Gabe3e

25 Kythorn - 7 Flamerule 1357DR
[Game of Feb 28th, 2003]

Camped with the Gypsies. Got attacked by werewolves. Set fire to the Wealdath. Left a dead man by the road. Dropped off the Athunsun boys at the temple to Ilmater in Grimclaw. Slept with Dyllan. Helped a defenestrated man. Entered Weatherford. Helped the sickly. Got sick. Slaughtered goblins.

More to come once I get Melissa’s notes :)

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25th Kythorn

Make camp away off the path N

Delenn says “I… uh… forget it.”

Go up a little hill, meet up with caravan - women, kids, instruments,
animals - making camp in lee of hill.

a few spot us -wave, wave back

“good evening!”

Jaran “Why don’t you go talk to them?” to delenn

Flanna, Delenn, G’kar go to greet them.

“where are you headed?” -Flanna
“nowhere in particular”

Flanna warns them about orcs.
G’kar offers them ale.

Ten men appear “ALE?!”

Delenn wanders toward people playing - seem talented, but music is strange

Kalcryx detects evil - not particularly evil “some of them perhaps are
short of morals”

G’kar “of all the races, you can party with the humans.”

Flanna “where have you been?” Candlekeep, Catla, Mosstone

Delenn “When were you in mosstone?”
“Oh, months ago…”

“What is your business?” flanna
Trading, hunting…

“What do you trade?” [speaker unrecorded]
clothes, weapons, other things… herbs, services.

agree to split watch and make camp with them

“We have some… strange ones…” [speaker unrecorded]

“Will your paladin give us any trouble?”
Gkar “Paladin? Ha ha, no He’ll be no trouble.”

“Would you like to trade anything?”

Delenn tries to pick up some tunes.

Attempt to trade gems - jaran buys a large, deep purple amethyst

Delenn busts out her music box
“Woah, wanna sell it?”
“Maybe trade it…” -no deal

Girl starts singing a tale of a blacksmith and a mage, the forging of teh
sword Lifebringer - given to a paladin, came to his aid until he died
“they say that Lifebringer rests in this here forest.”

song: “the bandits of greensvale” long time ago a brave knight was
abducted and his companions saved him, etc, etc grossly exaggerated

Jaran “What happened to the thieves, then?” fled into darkness, never seen
again
G’kar “maybe we should have slit their throats…”

Night goes on… lax watch, but there’s too much noise and fire for
anything to try to eat them. =)

G’kar tries to pawn kids off on gypsies
-More mouths to feed, “The girl maybe we could put to work, but the
boys…”

G’kar complains about how soft the ground is…

26th Kythorn

Random gypsy agrees to take older boy, g’kar won’t split them up, tries to
bribe them into taking both -decide to take them back to grimclaw (party
conference- decide to take them to Lady Fay)

“Watch out for the town of Weatherford…something strange is happening
there…” no worthy elaboration- high-pitched, bone-chilling screams

G’kar asks about sword in the forest
“Sword in the forest? Oh, a child’s tale!”

G’kar tells party of screams near Weatherford- decide to check it out
after dropping off kiddies

26th Kythorn Night

Return to Kalcryx FORT 002
make camp, standard watch

big, full moon, pretty bright night

during Jaran’s watch, Kalcryx wakes up, sense werewolves

Jaran hears rustling from hill area, really loud, throaty howls.

Jaran sees a whole bunch of dire wolf-like things coming down hill, some
are wearing the remains of clothes, charging toward camp

~14, on all fours

8 attack horses

some try to climb walls

one swipes over wall at jaran- misses
jaran casts web to trap werewolves (and horses)
Kalcryx grabs shield and sword
gkar, delenn, jarl stand
flanna and boys cower, hopefully somewhere safe.

gkar left fortress, circling behind a werewolf, cast bless

jarl leaps over wall, attacks

delenn attacks with burning hands - werewolves seem surprised by jet of
flames shooting from her hands. They are singed.

Jaran casts icy sphere, kills one

Kalcryx attacks with sword

werewolf charges at jarl, misses

attack delenn, miss

attack kalcryx, hit

webbed wolves slowly claw way out

jaran casts magic missile

kalcryx hits one…

-Scribe too scared to record… ;) -

delenn tries to cast sleep, fail
werewolves claw free of web

kalcryx attacks four with lightning - an impressive across the fort thing,
kills three, wounds one, ignite webs around horses -disappear- and frying
a tree

jarl kills one
delenn attacks with magic missle, hit
gkar kills one
jaran casts magic missile at remaining foe attacking gkar
remainders flee! except two…

Jaran walks up to flanna, pulls out a dagger and throws it over wall. =)

kalcryx runs around, kills one
gkar ”

“Dammit! He was mine!” -jarl

jaran recovers daggers

werewolf corpses turn into human corpses - Gypsies!

search bodies, nothing
heal horses

kalcyx and gkar attempt wisdom check- two kinds of werewolves: born,
infected. Only born can infect others.

Gkar “My sense of honor compels me to return the bodies.”
-decide against it

build a funeral pyre - starts brush fire

jaran makes a firebreak, puts out fire with decanter of endless water

30 min pass -hear things moving around - random animals fleeing the area.
Jaran listens for louder scurrying

Jaran’s horse is dead -skins and butchers it, throws remains in fire

Delenn’s watch - hears things approaching, lots of big things scurrying
through under brush, look like big spiders.
everyone wakes up
“what a long night this is.” Kalcryx
“We’re sleeping in tomorrow.” ?

