Session Summaries: Enduring the Elements and Facing the Inevitable
Topic: Session Summaries

"Can I say somethin' about destiny? Screw destiny!
If this evil thing comes, we'll fight it and we'll keep fightin' it until we whup it. 'Cause destiny is just another word for inevitable,
and nothing's inevitable as long as you stand up,
look it in the eye, and say, 'You're evitable!'"
--Winifred "Fred" Burkle 

 Over the next several days, the Second Chancers cleaned out all of the upper and much of the lower floors of Byldar's Tower.

Their earliest basement visit brought them to the "Wizard Museum" which housed several statues and paintings of several wizards and adventurers.

Of particular note were the 4 statues of adventurers, who had been in Marcellus and Golda's shared vision, as described by Marcellus's letter:

Evenseer Deepwalker, a deep halfling druid separated from his clan

Amaryllis Krenwood, a human bard and exiled Empire noblewoman

Ivar Keligsgrad, a dwarf barbarian exile

Aldred Aedelberct, a human ranger from the famous Wolf Legion Mercenary Band

After Jour's celestial mount Brightmane showed due reverence for the dead, the party followed suit and were gifted with items sealed inside the statues: Evenseer's belt, Amaryllis's lenses, Ivar's boots, and Aldred's amulet.

Other items in the Wizard Museum included three statues of Saarig (Byldar's Master), Sarothane (Saarig's Master), and Warwick (Sarothane's Master). A tiny and heavily detailed model of the Boarscar Academy of the Arcane Arts in Kunigsheim was encased behind glass. There were portraits of two wizards, one Willem Boddington and one Josephine Fitzgerald-Green, who were famous Empire magisters in the realm.

The party explored further to find the "Elemental Chambers," which took up the two bottom floors of the North Tower. They looted the storage rooms and Summoning Room, and later on after finding the appropriate protective gear, entered the Air Chamber and the Water Chamber (they chose to forego Fire and Earth). Both chambers contained fixed vessels which apparently acted as permanent portals to the appropriate elemental plane. The Air Chamber housed a Wind Weird, who answered questions in exchange for shiny presents. The Water Chamber, in addition to masses of tangleweed and electrifying amber barnacles, held a clay-like substance very good for sculpting.

This substance was used to defeat a stone golem made of the same material in its hardened form--the soft substance melded with the finished material, forcing its joints to dissolve and/or fuse. This clever application netted the party's relative safety, as they did not wish to repeat a very close encounter with a clay golem in the basement's jail/containment area they'd had the day before (the jails also held 2 bearded devils and other creatures, which the party wisely chose to leave in their prisons).

After fighting the blue stone golem, the party engaged themselves in the golem creation chamber to fixing a broken Shield Guardian there, who introduced herself to the group as Tactical Unit# 5. The party shortened this to "Tac5." Though still missing an arm, Tac5 was willing to assist in battle.

Once the party felt it was adequately prepared, they buffed themselves to high heaven to tackle the Inevitable (of the Kolyarut variety) guarding the door to the underground passages (the party had tried earlier to persuade the Kolyarut to resolve this peacefully, but this would have been in violation of his contract, and a fight with him was in fact, inevitable, he said).

During a long and tense combat, where the party was very largely saved by Riley's Death Ward and the party's preparation in general, and even still ended with half the party cowering in a corner due to a nasty enchantment spell, they at last defeated the mighty Inevitable with carefully planned team tactics and even a bit of diplomacy.

The kolyarut took his defeat extremely politely, and before returning to his home plane of Mechanus, informed the party that their weapons (and shield, in Jour's case) would serve as "compasses and keys" that would lead them to the chamber. He said further,

"You have all you need to face what is to come. Everything you did in this fight is what will enable you to survive. And I am not referring to your prowess in combat."

Session Summary for 7/7/07: Byldar Explains it All
Topic: Session Summaries

 (Further notes based on interviews with Patrick Fitzpatrick)

 As the party recovered from its fight with the bone devil, Jour fell to the ground, grievously poisoned from repeated strikes of cursed venom.  Patrick assisted Riley in moving the warrior into the room with the Wizard’s spirit, and all four adventurers sat down to an unexpected conversation with the ghost of the wizard tower’s previous owner, Byldar.

The ghost of the now-deceased wizard is surprisingly courteous given the number of his traps the group has had to navigate to get to this point.  He goes on to explain in exhaustive detail, exactly why they are here and what has happened over the last century or more to set these events in motion. (Editor's note: interested readers may wish to contact the editor for an excerpt from Byldar's journal on the subject.)

(Note, Patrick is unclear on many of these details, possibly due to his natural aversion to anything that resembles book learning and lecturing.  What follows is the author’s best reconstruction of the key points in Byldar’s history based on Patrick’s ramblings.)

The lich king of Sheenosek built his empire on the power of his own magic, the enslaved humanoids that formed his armies, the council of mages who formed the ruling council of that land, and the Talons (his personal group of assassins.)  Just prior to the Firas Empire’s second invasion of Sheenosek, the lich king attempted to add another group to that list.  He sought to create a group of Hrifgard (underdark) dwellers to act as his spies and assassins (Editor's note: most sources at least agree that the King Immortal was trying to conscript the Hrifgarders for something, be it into the Talons or his general armies. What is above is based on Patrick's inference, and is interesting enough that it may become an approved theory). When the Empire invaded for the second time (this time successfully) the lich was forced to turn his attention from the Hrifgard to the defense of his homeland.  His would-be deep dwellers broke their ties to Sheenosek and (since most had no love for the lich king or his lands) they formed a dark group of thieves and killers bound together by their hatred of the lich King.  This group was called the Ebon Serpents and has more recently been seen in the form of Darkstride and some of his associates in Haven.

Major points of Byldar’s speech below:
*The waking dream that Marcellus and Golda witnessed was in relation to three mercenaries sent down to investigate the source of the dark magic that Sarothane originally detected in this area.

*The female Drow and her companions seen in the vision were members of the Ebon Serpent.

*The chamber in the vision contains one of the Lich King’s phylacteries!

* The chamber was sealed off previously, it may since have been opened and in addition to the obvious difficulty of getting to it, there may be corrupted earth elementals and deep dwellers around it.

* Byldar believes that this phylactery is either the King Immortal's only soul jar or at least one of the most important.

