Post by venger on Oct 2, 2012 13:14:13 GMT -5
May 1st, King's Festival - Orcs raided the hamlet of Willowsby on the day of King's Festival, burning down the church. The party journeyed to the orcish cave and rescued Father Thomas Amalric, defeating the orcs and earning their titles as Heroes of Willowsby. Discovered amongst the orcish treasures is a note from "The Master" dispatching a "Lord Zeal" to sow discord in the human lands and to find Red Tam's Bones at all costs. Reference is made to "The Lineage of Kings," an obscure ballad? from olden times. A secret passage is found leading deeper into the caves.
Randall Firebrand, priest of Brigit, leaves the group and there is no other cleric... this has a major impact on the party's operating decisions.
May 2nd-4th - Time is spent in Willowsby (pop. 800) during the King's Festival. Beneath the ruins of the burned-down church an ancient crypt was discovered along with some holy relics (a chalice and a silver coffer which proves unopenable) which are to be taken to Devonshire, the nearest real town, under escort by the constable Ser Reese and the Heroes of Willowsby. A strange fortune-teller revealed everyone's fates, destinies and lack thereof.
May 5th - More exploration of the orc caves found an ancient ruin occupied by Petrides, vile priest of the Death-God Arawn and his (undead) allies. The evil wizard Feldspar was slain and his wand of petrification claimed. Marcus, a mercenary fighter from the Barony of Falworth, is freed from the mage's charm spell and joins the party. He is not given back his treasure, a ruby belt. Feldspar's notes make references to ancient civilizations and strange, old magicks -- an oracular Mask is found mounted on a wall in the ruins, which seems to be the source of the information.
Trommer is poisoned - the Druid of Willowsby neutralizes the poison on the condition if the heroes will travel to Gramarye and aid the druidic council. The party never does!
May 6th - Travel down the old stone road to Devonshire, a large town (pop. 5000+). A meeting with the Abbot of Devonshire, Ser Eldon Graves the Sherriff of Devonshire and Lord Sherlane, the mayor, who later became the party's patron and trains Colby further in the magical arts.
May 7th - 14th - An abortive quest was undertaken to the Warlock Stone, in the Forest of Night, to prevent a ritual by the death-priests of Arawn. Lord Zeal was defeated and The Gaunlet claimed, but at cost. The party was forced to flee into the Forest of Night. Brother Lewis, the cleric representative sent by the Church, was slain during this a harrowing escape from the Deadites and their huntsmen. As a last resort, the elf Finnious lead everyone through a mushroom circle into a strange Fairy realm. Friedrich loses his shadow at the Vernal House.
May 14th - June 15th- Escaping the Fairy Road into the 100,000 Oaks, a deep wood to the north of the moors, the party meets Helmut the axeman and is directed to Danton Mills - a logging town (pop. 300) famed for its archers and longbows. 30+ days resting, training and recovering. Marcus departs during this inactivity, irritated that even after questing with the group his ruby belt is used to cover training costs. The party ignores many adventure hooks (escorting white horses to Elvallie, laying to rest the spirit of the Damned John O'Crewet at Dunder Downs, some kind of man-wolf on the moors.)
June 15th - June 20th- Travel back to Devonshire by way of Cinderham-on-the-Moors, escorting some pilgrims (Cinderalla Wolcott and her family). The Abbot of Cinderham suffers some affliction or insanity relating to Red Tam's Bones and She Who Sings at the Vernal House, but investigation is fruitless. In Devonshire they learn that Ser Malleus the Witchhammer and his cadre of paladins was sent to the Warlock Stone to finish the job they started. The DM gleefully tells them of the sorcerous texts that were burned, the artifacts destroyed and the gold/gems tithed...
June 21st - Pursued by the fallen knights of the Horned King seeking Zeal's gauntlet, the party defeats the wyvern-mounted wight and takes his accursed sword Oathbreaker.
June 22nd - 23rd - Back to Willowsby - more exploration of the orc caves revealed a chaotic shrine in the middle of an underground lake and the noxious lake/proto-deity beneath Voormithadreth. Randal Firebrand, returned for another foray into the orc caves, is turned into a slug by a cursed scroll. Friedrich acquires the Curse of Zargon, a living tattoo, when attempting to steal another idol; Colby is infected by the Fungi from Mi-Go... bad day all around. Ancient hide tapestries are found depicting the journey to Laan-hatra...
