Game Session Recaps

[frenzied67]

Highlights of Episode Forty
Erath, Bardan 25th Midweek - 27th Fellsday, CY1031

After locating the stairway down, Enkili began to don his armor.  The others took quick stock of the warehouse and the loading yard outside, there were no ships loading but there was a row boat moored at the head of the slip.  When the group began to gather, the Mandagan fighter again had sharp words for Riardon, Jolrael, and Blaylocke.  Jolly and Blaylocke tried to ignore the tirade, but the Elven rogue pretended that infiltrating the warehouse had been the goal all along.  Warning that such errant behavior with an Efreet would get them all killed, revealed that Enkili was actually worried about what they might face in the Lost City of Darsta.  He had spent several months enslaved to the Efrit who had slain his father, and such mental scars do not heal easily.

To change the topic, someone worried out loud about when the guards would show up.  This created a short debate between leaving and looking for slaves below; specifically Jubb and Serca whom the Anstarre thieves guild woman Jade was interested in learning about.  Without waiting for a conclusion in the debate, Enkili turned and descended the stairs, taking the matter into his own hands.  He entered the basement alone, ignoring the calls of his comrades.  There he found goods in various lots stored in piles and shelves, since the area was nearly as expansive as the warehouse above he had to wander around looking for the cages he half expected.  Instead he found an adjoining room with walls and floors of wood; this was also filled with goods, some of which he might have wanted to loot.
Ignoring the temptation, Enkili called out and peeked around corners until he was in the south east portion of the room.  A pulled out shelf and scrapes along the wooden floor were a clear indication that the wall beyond held a secret entrance.  At last he called for his companions.  Riardon was able to discover the trick of opening the door and they found a ten foot by twenty foot room.  Doubting that this was just an empty room, the party poked about and found another secret door at the eastern wall of this room/hall.  Hubert remained at the staircase, listening for signs of danger, Leiya stayed where the stone storage room adjoined the wood room, to relay messages.

In the room beyond they found a set of three adjoining cages, two along the far east wall and one too the north.  Instead of the humanoid cargo they expected, they found clothing and accouterments people usually carried on themselves, loot taken from freshly taken children.  There were three sconces in the room, and two held mostly burned torches casting light into the two northernmost cages; the southern cage was open, and its torch had been extinguished by water seepage through the porous wall.  Again the signs to the party was obvious, someone had just come through ahead of them; there had to be another secret door.
A quick search did locate such a door.  Beyond was a southerly passage that led to the waterfront, popping out right where the row boat had been tied.  There was no sign of the slavers in their boat, they had been that far ahead of the party.  Paths up to street level were to the east and west of the landing to this secret dock.  Jolrael had remained in the secret hallway to relay messages, and after the passage to the docks had been located, Enkili remained behind to complete the information chain.  As Blaylocke and Riardon were noticing the missing boat, Hubert began to send warning that the guards had arrived up above.  Using the dockside pathways, the party avoided the law enforcement encroachment.

Needing a safe place to peruse their pilfered papers, the party returned to the beach side shanty they had discovered just after escaping The Freehold’s sewers.  Guards and priests were named, along with the sums they had received from the Chained Heart slavers.  The party also learned of a continuation of the slaver network controlled by The Slave Lords, a group the Chained Wings had paid homage too.  This route led from The Freehold to the Island nation of Yrie, then to the vile nation of Bhel, specifically too their cities Norak and Nemsh.  Several rich lords and merchants were also revealed, purveyors of illegal gladiatorial games.  Though the two were not named, the party had to surmise from the documents, that Jubb and Serca, along with other children, had been taken by ship recently.

Taking their discovery to the Deep Gnome Lukoff, the party returned to the cliff side ramshackle that served the wee wizard.  Grumbling at having to deal with guests again, the mage never-the-less kept his promise and forwarded the incriminating papers to his unnamed friend.  Within a day arrests were being made among the officers of the guard who had taken slaver money, and the party’s names were cleared of the charges of murder.  Jolrael, of course, agonized over the soldiers he had killed with his first use of his Tidal wave spell.  Leiya inquired with Barreth of the Tazenites and discovered that Lareg, the false priest of Melwen, had escaped.

Trying to curry favor with the local underground, Riardon tried to bring word to the surviving thieves guild members that the Chained Wings were no longer a factor.  He discovered that three gangs were vying for dominance in the vacuum left in the slavers wake.  The Storm Hooligans and Lost shadow bands warned the Elven man away from working in the Freehold, the Ally Runners actually tried to kill him when he brought them the good news.

The people that brought the party proof that they had been exonerated of the crime of multiple murder, fill in details that had eluded the groups research before.  For years the Slave Lords and their Chained Wings puppets have been raiding the coastal towns and villages within the Great Insland Sea.  No race or kingdom had escaped their predations.  Those who thought to set up a resistance have been stymied by political turmoil and legal infighting from their peers.  Meanwhile, whole villages have been uprooted, while those who paid bribes found the slavers eager to renege on such agreements.

A few nobles and rich merchants have been paying bounties on slavers taken or killed, and the party was directed to one such rich possible patron.  While he would not pay a bounty for the group dispersing the Chained Wings in The Freehold, Lord Kaer Bercel did express interest in hiring them to strike at other slaver enterprises.  Lord Bercel, though not a true noble, had acquired enough wealth that the honorific had been hung on him.  He had lost his family to the slavers.  He informed them that Sedarria was manufacturing weapons on a massive scale, but despite old trade agreements, those arms were not being shipped to the nations nominal allies.  Instead rumors abounded that the terrorist nation of Bhel were the actual recipients of this military aid.