Byldar offered the group the chance to take on the destruction of the phylactery or the option of being teleported out of this sanctum and having their memories of the encounter erased.  Upon receiving their acceptance, Byldar’s ghost released a great deal of information regarding the location of key amulets and control items for the tower as well as how to best deal with many of its summoned creatures. (Specifics have been omitted for brevity.)

The end of Byldar’s speech was witness to some in-party squabbling over whom in fact would be the nominal Lord of the Manor.  It was determined that the magic that controlled the estate and the wizard’s tower required that there be a manor Lord and a master of the wizard’s tower complex (the first owning the land and maintaining it and the second being a wizard who would control the tower complex). (Editor's note: Research on Merrywell and the Haleward family indicates that a Lord and a Master Wizard is not so much *required*, per se, as that certain contingency spells will recognize a properly designated Lord and Master Wizard, making it easier to access certain areas of the grounds and wizards' tower, respectively.)

The squabble developed when the ghost told the group that whoever was the Lord of the Manor would then get to pick the Master of the tower complex if Byldar’s ghost didn’t do so first.  Axel mentioned to Byldar that he knew of a wizard that he thought would make a good choice for tower master, and when Byldar said he could assign a manor lord to chose the master themselves, Axel nominated himself since he had someone in mind.  Patrick and Riley paid little attention to the beginning of this discussion, themselves discussing between each other whether Marcellus might be a possible candidate, until they heard Axel in the middle of suggesting why he thought Jade would be a good possible master of the tower complex.  Much arguing and ill will followed (individual reasons for this disagreement have since been traced back to miscommunication and differing opinions as to how control of the property should be distributed given that both the tower and the manor had been promised to the group as a whole, if the tower and surrounding environs could be cleared of hostile magics and creatures).  The end result was that Jour (still poisoned, semi-conscious, and unable to speak for himself) was voted the current lord of the Manor, and Byldar set off a magic rune which allowed him to be designated as such.

Byldar also noted that "manor lord" could be changed/acknowledged by more conventional means via a traditional Empire lordship instatement ceremony. Therefore, if Jour did not want to be acknowledged as such, he could pass on the recognition to someone else.

The Editor emphasizes that all this "acknowledgement" does is cause certain contingency spells to react in a certain manner. The party's legal ownership of the manor would not ever be in question.

After resolving this, the group left to deal with some of the summoned creatures guarding parts of the tower.

The group’s first move was to find the basic key which opened all the mundane locks.  Here they would also find the sword of a succubus guarding one of the underground labs, and the scrolls with the sylvan creatures’ names on them.

With no real difficulty (save Axel being hit with some heavily poisoned darts which he has since recovered from) the group found the key and a magic robe with patches on it (Robe of Useful Items).

Upon reaching the room with the chest which held the scrolls and the sword, the group found that the treasure was guarded by a bound devil known as an Erinyes.  She made a pact with Axel, which was found to be air tight after Riley reminded Axel to add the word immediately in a strategic place). Jour objected to the contracting, not wanting to make any deals with devils, but was promptly ensorcelled by the devil’s magic, and he left the room, suddenly finding himself very willing to follow the devil's commands. Axel did warn the devil not to do any further actions such as that, or the deal would be off.

The end result was that Jour was bespelled in a side room, Axel was tied up on the floor in the devil’s rope, Riley was watching both Jour and Axel, and Patrick was dispatched to watch the cat fight of the century (or so he hoped).

Things didn’t go so well for the Erinyes, who had originally held the succubus as her slave, when she-herself was bound to watch the chest.  The Succubus banished the Erinyes, who left her flaming bow and cold iron sword behind).  Patrick got in a few good hits against the already wounded demon, but was ultimately overcome by her enchanting magic.  Only by a huge effort of resistance was he able to keep from having his life force drained away.

Then the rest of the group arrived and was able to free Patrick from the demon’s not altogether unpleasant clutches.

 A short and brutal fight followed, with Patrick banishing the creature with his hammer at the very last.  She, also, left her silver sword behind.

The group then went back to Nymph’s room--her name is Ariadne--and freed all the sylvan creatures. Ariadne longed to return to Tria's Glade in the Deep Green, but promised to return to help after she had made contact with the holy ground.

The adventurers now are resting and preparing to fight their way through the lower levels of the tower (hopefully first getting the shield guardian amulet) and thence on to the lich king’s phylactery.  They have many plans to make, and a few issues to resolve before they can obtain their objective. They know they must pass through the lower level laboratories, which include Elemental chambers and a golem room, and the gateway to the tunnels leading to the chamber is guarded by an Inevitable, a sort of living construct from the plane of Mechanus. Byldar made it clear there would be no way past the Inevitable short of fighting it... it is, indeed, inevitable.

Note:
This author would like to point out that even though Patrick was unclear on the point, Axel was carrying a Sphere of Annihilation--contained within a protective container--given to the group by the ghost, which was to be dropped on the phylactery should the group survive long enough to use the item. 

June 2 Session Summary: Tower de Force
Topic: Session Summaries
Courtesy of further notes based on interviews with Patrick Fitzpatrick:

This installment of the story started off with a promising beginning. Patrick realized his lifelong dreams when the group discovered that the beautiful woman in the center of the lush garden was a nymph, trapped there by the tower’s most recent owner, for experimental purposes. The nymph, named "Nymph," no less, was lonely after 40 years of enforced solitude and although friendly became very agitated at the thought of the group leaving. A combination of Axel discovering that all the sylvan creatures were bound there by virtue of Byldar having taken and hidden their true names, Patrick displaying such absolute and obvious interest in Nymph that she was sure he would always come back to her, and the group agreeing to do everything it could short of harm of innocents to find the stolen names and free the beautiful creatures in the glade, meant that the group was welcomed by Nymph and the many pixies and other creatures of the glade/room.