Delenn casts fireball in center, kills 6/10
forest catches fire

spider jumps over wall, attacks Flanna- falls over unconscious
another crawls on flanna
spiders 3 and 4 attack children- one turns toward kalcryx- goes for small
boy (hit), delenn (miss)

kalcryx kills one w/ arrows

gkar moves out, throws thrower over wall at spider that first bit
flanna- misses

jaran administers cure light wounds to jacob

“Let’s see… flanna bleeds some more…” [I think gabe said this?]

kalcryx shoots @ spider on Flanna- kills it- falls on top of her

gkar throws thrower adn kills spider between flanna and wall

jarl stabs at spider near boy

delenn shoots at remainignspider- nearly dead, but still kicking

kalcryx heals flanna0 stops bleeding, still unconscious

gkar attacks remaining spider- kills it
hammer seems to miss- realizes it just went clean through and came back

gkar heals jacob
kalcryx heals flanna

jaran icy spheres brush fire
delenn puts out remaining fires w/ wand

pile spiders near pyre- rest of night passes fairly uneventfully

27th Kythorn

pass weatherford

3 hrs. later- glimpse man along road, seems to be lying on ground near
road

kalcryx looks with spyglass- sees little

advance carefully, protecting kids in middle

man lying face down

“Hello sir, are you ok?” jaran
roll him over, dagger in his chest
jaran appraises it as worthless
kaclryx loots body, notices cuts on neck, bruises on hand- appears to have
been beaten

kalcryx attempts to find tracks- too messy

keep walking

road ends- forks- press on to get to fort

kalcryx sets up glyph of warding on fortress- electric damage to all evil,
and something about continual light

-night passes uneventfully-

three days later, get to grimclaw

3rd kythorn

take boys to temple of ilmater
lady fay makes a quip about flanna’s armor having a few new scuffs on it.

flanna explains that she has had great many adventures, and seen wondrous
things
“perhaps you will grow out of it”

explains the story of the boys in celestial… fay agrees to take them in

older kid doesn’t want to stay- walks out- jarl and gkar stop him
conversation… goes nowhere

gkar storms off to pub

flanna pulls boy off to side “what kind of people would we be to let you
go off and face spiders and werewolves and such?”
“I have a sword” boy pulls sword out

“do you know how to use it?”
“Wanna try me?”

(no…) “Don’t you pull your sword on me!” (yells)

jarl comes out, picks up kid bodily, puts him inside “You’re staying here
whether you like it or not.” says we’ll come back when we find his uncle.

kid pouts.

jaran, kalcryx, delenn go see velvet, try to buy spells.

“thanks for being so expedient with that problem I sent you on…”
problem went away after two months “things take care of themselves…”

“What happened?” jaran
hired somebody else- slams door on them mid-conversation

Delenn, jaran kalcryx go to pub
delenn sees dylan- approaches him. seems to be hitting sauce pretty hard
“You don’t seem happy these days, what’s wrong? Do you need help?” delenn
“No, go away, not now.” dylan

jaran and gkar bitch about how pissy the townspeople seem to be lately.
“Humans.” jaran

*crash!* outside
a lot of glass on the road, a guy stumbling in road, broken window
upstairs- man collapses

gkar heals him
“they’re after me!” -man
“Who?” gkar

“I don’t know… big guy… wearing a mask.”
“any idea what they want?”

“I was just staying in my room…”
jaran climbs wall, sees room is busted up, no people. Finds 15pp in bag
in corner

“what was your business in town?” gkar
private- stuff- man won’t tell

Jaran makes her way through room, heads downstairs, questions barkeep
about man- no answers- tells man outside she saw no one

“I think they were after the necklace.”
two big guys busted in, knew exactly where necklace was- attacked w/
sword, thrown out window

gkar manages to talk the guy into showing him the necklace, gold w/ large
ruby

man starts coughing, lifts shirt, is bleeding

“I thought I healed him…” gkar
“I’m feeling whoozy…”

gkar suspects poison
man falls to knees, coughing up blood
gkar grabs man, runs toward temple- no way to cure him, hopes temple has
something

man says “fallen valley… the high lady of tamara…” chokes on blood
dead by the time he gets there

asks cleric to take care of his body- lady fay wants to conduct an
investigation

goes back to room- thoroughly search room-> bag in closet w/ four potions

jaran goes downstairs to avoid being found in dead man’s room by paladin

kalcryx detects evil on necklace- not evil

gkar goes to temple, runs into paladin, pulls her somewhere quiet, shows
her amulet and tells man’s story

paladin is pensive, states gkar is trustworthy

gkar tells story of dragon-slaying
“how much ale have you had today?” paladin
“Human ale is weak.” gkar

tells her they searched the room, inn, found nothing/no one, would like to
get necklace where it belongs

“very well, you will of course return with news when the task is done?”
-of course

“is there anything I can do for you?”
“where is the fallen valley?”