June 24th - The party is ambushed by trolls and the necromancer Cathbad von Alderweg, who is captured. The son of Count Alderweg, he is afforded trial by combat. Friedrich butchers him in 2 rounds. His body is quickly boxed up by his minions and carried off.. nefariously.. Colby dons Cathbad's cursed Ring of Human Influence and becomes a servant of the Shadowlord, puts on Lord Zeal's gauntlet and runs amok. He is subdued.
June 25th - The Heroes of Willowsby answer the call to arms to rescue Hadraith Tor and liberate the keep from the minions of Denagoth and the Shadowlord. They defeat the Nighthag Ravelthorn and force Queen Istyria to flee. The orcish army surrenders and is ransomed back to Denagoth for much red-gold. Paavo acquires Shokki, his warhorse. Finnious departs to scout into Denagoth and discover the fate of the Elves of Lothenar and their Silver Princess...
June 26th - September 2nd -- On the advice of Lord Sherlane, the party seeks Old Ben(sarion) the sage of Critchley Falls to make sense of the ancient hide tapestries found beneath Voormithadreth and find the Fountain of Life (unlimited healing potions sorely needed with no cleric in the party). This trail leads beyond the city of Threshold, a wretched hive of scum and villainy, all the way to the sinister Black Peaks and the Shrine of the Windwalker. Ancient underground transportation (UK6 All That Glitters) allows passage to the lost city of Ulshamaran (I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City) and the gardens of Ulsamagarus (Caverns of Thracia) as well as the Vault of the Elders, which contains the lost knowledge and power (technology) of the Ancients. Battling the serpent-men who inhabit the ruined city, the party finds themselves facing a cartel of these yellow-lotus dealers and their bugbear goons. Accidentally freeing the Immortal King from his sephulcre, the party stirs up much trouble and the enmity of a lich. Reviving a couple frozen warriors, they get the lay of the ruin from Epicaste and Danaus, guardsmen in the service of the ancient kingdom of Thracia. With their help, the party makes its way to the garden/palace of Ulsamagarus and finds the Fountain of Life and its miraculous healing waters. They dump much treasure to carry waterskins of healing elixir and discover the bizarre six-fold path to Immortality. Looting the Tomb of the High Kings, they find the Crown of High Kings which can Find The Path to anything - as well as much ancient knowledge of THE CAMPAIGN's GONZO-FANTASY BACKSTORY - (technologically advanced society of Man, war in the heavens, cruel alien overlords, apocalypse, Cthulhu-esque Great Old Ones, etc.) They find the Sphinx Ontussa and after many riddles they win a halfling thief named Bolo and a helm of telepathy. Entering the Vault of the Elders, a wish is used to prevent TPK, when a sentinel-robot is activated and starts disintegrating people. The Gauntlet of Lord Zeal, the cursed sword Oathbringer and the Book of Infinite Spells are lost here, among other items. Opening an iron flask, they release Shaator, the Baron of Carcerii who happily returns to his homeplane and sends them the succubus Delilah as an ally?. Efforts are made to ditch her as she charms everyone in the party.
Sept 3rd - Sept 17th - Returning to civilization after another close encounter with the Immortal Lich-King, the party finds the sage Bensarion has been kidnapped and his home ransacked. They take some time to train anyway... Mary Tanner, apprentice magic-user joins the party.
Sep 18th-Sept 23rd - Following the trail to a vile pit in the heart of the Blightwood past deadly kobold traps, the party battles the vampiress Princess Katarina, daughter of the Horned King and her Deadite allies, including the now-undead recurring villain/necromancer Cathbad. They defeat Katarina, forcing her to flee, as well as two of the Horned King's dread knights (obtaining two more accursed swords) and manage to slay the Dread Patriach Nialghas. Too late for Bensarion though and his ghost charges them with stopping the Deadites from opening the Temple of Zargon and releasing death upon the world. Maybe later, they say. Gilligad, the leader of the elves, extends an invitation to the Heart of the Wood to meet with Rory Oakenheart - maybe later, they say. Toppling the iron-crowned statue of Arawn in the dark shrine earns Trommer and Paavo, the Curse of the Death-God, a skull-shaped bruise.