Having been bound by a magical Geas by the Nymph, who invoked Tria's power, the group left to deal with the tower (specifically the one still unexplored tower.) After some work, and several near brushes with a sizeable lightning bolt that was the trap on the main entry door, Axel got the door to the third tower open. The group found themselves facing a slightly feminine shield guardian who informed them that the amulet bearer wasn’t on this floor and that they weren’t permitted to go further. Riley, in a stroke of genius, used a spell to disguise herself as the former owner of the tower, but this too was unsuccessful in budging the guardian. Deciding that the best way to deal with the tower in general was to get to the small structure on the top of this third tower (which Nymph had implied was the wizard’s personal quarters). Axel started off the fight by throwing a tanglefoot bag and ensnaring the creature. From that point it was all downhill. Patrick and Riley were both immobilized with twin spheres of force, and even though both adventurers had scored solid hits on the guardian, the bulk of the fighting was left to Axel and Jour. Riley and Patrick began to play cards through their respective force prisons while the other two attempted to amuse themselves. Although they were almost killed in the process, the paladin and newly initiated Shadowdancer managed to drop the construct while dodging sonic blasts and vicious attacks from the creature. Twenty minutes later the ranger and cleric were released and the group continued up the main stairs. At the top of the final flight of stairs they found a chalk circle (presumed to be a summoning diagram meant to protect the wizard’s personal quarters). Rather than risk battle in their weakened state, the group retired to Nymph’s abode and rested through the night (well some of the night in Patrick’s case). Nymph healed the party and Axel was able to discover that the water in the center of the glade came from the Elemental plane of water, the true Gate of which was said to be "somewhere underground." The group also verified with Nymph that Byldar (the previous owner of the tower) was a summoner and often made use of demons and devils.

Fortified and satisfied, the group started out the next day, prepared to fight whatever guarded the wizard’s abode.

Patrick, in an unusual moment of clarity during his drunken ramblings, makes special note during this narrative that the group took special care to prepare for the likely failure of the party rogue to be able to bypass the circle of summoning. The Halfling admitted that even with magical assistance he would be hard pressed to deal with the trap. So Riley did her best to aid the diminutive burglar, but all proved to be in vain.

Upon Axels’ failed roguish attempt at loot obtaining, a skeletal creature with a scorpion’s tail showed itself in the summoning circle. The creature was identified as a bone devil and the party found themselves facing one of the most powerful enemies they had ever had the misfortune of encountering.

Battle began as the creature blocked the way to the wizard’s quarters with a wall of magical ice and Riley attempted to send the creature back to its dimensional home. The attempt failed, and Patrick quickly found that the creature was virtually immune to his attacks. Axel and Jour however were not so hampered, and both began using spells and sneak attacks to battle the creature. Riley, fortified by several spells of her god, even tried her hand at fighting the creature.

The party soon found that the monster was almost invulnerable to all but Axels’ roguish vital strikes and Jour’s blessed weapon. Worse its tail contained a virulent poison which, if not for the blessings of the gods and a liberal dose of anti toxin might have completely incapacitated the group.

A lengthy fight followed with the devil teleporting down the stairs and blocking the group in with yet another ice wall. Axel retaliated with more tanglefoot bags, and Jour waded in to strike at the creature directly. Riley was able to blast the creature with some of her own magic, and Patrick summoned a wolf to assist in flanking the beast.

Unfortunately the devil shrugged off most of Riley’s remaining magic as well as Jour’s epic attempt to strike it down with the smiting force of his god.

Patrick was able to smash through the wall of ice blocking the wizard’s quarters, hoping that if they could find the amulet they might be able to dismiss the creature). Upon finding the door locked, he attempted to negotiate with the devil. (Anyone familiar with the ranger should understand just how desperate a situation the group was in when the headstrong and socially inept woodsman was trying to talk his way out of the fight.)

Patrick’s attempt at diplomacy failed, and to make things worse the devil summoned 10 small companions to block off the group from each other and to give the devil some breathing room. Jour and Axel had slowly been wearing the beast down and Riley’s spells and assistance had left the beast near death. The devil continued the fight by imprisoning Patrick behind yet another ice wall and using the Lemures he had summoned as a mobile wall from which to strike at the group from behind. The final blow was struck as Riley rained stunning bolts down on the creature, Jour continued to try and fight his way back to it, and Axel, hiding-in-plain-battle, tumbled behind the creature and finished it off.

Patrick was able (with the lemures now separated from him by 2 thick walls of ice) was able to pound the lock to the wizard’s quarters into oblivion. As his friends finished off the guardian, Patrick found himself looking at what he assumes is the ghost of Byldar. The image of the dead wizard is standing in a room full of arcane equipment. He says something along the lines of, "I'm surprised you got this far. Congratulations. Please, have a seat."

At the same time the devil advises the three adventurers around it that he will commend them to his superiors due to their ability to draw out the tortuous combat.

-----------------------------------
A general building exploration summary, provided partly because the GM cannot count and has been inconsistent about the number of floors on each level:

Sarothane's Tower (named for the builder) is a large complex of 3 towers: the Central Tower, where the entrance lies, is medium sized (about 40 feet across) and has 4 floors including the entrance level. The North Tower is a fatter tower, about 60 feet across, and has 3 floors. The South Tower is the thinnest tower at about 30-35 feet across, and has 4 floors plus a smaller room on top.

This is what the party has discovered so far:
Central Tower 1st/ground floor: Portcullis guarded by shield guardians; a parlor capable of defending itself; passages to North and South Towers (left locked) and stairs going up.

Central Tower 2nd floor: Alchemy and Magic Labs, also willing to defend themselves. Passages to North and South Towers (South unlocked, north locked) and stairs going up and down.

Central Tower 3rd floor: Rooms clearly intended to be Libraries; not deeply explored. Passages to the North Tower only (unlocked), stairs going up and down.

Central Tower 4th floor: 4 rooms clearly intended to house familiars. Passage leading north (locked) and stairs going up to roof. Proximity defenses enabled on said stairs.

North (fat) Tower 1st Floor: Unexplored.

North Tower 2nd Floor: Unexplored.

North Tower 3rd Floor: Nymph's glade. No stairs, just passage leading back to Central Tower 3rd Floor (the Libraries).

South (thin) Tower 1st Floor: Unexplored.

South Tower 2nd Floor: Chamber marked "Authorized Personnel and Students with Passes Only"; largely unexplored; this is where Shield Guardian was fought. Stairs lead up and down.

South Tower 3rd Floor: Largely unexplored, passed through on staircase leading up, where everyone but Patrick ended game.

South Tower 4th Floor: Wizard's Observatory. Patrick ended game here, facing the ghost.

Session Summary: Have Fun Storming the Tower!!
Topic: Session Summaries
Taken from notes with Interviews with Patrick Fitzpatrick for the book, Real Adventures, Real Adventurers by Thaddeus Toouk.