Highlights of Episode Forty One
Bardan the 28th, Endrest, Cy1031

Scowling over their shoulders to give The Freehold a last glare, the party hit the northern road heading for Elvold.  When that road made its grand eastern turn, the party scouted out one of the many trails through the wilderness that allowed travelers to forgo Elvold and hit the road that runs between Elvold and the groups goal Anstarre.  Anticipating making their camp near the Elvold/Anstarre road, the party was almost surprised by a Gnoll ambush.

Six of the bestial humanoids jumped out of the brush.  A Gnoll Pack Lord had two Gnoll hunters, two regular Gnolls,  and a Gnoll flesh gnawer in its troop.  The road pinched up against a stream so that one Gnoll in front and back, with the rest just west of the path, were able to force the party into combat.  The fight took only eighteen seconds to force a conclusion, but the flash and roar of arcane magic rocked the field of combat.  Arrows flashed between parties before the distances were closed and steel and polished wood were taken in hand with fell intent.  Divine magic either gentled the flesh or burned it, and in the end only the Gnoll Pack lord and one of the hunters were left alive to flee into the trees.

*Note.  We left the game before we could loot the Gnolls. Yet, despite that, we will be resuming our game at the mouth of the Owlbear cave.  The cave we found in episode 21, the eater of messengers.  As another note to the party, since we have skipped the travel time to reach the owlbear cave, the group will have noticed tension in Enkili.  He has been taciturn, grumpy, and foul company the entire trip.

Highlights of Episode Forty two
Moonday of Draman 1st – Windsday of Draman 24th CY1031

On the Gnoll bodies the party found 3 pp, 45 gp, 5 ep, and 80 sp.  Also there were three items of interest that were revealed with a casting of a Detect Magic spell.  The first item was a potion vial full of red liquid with bubbles of pulsing light (a potion of Vitality).  They also discovered a six sided dice whose numbers were fuzzy, this dice rolls the number the user chooses; this die was found on the richest dead Gnoll.  Last but not least, was a key that had a question mark etched into it.  This key is supposed to fit in any door and has a chance of unlocking it; it will more than likely disappear after this single use.  Our adventurers then journeyed for close to two days to where they thought an owlbear possibly resided.

Relying on Enkili and Riardon’s memory of where the cave was, the party left the road and crept up to the cave mouth.  The tunnel and cavern beyond were naturally formed, and from the flow pattern in the rock Blaylocke Anvilarm was able to determine that they were in a lava tube.  They heard no sound but smelled animal musk in the air, the floor was devoid of owlbear spoor and the remains of slain creatures.  Several yards south of where the tunnel opened into the chamber, Riardon halted the party and stealthed ahead.  After checking around the entrance he had the group move up and set up station there; he again slipped into the dark and probed ahead.

With practiced ease, Riardon slipped  north through the chamber and located a large form sleeping on a woven pile of sticks and debris.  It was an immense owlbear snoozing away the afternoon.  A roar that held more than a hint of hooting in it, broke the still.  Fearing the worst, Jolrael darted past everyone and entered the chamber.  He found himself facing a second owlbear charging in from the west.  Later Riardon would blame the group for too much noise, while Enkili was certain that it was their lights that had drawn the beast.  Never-the-less Jolrael suffered a serious injury from just a bite from the hulking creature.

Hustling at double time, Hubert dashed out to flank the owlbear with his sling ready to whirl and fire.  At the same time the sleeping beast woke, it did not see Riardon who was too clever, but it did notice poor Hubert run into its vision.  The boy was run down and clawed and bitten, serious wounds delivered.  Enkili charged out of the tunnel, passed Jolly and into the first owlbear’s flank; his attack was so ferocious that Jolrael was able to slip away without reprisal.  Seeing Hubert’s straights, Blaylocke cast Dissonant Whispers on the second creature.

The spell so discombobulated the owlbear that it turned tail to run back to its nest.  Hubert used his scimitar to carve a seriously deep wound into the running owlbear.  Jolrael cast Aganaazer’s Scorcher on the creature that had hurt him, but not until after it had clawed and bit deep wounds into Enkili.  While fire flickered up the furry feathers of the first owlbear, Enkili used his big blade to finish off the beast.  Leiya sprang into action and managed to heal Enkili with a bolstered Healing Word, even as she patched Jolrael with a healer’s kit.

Blaylocke finally entered the chamber and cast his own Healing Word on Hubert, while firing his shortbow at the last owlbear.  Not realizing that the fear effect on the owlbear was just temporary, Hubert strode towards it and unleashed a thrown handaxe and hit.  This caused the monstrosity to turn about and retaliate, again savaging the young man.  Leiya manifested her Spiritual Weapon and smote the beast soundly, then she ran up to support Hubert.  Casting Frostbeam, Jolrael tried to freeze the owlbear but failed to connect with his magic.

Riardon had been trying to use his Fire Bolt cantrip through the whole battle, his third attempt again hit no where near the roaring beast.  With a mighty slash, the owlbear clawed deeply into Hubert, downing the boy with such power that his limp body bounced on the stone floor.  The creature then moved on to Leiya, its beak cutting the priestess severely.  Rushing up beside her, Enkili plowed into the owlbear with such fury that Leiya was able to disengage from combat without the animal noticing.  His follow up slash dropped the monstrous beast.

