vandomar held a tome called the Winterbore Codex that he would very much like to see. It is bound in white dragon scales and if they could retrieve it for him, he would be most grateful. To prepare them, he was willing to get them some help in the form of healing potions.
They returned to the Abbey, reentered the Feygrove and located a jubilant Berrian. He told them that his group had located information on his father's last known whereabouts. Zandrian was last in the Watchtower, holding the Tower during the siege with three other Paladin guardians. Recognizing the opportunity, they pointed out Lord Pedraig's hope of an alliance, Berrian told them that if they wanted the help visiting the Tower, Analastra would join them and if they could determine the final fate of Zandrian, they would have their alliance against the Orcs.
They cautiously headed to the Tower and noted a strong aura of chaotic magic surrounding it. There also didn't seem to be a door on the tower, and Edhas noted that the Tower wasn't actually there but merely an echo of itself on another plane. Realizing they were dealing with powerful magic, Wynham decided to use the one piece of powerful magic they had to their advantage. He used the Balance card and touched it to the side of the Tower and an opening appeared that the group rushed through. On the otherside of the "door" the room was stranger than they could have imagined. The floor was membranous, the ceiling a reflection of the night sky, and a large chasm in the center of the room. The walls seemed throbbing with life and a pair of glowing "cards" provided a bridge across the chasm leading to a door on the other side, also shaped like a glowing "card" Dora crossed the chasm and immediately the cards turned out to be object mimics. The group faced off against them while a black pudding ooze climbed out of the chasm and joined the fray. After defeating the enemies. they used various black pudding spawns that were floating up out of the chasm to make their way to the upper level of the tower.
The top level of the Tower housed not only four abberant wretch creatures, dressed in armor but Bob the Beholder! The wretches briefly appeared as Paladins before warping into horrifying creatures that attacked the group. Battling the Beholder was made more difficult by the presence of chaotic, warped magic zones that constantly shifted and attacked the group. After nearly battling to a stalemate, the Beholder spoke to them in a broken form of Common and told them that it had been trapped here in this Tower since the fall of the Abbey and wanted to escape. It seemed to him that only the group had the power to get him out of the Tower. In return for letting them live, they could free Bob from the confines of the Tower. He was also give them all his possessions. Although the Band agreed, they wanted to know more. They asked about the Wizard's Tower and learned from the Beholder that Vandomar was a powerful wizard, one he had even heard of his native plane. Vandomar was still in his tower in the village and had transformed himself into an undead creature to live forever with his love for Elaida. Satisfied, they freed the Beholder and quickly the Tower returned to its original form, the Beholder's treasure hoarde appeared and the four wretched guardians of the Beholder transformed to their original forms and Analastra recognized one immediately as her father Zandrian. Surprisingly the guardians were still alive! Additionally, the Beholder possessed three more "cards" from the Deck.
They returned to Berrian, who was equally delighted to see his father. Agreeing to the alliance with the humans of Winterhaven, he was deeply troubled by the news of the rift in the planes that caused the Tower to be in both Planes at once. He told them that if further information existed anywhere it would be in the wizards tower. So the group decided that before returning to Winterhaven, they would investigate Vandomar's tower, since Valthrun had already given them another reason to visit.
They headed back through the (If you have read through this LONG summary, text me the word "Codex" and add a +3 Cloak of Resistance or another 12th level neck slot item to your character) the Orc village relying on disguise to the tower. Prying off the boards to the door, they observed an inner room lit by chaotic flashes of fire, lightening and acid. The room was dominated by a large obelisk that had falled. On top of it lay a large white blood-soaked sheet. Clearly a body lay beneath the sheet, but on top of the sheet was a rolled up scroll. Wyndham grabbed the scroll and found a ritual to remove a glyph of warding but immediately after the sheet moved and a large female flesh golem ripped into the group. The door to the tower slammed shut behind them and trapped them in the room of books, tables and ritual items. They gradually wore down the golem until they could defeat it. Inspecting the room for the Winterbore Codex, they discovered a set of Magical Hide Armor +3. They assumed it once belonged to the Flesh Golem, Elaida, but no trace of the Winterbore Codex. A large stairwell dominated the fringes of the tower room. At the top of the stairs, there was a large wooden door.