After their battle with the shield guardian, the group rested and restored their resources. Finally, they were ready to continue their sack of the wizard’s tower.

Having already gained entrance through the large doors and wedging them with the remains of the battering ram, there was no difficulty entering the tower. Things became difficult, however, after a partially functional shield guardian was discovered blocking the group’s advance. Battle ensued, and although many blows were aimed at the creature, the most consistent factor in the fight was Riley’s shooting, which struck the mechanical device repeatedly until it no longer functioned. The group was able to salvage another sapphire (all of which seem to be worth about 3000 gold.)

Axel, starting a run of bad luck that was to follow him mercilessly, was able to get a second sapphire from the remains of other shield guardians that littered the floor. Unfortunately, he also set off its stored spell and was badly wounded in the process.

The group explored the lower levels of the tower, discovering storage rooms, a stairway upwards, and a small sitting room. Upon entry, Axel was attacked by the carpet while other pieces of furniture moved on the party. Although Patrick and Jour were able to attack the chairs and bookshelves in the room with impunity (as was Riley from the door with her bow) Axel was almost crushed/suffocated by the carpet until Patrick was able to free him from the offending floor covering.

Chastened by their diminutive group member’s near death, the four party members completed the search of the lowest level and rose to the second floor.

Here they found several labs for alchemy and wizardry as well as a storage closet with lab coats, goggles, and gloves. After the second room they investigated animated its contents to attack them (as well as destroying much of the valuable contents in the process) The party decided not to investigate the valuable store rooms any further and to focus on simply mapping the tower and discovering the method whereby to shut down the tower’s formidable and really annoying defenses.

Consecutive floors showed class rooms, more advanced labs, and a holding area for familiars.

The group also found a stairway leading up to a trap door (presumably leading to the roof) which stated in no uncertain terms that the perimeter defenses (i.e. the fireball launching system that had destroyed Patrick’s grapnel) had been activated.

Not wanting to be crisped, the four intrepid loot finders moved down a level to what they believe is a door to the shorter (if thicker) connecting tower.

They activated the security system (knowing full well the dangers this might pose) and found themselves facing an air elemental. Riley summoned an air mephit to fight its larger cousin and the rest of the group set to with a will.

Although Axel took some more damage, being the fates' punching bag, the elemental was finally killed by Riley’s summoned companion, and the door to the new tower is now open.

Beyond the door, they found what appeared to be an idyllic indoor garden, complete with pools, grass, and trees. In the center of the chamber sat a scantily clad maiden of unearthly beauty, who greeted them thusly, "Oh, is it visitors? Oh, it is! And I've been so lonely..."

Patrick Fitzpatrick grinned widely, and Riley contemplated Lees' sense of humor about the "impossible" things she had promised yesterday.

May Session Summary - To the Tower at last!
Topic: Session Summaries
The figure rapidly and somewhat clumsily approaching the party turns out to be Jade, who amid a flurry of words and scrolls, delivers a letter from Marcellus. Upon Axel's suggestion, she reads the letter aloud. (The letter is reprinted below in another entry.)

The party discusses the story and what it might reveal--clearly, according to the "dream" had by Marcellus and Golda, there is an "evil room" beneath Merrywell, possibly accessible via the tower. They discuss how they might proceed; Axel suggests it might be a good idea to consult with the elves in Greengate about the entrance to the tunnels, although Patrick expresses deep reservations--the entrance is likely sealed and, if not, heavily guarded, with the elves unlikely to be convinced by a ragtag band of adventurers to explore or even inquire about the tunnels to see if they can unlock a room sealing a great evil within.

Axel volunteers to look for any information in the manor's library, as there is "something" he wants to look for there anyway, and the rest of the party decides to go down to the war tunnels to see if they can find any entrances there to any further tunnels.

Jour, Patrick, and Riley's investigations show little, however--with thorough searching, they can find no secret doors or passages, save the 150-200 mile long passage which leads distinctly away from the manor and their intended destination. Jour urges they try a different route, as trying to explore the lengthy passage will probably be a waste of time and resources.

The party reconvenes, deciding they'd best discover the truth of "the room" now and that that likely means taking on the wizard's tower complex. The only obvious entrance is the front gate. High in the middle of the tall gate is a ring-socket like that which opens the vault, and after about 15 minutes of theatrical acrobatics on the part of Patrick and Axel, Axel manages to insert the ring--but the door only slides open a few inches. A distinct rumbling grinds to a halt and it seems unable to open further.

Behind the door lies a creature of metal, ironwood, and stone, finely crafted, like a suit of armor come to life. "Intruders" it shouts from its mouthless face.

The party attempts to deliver long range attacks through the crack in the door, but all this manages to do is cause someone or something to toss large javelins and alchemist's fire at them from a nearby archer's window. The little damage done to the creature by Axel's thrown Acid Flask seems to heal back within a few seconds.

Jour tries to pull the door open with the aid of Brightmane, while Patrick attempts to grapple the top of the tower to climb it. Jour is slightly more successful, eventually getting the door open nearly to a foot (while Riley's summoned mephit occupies the Guardian). Patrick is less successful, getting his grappling hook melted by a fireball that activated as soon as the hook touched the top of the parapet.

Patrick and Axel go out to search for an appropriate tree to create a battering ram, and Jour and Riley later join them to help them bring the ram back. The guardian has deactivated upon their leaving, but immediately reactivates when they start bashing the door in. They manage to buckle the door enough to allow a few people in and even damage the guardian with the ram before it becomes useless. The party then engages the guardian in brutal melee. The portcullis area is small and allows for little movement--the Guardian swings at and does serious damage to Patrick and Jour especially, but fate and skill delivers victory to the party, with the final crushing blow delivered by Patrick's Golden Hammer. Upon falling apart, the construct barks, "Shield Guardian 7 has failed."

With the fog of battle cleared, the party sees there are the bones of many goblins and other creatures on the ground, as well as smashed parts of other shield guardians. It's hard to tell how many were destroyed.

Riley eagerly pries the gem out of the chest of the guardian, which had delivered to them a nasty sonic blast during the earlier part of the fight. Though no magic seems to remain in the gem, it is the largest sapphire the party has ever seen, and Axel guesses it's probably worth at least 3 times more than the usual sapphire (3,000 - 4,000 GP, depending on the market).