As the tumult began to fade, Blaylocke cast another Healing Word and revived Hubert.  Seeing his opportunity to fill a beaker with the owlbear blood he needed, Jolrael cut into the first dead owlbear and squeezed it like a lemon.  Dispersing through the chamber, the party discovered two disconcerting things: one, the nesting space was far too clean of droppings and carcasses to be natural, and two a set of boot prints exited through a smaller side tunnel.  Working together the party tried to follow those tracks, they climbed out of the side tunnel but lost the trail in the woods shortly after.
Not having the skills necessary to search for the individual who had dared enter an owlbear cave, the group decided to declare their victory and continue on to Anstarre.  Along the way Enkili tried to convey his mixed fealings and fears of what awaited them in lost Dharsta; he was reluctant to face an Efreet after witnessing his father have his head nigh twisted off and then spending several months as the evil Genies slave.  In Anstarre, Jolrael was able to trade his vial of owlbear blood in for the Waverly Plate, a magic item that would manifest one meal a day with the possibility of conferring a rumor upon the one who dined.
The young sorcerer was also able to talk Gorval the Sage into researching the fur/feathers the party had found the first time they had looked for the owlbear cave; Gorval wanted samples from the owlbear’s fur/feathers as well as the mystery creature’s as his payment.  The party had determined that those older fur/feathers were not from either owlbear, and was possibly from an entirely different creature.  For the next twenty days, the adventurers chose to train their skills as they awaited the sage’s determination on the mysterious fur/feathers.  Several gems were traded in to pay for the training.

*Gorval will deliver his findings at the start of next game on May 15th, 2022.  We are all glad to reach sixth level, and some of us will declare their leveling choices in the days ahead.
**Correction, this quirky NPC's name is Gorvenal.

Highlights of Episode Forty Three
Midweek of Draman the 25th – Iiyoltan the 6th, CY1031

Before the party finished training, the eccentric sage Gorvenal reported his finding on the fur/feathers found where the messenger had been slain on the 6th of Milad.  These feathers were closer to what one finds with an eagle or hawk, but on a larger scale.  He believed that a griffon was the creature those samples belonged to.  Leiya learned from her fellow Melwenites that a griffon had been killed by the road wardens not too long ago in the general area where the messenger had died.  She was also told that all sorts of creature sightings happen in that region.

Estimating that Darsta was a six day journey by horse, the party bought twelve days of rations.  They found the terrain beautiful even though it rained many days throughout their trip.  The month of Draman ended and the week long period of Laehcan was entered on the Erathian calendar, and the only trouble the party had was noticing a party of goblins scatter and run upon seeing them.  Just to make sure that an ambush was not going to be played on them, the adventurers tried to investigate the goblin’s course.  They only confirmed that the goblins had no wish to fight or even meet the party, all sign of them was left behind.

Still, they all felt eyes on them as they rode, even up to the point of setting camp.  When the foothills actually bunched into the mountain range, the travelers realized they were lost.  Somehow they had missed the tell tales their notes spoke of.  At a guess they concluded they needed to head west in order to find the valley where Darsta was to be found.  Several days later they realized that somehow, they had gotten turned around and were further east than ever before.  Though Enkili did not like the idea, he allowed himself to be convinced to continue east in the hopes that they could find the small town of Umbel where they could replenish supplies and hire a guide.

Before they reached Umbel the group stumbled upon a small troop of hunters carting a dead stag out of the forest.  The leader of the hunters, Llain, agreed to hire hire out to the party, but only after the Day of Wards festival.  This festival was the next day which would not put the party out too much time wise.  The Day of Wards also happened to be in the first days of the summer month of Iiyoltan.  There were bonfires, the burning of wood plaques with individual wishes carved upon them, music, feasting, and dancing.  Everyone took part except Riardon, he did not waken to the exultant feeling of well being as his fellows did (extra inspiration for the game session).

With none of the misadventures that had befallen the party before, Llain, with his hound Liam (named after the man’s dead son), lead them directly to Darsta; they arrived on the 6th of Iiyoltan.  The hunter had no wish to enter the ruins of the old city so he set his camp well outside the city’s boundaries; he informed them he would wait three days and if he received no word then he would leave.  Paying the man an extra gold (on top of the 4 gp deposit), the group had him watch their horses.  Following their clues (and again feeling watched) the party traveled through the fallen buildings taking note of places of interest along the way.  The fallen architecture had fanciful beasts and horned men carved on the stones.  Soon they found a hill with a frame of stones making a door shaped entrance.

They followed a fifty foot long hallway carved into the stone of the hill, at the end of that stretch was a trapdoor with a ring.  After having Riardon check for traps, Enkili lifted the lid to reveal a fifty foot shaft down.  Affixing a rope to the trapdoor’s ring the group climbed down.  In a 10 x 15 foot room they found a door with the base relief of a horned man like shape that held a big curved sword in one hand and fire in the other.  Enkili was certain that this pertained to the Efreet said to have his familiy's Sainted Sword.  That door slid up revealing a five foot wide hall heading west then looping to the north to another door.  As this door slid up, the first door closed behind the party.  Riardon and Enkili did not think this was a cause for alarm.

The room revealed had a small door on the east wall, a dry wading pool in the center of it, a small door on the south west wall, a double door on the west wall, and a stair down along the north wall.  When the group stopped to check the eastern door (the closest to their entrance) three figures phased out of the walls around them and attacked.  Blaylocke realized that these horned man like figures were shadow demons and they seemed to resist both weapon attacks and fire spells….

*This is where we had to call an end to this weeks game session.  Our next game is tentatively set for the 29th, memorial day weekend.