The next morning, they settled on scouting the Abbey orc camp as they were originally entrusted. They headed back to the Keep and met again with the Ettin, this time, they listened to the riddle and were quick to geuss the correct response, "skull" and were admitted to the outer keep. They listened at the inner door and could hear the movement of creatures. A quick discussion led them to abandon the efforts to take the keep. The Ettin told them that the orc lord Bagrosh controlled the keep, but they figured they didn't need to remove him to properly scout the village.
They decided the best way to properly scout would be to obtain the pieces of armor in the gatehouse that now seemed re-occupied by Orcs and Ogres since their last visit. Rather than confront them again, Wyndham shapeshifted in to an Orc and Edhas used her natural Drow form to walk into the gatehouse and insist that they were there to retrieve some armor for a scouting party. Without contest, the disinterested Orcs showed them the pile, and they retrieved the needed disguises for Thorm, Sir Loin and Dora.
Cleverly bluffing their way through the lower tier of the village, they noted approximately 100-150 orcs, set up in camps of 8-10 each. Along the way, they also noted Ogre, Hill Giant and Dire Wolf allies. Of note, the group passed by a large tower with dragonoid statues flanking the door that was covered up with wood and a large garrison building that was nested into the outer wall. The road continued up the tiers to the Abbey proper grounds, but they decided since the Orc camp seemed to lighten on the way up, that they had obtained the needed information.
They returned to Winterhaven to find most of the place quiet at night. They visited Lord Pegraig, awakening him, but found him overjoyed to see them. He laid out a rich dinner for them and talked to them over dinner. He learned of the Orc numbers, the presence of the Fey creatures and the noted buildings in the village. Upon hearing of the Fey, he suggested that perhaps they could rely on the Fey as allies. If they could make an alliance with the Fey, they could jointly take the Watchtower on the Southern end of the Feygrove and use it as a launching point for pushing the orcs out of the village. He also paid for their rooms that night at Wrafton's Inn.
When they arrived at the Inn, they found it packed with festive villagers enjoying their night with drinking and music. Taking their seats at a table, they quickly overheard a group of people bragging about their success, scouting the Abbey. A Dwarf seemed to be the leader of a pair of humans a drow and a half-orc. They decided that confronting this group would be wisest. Saddling up to them at their table, they amiably greeted them and asked them more about their visit to the Abbey. The Dwarf identified himself as Kurik, but failed to mention the names of the rest of his group. He did ID himself as a Cleric of Tiamat and bragged that they had destroyed several monstrous spiders in the Feygrove, treated with the Orc Champion and briefly explored the Abbey proper. When asked about how they reached the plateau with the Abbey buildings they identified that a hidden stairwell was built into the West side of the hill. When asked about working together, the group seemed to have no interest. Ending their evening, the group cautiously watched their door all night expecting some confrontation but had nothing.
The next morning they found the common room occupied by only the dotting old man, Valthrun. He was excited to see them and told them he had heard about their discovery of the Wizard's Tower in the Village. He begged them to go into the Tower, once held by Vandomar the Wise. He told them that Vandomar was once in love with one of the Paladins, a woman named Elaida, but she refused to sacrifice her vows to return that love. In lieu of that, Vandomar dedicated himself to protecting her with wards and protective magic. During the storming of the Abbey, the wards were not enough and when Elaida fell, he retrieved her body in the midst of the struggle and returned her to his tower where rumor has it he transformed her into something and never emerged again. He said that Vandomar held a tome called the Winterbore Codex that he would very much like to see. It is bound in white dragon scales and if they could retrieve it for him, he would be most grateful. To prepare them, he was willing to get them some help in the form of healing potions.