“it is a small city near fortenburg, ten days N.”

gkar askes paladin about zonas
“who?”

explains whole ghost story- zonas, kids-
“a group of adventurers, such as yourselves came several weeks ago and
eliminated the problem.” -killed ghost

conversation about zonas, kanly, etc.
some quip about “yes, I’ve seen the signs.” decide it is dishonorable to
leave the boys ignorant about the party’s intentions. gkar claims to have
no personal interest in the matter.
decide jarl should tell the boys

gkar and jarl talk, jarl agrees to handle it.

jarl explains “look kid. I’m sorry, but your uncle is evil, and we’re
going to have to take him out.” kid scowls. jarl walks out.

gkar “we would have saved yoru father if we could have, we have ntohing
against him, nothing against you.” explains that they don’t personally
want to kill zonas, might not even happen.

delenn tracks down dylan- asks what’s going on- let’s her in- fade to
black

paladin and flanna talk, ask about weather ford- no idea why to avoid it
what’s happening in town lately? the usual
amulet sounds like a gift
hodelbard is doing well

gkar talks to bartender about what’s happening- chalks it up to bad
timing.
dylan’s been mopey, drinking a lot.

delenn talks to dylan about velvet- doesn’t want to talk about it.
eventually gives it up next morning-> mage too busy for him, making
things, blowing up things, spying on people.

“i wonder if she was spying on us last night?” delenn
“I hopse so.” dylan

dylan might leave, join the army or something

delenn breaks away, tells party about velvet- busy, may be more than she
seems
party nods thoughtfully.

go to weatherford, arrive 3rd Flamerule
hot, sunny

talk about how to approach town
gkar talks to Flanna, tries to get her to stay back
“It’s been a pleasure to know you, but maybe you should stay here.”
“what, on the road, where we found the dead body a few days ago?”

tracia has an hysterical fit over the irony of putting so much weight into
a little keep out sign when they’ve tromped through evil, undead, dragon,
drow warnings =) [population 22?! Do not enter!]

flanna very quietly suggests it’s a plague town, but apparently no one
hears her.

kalcryx detects evil on fly-over, sees nothing

flanna gets shoved in bag of holding, grumpily.

gkar and jarl lead, jaran on flanna’s horse

town seems deserted
1 public building, 4 homes

go in tavern, empty. looks like it’s been used in the last week or so.

check houses, see people lying down on floor- don’t move.

gkar opens door, stench of people who have not bathed, in their own filth-
purple around eyes, in extremities, couple are in and out of
consciousness… 5-alive!

gkar cures one of them- slowly looks more and more healthy

gkar “What’s happened?”
“thank you great, healer, can you do the same for the rest of my family?”

gkar explains he can only cure one more today- the wife is the worst off.
“We need food and water.”

ask about disease- got it from goblins- come every day for weeks, waiting
for them to die to take their stuff- been down 8 days

let me out. =)

party camps in town center- upwind. =)

4th

next morning- gkar feels feverish
notice man seems purple again, woman seems fine

cure 3 kids, send them to farm [I don’t think that ended up being final]

set up quarantine- 3 stages
sick - may be sick in isolation - well

gkar and kalcryx heal, delenn, jaran, jarl keep watch

kalcryx feels feverish in evening

band of goblins wanders into town ~40- see jarl- retreat
jarl runs after them
jaran casts icy spehere- kills ~80% of them; the rest of the goblins
scatter “like ants”
kalcryx kills one, gkar kills two
the others scamper into the trees

5th
cure another 3 people
news comes that someone died overnight
gkar feels very unwell, sweating, turning purple
kalcryx feels ok

gkar has trouble sleeping

6th
kalcryx heals two people, gkar- moves to clean side

7th
augury: “Will we be able to successfullycure this town of this disease,
permanently?”
A: with careful planning and great sacrifice
Q: If I wear my necklace and hold my breath, will I be reinfected?
A: the future is uncertain

gkar leaves staff of healing and amulet of adaptation in midground
kalcryx heals himself

notice a banner bobbing in the distance- lone, nervous, goblin walks into
town

“Halt!” gkar “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I bring a message from the great warchief kulgrew (sp?)”

“no further, you can tell us from that distance. What is the message?”
“leave our sacred lands.” burial grounds of ancestors, land extends as
far as eye can see

tell townspeople it might be wise to move.

kalcryx heals three people- holds berath except for when saying spell-
never breaths in- covers mouth and nose w/ cloth

Ach, My suspicions are legitimate, my uneasiness justified! We arrived a short time ago at the flooded town my companions were contracted to rescue, and it was just as Adar described it. For a time I felt relieved, I had feared… I know not what, a trap, perhaps… the man was too strange, and his mission was too conveniently in the direction of Jarl’s enemy, Zonas. But my peace was not to last, for the town is a settlement of orcs! There was but little talk of what should be done, and Delenn, Kalcryx and Jarl have just now crossed the river to fish out the orcs, honouring their word and fulfilling their contract.

For once I am glad to have so little responsibility, so little influence. It is a problem for a philosopher, not for me… release vile, murderous, creatures upon the world out of honour, obligation to one’s word? How many will suffer so that I may have an old nag to ride upon? I would not have had it done. For my part, I would have rather walked, but the contract was made, the payment paid, and I suppose there is little choice for them.