Highlights of Episode Forty Four
Iiyoltan the 6th, CY1031

After skirmishing for a few seconds the shadow demons seemed to have been incapable of hitting any member of the party, and the heroes had discovered that most forms of their attacks had done minimal damage.  Riardon and Enkili’s foe disengaged and flowed down the stairs, offering the two a look of disdain as it fled.  Using her Word of Radiance cantrip, Leiya discovered that the divine light was extremely efficacious against the outsiders.  On a quick whim, Blalocke hit the priestess with a potent Haste spell.  As the world seemed to slow around Leiya, Riardon moved into a flanking position against the demonic foe Leiya and Hubert had been facing down.  He had chosen the Shocking Grasp cantrip and discovered that the creatures were immune to electricity, The Elven man felt deep frustration.  Facing off against one of the shadow demons alone, Jolrael used a sorcerer’s trick to turn his Aganazaar’s Scorcher from a fire based magic to a sound based attack.  His spell only slightly wounded the fiend.

Breaking away from Hubert and Leiya, their shadow demon started to flee down the stairs but Enkili headed it off.  Using his new training, the fighter rained two quick but powerful attacks on the abyssal creature, and even though he inflicted more damage (Great Weapon Master feat), the shadow demon shrugged most of the slashes off.  A Chromatic Orb spell set to do ice damage proved totally ineffective against the sorcerer’s shadow demon.  Running up to flank Enkili’s new opponent, Leiya was able to use her Word of Radiance and mace to severely wound that demon.  Finally getting a sneak attack with his Fire Bolt cantrip, Riardon hit Jolly’s creature and did a little damage.  Happily, Blaylocke discovered that his Dissonant Whispers spell did damage that the demon’s were not immune or resistant too.

Enkili’s opponent slipped by the two heroes harrying it and tauntingly sped down stairs into a dark pillared chamber.  The shadow demon that Jolrael had been fixed upon also disengaged and headed for the stairs, but the heroes concentrated all their attention upon it.  Enkili was able to destroy that creature after a rain of spells reduced it sufficiently.  The fighting man warned his friends that the fiends wanted them to follow them down the steps, so the heroes hesitated at the top of the stairs.  Those that could see deep enough into the darkness hurled spells at the flitting shapes they could see.  With the sharpest eyes, Riardon was able to discern that the surviving shadow demons were pulling darkness into themselves and regenerating from the damage dealt them.  He even noticed one shadow demon split a third smaller shadow demon from itself.

Taking the time to reassess her mode of attack, Leiya cast Aid on Riardon, Jolrael, and Enkili.  Alarmed at the idea of the shadowy fiends subdividing while healing themselves, Enkili succumbed to the impulse to dash down the stairs and take cover behind a pillar.  In doing so he set off two magical fire traps, but he was only hit by one of them for just a little damage.  Shaking his head at his human friends impatience, Riardon explored the steps ahead of himself and found no pressure plate traps waiting his step.  Blaylocke hurled another Dissonant Whispers spell into the dark. 

Seemingly to magically fork a poisonous Chromatic Orb spell at two fiends just at the edge of the light from Enkili’s enchanted headband, Jolly hurled his spell.  Unfortunately his aim was off with both attempts.  Following the fighting man’s steps, Leiya descended the stairs while casting Spirit Guardians on herself, she discovered that the pressure plates did not reset from their earlier trampling.  This new spell caused her Bless spell to depart though.  Blaylocke and Jolrael both repeated the same attacks they had used before, all three spells hit but the twinned poison spells from the sorcerer did no damage.  The shadow demons were immune to poison, cold, and electrical attacks, resistant to physical and all other magic effects, but psychic damage was normal while they exhibited a vulnerability to radiant damage.  Hubert had shifted to his sling and was doing ranged damage when he hit.

Seeing that Leiya was surrounded by magic that could do real damage to the shadow demons, and noting that Leiya had not been harmed because she had followed his path, Enkili decided to clear her path to the fiends taunting them from deeper in the chamber.  He set off four traps as he dashed to the two closest shadow demons.  Almost dead from the flames, the fighter surged with frantic fury and attacked a freshly spawned shadow demon.  His attacks were enough to kill the creature in its weakened state, then Enkili Breathed deeply and seemed to recover slightly from his burns.  Wanting to berate her friends stupid gesture, the priestess did follow the fighter.  In her quickened state she was able to cast Word of Radiance on the fiendish foe, then a Word of Healing upon Enkili.

Unwilling to face the mortals, the farthest demon floated further away from the party, the shadow demon before Leiya was unable to withstand the flitting little fairy creatures of the Spirit Guardians spell and was burned completely away.  Jolly misses with his next ranged spell, but Riardon was able to strike the last villain.  Two sling stones from Hubert did their little bit of damage.  The shadow demon took shelter behind the last pillar in the chambers western side, so Leiya advanced upon it (setting off a trap as she moved, but no fire touched her) while Enkili proved ineffectual with his bow.  Not liking the Spirit Guardians spell, the last demon slipped passed the priestess to beset the still weak fighter.  Enkili punished the demon for that move, but did not drop it.  Also setting off a trap so that he could get an angle to fire from, Riardon spun passed the flames so he could try to hit with his Fire Bolt.  Blaylocke did not like the idea of trying to get an angle passed the pillars by stepping off the safe path in the room, so he cast Healing Word on Enkili.

Hubert followed the safe path to get behind Enkili and plied his sling.  The young sidekick’s barrage was able to bring the monster down.  After deciding they needed to find a safe place to rest the party tracked back up to the pool room.  Riardon insisted on checking all the doors for traps before the group opened the small door on the south western wall.  It opened upon a ten foot wide hall running to the west, after thirty feet that passage narrowed until it was naught but five foot wide.  Sharper eyed party members like Blaylocke and Rairdon could see a possible chamber at the end of that narrow hall.