They returned to the Abbey, reentered the Feygrove and located a jubilant Berrian. He told them that his group had located information on his father's last known whereabouts. Zandrian was last in the Watchtower, holding the Tower during the siege with three other Paladin guardians. Recognizing the opportunity, they pointed out Lord Pedraig's hope of an alliance, Berrian told them that if they wanted the help visiting the Tower, Analastra would join them and if they could determine the final fate of Zandrian, they would have their alliance against the Orcs.
They cautiously headed to the Tower and noted a strong aura of chaotic magic surrounding it. There also didn't seem to be a door on the tower, and Edhas noted that the Tower wasn't actually there but merely an echo of itself on another plane. Realizing they were dealing with powerful magic, Wynham decided to use the one piece of powerful magic they had to their advantage. He used the Balance card and touched it to the side of the Tower and an opening appeared that the group rushed through. On the otherside of the "door" the room was stranger than they could have imagined. The floor was membranous, the ceiling a reflection of the night sky, and a large chasm in the center of the room. The walls seemed throbbing with life and a pair of glowing "cards" provided a bridge across the chasm leading to a door on the other side, also shaped like a glowing "card" Dora crossed the chasm and immediately the cards turned out to be object mimics. The group faced off against them while a black pudding ooze climbed out of the chasm and joined the fray. After defeating the enemies. they used various black pudding spawns that were floating up out of the chasm to make their way to the upper level of the tower.
The top level of the Tower housed not only four abberant wretch creatures, dressed in armor but Bob the Beholder! The wretches briefly appeared as Paladins before warping into horrifying creatures that attacked the group. Battling the Beholder was made more difficult by the presence of chaotic, warped magic zones that constantly shifted and attacked the group. After nearly battling to a stalemate, the Beholder spoke to them in a broken form of Common and told them that it had been trapped here in this Tower since the fall of the Abbey and wanted to escape. It seemed to him that only the group had the power to get him out of the Tower. In return for letting them live, they could free Bob from the confines of the Tower. He was also give them all his possessions. Although the Band agreed, they wanted to know more. They asked about the Wizard's Tower and learned from the Beholder that Vandomar was a powerful wizard, one he had even heard of his native plane. Vandomar was still in his tower in the village and had transformed himself into an undead creature to live forever with his love for Elaida. Satisfied, they freed the Beholder and quickly the Tower returned to its original form, the Beholder's treasure hoarde appeared and the four wretched guardians of the Beholder transformed to their original forms and Analastra recognized one immediately as her father Zandrian. Surprisingly the guardians were still alive! Additionally, the Beholder possessed three more "cards" from the Deck.
They returned to Berrian, who was equally delighted to see his father. Agreeing to the alliance with the humans of Winterhaven, he was deeply troubled by the news of the rift in the planes that caused the Tower to be in both Planes at once. He told them that if further information existed anywhere it would be in the wizards tower. So the group decided that before returning to Winterhaven, they would investigate Vandomar's tower, since Valthrun had already given them another reason to visit.
They headed back through the (If you have read through this LONG summary, text me the word "Codex" and add a +3 Cloak of Resistance or another 12th level neck slot item to your character) the Orc village relying on disguise to the tower. Prying off the boards to the door, they observed an inner room lit by chaotic flashes of fire, lightening and acid. The room was dominated by a large obelisk that had falled. On top of it lay a large white blood-soaked sheet. Clearly a body lay beneath the sheet, but on top of the sheet was a rolled up scroll. Wyndham grabbed the scroll and found a ritual to remove a glyph of warding but immediately after the sheet moved and a large female flesh golem ripped into the group. The door to the tower slammed shut behind them and trapped them in the room of books, tables and ritual items. They gradually wore down the golem until they could defeat it. Inspecting the room for the Winterbore Codex, they discovered a set of Magical Hide Armor +3. They assumed it once belonged to the Flesh Golem, Elaida, but no trace of the Winterbore Codex. A large stairwell dominated the fringes of the tower room. At the top of the stairs, there was a large wooden door.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Orcs and Fey - what to do?