Somewhat secure between the tower gates (a portcullis and a smaller sallyport still bar their continued entrance to the tower, but these seem less impenetrable than the front door), the party opts to rest and recover from their fight before continuing on.

The letter from Marcellus
Topic: Adventure Notes
From the Very Fabulous Desk of Marcellus de la Fuente,
Poet and Swordsman of Isenor

(printed on 100% druid-processed paper)

Journsday, 20 Leokloom, 1093 AC

My dear friends,

I am in the process of recruiting and supplying for the manor; I am
also helping Jade gather some information for some trouble she is
having back in Haven's Hold, but she offered to deliver this message
for me, so I am sure she can tell you about that herself. As I am
helping her, so she is helping us be sure we get the manor—and more,
perhaps.

I am writing because I realized I never had a proper chance to tell
you in full detail the tale of my and Golda's strange "vision" we
shared after being afflicted by the dread wraith's touch. As I have
thought it over now that I've had the luxury of traveling rather than
fighting goblins and zombies left and right, I've realized it may be
more relevant than I first thought.

Exhausted by our fight with the wraiths that horrid night before,
Golda and I stopped to rest after we had collected the horses. We fell
into a strange slumber, entering a dream which as far as we can tell
was the same experience. I seemed to dream that I was—or rather, that
I occupied the mind of one Amaryllis Krenwood, a master of song and
sword like myself. She was an outcast scion of a Empire noble family
and had sought work as an adventurer and mercenary during the Two
Hundred Years War. Yes, we seemed to be cast back in time, when the
Empire battled with Sheenosek over the territory now won by the Haven
Rebels.

Golda shared the experience of Ivar Keligsgrad, a mighty dwarven
warrior; though quite different in outlook, Amaryllis felt some
kinship with the dwarf, as both were exiles from their families. Ivar
and Amaryllis had been hired to go on a mission along with two others:
a human mercenary from the famed Legion of the Wolf's Fang, named
Aldred Aedelberct, and a deep halfling (the kind that live in the
north hills of Vargild) named Evenseer, who was at one with the
rhythms at the earth, which moved at his command.

And who was it that hired these four intrepid adventurers? None other
than the great Thaumaturge Sarothane of course—he who engineered the
tunnels that likely helped the Empire defeat Sheenosek, and who of
course built the manor and wizard's tower complex we have taken on to
cleanse. According to Amaryllis's memory, in excavating his tunnels,
Sarothane had discovered strange magical energies emanating from an
underground area not far from where Merrywell now stands. He was
puzzled, because he had not noticed the energies when he'd first began
his project; he wanted to see if someone was attempting to dig through
and sabotage his efforts. It was deep underground—almost but not quite
to the Hrifgard, where the drow and deep gnomes live.

Not wanting to interrupt the tunnel dig, Sarothane had Evenseer—who
was knowledgeable of underground and Hrifgard travel—lead the party
through an old Hrifgard access tunnel just across the border to
Greengate, where through divinations they had determined probably led
to the area from where the energies were manifesting.

Where Golda and I "came in," as it were, Amaryllis and Ivar had
finished investigating the dead end of a pathway in this "road to the
Hrifgard" and went to catch up with their party members, who were
investigating the other fork—only to hear the noble Evenseer scream.

It pains me to cut what could be a fascinating battle narrative, but
I'd best get to the point in this case—Aldred and Evenseer were
fighting a drow, a half-orc, and two humans in dark robes. Aldred and
Evenseer were cut down as Ivar rushed into battle. The one human
ordered the other human to, "Forget this and follow that witch!" The
half-orc moved to attack the human, but the drow commanded him not
to—to deal with the "interlopers" (by which she meant us) before
handling the "Sheenoseki scum."

So the drow and half-orc worked together, versus the humans. And upon
hearing "Sheenoseki" something clicked—the human had a horrible ritual
scar circling his bald head. According to tales that are told to
frighten comrades over campfires, such a scar marks the Talons of the
Immortal—the Lich King of Sheenosek's guild of assassins. Only special
cases have such a scar—when the Lich King wants the enemy to know who
is after them.

"We" were forced to defend ourselves and were fortunately victorious.
Searching him, we saw the half-orc bore a strange, flickering tattoo
of a black serpent, similar to Darkstride's brooch. I ought to point
out that it's also odd for a drow to fight alongside a half-orc as a
relative equal. Drow tend to view most other races as potential
slaves, especially savage humanoids such as orcs.

We found another dead drow along the passageway, killed with a
poisoned blade—no doubt in the possession of the other Talon. We
thought perhaps this was "the witch" but we were very sadly mistaken.

The passage ended, opening into a large, dome-shaped room. The room
temperature seemed to drop suddenly and considerably, but we felt
compelled to come closer. Every inch of the round walls seemed
inscribed with arcane marks of which I had not seen the like. The only
contents of the room was a simple stone table or altar, on top of
which was a jar. The jar seemed to be made of clay, and seemed
unremarkable apart from some jagged gems and crystals seemingly
haphazardly stuck into it.

Next to this stone table, we saw yet another drow, this one in silk
robes (unlike the others' motley armor), melt the Talons' very face
off with a spray of magical acid. "Send that as a message to your
King," she said as the man died. Some of the runes in the room glowed
a little and then faded.

Amaryllis attempted to parley with the drow—Sheenosek was a mutual
enemy, so surely they could help one another? But the drow would have
none of it, saying that it would make it far more difficult for their
actions to be blamed on the Empire. If only she knew that Amaryllis
had little love of the Empire herself—just that Sheenosek was the
greater evil. Before they could respond further, the drow moved to
"eliminate witnesses."

Fortunately, Ivar was her first target and the sturdy dwarf shook off
her magics. We charged into the room and had her flanked—but this was
apparently what she wanted. She drew forth a rod and shouted a command
word, and we suddenly found ourselves paralyzed, down to the very
soul, overcome with darkness. She ran back the way we came, and
shouting another command word, the doors to this room slid shut,
sealing it completely.

Yes, doors. In addition to the entrance we came through, there was
another passage leading to the southwest... towards, roughly,
Merrywell.