*With few spells left and very few other tricks up their sleeves, the party had to leave off here.  Our next game will be held Sunday June 12th.  Until then, have fun and pray for fantasy mayhem!

Highlights of Episode Forty Five
Iiyoltan the 6th, CY1031

After studying the tapering hallway before them, the group discussed their need to rest.  (rules as written would have made the party hang out for 18 hours in order to get a long rest) Since it was still early in the day they chose to rest for an hour, which they did back in the entry chamber with the horned man bas-relief.  Returning to the passage that tapered down to a five foot wide hall, the party headed west passing a twenty by twenty chamber and coming to a three way intersection with halls continuing to the east and north; a door sat in the wall south of the northern branching.  At the intersection Riardon peeked around the corner and jerked back, urging his friends to collapse back the way they had come.  No one but the sharp eyed Elven man could see the creature that rounded the corner, not even when it attacked Enkili; pushing the fighter back ten feet in its attempt to eat him.  When Riardon's Fire Bolt hit the monster they all could see a cube shaped being that had psuedopods reaching from its three dimensional square body.

An icy spell from Jolrael damaged the creature but Leiya failed to burn it with divine light.  The priestess also summoned forth her Spiritual Weapon which did hit the cubic monster.  Enkili had pulled his bow thinking he would fight the creature from range, however it was on him before he could see it.  Dropping his bow he pulled Dan Dan Ve Panje and struck with all his might, twice, making the creature explode into a puddle of liquefied goo.  They discovered a small room through the southern door, which was filled with predominantly gray mushrooms; though a wide variety of colors were present.  Under the bed of fungi were bone shards and rusty metal fragments.

Continuing west down the narrow hall they found a place where the floor had crumbled away.  A pool of clearest water rippled in the dark, it’s bottom visible yet giving the sense of great depth.  Jolrael cast Light on a sling stone and had it cast into the water.  After waiting several long moments the stone never touched that bottom.  Backtracking to the north juncture, the party moved in that direction and found a room that had been destroyed by an old acid trap.  Nothing whole was found, so the heroes moved along.  The passage had two halls that turned left, they took the southernmost path and found their way back to the pool room, after passing a place where several statues and pedestal had been destroyed in an alcove.

On yet another path the party again looped about and found themselves in a chamber adjoining the pool room; this chamber linked to the pool room through the large stone door on that room’s south western wall.  North of those doors fifty feet or more was another doorway that opened on steps leading down.  Four pools that looked like oil suddenly sprouted tentacle like tendrils and slid toward the party.  Fire hurt the creatures, but ice did not.  Blaylocke had his leather armor destroyed by acid with one hit of a tendril, so the bard created a margin of distance between himself and the caustic beings.  Enkili learned that his sword only split the creatures making more of them to deal with.  He ceased his assault in order to bring forth his mace.  Hubert’s bullets had damaged one of the ooze creatures showing that blunt weaponry was viable.  On a side note, acid burned the fighters sword from his splitting the crawling thing, erroding its integrity.  While retreating the fighter was hit once.  His armor dissolved to a small degree, but Enkili himself suffered a terrible injury, losing half his life in that one blow.

*That is this session’s cliff hanger, Blaylocke and Riardon are about to be split from the group being hearded to the south while everyone else is north (though two paths will reunite the party if they are cut off in this long chamber).  Our fighters now know that they can do little harm to the beasties, and they hope that Jolrael, the bard, and the other two spell casters can sway the encounter.  Or will we have to roll up a new band of adventurers?  This question will resolve on the 10th of July.

Highlights of Episode Forty Six
Iiyoltan the 6th- 7th, CY1031

Shaken by the harm done to his sword and armor from the black slime creatures, Enkili took his time putting Dan Dan Ve Panje away and pulling his bow.  He would regret this hesitation shortly.  Knowing that his sling produced results, Hubert continued to snipe from his position north of the beings.  Seeing all the puddings pull themselves up the stairs from their room below and pour into the hall, Riardon fell back behind Blaylocke and burned one of the sword divided slime’s with his Fire Bolt.  Seeing that Enkili hadn’t blocked his ability to use a ranged spell for once, Jolrael produced a stronger than normal Aganazaar’s Scorcher, and caught four of the (now) five black pudding’s.  Leiya caught all the creatures in a Slow spell but only affected two of them.

Though smaller than the other living slime creatures, the divided black pudding Riardon had burned turned on Blaylocke and easily struck the Bard through his ruined armor.  This made the Dwarven man reel.  At the same time, one pudding crawled across the ceiling and cut off Leiya’s retreat to the north, while another blocked her path south. Yet even surrounded, she came to little harm as the creatures tendrils lashed out but mostly missed.  Blaylocke was wounded again and fell unconscious to the ground.  Another black pudding slithered south to beset Blaylocke and Riardon.

Enkili, Hubert, and Jolly were just north and the closest to the trapped Leiya.  Jolrael (Jolly) upcast Aganazaar’s Scorcher again but did not seem to bring as much harm as the last time.  The pudding that had slithered across the ceiling to block Leiya off had brought itself next to both Hubert and Enkili.  Hubert drew a mace and struck the overhead horror, splattering himself with acid even as he hurt the pudding.  Leiya, ever devoted to her goddess, eschewed fear for her own safety and cast Healing Word on Blaylocke then casts a divine light type of power on the Bard, but she got hit for her troubles.  A black pudding would be destroyed by this divine light even as it would strike the bard.