Sep 24th - 27th - The Harvest Festival. Some journey to Castle Aldagmor to compete in tests of archery and melee mastery. Geoffrey Sureshaft of Danton Mills wins the Golden Bow. Friedrich wins the melee and is named Lord of Fenhold, a swampy fief somewhere in the Black Marshes. He's ecstatic.
Sep 28th - Learning from Finnious that the Silver Princess is imprisoned in her palace, the party heads deep into enemy territory to enact a daring rescue. They retrieve the Sword of Sylaire from the ruined manor of Denolas, slaying Scatha the Black Dragon. The Palace of the Silver Princess is overrun with demons and witches - the Nighthag Ravelthorn makes another appearance as does Vatath, the Whisperer in the Dark, attache to the Shadowlord. The ultradaemon is an implacable foe and the party is fought to a standstill, invoking a Limited Wish to save themselves. Ultimately they rescue the Silver Princess but she seems remarkably ungrateful and can do little to assist the humans of the Forest Kingdom against the armies of Denagoth and the Shadowlord as long as he possesses the Elven Star - an artifact of great power, yadda, yadda, yadda. Much magic is obtained on this adventure.
Sep 29th - Oct 6th- The Silver Princess uses the Harp of Winter to summon an Ice Blight upon the land, and she and her rebel elven allies escape. The party treks back to Devonshire.
Oct 6th - Nov 4th - Everyone trains. Sherlane insists that Colby take an oath to only practice "white" magic before he will train him further. Colby hems and haws. Friedrich goes to Fenhold to find the place a crumbling backwater, heavily in debt, all their resources invested in what Bolo calls "A Causeway To Nowhere". Pickled eels are the highlight of the trip. A pack of wraiths is dodged on Hollow's Eve. Strange murders in Devonshire are cause for investigation as the victims are being drained of blood.
Nov 5th - Confrontation with Princess Katarina @ the Chicken & Ogre, the popular bar where she's been working!? -- couple vampires slain, the princess escapes. Colby is wanted for questioning by the Church as he is seen casting powerful offensive magicks.
Nov 6 - ???(time doesn't pass the same in the Ethereal Realm) Drained of levels by the vampires, the party heads off on an epic quest to find the Tears of the Rainbird, in Faerie Realms, somewhere East of the Sun and West of the Moon... which takes like 12 sessions. They traveled the Faerie Road again, to the strange otherworldly Vernal House. There they entered the Land Beyond the Magic Mirror through the Crystal Caves, defeated dragons (The Deadly Nightshade) and fomor (giants, trolls, etc) and fey (well, kinda..) alike. They learned of the Seelie Courts and the various Houses of Faerie and to avoid them at all costs... in the dragon's hoard was a ship in a bottle, containing a fast vessel called the Lamia's Kiss. Colby was slain by his own summoned elemental and sailing to the Isle of Avalon the party met the Druids and made a deal with the inexplicable Green Man to restore Colby's life, as long as they were willing to accept a geas to journey to the "deepest depths of the earth" and destroy something threatening all of existence called "The Demonspore."
Still searching for the Rainbird, they sailed from the Lake of Dreams to the Sea of Eternity -- meeting Captain Morgan and his tattooed magi Momo-lazu. Ghost ships, sea monsters and octopus-men were defeated -- but Danakes the Ranger was slain. A castaway, Nordel, with a remarkably similar skillset was found soon after, adrift on the Sea of Eternity. For all their might the heroes could do nothing against Nooz Wana, the Whelmer of Ships, the great whirlpool that vexes the Straits of Pondar Oleb and were shipwrecked on the Summer Isles. Poisoned by native fauna and captured by man-hating Amazon-Barbarians, they met Xiles Iomptu, famed aeronaut and explorer (also imprisoned). Mary Tanner tried to negotiate their release with the Amazon Queen but inadvertently let slip that Colby was a magic-user! Dice were rolled and an 01 reaction roll lost him his tongue! Escape was possible only with the help of Einmyria, a romantically inclined Amazon who required a ring and an engagement proposal from Bolo the halfing... Colby restored his tongue with one of Cathbad's fizzy black potions of unnatural regeneration, but was left with a hideous ghoul's tongue! Investigating the volcano at the center of the island, they met Mervis and Nigel - sailors from Zothay - and accidentally released their liege, the Dey of Jeru, ruler of Fire Mountain, a powerful efreeti who they battled beneath the Castle of the Storm Giant Queen Cloudia, earning the favor of the storm giants and eventually the fabled Tears of the Rainbird. Levels were restored, woot, hurray.