The next morning, following Berrian's advice, the party climbed the wall and stealthily made their way to the edge of the gatehouse. A pair of Orc guards were scouting the top of each watch tower and with Dora's distracting magic, the group was able to get the drop on the pair and slowly climb atop the towers while more Orcs poured onto the top level. A snarling Ogre also threatened to overwhelm the party but the persistence of the group felled the creatures and the rest of the camp (text the word...) seemed unalerted to their presence. In the lower level of the gatehouse, they uncovered some small treasures as well as an assortment of armor and Orc clothing. While they quickly figured they could be used to fashion a disguise, they wanted to deduce as much as possible from the camp layout and return to Winterhaven with the news.
They quickly crossed the courtyard right inside the Abbey to the keep doors only to have their way "blocked" by a large grey skinned Ettin. Although one head (Bruse) was asleep when they approached, the awakened head Spike asked for the password but was willing to barter for admission as long as they kept it to themselves so Bruse didn't find out. Intimidated by the memory of the Hill Giant, the group closed the door and quickly backtracked to the gatehouse.
Unwilling to enter the Orc camp, even though that was their task, they circled around the back of the keep to look for another entrance but they found themselves in an overgrown garden, the outer grove long abandoned. Evidence of a recent battle, dead spiders, burnt spider webs and destroyed terrain met them in the field. Inspection of hte corpses revealed the wounds were (reboot to me and receive...) likely caused by an assortment of weapons, perhaps too blunt for Eladrin blades but the tracks were not Orc tracks. Undisturbed they moved deeper into the Feygrove to a path that snaked back and forth up the mountain to an open grove, where they encountered the scene of a silver-haired woman running from two Displacer Beasts. As they emerged from the wood, the beasts lashed at her with their tentacles and she dropped, only to be quickly set upon by a series of stirges that attached themselves to her throat and began eating away at whatever life was left.
Upon seeing the heros, the Displacer Beasts charged down on them. Splitting up their resources to try and save the woman, Wyndham and Thorm tried to deal with the Beasts while Dora and Edhas attacked the stirges. While dealing with the constant threat of death, they were able to take down the beasts and the stirges. Unfortunately, they had done their work and the woman appeared lost. Only through the efforts of Thorm's Raise Dead ritual and several hours of rest were they able to revive the Eladrin. She quickly identified herself as Analastra and thanked the party, begging them to escort her back to Berrian who would be grateful for their rescue. (...two potions of vitality) Berrian greeted them more openly than before and thanked them for retrieving his sister. He then insisted they acquire the proof that Lord Padraig needs for them to properly lay claim to these woods. He believes the Monks that tended the garden, the groundskeepers, would have such proof and if they would return with it, it would take him a step closer to being able to move forward with his plans. Also, he advised that Analastra could accompany them if they felt the need for reinforcements.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
To Winterhaven and Gardmore Abbey
After briefly inspecting the "balance" card but unable to discern its purpose, the group decided to follow Kor's advice and seek out Valthrun the Prescient in Winterhaven. The journey required a few days travel to the small village. Along the way on the first evening the group was beset upon by a Hill Giant that Edhas was fortunate enough to have heard following them along a creek. Rather than flee, they decided to attack the Giant while they had the tactical height advantage. Unfortunately, the overwhelming strength of the Giant caught them off guard and they were quickly looking for a way out. The fled down the creek and further along the path until they felt it was safe to rest again.
On the second day, they arrived in Winterhaven and were greeted at the gate by two guards who asked for their business in town. Not wanting to alert anyone to their purpose, they said it was just casual. The town was small with the necessary shops and taverns. The tower of Valthrun was clear - the knocked and were greeted by a pleasant old man that claimed to have known Kor Yeznia from many years ago, Although he confessed to being unaware of his current whereabouts. They showed him the card and were informed that it was likely a part of the Deck of Many Things - an artifact last known to have been assembled in the depths of Guardmore Abbey. The Abbey fell many generations ago when a young Paladin of Bahamut drew from the deck to save the Abbey from seige but his drawing was unfortunate and the Deck was scattered throughout the Abbey and beyond. The group did not share how they acquired the card and Valthrun did not ask. They also asked about the Staff of Chaos and Valthrun seemed even eager to hear about their adventures. The final piece of the staff is buried with Lord Evard, entombed beneath the outpost of Triton Keep in the Southwest corner of the Nentir Valley. Valthrun suggested the group seek out the advice of the local ruler, Lord Paedrag.