Knowing that his hesitation was the reason Leiya was in her predicament, Enkili turned into a cyclone of action.  Transferring his useless bow to his off hand, the Mandagan pulled his mace and plowed into the ceiling crawler.  Pulling upon the power of his Coin of Fate, the fighter struck a nerve center in the amorphous being with one of his four attacks; accidentally striking another nerve cluster a second time (two critical hits).  Even though he splattered himself with caustic juices and etched the hell out of his heavy mace, he killed the pudding to clear a path for the priestess to escape.  However a tendril struck the young woman and knocked her out before she could capitolize on the opportunity.

Catching two of the black puddings with his last big spell, Jolrael cast Aganazaar’s Scorcher to good effect, then pulled forth a Potion of Healing to use on Leiya if given the chance.  Dodging slime tendrils, Enkili ran to Leiya, grabbed her up and pulled her away from the three black puddings trying to engulf her.  Hubert, being closer and faster than the sorcerer, pulled his Potion of Healing and revived the priestess.  Blaylocke was able to stand after his healing, and dodged away from his foe to a place of relative safety behind Riardon.  The small slime pulled itself next to the Elven rogue and struck him soundly.  Without a priestess to wail upon, one of the three puddings chose to slither south, while another crawled north and attacked poor Leiya; but missed.

The larger black pudding that had just shifted south hit Riardon and rendered him unconscious.  Though assailed by slimy tentacles, Leiya was able to cast a Mass Healing Word spell reviving Riardon and bolstering everyone else; she then withdrew out of melee range.  Before the Elven man could make a move though, the smaller pudding whipped him with a tendril and sent him off to dreamland again.  Just as the larger of the southern puddings was ready to strike the helpless rogue, Blaylocke hit it with Dissonant Whispers.  Compelled by the magic the blob fled north away from its intended victim.

Enkili and Hubert tag teamed the pudding closest to them with their dwindling maces.  Using Meta Magic to transmute a Ray of Frost spell into a Ray of Flame spell, Jolrael torched a pudding; taking great delight in the sizzle that ensued.  All the black puddings in the northern portion of the hall were now slain.  That left the pudding that had fled Blaylocke and the smaller one rearing over Riardon.  Transmuting his magic again, Jolrael cast Ray of Flame, going for the distant pudding and killing it before it could harm Riardon anymore.  Hubert and Enkili used ranged weapons and did a little damage.  Out of spells, Jolly also reverts to the sling to hurl stones, but the last black pudding was slain by Blaylocke.  His last Dissonant Whisper spell, though not powerful, was enough to blast the life out of the oily blob.

Riardon lashed out at Enkili for bringing them to Dharsta as the party drug itself back to the entry chamber to take a long rest.  The larger man did not defend himself, looking at everyone’s ruined armor and weapons deflated the fighter immensely.  After hearing Jolrael express a wish to leave, they discovered that the trap door above them would not open.  They were trapped in Dharsta, their only hope was to find another route out… if it existed.

Safe in the chamber, the party took a longer than normal rest.  Spells were shifted in the caster’s repertoire to better serve their predicament.  Then the group returned to the black (eastern facing) pudding room.  Going down the steps they found a ‘U’ shaped chamber that was beyond clean.  They discovered quite a few gem stones and a strange crystalline orb.  No one was willing to cast a Detect magic or Identify spell this soon in the new day, so they took the orb and gems and moved to a door a few steps down from the pudding room. Beyond this door was a short hall (heading west) that lead to a 15’x15’ room with a door along the eastern part of the northern wall….

*We leave off here, with Riardon just about to check for traps and the lock status of this door.  We will resume on the 24th of July.

Highlights of Episode Forty Seven
Iiyoltan the 7th, CY1031

Disclaimer.  Due to health issues and poor attention skills, this recap will not be as in depth as prior episodes.

After determining the door was not trapped, the party opened the upward sliding door and passed through.  Though there were many corridors heading north, the party followed as westerly of a path as they could.  At one point Riardon found an anomaly set into the floor, and with Blaylocke’s help they discovered and disarmed a pressure plate that would have dropped a large stone on the party and cut off their path.  In a nearby room they found what seemed to be a golden statuette surrounded by tapestries that had been reduced to ribbons by time.  The statue was of stone with gold paint and held no value.

Still heading more west than north, a room was found where water had eroded the walk away and cut the room in half.  Jolrael cast Light on two stones, the first stone was tossed across the room to reveal a double wide door on the far side of the pool; the next light was dropped into the water where nothing was discovered.  Though the fighter swore he could make it to the far side with little effort the rest of the group chose to turn back and find another route.  Going back to the closest north bound hall, the party took that route and found an east directed branch.  This hall led the party almost back to the place with the Black Pudding room, so the group retraced their route to a west leading branch.
An irregular shaped chamber was found that had three pools of water.  A large body of water clung to the northern walls, a smaller pool was immediately south of the door, and in the south west was another slightly larger pool.  After Riardon crossed the narrow path to the western side of the room, and Blaylocke and Enkili were stuck in the middle of this path, two creatures made of water rose; they wore armor and bore tridents.  One came from the middle northern greater pool and the other rose from the south eastern pool to surprise the party.  In less than twelve seconds Enkili and Riardon were severely wounded, before they had a chance to strike back.