Danakes was revived but opted to leave the party...
Stranded on the Summer Isles, they weighed their options:
1) The elfin-wizard Acorn(elius) asked them to journey to Drachentrog and unearth the Orb of Dragonkind, but they were reluctant.
2) The Rainbird offered them passage to the Jungles of Nepenthe, but they didn't know where that was and it seemed far being that it was reputedly "undespoiled by the hand of Man..."
3) Likewise, Huitapex the Feathered Serpent could transport them to the shrine of Chalchiuhtlicue, "goddess of the jade petticoat" where they might rest and heal their wounds - but that too sounded alien and far away.
4) The djinni Ibrahim offered transport to Barb-el-Shay, the Crossroads of the World, in the Sea of Sand - a vast desert.
5) Finally, Xiles Iopmtu would fly them to wherever they wished in his dirigible, assuming it could recovered from the cannibal goblins of the island.
Unsure they could defeat 1000 goblins, they settled on the Djinni's offer. Before that though, they wanted to attempt to salvage the wreck of the Lamia's Kiss which they had learn from the Amazons would have washed up on the reefs to the south of the isle. Defeating the sharks that infested the wreckage, they recovered nearly everything lost when the ship went down. Greed overcame good sense and they pursued another shipwreck with disasterous results. The Eye of the Deep within slew Trommer and paralyzed Colby when he polymorphed into a shark - killing him as well. Friedrich only barely survived. Licking their wounds, they accepted Ibrahim's transportation to Barb-el-Shay in the Sea of Sand.
Year of the Djinn, Month of Marahat the Fire-Lion??? --
60 days are spent in Barb-el-Shay - training, identifying, roleplaying, etc.
The Lamas of the Temple wash the feet of the dead and refer Paavo to the Holy Rock at Entioch, where the Sainted Fizzi Finnini can perform miracles. A 7 day pilgrimage with fanatic dervishes and lepers to the Holy Rock where the wise cleric Communes with the One God and raises everyone from the dead. Colby and Trommer walk back to Barb-el-Shay, fairly confused. Paavo, Dan Danberry and Ingrid the dwarf cleric remain sequestered with Fizzi Finnini for 2 weeks at which time Paavo, in exchange for Iskander, the Holy Avenger, accepts a quest to journey to the Tower of the Forbidden Gods and bring back whatever he finds on the altars to those foul deities.
Ingrid Stoneback leaves the party, opting to stay with the wise cleric.
Bolo makes the acquaintance of Bhatandu and performs jobs for the local Thieves Guild. He gains a thug henchman named Gabul. Colby and Bolo have a falling out during one of these jobs. A long chest needs to be clandestinely removed from the city and buried in the desert, the only stipulation given is that it is not to be opened under any circumstances. When it becomes clear to Colby that there is someone alive in the chest much consternation ensues. Using magic to smuggle it out Barb-el-Shay, they open the chest a few miles from town. The man Vilsten, a moneylender, is most upset. Colby and Bolo ask him to swear to leave the city. He refuses, claiming to have powerful friends and further that he is not provisioned for a journey across the desert. Colby goes to purchase supplies for the man and while he is gone Bolo kills him and buries the body. Shocked, Colby makes him walk back to the city.
Friedrich joins the Order of the Eternal Axe, seeking fame and glory in the famed Fighting Pits of Barb-el-Shay. He does well enough until he reaches the upper-card circuit and is slain by Umad, a knife-throwing specialist. 7 day pilgrimage to Entioch where the Sainted Fizzi Finnini must Commune with the One God to determine his worthiness for resurrection. Fortunately he's on a vital quest to destroy the Demonspore and gets a pass.
Colby and Mary Tanner join the College of Magick - Colby bargains with Iz Omazzi, the Master Conjurer for training. Promising to go to the ghost-city of Khosura and retrieve the Almanach of Abi-Dalzim.
Seeking allies, Colby meets Haddiq the Blessed, a cleric, and his dervish followers - they agree to join the heroes' quest if Colby will slay a demon in the Ovens of Ar-Gar, the blasted furnace-plain to the north.
Paavo is joined by Youssef, an elemancer from the college.