The paralysis was wearing off, but the runes in the room and the
crystals in the jar glowed with life, reaching into our hearts with
black claws. Ivar attempted to activate a rune—perhaps a means to
alert Sarothane? But there was no time for rescue. The very area
drained the life out of the two adventurers, leaving their souls
twisted and tormented—to become the two dread wraiths we had
encountered. Clearly after death they escaped the place—perhaps
seeking vengeance on Sarothane? This part is unclear to me—the family
lived there for 60 years before the wizard Byldar unleashed whatever
it was that forced them to evacuate. They likely would have noted a
haunting—but perhaps the libraries we found could help, or something
inside the wizard's tower would clear this mystery.

I hope you find this useful. Our enemies have been at work for a long
time—and perhaps Darkstride was in search of awakening whatever it was
the drow witch had sealed in along with Amaryllis and Ivar. If it
hurts Sheenosek, such an awakening could even be beneficial—but then,
evil in search of destroying evil usually does so for its own
advantage, and not for ours.

Best wishes to you and I hope to see you soon with good news, if not
supplies and recruits, in hand.

Yours most sincerely,

Marcellus~~~

The Three Point Solution (Session Summary for March 3, 2007)
Topic: Session Summaries
Day passed into evening as the denizens of the Caravanners' Camp in Three Points prepared for their Summer Wandersday ceremony, featuring the Dance of Shadows performance of the Healing of the Cataclysm and the Birth of the Gods.

The party watched Porric O Hanrahan lead a group of dancers--including newly initiated Axel--in a performance. As the performance reached its end, and Porric let out his warning that the Dark Gods (Skaden the God of Corruption and Berea the Goddess of Destruction) have not yet been subdued, the fires went dark and a scream went out into the night. As the lights came back up, the fire circle appeared to be attacked by blobs of inky darkness, which sometimes formed into distinctive large dog-like shapes with sharp fangs and claws: Shadow Mastiffs.

Five Mastiffs attacked the circle, aiming for the divine casters present in the area. Their horrific howls sent most of the crowd fleeing in panic, though the party managed to resist and fight. Jour and Axel--along with Axel's cousin Toohk--helped protect a priestess of Tria (a druid) and Porric, while Patrick and Riley fought off a Mastiff aiming for Riley and her Uncle Riordan. Though some of the intrepid warriors eventually fled--including the druid, Axel's new friend Sheena, and Patrick--the Mastiffs were quickly subdued with surprisingly few casualties--especially after Porric managed to drive away the Mastiff's shadow bindings with a Daylight spell.

With the camp secured, the party and their allies set their minds to what may have caused creatures from the Plane of Shadow to attack. Porric, talking to Riley in confidence, noted there were no major casualties and the fact that as frightening as Shadow Mastiffs are, the sheer number of powerful warriors and divine casters present made them no real threat; therefore he believed the attack was a warning--perhaps from the God Lees himself. For while viewed as a whimsical trickster, Lees' ultimate role is as a keeper of secrets and a teacher--and his lessons are often harsh. Porric, with his divinatory sight--or perhaps more mundane insights--noted that the fact that the party was there had something to do with the attack. The message was, perhaps, meant for them.

After discussion and agreement that a return must be made to Merrywell, the party went their separate ways to enjoy the evening. Axel got some tips on worg riding from the druid Iris, and then entertained their old friend Daisy. Jour "interrogated" Sheena (who is in reality the party's old enemy-turned-ally Alanna, the half-drow dancer). Patrick practiced restraint. Riley chatted with Porric and her uncle.

The next day, the party set to getting new armor, especially for Jour, and gained the aid of the dwarven armorer Torrik. The next day or so was spent in helping get the armor completed and fitted, and the party is now a glorious vision in mithril.

On their way back to the Camp from Norbakk, Jour and Patrick were halted by a sergeant of the Empire Justicar's Legion, a warrior named Elaine. (DM's note: some of the following is not explicitly known to the party, but it's easier for me to take note of this before I forget it myself.) Elaine discussed with Jour in private the disappearance of important seals and food vouchers from the town of Thorpton; the Chancellor asked the Justicars in Three Points to quietly investigate and see if the party knew of the items' whereabouts and see if they could be discreetly returned to the proper authorities. If the items were returned, both the City of Three Points and the Chancellor preferred the items having gone temporarily missing not be reported to the regional lords; Elaine noted specifically to Jour that if the missing item situtation became known officially by the Empire's government, the party, being largely non-citizen, would not face good odds in the nation's judicial system, and that the Chancellors did not want the slayers of the hydra to face such a situation. Elaine allowed Jour to take the matter into his hands, but asked him to keep the party under his watch if they entered the Empire borders again.

Jour confronted the party, asking them if they knew about the missing items. Axel attempted to conceal the truth from him, but the Paladin of Stewardship and Duty sensed deception. After a heated discussion, Axel returned the seals to Jour to be handed over to the Justicars. Elaine advised "conversationally" that they might enjoy traveling to Haven by way of Vargild.

The party agreed that, with bigger matters to contend with, travelling through Vargild sounded like a good idea--and furthermore, would put them through Gloameet, where they could purchase some magic items they were unable to find in Three Points. They managed to get through Gloameet bureaucracy relatively unscathed, and had a lengthy conversation with some lenscrafters about purchasing some sunglasses, and discovered that Goggles of Night were enormously expensive.

When they returned to Merrywell at last, a female (humanish) figure begins to run towards them out of the inner gate.

Summary of February Session: To the Steel City!
Topic: Session Summaries
Axel, Patrick, Jour, and Riley parted ways with Marcellus and Golda and discussed maximizing loot value potential on the road toward the city of Three Points. Choosing to travel through the Empire rather than Vargild, the party made its way across the marshy landscape of the province of Bevane.

Coming upon the small town of Thorpton, hoping to catch a bath, a bite to eat, and a bed, they instead found a village rapidly abandoned, the ground covered with bodies of fallen residents, some mangled with nasty bite marks, others apparently having died of severe frostbite. Immediately desirous of knowing what had befallen the poor townsfolk, Patrick used his outdoorsmanship to determine that a cryohydra had attacked the village; Axel found the body of a priestess of the dark aspect of Sefana, who had not been killed by the hydra but by the town guard. She bore grin on her dead face, as if she'd died pleased with her work.