William is sleeping now, and I too am very tired, having lost much sleep last night. The flames were in my dreams, the first time since I know not when. I wonder what sort of terrors will plague these boys at night, what scenes will haunt them through their lives? Poor dears.

Oh, horror… heartbreak as I have not known in years… Our party has grown by two, two poor boys, one barely more than a tot, who met us on the road today, dirty, trembling, terrified, yet trying so to be brave… Their father had been attacked by some monstrous worm, and alas, there was naught to be done to save him, and nothing proper to be done with them but bundle them along with us, for their mother died birthing the younger one, William, the poor sweet child, and they have no other relations. Well, that is not precisely true. Jacob spoke much of his uncle Zonas, his father’s brother, who, in a most irksome and disturbing twist of fate appears to be that same Zonas Jarl is determined to destroy… It is too much… At least they are clean and fed now, and hopefully free of lice.

If only Jacob were but a few years older, he could tend to his brother and make something of a living from the farm, but he is too young for either responsibility. I would not rob them of their father and their home in one day, but to leave them would be like to killing them… We hope to find some nearby town or village with room in their homes and their hearts for our orphans. Perhaps when he is older, Jacob can return and reclaim his land.

We have travelled two days according to Adar’s directions, and have made our way out of the mountains. Kalcryx has used his magic to create two fortifications for our protection, one for our camp last night, and one for our camp tonight. It was an awful, marvellous happening to witness- at his command the earth rose up and formed itself into short but sturdy walls behind a ditch of respectable depth.

G’Kar at this moment is employed with the cutting of a plaque designating it as created by Kalcryx, protected by Helm, etc. etc. Delenn and I told him what shapes to cut to so the sign can be read by most any travellers. He is very energetic and cheerful about his task, and is singing a most boistrous song, but his reproduction of our letters is very poor. Still, they are legible enough, and I haven’t the heart (nor the courage) to correct him. It is a very merry song; I wish I knew what he was singing!

My poor nag is serving me well. She is passive and gentle, but it is clear her spirit is broken, dear sad thing. I doubt there is much joy being a beast of burden, but I hope there is some kindness I can show her to make her life less weary. I know that horses are supposed to like carrots and apples, but sadly I have neither of these things to give her. Perhaps being well-fed and cared for will be luxury enough for her, for now.

Strange, Wonderful day!

We arrived in Grimclaw safely this morning to a host of queer looks. I felt at first very ashamed, fearing the whole town despised me for abandoning them, for refusing Hodelbard (though I never pledged myself to him, and he never made a claim to me himself), but I soon realized, with relief and embarassment, that my companions, not I, were the cause of my neighbors’ peculiar looks. They wear a Lord’s treasure on their backs, and would be gutted in a heartbeat, supposing anyone could figure out how to accomplish the task. How humble I must appear next to them, how thoroughly misplaced among their ranks…

I was not too keen to visit my Lady so quickly, for I knew she would not have grown any fonder of my travelling inclinations, and indeed she was most acerbic in her disapprobation. “What,” she said, noticing the leather armor Delenn had loaned me, and which I had so very stupidly forgotten to take off. “Will you give her a sword and stand her up in the front lines?” Never mind asking me, I suppose, and never mind how she acquired her own skill with the sword. Oh, and then she spoke of the relative safety of Hodelbard, and G’Kar agreed with her, though he did not mention that I had been nearly killed by a spear, by the mercy of Ilmater, but what he said was bad enough. I half wished they had let me bleed out in the caves… It’s one thing to be unwelcome… so I join a travelling band with less insane inclinations, and I find the denierath more quickly. But it is another thing to be shown such disregard for my wishes, my intelligence. I am old enough to wed, am I not old enough to answer for myself? Everyone is so certain that it is fitting and proper for them to decide what my lifepath should be, and very few, in fact, none, have condescended to ask me my own desires…

But then, I am becoming angry, and there is no need, for my fortunes have changed, and my greatest adversary has now become my greatest ally! I tried to speak with G’kar, I led him to the smithy and explained the pathetic nature of the future he would abandon me too, but alas! He saw no waste in it, no shame in Hodelbard, the dullard, the dunce. “He looks like a fine boy to me!” he said, and yes, very fine indeed, if one likes the prospect of a husband who is as dense as his anvil and twice as useless outside the smithy. I do not know why my mother and father climbed these mountains, but certainly it was not so that I may fritter away my days saturated with soot and the clang of the hammer, tending burn wounds and birthing the next generation of brats in this place, this overgrown campsite that never deserved a name.

Ach, I am angry again, and I must focus on my tale! I do not know precisely what I said, but I was filled with despair and I began to speak of my mother and my father, and how the world seemed set to prevent me from fulfilling my only desire, my only obligation, and G’Kar looked at me most peculiarly and asked “Then it is a matter of honour?” I did not rightly know how to answer, so surprised was I by his change in manner, and so I offered something of a lame affirmation, and then his manner became familiar again, and he scowled and growled and spoke to me as if I were a stupid and irritating child, but his words, ah, they make my heart light, and I cannot help but grin, for he said “If your mother’s dying wish was to return this scroll, then that, my child, is a mission of honour!” and then he invited, nay, rather commanded me to continue with them!

I do not know how this has come to be, I am in truth greatly bemused, for when I had given up all hope, in my despair, I earned respect from a great dwarven warrior priest, and I am welcomed!