Part of the Water Elemental Myrmidon’s (player knowledge not character) tactics was to melee then hurl their tridents at targets that had tried to use missiles or spells.  Those tridents would magically return to the Elemental’s hands, on top of that they could randomly burst out and do cold damage at random times.  Hubert and Enkili’s weapons did not make much impact on the watery creatures, but the caster’s spells seemed to have normal efficacy against them.  Unfortunately Blaylocke and Leiya had to focus on healing the party rather than deal damage with their magic, but when the Water Elementals eventually absorbed a lot of damage they changed tactics.  The creatures started to dive into one pool and pop out of another, attack, then return to the water.

Enkili crossed over to the middle of the room to help Blaylocke, which allowed one Elemental to take advantage.  It attacked the less hearty people the fighter had left behind and struck Jolrael down, because he had been doing a lot of damage to the creatures, then it knocked Leiya out because she had been keeping the party on their feet.  Riardon, who remained bad off through the entire fray, had been forced to take cover and attempt to snipe with his Fire Bolt cantrip, then run for another bit of cover.  Blaylocke desperately healed Leiya from afar while shooting with his bow or switching to his sword.  Both he and Enkili were forced to place either a bow or sword at their feet and switch weapons every turn as one elemental harried them then took cover.  Leiya, managed to dodge away from her assailant and erect a Spiritual Guardians spell.

That spell and some well placed shots by Riardon and the sorcerer (who was healed then dropped again) finally slew the Water Elemental Myrmidons.  However the party had expended a lot of resources to win this victory.  They returned to the chamber that had two doors and took a short rest( the same room they had started in this episode).  Many aspersions and glares were shot at Enkili who felt wretched for drawing his friends to this cursed and oppressive ruin; he no longer thought reclaiming the family heirloom was a worthy endeavor.

*Our next game will be August 7th

Highlights of Episode Forty Eight
Iiyoltan the 7th-8th, CY1031

Realizing that relying on their memory might not be the best navigational tool, the party debated how best to record their path.  As no party member had paper or parchment to draw a map upon, and there was no coal or chalk, Enkili used his curved dagger (khanjar) to lightly incise arrows upon left hand walls.  Not having taken this precaution before, the party ended up revisiting the water room with the narrow ledge they had avoided mere hours prior.  They had to retrace their steps to take a northern hall.  In the first room they encountered they met a creature that appeared to be a giant floating eye beset with many tentacles.  Riardon and Blaylocke were grappled before the party could implement their plan to run away.

Midway through the battle, Blaylocke realized that they were facing a being related to an Eye Tyrant.  Enkili discovered that he was easily able to slice the monster with his big blade.  Unfortunately this caused blood to spurt out, and that hemoglobin carried an electrical charge that damaged everything near the creature.  Forewarned of the shocking blood, Hubert pulled a mace and helped the fighting man from Mandagar flank the unnatural beast.  Leiya managed to curse the being with a Slow spell, while Riardon squirmed loose from the tentacle holding him and hit it with a Fire Bolt cantrip.

Hubert discovers that bludgeoning weapons did not incite an electric spray from the beast with a savage blow from his mace.  Blaylocke also wriggled free of the tendril holding him, then chanted a melody that inspired Enkili.  Riardon took the opportunity to escape the abberation’s twenty foot grasp and used his cantrip at distance.  Blaylocke let fly with an arrow which caused the electric blood spray to coat Hubert and Enkili.  Jolly, Leiya, and Hubert were grappled after Blaylocke tried a Dissonant Whispers spell.  On their turns Leiya and Hubert freed themselves from the groping appendages, unfortunately Jolrael could not and suffered horribly for it.  Mouth like cups at the end of the tentacles began to suck the sorcerer’s blood.  Blaylocke tried his Dissonant Whispers spell again.

It sucked more of Jolly’s blood and zapped him with an electrical charge.  Blaylocke upcast his mind altering spell, expending his last spell slot to do so, and drove the creature back.  Unfortunately it could not flee far so its elastic tentacles continued to clutch the sorcerer, when it drained blood a third time Jolrael lost consciousness.  Desperate and horrified, Enkili delivered a feinting attack on the monster and scored a killing blow.  Leiya, who was also drained of magic used a cantrip (Spare the Dying) to stabilize Jolly.  Bruised and battered the party realized they had drained their resources for the day so they retreated to the room they had taken their last short rest and spent the night.

In the morning Leiya contacted Llain with her Sending spell and told the hunter about their predicament.  The woodsman decided he would go home but return in five days.  While they had rested the party used magic to figure out the crystal orb they had found in the black pudding room.  It turned out as an Orb of Shielding (Yhnad Skarn helps resist poison and acid), which was an item Jolrael could use.

Returning to the Beholder Kin’s room, the party continued to explore.  Opening a door they found themselves in a short hall between a northern chamber, a southern chamber, and east bound stairs going up.  Up above they saw a pillar that looked as though symbols or speech was carved upon it, so the party was drawn upward.  When Riardon stepped upon the pedestal the pillar rested upon two armored earth elemental type beings rose up out of the floor and attacked the party.

Falling back upon an old favorite of his, Jolrael cast Thunderwave which failed to hurl their opponents back; it did cause rocks to fall upon everyone from the ceiling.  After observing the primordial beings for a few seconds Blaylocke inspired Enkili again.  Riardon decided to ply his bow but missed.  Hubert hit and discovers his scimitars did less damage than normal.  Leiya summoned forth her Spirit Guardians and drew the wrath of one of the elementals.  She was hit by a stone maul that caused a thunderous burst that knocked the priestess off her feet and caused another shower of debris from the ceiling.  Lieya stood and healed herself with magic but was attacked again.  Riardon also suffered a maul attack.  Blaylocke, who faced the same elemental as Riardon and Leiya, disengaged and retreated; he then upcast Healing Word on the priestess.  Enkili received a thunderous attack that dropped rocks from above that damaged several people.  Hubert punished that elemental by landing a pair of blows, but the monster fixed upon Enkili and struck the man savagely.  Enkili saw stars and looked rubbery in the legs.