Although Valthrun kept asking for more information that he could help them with, the group was unwilling to share any further information they had acquired.
They visited the smithy briefly before moving onto Lord Paedrag's manor. They were greeted here equally as openly. After recounting the information about the Card and the Abbey, he informed them that perhaps their interests could overlap - the Abbey was long ago taken over by tribes of Orcs that represent a threat to the existence of Winterhaven. Although he is interested in seeking alliances with other towns to get rid of them, he needs someone to scout the area and let him know any useful information about the layout of their camp or their numbers. This would also get the group closer to the Abbey they are askign so much about.
They accepted the offer and hit the road for the two day journey to the Gardmore Downs. Under the cover of darkness, they approached the Abbey's large outerwalls but several hundred yards awy from the perimeter they were attacked by a large Blue Dragon. Although they tried to reason with the creature, its carnal instincts took over and it attacked the party, nearly killing the whole group. Only through the last ditch effort by Sir Loin did they destroy the Dragon.
In the midst of both battles (Giant and Dragon) the "balance" card glowed a dark amber and allowed the group to use an ability they had not had before. The power of this attack revealed just how potent the Deck is when fully assembled. It is clear now that control over the Deck may play an important part in the growing plot around them. If you have read through this whole summary - text me the word "balance" for a wondrous item of your choosing level 8 and below
On the second day, they arrived in Winterhaven and were greeted at the gate by two guards who asked for their business in town. Not wanting to alert anyone to their purpose, they said it was just casual. The town was small with the necessary shops and taverns. The tower of Valthrun was clear - the knocked and were greeted by a pleasant old man that claimed to have known Kor Yeznia from many years ago, Although he confessed to being unaware of his current whereabouts. They showed him the card and were informed that it was likely a part of the Deck of Many Things - an artifact last known to have been assembled in the depths of Guardmore Abbey. The Abbey fell many generations ago when a young Paladin of Bahamut drew from the deck to save the Abbey from seige but his drawing was unfortunate and the Deck was scattered throughout the Abbey and beyond. The group did not share how they acquired the card and Valthrun did not ask. They also asked about the Staff of Chaos and Valthrun seemed even eager to hear about their adventures. The final piece of the staff is buried with Lord Evard, entombed beneath the outpost of Triton Keep in the Southwest corner of the Nentir Valley. Valthrun suggested the group seek out the advice of the local ruler, Lord Paedrag.
Although Valthrun kept asking for more information that he could help them with, the group was unwilling to share any further information they had acquired.
They visited the smithy briefly before moving onto Lord Paedrag's manor. They were greeted here equally as openly. After recounting the information about the Card and the Abbey, he informed them that perhaps their interests could overlap - the Abbey was long ago taken over by tribes of Orcs that represent a threat to the existence of Winterhaven. Although he is interested in seeking alliances with other towns to get rid of them, he needs someone to scout the area and let him know any useful information about the layout of their camp or their numbers. This would also get the group closer to the Abbey they are askign so much about.
They accepted the offer and hit the road for the two day journey to the Gardmore Downs. Under the cover of darkness, they approached the Abbey's large outerwalls but several hundred yards awy from the perimeter they were attacked by a large Blue Dragon. Although they tried to reason with the creature, its carnal instincts took over and it attacked the party, nearly killing the whole group. Only through the last ditch effort by Sir Loin did they destroy the Dragon.