And, I have a horse! A sad, old, grey, misused mare, but she is a horse, and she comes with full tack! She was a partial payment from this strange man named Adar who has employed my companions to rescue his village from flooding. They took on his mission quickly, and seemingly without any of the unease I felt about it… Grateful as I am for my poor little mare, this man unnerves me, and I would not undertake his mission for any price, but that is not mine to decide. We lose little helping him -his village is along our path- and so I must trust that my companions see in him something to which my ignorance has me blinded.

Ah, to have welcome, and my own horse, and a fire to dry my skirt and jacket by… I shall eat a little toast and honey to celebrate this wonderful day!

We arrived in Stormaxe today, our journeying short and mercifully uneventful. The dwarves welcomed us with cold ale, warm hearts, and hot food. G’kar has apparently been honored or knighted, I know not what precisely, but he is radiant with pride (and ale) and the dwarves have nearly drowned him in praise (and ale). A great feast was held in his honour, and there was such singing and dancing and drinking as I have never seen. Dwarves are by their nature tending toward drunkenness, raucousness… a city of dwarves rejoicing… It is not a thing I will soon forget. The noise was tremendous, but it was a merry noise, making us to the last mirthful and without care. Delenn sang a tale of the slaying of Cleksathor that was beautiful and well-loved but monstrously perverted from the true happenings. Kalcryx, more than a little besotted, leapt up on our table and began acting out her words. Even Jaran did not hide away in a corner, but dined and laughed with us all.

And soon I will enjoy the best hospitality the dwarves can offer, the greatest treasure of civilization, for a tub is at this moment being filled with steaming water, and there is soap to wash with, and clean cloths to dry with! I think I’ll wash my shift and socks, as well. It’s a pity my skirt and jacket wouldn’t dry by morning; it is such a foul thing to put on dirty clothes when one is clean.

I am in a bag. I am in a bag that is both big enough to hold me and a goodly amount of treasure and yet small enough for Jaran to carry on her belt.

I would have laughed out loud when Kalcryx suggested I climb into Jaran’s little pouch, but his manner was so earnest, and it is so very hard to laugh at someone with his particular talents for killing. I’m not sure how it happened, but the bag was got around me somehow, and now I sit in what appears to be a very small room with no exit, no noise or other indication of my companions, oh yes, and no air. Or very little air at best, ten minutes worth, they said. And so to keep me alive, for the next week at least, they gave me a necklace that allows me to hold my breath for seven days at a time. The gods alone know what would happen after that… will the necklace be generous, allow me to take a breath of what air remains and linger on? Or have I already exhausted all life in this place…? Ach, best not to think about it.

And what of my brave companions while I lounge in this little room that is a bag? They seek death with the lich… the evilness more dangerous to them than the dragon. And that is why I am in this bag, for the lich has nearly killed them so many times, they who are so strong, so deadly, and so very well armed, and I have not even the ability to avoid being skewered by an overgrown toad of a goblin, a feeble, warty idiot-child thing that pisses itself at the mere sight of Jarl’s naked blade… I am a snail, nay, a slug, without defenses or protections. I am demoted to cargo for my own well-being.

It is a very strange thing not to breathe.

My shoulder aches me. If I ever see the sun shining on the temple again, I must remember never to tell Lady Fay of my injury… Though how will I stop G’kar from telling her first? I think he may swaddle me and leave me as a foundling at the temple door -”My Dearest Mistress Fay, Please take this girl-child back. I cannot afford the curatives to keep her alive.” How shall I ever be able to

Jaran! I have never been so glad to see her strange dark face as just now, and what news she has shared with me! They are giving up the hunt for the lich, they are returning to Stormaxe! Gracious gods, merciful Ilmater, soon I shall again see the light of day!

14-25 Kythorn 1357DR
[Game of Feb 21st, 2003]

Saved some boys, saved some orcs. More to come.

here are Melissa’s notes

13th Kythorn leave, retreat to safety of previous night’s campsite after
dismembering dragon: blood, two claws, ten teeth (2 large, 8 small)

Flanna records her impressions of the battle

14th Kythorn During identify

Kalcryx heals jarl
Kalcryx heals self
Kalcryx protects self from fire

Four hours into identify
Javelins fly into the room, narrowly missing Jaran and Delenn and hitting
Flanna (NO!) - hit in shoulder

Goblins swarm the area (12 of ‘em)
two trip on the way to delenn
one attacks kalcryx with short sword, barely more than scratching him

kalcryx heals flanna
gkar yells “THIS is why don’t bring girls with us!”

jarl decapitates a couple, slices another in half

Delenn is swarmed -> steadies focus on spell
Flanna hides

remaining goblins look at jarl as if he were a god, flee.

Gkar slices legs off one, kills two trying to crawl away, one running, w/
dwarventhrower “By clangeddin’s fury!”

four hours later…

finish identify
flanna puts on delenn’s armour -> still hurt, but will be ok with rest.