Further investigation revealed that the town had a church of Sefana, tended by one priestess who focused on the "light" aspects of the Goddess of Passion, called Sefi, and one who focused on the Dark, called Ana. The priestesses' names were Serena and Eileen, respectively. Eileen had apparently been jealously plotting against Serena and the townsfolk for some time, becoming dangerously obsessed with the reliquary kept at the church. The party believes she discovered the cryohydra in the moors and lured it towards the city so that it would hunt down the townsfolk.

During their investigations, Axel liberated a box of Empire official stamps and sealing wax and some "food stamps," the latter of which were given to Jour for him to hand out as he was wont, being told that if they were left behind, looters may steal them and sell them on the black market. They also found an unsent letter from Serena to her brother Jamian, and uncovered the writing on the wall in Eileen's house. They then tracked the hydra to its lair and valiantly destroyed it, to be sure it could not prey on any of the locals again. Jour was critically injured during the fight, but the rest dispatched it and healed him quickly before he could succumb to his near-fatal wounds.

Within the lair, the party found a glove from an old-school crusader's guild, a gold ring, and some other things which Eli wrote down.

Hoping to figure out where Serena of Sefi went, the party continued towards Three Points, stopping at the manor of Lord Gentry, who ruled over the local area. Reporting they'd killed the beast that slaughtered Thorpton, Lord Gentry offered them hospitality. Though he himself did not make himself known to his guests, the party met with the Chancellor of the village and some guardsmen and they reported the death of Eileen (as well as the beast) and warned the Chancellor to be more wary of how the local Church of Sefana is run. They were told Serena was alive and had likely sought refuge with her brother in Three Points. A guardsmen who noted Axel and Riley speaking to each other of mischief in a Caravanners' Cant, warned Jour that he may be keeping company with unscrupulous, possibly dangerous folk.

The party continued on to Three Points, located where the Telsey, Stonefall, and Gildfall Rivers meet--and moreover where the borders of Vargild, Zweidor, and the Empire meet. It is a prosperous trading town, with a prominent academy in the center highlighted by a massive, impossibly tall tower dedicated to Aurit in the center. An outpost across the Telsey, called the Norbakk, is a valuable source of dwarven steel and craftsmanship.

The party sought out Jamian, and found that Serena had survived relatively unharmed, if shaken and a bit guilt-ridden by the massacre in the hometown. She very gratefully received the unmarred reliquary the party had recovered. Her brother Jamian, being a knowledgeable man-about-town, referred the party to good sources for getting good prices for some of the art objects the party had collected.

Jour reported into the Church of Pirs, and asked them if they could dispose of the dark necromantic artifacts once belonging to Darkstride. They had an artificer who would be well capable of disposing of the objects and reforging them into something good. The priest talking with them, Paul, also recognized Patrick, seeing something of his mother in him, and Patrick's origins as a son of a Priestess of Pirs and a Free Coast lordling came to light, much to Patrick's embarrassment.

A younger acolyte asked Jour to help train some would be temple guards if he had time. She also directed Patrick to the Red Light District.

The party then made its way towards the Vargild border, where the Caravanners' Campground is located. Many clans of Rovers, Halflings, and mercantile groups were gathered for a summer celebration and trading. Riley found her uncle Riordan's tent, where he was having a drink with one of the leaders of the O'Hanrahan Clan, Porric.

Porric riddled at Axel and all had a good stiff drink. They were invited to the festival of Shadows to be held that evening; Porric is to be the MC. The group later found their Carnie friends and chatted with them. Axel was invited for a private chat by Porric, and Riley interrogated Riordan about Yelir. Riordan said he hadn't known about Yelir, but he said he and Porric could cast some divinations to see if she is legitimately Riley's sister.

The afternoon grows warm and hot and the shadows long, and songs carry the party into the evening...

Session Summary, Jan 6: Off to Slay the Wizard
Topic: Session Summaries
Further excerpts of the Fitzpatrick Tales, from Buttertramps "Interviews with Famous Adventurers, Vol. 3"

The group, not knowing what to expect but sure that their nemesis lay ahead, prepared for the final battle against their long time enemy. Axel opens the door and reveals the manor’s crypt, which clearly is the source of most of the undead in the area. The room is guarded by a squad of several skeletons and two ghouls, who seek to interpose themselves between the group and the true enemy, a dwarf of decrepit appearance who stands at the far end of the room.

With the obligatory scathing comment from their nemesis the battle is begun in earnest. Axel speeds across the floor, dodging and weaving to avoid a series of defensive attacks from the enemy. He comes up on one side of the Dwarf and is quickly followed by Patrick, who adopts a flanking position on the other side. The other party members pile in, with Marcellus and Riley holding to the back in order to provide magical support. [Editor's Note: Marcellus de la Fuente's "Bardic Inspirations for Crypt and Choir" now available in most Haven's Hold gift shops]. The group endures some small damage from the mage who strikes the Halfling with his staff, while the undead and his bat familiar have no luck trying to attack the group. Riley, calling upon her god to remove the “loot obstructions” calls down a mass of divine power and destroys the skeletons while sending the ghouls to cower in a corner. Jour attempts to do the same but has no luck as the area of the crypt seems to be befouled by the necromancer-dwarf's efforts.

What follows is perhaps not what the Darkstride in this document, either expected or wanted. Flanked by ever-increasing numbers of the enemy, Darkstride casts a series of spells, blinding many in the group with Glitterdust, paralyzing Riley with a Ghoul’s Touch spell from a spectral hand, and attempting to but failing to use a Vampiric Touch also in his Spectral Hand [Editor's Note: Other accountings of the tale showed that he probably imbued the hand with the spell, but failed to send the hand to a target before he died. In retrospect, Darkstride should have double checked about whether the Spectral Hand could deliver spells at range the same round they were cast. But most accounts show that Darkstride was indeed, an idiot of the highest caliber, so it probably doesn't matter]. Marcellus hastes the group (save Riley who is too far away) and the dwarf becomes the focus of a party hack-fest the like of which has not been seen to this point. The bat sustains minor injuries, but Darkstride meets his end at the hands or axe as the case may be of his sister’s barbarian rage as she delivers a series of fearsome blows which completely shatters the mage’s Stoneskin shield and takes his life.

With its master dead, the bat flies off; however the battle is not over. As his last dying action, showing a laudable dedication to vengeance, Darkstride’s final action is to use his ring to summon two wraiths from the manor.