In the midst of both battles (Giant and Dragon) the "balance" card glowed a dark amber and allowed the group to use an ability they had not had before. The power of this attack revealed just how potent the Deck is when fully assembled. It is clear now that control over the Deck may play an important part in the growing plot around them. If you have read through this whole summary - text me the word "balance" for a wondrous item of your choosing level 8 and below
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The Curse is Lifted and a Card
Racing out the back of the Harwick house, the group hurried to the tree line and decided rather than follow the directions to the farmhouse of Darien, Wyndham wanted to look for the town hall/militia to see if his mentor, Kor Yeznia, was hiding there. As they snuck towards the center of the village, the bone dust in the air grew thicker and the constant shuffling of the undead filled the mist beyond their vision. The town hall building had two leveled buildings connected by a ten foot high breezeway. The large barn doors on the closest part of the building seemed sealed from the inside although Edhas could hear noises from inside.
They slinked around the side of the building and noted no other ways into the barn part of the building. A bulkhead behind the building was also locked. Dora's Ghost Sound power led to a ghoul howling for backup in the other direction, but they quickly realized that hungry undead were now approaching their location. Some quick thinking by Wyndham had the group clikmbing the side of the barn with his grappling hook and rope. Once above, they observed an unfortunate woman who suddenly fled across the town center only to be ravaged and disembowled by a horde of hungry zombies. Not wasting anytime, they crossed the roof of the breezeway to a blocked window in the main part of the building.
Unable to push the wood blocking the window, Thorm began hacking at it with his axe until he could reach through and begin moving things away from the window. Suddenly a dagger flashed across the space cutting his arm open. The inhabitants kept insisted they leave, that they lacked food and didn't have any more space for others, but clever bargaining by Thorm convinced them to relent. Once inside, they learned that 15 "militia" men were holed up here with some older weapons. One identified himself as Kira's sister and, after discovering they had left her in the Chapel, was determined to go rescue her. Secret word is Retarded - text me the word and 5 potions of vitality to your cahracter sheet. They also learned that this group of men had killed and eaten the mayor, whose body was salted and hanged in one of the rooms. They also had no knowledge of Kor Yeznia but confirmed that Darien's farmhouse was further south - where the bone dust was even thicker.
After a brief rest, they decided to all fan out simultaneously and the party would head towards Darien's. Hopefully they could put a stop to whatever was causing this undead horde to linger here.
The large farm estate appeared deserted until Edhas entered the front foyer to find a female ghoul (likely Darien's sister) hunched over a wide assortment of papers while she mumbled to herself frantically shuffling through them. Staring in disbelief at a talking ghoul, she was surrounded by other undead that stormed into the room. She stood her ground, going toe to toe with the female ghoul, while receiving back up from the rest of hte group. After defeating them, they looked through the papers and noticed the writings on the papers were actually frantic scribbling of the words "Asmodeous Walks".
Determined to find Darien and hopefully Kor, they made their way through the farmhouse estate, taking what was valuable and finally approaching the back gardens. In the back, a freshly rotting ghoul was frantically building some sort of topiary out of twigs and yard debris, mumbling all the while. Recognizing him as Kor, Wyndham approached to try and reason with him but his undead nature took control and he attacked his former charge. While Wyndham and Dora dealt with Kor, Thorm, Sir Loin and Edhas found themselves nearly overmatched by a large ghoul that could only be Darien himself and a series of ravenous undead minions. Pushed to the brink of defeat, the party mourned the loss of Wyndham's mentor.
He carried a note sealed with wax addressed to Wyndham. The note said that they should not return to their hometown of Stonehallow. In fact, Wyndham fled after taking something of importance from an unnamed person. That prize, he claimed, was now hidden in the temple of St. Lucius. It instructed them to take the item to Winterhaven and seek out Valthrun the Prescient. The group quickly cracked a code embedded in his writing: Danitus. Wyndham's knowledge of Stonehallow allowed him to recall the name Danitus. Kaius Danitus a prominent political figure on the ruling council of Stonehallow. Kor also carried a hand-drawn map that appeared to be several locations :Stonehallow, Sarthel and Banethal and a large Capital M. All of the locations had a drawn circle that connected them. The word "iron" was written on the outside of the circle.