Delenn and Jaran wiped out after spells

Night of 14th

Delenn and Kalcryx wake up during Jarl’s watch

Delenn notices something crawling into her bedroll -screeches- is bitten

Kalcryx notices in but in the chamber “A very large bug is here!” grabs
sword and “stands up or whatever”

Jaran wakes up
Flanna wakes up, hides

Jarl holds up bedrool “Zap it!”
jaran casts magic missile

15th Kythorn
…morning stuff…

party decides what to do
kalcryx realizes flanna will probably die if the lich attacks
consider putting her in bag of holding…
giver her necklace, shover her in bag w/ loaned dire bear fur (for
comfort) and instructions not to touch anything (folding boat)

Icy sphere floods chamber
gkar is hurt very very badly
jaran dumps potion down his throat- still unconscious

jarl advances into room, seeing nothing, closes door “Kalcryx! There’s
nothing on the ground!” looks up… sees nothing

ceiling 20′ high

kalcryx scatters flour in the room, sees bubble attached to ceiling

delenn pours saving potion down gkar’s throat- still down

kalcryx sees the bubble twitch, and then somethign hits his face - nothing
happens

kalcryx casts silence on him [lich]

jarl retreats from the room and offers healing potions to jaran, delenn
readies for action

gkar gains consciousness (delenn gave him another potion)

jaran casts detect invisibility

kalcryx (on ceiling) sees blob move, green rays shoot from it,
disintegrating ceiling above him and causing him to fall to the ground -
injured

ceiling now 30′ high

lich disappears

gkar heals self and delenn

delenn says “Ouch?”

kalcryx gives jarl slippers “Why don’t you take these for the rest of the
day?” [I don’t think jarl took them]

jaran pops open bag to check on flanna =) tells her what happened

party decides to leave - come back later maybe when they’re stronger

party tries to convince gkar - doesn’t want to go “But, we did get the
dragon…” -gkar [rationalizing consolation for not getting the lich too]

healing all around

return to barracks-like room w/ tunnel coming out of it

All are hit in the back by something, except delenn

hear cackling

jaran looks back, sees lich in corner

“I guess the silence didn’t stick” gkar

lich teleports out

“fucking lich, teleported out” jaran
“bitch lich” gkar
“make haste!” jarl

eventually let flanna out when it’s safe

return to stormaxe in 3 days

18th kythorn

a window opens and dwarf face pops out “Hey dragonslayers, back for more
supplies?”

“check this out! We’ve slain the wyrm and come back victorious!” gkar

jarl, gkar and kalcryx go to temple, ask women to wait @ pub

“we were going to do that anyways… these dwarves have nothing good to
drink- all this mead!” delenn

gkar presents blood, claws, and teeth to temple

“I would think a dragon slayer such as yourself would have no trouble
carrying it back” -dwarf priest [referring to entire dragon corpse]

tell lich problem

“a lich more powerful than a dragon?”

gkar explains lich is sneaky, does not fight with honour!

dwarves send three battalions and miners to kill lich

dwarves want gkar to go kill lich [he recommended they bring a priest]
[gkar makes excuses about the other stuff he has to do]

“Welcome home!”

Gkar asks for implements of healing- priest has nothing but his own magic

try to trade gold for lighter gems -> dwarves don’t want to part with them
w/ bantering manage to get 2 star rubies (2k gp)

gkar goes to temple - two lines of dwarves hold crossed axes

the priest raises an axe and orders gkar to come! kneel

“Gkar, for defending Stormaxe, I release you from the name Gkar. You are
now Gkar, Defender of the Twin Storms.”

doug: Gkar is like WAY honored

“where ever you go, spread battles and erect temples”

“I will go forth and spread the glory of Clangeddin” gkar

salutations

gkar tries to convince priest that his friends deserve honour as well
ask to protect them in future

“I don’t know about the pointy ones” -priest

the townspeople regard him well
dwarves hold feast, gkar convinces dwarves to welcome outsiders

“as long as they don’t sit at my table” -?

“Delenn will sing a beautiful, inspiring tale of how we slayed the wyrm.”
-gkar

everyone (in party) tells her to make it sound good

delenn performs well, transposing jarl’s vanquishing onto gkar

a few people interrupt “Tell us how gkar cleaved the dragon in two!”

kalcryx gets drunk and acts out fight on table

jarl does not look for a girl (because he -can’t tell- which are women!)

19th kythorn

take one day to get to Grimclaw

-warmer weather jarl catches rabbits and bobcats flanna collects plants
and flowers

20th arrive in Grimclaw safely
-morning-

get a lot of strange looks

kalcryx uses ESP to see what they’re thinking - mostly looking at jarl and
kalcryx (expensive armour)

kalcryx, delenn and jaran visit mage (velvet)
no one answers door, but jaran hears rustling

“velvet, are you in there?” -jaran
“kinda busy!” -velvet

“Your door was left open the other day…”
“yeah, so?”

“We were afraid someone would break in…”
“You know anyone crazy enough to do that?”