Riley, now free of the mage’s paralytic spell, is able to send one fleeing before her divine power, but the other is brought to battle by the rest of the group as it stands solid in the face of even the archer priestess’s best efforts. Axel goes seeking the bat’s whereabouts while the wraith is dealt with by the rest of the group and finally killed (again) by a mighty blow from Patrick’s hammer.

As the group watches, the wraith is filled with rays of light and it is determined that he and the other wraith, now fled, are the last remnant of two people that Marcellus and Golda encountered in a dream while off getting the horses earlier (Patrick seems to have predictably forgotten the specifics of this information, perhaps because at the time it didn’t relate to the loot he hoped to find on Darkstride’s body.) [Editor's Note: Loot-obsessed Patrick of course has gotten this wrong, sadly overlooking some key elements of the actual, ongoing story his party stumbled into during their adventures. Although the Editor wonders if the readers are interested in the plot, in the interests of storytelling, according to other historical accounts, she shall note what happened, and even kindly include some background information:

A few days before, the party had been attacked by a rather powerful, oddly female looking wraith along with some more ordinary wraiths, while camping within the manor walls. The dread-ish wraith had managed to drain a great deal of life force out of Golda Stoneforge/Godstone and Marcellus de la Fuente. When they went to recover horses fled from the wraiths, they found themselves overcome with exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep. They dreamed of two individuals, a human female bard named Amaryllis and a dwarven warrior named Ivar, who were assigned by the renowned wizard Sarothane to investigate some tunnels leading to the Hrifgard. Ivar and Amaryllis died in an ancient chamber, covered in dark ritual etchings, with an altar in the center, topped by a simple jar. They were killed by a drow sorceress claiming to be of the "Ebon Serpent," a group dedicated to the destruction of Sheenosek but not taking kindly to the Empire's interference either. She trapped them in the room, and the dark necromantic energies in the chamber sucked the life force out of them and transformed them into the hellish wraiths.

The party defeated Amaryllis's shade during that first encounter. The shade of Ivar, accompanied by another lesser wraith, was destroyed by the party during this battle accounted above, after Darkstride was killed.

Before Ivar's essence was made free, he transformed briefly into a torment-free ghost, and addressed the dwarf berserker Golda:

"By killing that," he pointed to Darkstride's remains, which Ivar himself had absorbed to nothingness after Darkstride was killed, "Know that you have avenged your clan, the Godstone clan. But know also, that you have killed a servitor of the Black Serpent, and that you have therefore avenged me as well. My thanks to you."

With that, century-old warrior smiled and dissipated in a burst of golden light, doubtless his soul at last returning to Tria's womb.

We now return to the more important details of the adventure, as expressed by Fitzpatrick:

As always, the group now loots the area, including the remains of Darkstride. They find:

Darkstride:

+1 Cloak of resistance (Riley)
+1 Ring of protection (Jour)
+2 Amulet of Natural armor (Patrick)
MW staff
Ring of Command Undead
Spell components, including 250 GP worth of diamond dust, enough for one casting of Stoneskin.
10 onyx stones worth 25 GP each (probably also prepared for use in spells)
A necromancer's spell book, 81 pages filled with spells (i.e. a number of cantrips, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level spells, and a handful of 4th and 5th level spells).
A Haleward Family signet ring, used to open the manor vault.
A flickering serpent badge carved from ebony
2 Potions of Cure Moderate Wounds
2 Scrolls of Animate Dead
1 Scroll of Acid Arrow
1 Bottle of blackmarket Drakkbrann, good for giving a dwarf a mild buzz or for giving a human a good several days' sleep.

After dividing up the loot, the group searches the nearby store room (not in time to prevent the escape of the injured bat familiar.) They find several vials of holy water and enough sundry ritual items to remove the defiled ground of the crypt once the proper spells are prepared. Further investigation of the manor reveals (as the vault is opened):

A gold platter in need of mending; as it is it's worth about 106 GP.
2 statues of warriors worth between 70 and 100 gp each
997gp
65pp (worth 650gp)
A Jar of Restorative Ointment with 3 uses left (can be used as Neutralize Poison, Remove Disease, and Cure Light Wounds), worth approximately 2500gp
Wand of Create Undead, specific command word, 6 charges, worth 4050gp

The group decides to spend the night recovering and then return to a nearby town for exchange of goods and restocking of resources. While Marcellus and Golda indicate their intentions to separate from the group (possibly maintaining the manor after the tower is cleared) Jour is sent on alternating missions of diplomacy and peace-making.

He is able to convince the worgs to agree to a non-confrontational withdrawal to the woods outside the manor grounds (gaining Axel possible access to a worg mount which he summarily names Foamy and Fluffy.)

Jour also convinces Nurse Nevka to agree to possibly relocate back to the manor and assist in demi-human tenant farmer/staff recruitment (pending clearance of the wizard’s tower).

The evening begins with Axel and Patrick completing a reconnaissance of the main manor building (using mirrors and an open window to obliterate the last of the wraiths with reflected sunlight). Although the goblins looted the manor well, they find some fine bottles of 40+ year old Neen Red and Bevane Sweet White in the wine cellar, and find that a number of books in the library are still usable. [Editor's Note: For those readers interested in quantifying things, the Library will provide a +2 Circumstance bonus to "Knowledge: History," "Knowledge: Nobility and Royalty," and "Knowledge: Local (Empire and Andorras Plains)" checks. ]

Though people are tired, life looks good for the group of adventurers (save Jour who has not come to the realization that he is now traveling with a priestess of rogues, a Halfling rogue/avatar of rogues, and Patrick, who is just roguishly chaotic).

Upcoming Sessions
Topic: Scheduling
The schedule of upcoming sessions. Note that Beth and likely Kevin will drop out after January's session, so after that we will be playing elsewhere (probably Matt and Christina's, to be discussed via email).

The upcoming January session should be wrapping up the current adventure arc (and possibly jumping into the next), so your prompt and focused attendance (adjusting as need be for the Shadowed Horror whispered upon the lips of the most hardened scholars of the Lower Planes as "Nursing School") will be most appreciated. IF you are very, very good, you just might get a cookie. ;)

Saturday, January 6, 12:30-7
Saturday, February 3, 12:30-7
Saturday, March 3, 12:30-7
Saturday, April 7, 12:30-7
Saturday, May 5, 12:30-7
Saturday, June 2, 12:30-7