The party hires Khaddil, a native guide and ghul-hunter.
Finnious leaves the party, driven by paranoia and haunted by the terrible knowledge gleaned from the Demonomicon. Colby, of course, reads it anyway.
Xiles Iomptu leaves the party.
Departing Barb-el-Shay, the party heads across the desert road to the Great Oasis and then cuts north into the Ovens of Ar-Gar. They struggle with the extreme heat and the camels. Avoiding the slavers of the Fleshmonger's Guild, the heroes fight desert ghouls and giant scorpions. They face a pack of demons on the furnace-plain but are triumphant, Trommer really saving the day with the bastard sword of disruption acquired in the green dragon's hoard. Haddiq claiming two demon skulls to be fashioned into a flail.
Leaving the Ovens of Ar-Gar, the party discovers a strange ruin uncovered by the shifting sands. Failing to input the correct combination of symbols/letters on a set of obelisks releases a swarm of tarantula-spiders. Inside is a crumbling temple-tomb dripping with black slime and filled with pestilence. Statues of a rotting woman in a robe of swarming insects abound - the party defeats a clay golem-lamia, some blighted hydra-headed carrion crawlers and a bizarre hourglass trap filled with salt mummies and wraiths wielding time-hammers. An hourglass ring of lesser time reversal is acquired.
Proceeding on to the Tower of the Forbidden Gods, they find a strange tent city at the base of the mesa, filled with heretics and worshippers of evil! Ratrudabi, a worshipper of the Nine Petty Deaths, is suspiciously friendly - and for 5 gold dinars answers basic questions about the great Tower of the [Forbidden] Gods.
Randall Firebrand, priest of Brigit, leaves the group and there is no other cleric... this has a major impact on the party's operating decisions.
May 2nd-4th - Time is spent in Willowsby (pop. 800) during the King's Festival. Beneath the ruins of the burned-down church an ancient crypt was discovered along with some holy relics (a chalice and a silver coffer which proves unopenable) which are to be taken to Devonshire, the nearest real town, under escort by the constable Ser Reese and the Heroes of Willowsby. A strange fortune-teller revealed everyone's fates, destinies and lack thereof.
May 5th - More exploration of the orc caves found an ancient ruin occupied by Petrides, vile priest of the Death-God Arawn and his (undead) allies. The evil wizard Feldspar was slain and his wand of petrification claimed. Marcus, a mercenary fighter from the Barony of Falworth, is freed from the mage's charm spell and joins the party. He is not given back his treasure, a ruby belt. Feldspar's notes make references to ancient civilizations and strange, old magicks -- an oracular Mask is found mounted on a wall in the ruins, which seems to be the source of the information.
Trommer is poisoned - the Druid of Willowsby neutralizes the poison on the condition if the heroes will travel to Gramarye and aid the druidic council. The party never does!
May 6th - Travel down the old stone road to Devonshire, a large town (pop. 5000+). A meeting with the Abbot of Devonshire, Ser Eldon Graves the Sherriff of Devonshire and Lord Sherlane, the mayor, who later became the party's patron and trains Colby further in the magical arts.
May 7th - 14th - An abortive quest was undertaken to the Warlock Stone, in the Forest of Night, to prevent a ritual by the death-priests of Arawn. Lord Zeal was defeated and The Gaunlet claimed, but at cost. The party was forced to flee into the Forest of Night. Brother Lewis, the cleric representative sent by the Church, was slain during this a harrowing escape from the Deadites and their huntsmen. As a last resort, the elf Finnious lead everyone through a mushroom circle into a strange Fairy realm. Friedrich loses his shadow at the Vernal House.
May 14th - June 15th- Escaping the Fairy Road into the 100,000 Oaks, a deep wood to the north of the moors, the party meets Helmut the axeman and is directed to Danton Mills - a logging town (pop. 300) famed for its archers and longbows. 30+ days resting, training and recovering. Marcus departs during this inactivity, irritated that even after questing with the group his ruby belt is used to cover training costs. The party ignores many adventure hooks (escorting white horses to Elvallie, laying to rest the spirit of the Damned John O'Crewet at Dunder Downs, some kind of man-wolf on the moors.)