“Where were you?”
“I was spending that money you gave me”

asks people to come back in a couple days

kalcryx asks to enchant armor - ten days *lots* of money

purchase identify scroll for 150 gp

party meets up at temple

paladin “What are you doing to her? What, will you give her a sword and
stand her up in teh front lines?” noticing flanna’s armour

jarl: it’s to protect her

paladin says flanna wouldn’t need protection from spears if she were here,
getting married

gkar “maybe you can convince her to stay…”

begrudgingly sells one curative potion

Flanna explains to gkar why she must go, takes him to blacksmith shop and
points out hodelbard

“looks like a fine boy”

-tell story of mother’s death

“Then it’s a matter of honour?” gkar

“Sure…” Flanna

“If your mother’s dying wish was for you to return this scroll, then that,
my child is a mission of honour! You’re coming with us!” (paraphrase)

man w/ cloak walks up “I’ll buy you a drink if you let me tell you
my story.”

delenn and flanna go to buy a horse

cloaked man is not quite human -orcish?
“Ever hear of the village of Agdar?” -being flooded by spring rains

offers to pay for help and give his horse and a “special gift” from elders
“can you talk to my companions?” jarl

asks to keep quiet, doesn’t want to get stoned, again.

“Have you seen my companions?” jarl

gkar belches very loudly

kalcryx thinks he [cloaked man] looks very dirty, and sort of weird
looking

jaran sees that he is kind of a half-orc

town of Ager on river suldeskun

offers 500 sp and “reward”

gkar joins party, very drunk

Dirs: leave mountains
Go N
follow mountains NE until you hit river
village is on other side (flooded side)
Flanna takes directions while jarl asks gkar and kalcryx to detect evil on
half-orc

gkar goes out, pees, detects four or five sources of evil

1 overwhelming - dagger
3 faintly evil humans
-guy we’re talking to is not evil

jarl offers to shop for guy - name is Adar of Agdar

Flanna gives Adar pamphlet about Kanly

“How do I know this doesn’t say to to kill whoever holds it?” - read it to
him, crams it into his pocket… grrr

party moves out -flanna has a beat up grey horse, mistreated, old, with
full tack

1 day to ride to base of mountains

in a sparsely wooded area

kalcryx makes a protected area - permanent rampart arises from ground
-makes ditchdyke 30′ square

jarl thinks it’s really cool

nothing attacks during the night

22nd Kythorn

make stone sign to label the fort

Flanna and Delenn show gkar what shapes to cut - gkar has way too much fun
- singing dwarven songs about how they make the best ale, etc.

23rd

a road starts up, heading roughly NE, follows the mountain: forks into
mountain, goes NE

party goes NE

jaran notices two figures “hark! two figures in the distance” one is ~2X
as high as the other -> dwarf height, shorter than dwarf (4.5′, 3′)

tells everyone, continue walking forward
Flanna moves to rear

As they approach, the taller figure has somethign shiny (sword?) in hand,
shorter has some sort of walking staff

jarl waves, they keep walking
gkar casts detect evil - none

50 yards - the tall one seems to be a boy white boy, dirty, black shaggy
hair, other is even smaller child

smaller child is crying

flanna and delenn go talk to the children

apparently i thought this was the morning of the 24th…

older boy lamely threatens w/ sword “Stop! Are you evil?”
[answer unrecorded]
“Are you going to kill me?” -boy
[answer unrecorded… something about music…]
“maybe it’s evil music…”
“Does it sound evil to you?” delenn
“a little bit…” boy

describes a terrible monster that attacked his father -splashed gooey
stuff on him and dragged him away

“He might still be alive…” jaran
“Of course he’s still alive!” boy

boys lead to farm N
fence, dirt farm w/ pigs and chickens

/================/

see a trail of goo leading N

Flanna goes inside w/ children
given a belt w/ dagger and magic spear
“What, are you going to sacrifice them?” jaran

party follows slime trail - yellowish, somewhat acidic, mucous

kalcryx leads - as they go around corner, they hear sizzling (acidic)

kalcryx sees a pair of legs sticking out of bush

“I think we found papa” kalcryx

kalcryx grabs leg and pulls from bush - half digested- bones showing

delenn hears noise and turns just in time to see worm erupt from ground
tries to grab her and misses

Kalcryx shoots 2 arrows at it and injures it
gkar “By clangeddin’s fury!” tosses dwarventhrower- hits smack in belly
screeches,breaks in half, hammer returns to him

jaran “what are you going to tell those kids?” to delenn

try to concoct story building up his honour

/========/

Flanna talked to kids
jacob (10) and william (3 or 4) Athaunson (?) - have uncle up north -named
Zonas, in army

flanna moves off uncle zonas, asks about farm life
mother “went away” a couple years ago “traded her in for william”

party buries father -stuff thing in hole and bury it

flanna tells them about Zonas

party questions them about zonas

kalcryx determines it’s the same guy

“Can make things burn”
last saw him a couple seasons ago

kalcryx explains father died -child’s eyes begin to well up

kalcryx “anyone else attacked by worm?” -dunno
“daddy always said not to go into the woods” jacob
“probably good advice” kalcryx

ask about anyone nearby -no one

flanna prepares bathwater and bathes kids and shaves their heads
party does some random chores, decide to bring children, leave livestock
make nice hiding spot for their money [kids’ jarl tossed in an extra gold
coin]

—head out—

Delenn takes 10 year old
flanna takes tot
“Enough children! Let’s go!” gkar
“Pied piper of dwarfland. How many more can we collect?” jarl
—

follow road NE, starts getting dark
jaran sees lights NW
kalcryx sees a village w/ spyglass, and a road