Jolrael tried using Gust of Wind to blow an elemental away from Leiya, but the creature retained a firm stance.  The sorcerer then Twinned a Ray of Frost spell and hurled ice at both creatures.  Leiya disengaged from her first opponent and joined Hubert, Riardon, and Enkili with the foe they faced.  Without the priestess to pick on, the elemental closed with Jolly and Blaylocke.  Blaylocke used Healing Word on Enkili then successfully shot an elemental with arrows….

*This is where we left off on our game.  Our next session will most likely fall on the 4th of September after our good friend and DM recovers from surgery.  He has our love and prayers.

Highlights of Episode Forty Nine
Iiyoltan the 8th, CY1031

Dust and small pebbles continued to patter from the ceiling when Hubert tried two attacks against the Earth Elemental pinioned between Enkili and himself.  His swings whooshed through the air then clanged off of thick armor to no effect.  Against the other Myrmidon, Jolrael missed with a fiery Chromatic Orb; the thick bodied elementals only seemed ponderous.  Enkili set himself up for a particularly vicious strike when he used a missed shot to measure his opponents spacing.  Almost at the same second, Riardon sneakily placed a Firebolt spell in a tender area upon the other primordial creature.  Leiya’s continuing Spiritual Guardians spell chewed away at both Earth Elementals physicality, and Jolly’s Gust magic pushed their one enemy back to a far wall; it spent its entire turn struggling to get back into range against Jolrael.

Jolrael uses that opportunity to Twin a Chromatic Orb spell, but missed with both evocations.  Though his arrow glanced off a pauldron, Blaylocke succeeded in granting the sorcerer an inspiration.  Weapons and spells continued to be wielded for several seconds more between the combatants, some hitting others missing their marks; before the battlefield shifted in what appeared to be a poor direction for the heroes.  The Myrmidon facing Riardon and Jolly stepped out of the windy Gust spell’s path and helped knock Leiya out cold with a thunderous burst.  However rocks from the ceiling struck and killed the other elemental.  That Elemental Myrmidon exploded, sending stony shrapnel throughout the room, which did nothing to improve the unconscious priestess’ condition.

Attempting to render Leiya assistance, Jolrael skirted around his friends to find an open spot in the cordon around the last elemental.  He adjusted the angle of his Gust spell and shoved the earthen being a full fifteen feet south, he then started to staunch Leiya’s seeping wounds.  The Myrmidon pushed itself all the way back and hammered on the sorcerer.  Using the creatures singular focus against it, Riardon ran over and dragged Leiya to the far eastern wall safely away from mauls, falling stones, and exploding Earth Elementals.  As the rogue shot Blaylocke looks of appeal, the other heroes flailed in their efforts to kill the last creature.  Finally Enkili pulled the creature about to help the injured Jolrael extract himself from further harm.  The fighting man landed a killing blow.  He and Hubert absorbed the explosion.  All was silent (except for the mirage of the Beholder Kin that seemed to step through a door(inside joke)).

Though battered and running real low on spells and resources, the party continued to explore after a short rest.  A hall from the northern chamber met a corridor running all the way to the doors at the southern chamber, it also led north which is the direction the adventurers took.  That path turned west soon enough and Enkili marked their way with arrows carved into the wall,  as Riardon demanded more space as he scouted their path.  The Elven burglar found a stair down into a chamber that was lit with a strange red glow.  He slowly made his way down and discovered glowing writing along a wall in an open chamber.  While trying to close to within reading range, the glow flared up and two armored fire elementals manifested.  Fire Elemental Myrmidons!

As the heroes gaped, momentarily stupefied, the two creatures carved on Riardon with their fiery scimitars.  When the party started to rally from their surprise, one Myrmidon exited the chamber through a door to the chamber’s south.  It would reappear behind the party a few seconds later.  Meanwhile the other Elemental accepted the attacks of Hubert, Enkili, and Leiya.  Riardon used the advent of his friends to pull back to relative safety.  He was forced to face the second Myrmidon when it assaulted Jolrael from behind.  Bruised and bloodied, Jolly cast Tidal Wave.  He only annoyed the second Elemental which began to pick on the sorcerer in retaliation.  The terrain kept Blaylocke and Riardon from rendering Jolrael effective assistance, so the sorcerer continued to get slashed and sliced.  Another watery iteration of his spell brought him no relief and he soon dropped.

In the chamber, the first Elemental attempted to slip away from the fighters, but they hounded the being with steel and determination.  It pushed through Hubert and tried to bully Leiya, but she used her spells and abilities with great efficacy.  Hubert eventually brought that Fire Myrmidon down.  However, poor Jolrael was near death in that moment.  Alerted by the urgency in Blaylocke and Riardon’s voices, the fighters pushed through the others to close with the last Elemental.  Though it tried to push past Enkili to get to the stricken sorcerer, it was thwarted several times by the fighting man and the punishing sword of Riardon.  The last Fire Elemental succumbed to a mighty but lucky blow from Enkili and it sputtered out, doused by the party’s might.

*The party received enough experience to level up, but they are unable to slip away for training.  Once again they are near death and out of resources, so we were in the middle of talking about a long rest as this game drew to a close.  We will resume this narrative on the 18th of this month, until then take care of yourselves and the ones you love.