They returned to the temple, noting that affter Darien's destruction, the curse seemed lifted, the ghouls scattered and the bone dust gone from the air. Inside the temple some hard digging uncovered an item wrapped in fabric and tied with rope. Although the item emitted strong levels of arcane chaos magic, they opened it to discover a simple card with the word "balance" on it.
They slinked around the side of the building and noted no other ways into the barn part of the building. A bulkhead behind the building was also locked. Dora's Ghost Sound power led to a ghoul howling for backup in the other direction, but they quickly realized that hungry undead were now approaching their location. Some quick thinking by Wyndham had the group clikmbing the side of the barn with his grappling hook and rope. Once above, they observed an unfortunate woman who suddenly fled across the town center only to be ravaged and disembowled by a horde of hungry zombies. Not wasting anytime, they crossed the roof of the breezeway to a blocked window in the main part of the building.
Unable to push the wood blocking the window, Thorm began hacking at it with his axe until he could reach through and begin moving things away from the window. Suddenly a dagger flashed across the space cutting his arm open. The inhabitants kept insisted they leave, that they lacked food and didn't have any more space for others, but clever bargaining by Thorm convinced them to relent. Once inside, they learned that 15 "militia" men were holed up here with some older weapons. One identified himself as Kira's sister and, after discovering they had left her in the Chapel, was determined to go rescue her. Secret word is Retarded - text me the word and 5 potions of vitality to your cahracter sheet. They also learned that this group of men had killed and eaten the mayor, whose body was salted and hanged in one of the rooms. They also had no knowledge of Kor Yeznia but confirmed that Darien's farmhouse was further south - where the bone dust was even thicker.
After a brief rest, they decided to all fan out simultaneously and the party would head towards Darien's. Hopefully they could put a stop to whatever was causing this undead horde to linger here.
The large farm estate appeared deserted until Edhas entered the front foyer to find a female ghoul (likely Darien's sister) hunched over a wide assortment of papers while she mumbled to herself frantically shuffling through them. Staring in disbelief at a talking ghoul, she was surrounded by other undead that stormed into the room. She stood her ground, going toe to toe with the female ghoul, while receiving back up from the rest of hte group. After defeating them, they looked through the papers and noticed the writings on the papers were actually frantic scribbling of the words "Asmodeous Walks".
Determined to find Darien and hopefully Kor, they made their way through the farmhouse estate, taking what was valuable and finally approaching the back gardens. In the back, a freshly rotting ghoul was frantically building some sort of topiary out of twigs and yard debris, mumbling all the while. Recognizing him as Kor, Wyndham approached to try and reason with him but his undead nature took control and he attacked his former charge. While Wyndham and Dora dealt with Kor, Thorm, Sir Loin and Edhas found themselves nearly overmatched by a large ghoul that could only be Darien himself and a series of ravenous undead minions. Pushed to the brink of defeat, the party mourned the loss of Wyndham's mentor.
He carried a note sealed with wax addressed to Wyndham. The note said that they should not return to their hometown of Stonehallow. In fact, Wyndham fled after taking something of importance from an unnamed person. That prize, he claimed, was now hidden in the temple of St. Lucius. It instructed them to take the item to Winterhaven and seek out Valthrun the Prescient. The group quickly cracked a code embedded in his writing: Danitus. Wyndham's knowledge of Stonehallow allowed him to recall the name Danitus. Kaius Danitus a prominent political figure on the ruling council of Stonehallow. Kor also carried a hand-drawn map that appeared to be several locations :Stonehallow, Sarthel and Banethal and a large Capital M. All of the locations had a drawn circle that connected them. The word "iron" was written on the outside of the circle.
They returned to the temple, noting that affter Darien's destruction, the curse seemed lifted, the ghouls scattered and the bone dust gone from the air. Inside the temple some hard digging uncovered an item wrapped in fabric and tied with rope. Although the item emitted strong levels of arcane chaos magic, they opened it to discover a simple card with the word "balance" on it.
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