“Why shouldn’t you go to the village?” jaran
“Daddy doesn’t like people. People kill other people and take their
stuff.” jacob

jaran -> kalcryx “Do you see a temple?”
sees sign, no clear temple

sign says “Weatherford Pop. 22″ in red “Do not enter”

paty decides to go NE towrad flooded area

fortify and make camp - make new sign

Flanna volunteers to take care of kiddies

evening of 24th

“I like chiseling!” gkar - flanna clucks her tongue over his handwriting

kalcryx asks to add a symbol of helm -blessed fort/shrine

-nothing comes to eat them-

25th Kythorn
morning, march NE

come to river delta, intercept river

see back on opposite side being flooded

-Flanna gives up suspicions [about half-orc’s story -thought it was a
trap of zonas’ for jarl or something]

river is rough, flooded area is tamer

delenn crosses river on broom, clear trees, sees a clearing, some trees,
people living in tents on their houses

delenn sees about 5 orcs on top of one of the houses, breaking into roof
w/ clubs
-flies toward tented building, descends, sees a family of orcs -grunting
and growling at her

picks up a stone and throws it at her,neraly missing her, others join in

people beating on roof now pull up another from inside, saving him

jarl “does anyone speak orcish?”

“The only tongue they under is the [the language of war?]” gkar, shaking
fist

gkar doesn’t want to save orcs

“Well, we won’t be leaving the boys here…” flanna

kalcryx, jarl and delenn climb in folding boat and prepare to see if
anyone speaks common

jaran ,gkar, flanna and boys stay on other shore

jarl “does anyone speak common?”
little old orc says he speaks common

“What do you want?” orc
“We want to save you…?” jarl

“Why?”
“We were paid to…”

“By who?”
“Umm, can I come closer and tell you quietly?”

“Just you.”
“Umm, I’m in a boat”

“What about your wizard and her broom?”
“Ok”

“leave your weapons”
“Why?”

“You look dangerous”

jarl disarms, and hovers over slowly

big orc guys grab him and pull him down
“who are you? what do you want?”
explain…

don’t want help from outcast
“We didn’t take his money, we’re not really working for him. Do you WANT
to be rescued?”

ummmm. yes.

work out plans - 5 orcs at a time always w/ old guy to translate

takes entire day to shuttle them to higher ground

delenn gives old guy turtle soup -> “taste it first” - then eats

kalcryx builds a fort and casts a spell to silence all evil and neutral
people

orcs set up camp, start fires, bring home things to eat, inc. a human man

kalcryx tries to rescue corpse, orcs get pissed off - moral argument about
not eating men

orc shouts to others, then says, “You, man, come here”

“keep an eye out” jarl, follows them

“For rescuing the grazwell [?] tribe” points to his side. “take and go.
she’ll serve you well. I don’t want to see you ever again.”

“How much would she be worth in money?” jarl
“I don’t know, tens of gold pieces”

negotiations about girl, eating people… trade girl for corpse

orcs spear girl and roast her

leave, bury corpse, make camp

Our crawling through the caves has at last come to an end, but the abandoned outpost of the Drow offers me no relief from the oppression of night. Some passages are blacker than night, blacker than death, and offer not even the faintest of glimmers to the keenest-sighted among us without the use of magic. Even then we see but shadows for a few feet around us and then again the darkness presses in on us, dense and heavy as lead. It crushes into my heart, wringing from my spirit all hope, all joy… and yet I am grateful for the darkness, for it is naught to what I have glimpsed among the grey and shifting shadows… I try not to imagine what hidden horrors would be exposed if sunlight ever fell on this wicked place.

And while I sit here numb with terror at what we have just encountered, my brave companions are preparing for battle with the wyrm, Cleksathor. They look very fine, very serious, in their full martial array, as capable of killing a dragon as any I have seen. The gods help me, help us all, if they are not.

Oh! Wise and generous gods of all that is good and righteous! Blessed are we for the dragon is slain! My brave and noble companions are not unscathed, but they live, and their victory is great, very great indeed.

I could at first scarcely move, but when the battle had begun I grew braver and chanced to peer inside the door. I witnessed the most awful, amazing things… Gkar caused the ceiling to burst and rain down rubble, Delenn wielded fire, Jaran wielded lightning, Kalcryx unleashed a swarm of deadly arrows, and Jarl… Jarl severed the beast’s tail, sending it crashing down from on high -almost upon himself!- pouring out it’s life in small, quick, rivers of blood.

What now, a new foe? I cannot make it out clearly, but there is an uproar as fierce as before in the hall, another battle has begun… now there is fire, and great flashes of light

The new foe was a lich, an evil undead creature of great strength which my companions have faced many times, sometimes being brought very near to death by it’s magic… They have defeated the great tyrant, but we are not safe here, for they say the creature can move wherever it wishes in an instant, and we may be dead before we know it has arrived. My companions have healed themselves and are set about the business of claiming their treasure with a cheerfulness I can not share. There is talk of defeating the lich, of staying further in this sunless hell… What power, what rights have I to dissuade them?

We entered the caves some time ago… It feels as if I have not seen the sun in weeks, though I know it has been no more than a few days. It is always dark, and nothing exists to tell us when day has ended and night begun but the aching of our legs and bellies. I can only trust that they are a better indication of the passing of time than my weary heart. Each day we walk until we can walk no more, and then make camp, knowing that the caves continue on, and we shall only do the same again the next day. My companions are very brave to have returned here.