June 15th - June 20th- Travel back to Devonshire by way of Cinderham-on-the-Moors, escorting some pilgrims (Cinderalla Wolcott and her family). The Abbot of Cinderham suffers some affliction or insanity relating to Red Tam's Bones and She Who Sings at the Vernal House, but investigation is fruitless. In Devonshire they learn that Ser Malleus the Witchhammer and his cadre of paladins was sent to the Warlock Stone to finish the job they started. The DM gleefully tells them of the sorcerous texts that were burned, the artifacts destroyed and the gold/gems tithed...
June 21st - Pursued by the fallen knights of the Horned King seeking Zeal's gauntlet, the party defeats the wyvern-mounted wight and takes his accursed sword Oathbreaker.
June 22nd - 23rd - Back to Willowsby - more exploration of the orc caves revealed a chaotic shrine in the middle of an underground lake and the noxious lake/proto-deity beneath Voormithadreth. Randal Firebrand, returned for another foray into the orc caves, is turned into a slug by a cursed scroll. Friedrich acquires the Curse of Zargon, a living tattoo, when attempting to steal another idol; Colby is infected by the Fungi from Mi-Go... bad day all around. Ancient hide tapestries are found depicting the journey to Laan-hatra...
June 24th - The party is ambushed by trolls and the necromancer Cathbad von Alderweg, who is captured. The son of Count Alderweg, he is afforded trial by combat. Friedrich butchers him in 2 rounds. His body is quickly boxed up by his minions and carried off.. nefariously.. Colby dons Cathbad's cursed Ring of Human Influence and becomes a servant of the Shadowlord, puts on Lord Zeal's gauntlet and runs amok. He is subdued.
June 25th - The Heroes of Willowsby answer the call to arms to rescue Hadraith Tor and liberate the keep from the minions of Denagoth and the Shadowlord. They defeat the Nighthag Ravelthorn and force Queen Istyria to flee. The orcish army surrenders and is ransomed back to Denagoth for much red-gold. Paavo acquires Shokki, his warhorse. Finnious departs to scout into Denagoth and discover the fate of the Elves of Lothenar and their Silver Princess...
June 26th - September 2nd -- On the advice of Lord Sherlane, the party seeks Old Ben(sarion) the sage of Critchley Falls to make sense of the ancient hide tapestries found beneath Voormithadreth and find the Fountain of Life (unlimited healing potions sorely needed with no cleric in the party). This trail leads beyond the city of Threshold, a wretched hive of scum and villainy, all the way to the sinister Black Peaks and the Shrine of the Windwalker. Ancient underground transportation (UK6 All That Glitters) allows passage to the lost city of Ulshamaran (I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City) and the gardens of Ulsamagarus (Caverns of Thracia) as well as the Vault of the Elders, which contains the lost knowledge and power (technology) of the Ancients. Battling the serpent-men who inhabit the ruined city, the party finds themselves facing a cartel of these yellow-lotus dealers and their bugbear goons. Accidentally freeing the Immortal King from his sephulcre, the party stirs up much trouble and the enmity of a lich. Reviving a couple frozen warriors, they get the lay of the ruin from Epicaste and Danaus, guardsmen in the service of the ancient kingdom of Thracia. With their help, the party makes its way to the garden/palace of Ulsamagarus and finds the Fountain of Life and its miraculous healing waters. They dump much treasure to carry waterskins of healing elixir and discover the bizarre six-fold path to Immortality. Looting the Tomb of the High Kings, they find the Crown of High Kings which can Find The Path to anything - as well as much ancient knowledge of THE CAMPAIGN's GONZO-FANTASY BACKSTORY - (technologically advanced society of Man, war in the heavens, cruel alien overlords, apocalypse, Cthulhu-esque Great Old Ones, etc.) They find the Sphinx Ontussa and after many riddles they win a halfling thief named Bolo and a helm of telepathy. Entering the Vault of the Elders, a wish is used to prevent TPK, when a sentinel-robot is activated and starts disintegrating people. The Gauntlet of Lord Zeal, the cursed sword Oathbringer and the Book of Infinite Spells are lost here, among other items. Opening an iron flask, they release Shaator, the Baron of Carcerii who happily returns to his homeplane and sends them the succubus Delilah as an ally?. Efforts are made to ditch her as she charms everyone in the party.
Sept 3rd - Sept 17th - Returning to civilization after another close encounter with the Immortal Lich-King, the party finds the sage Bensarion has been kidnapped and his home ransacked. They take some time to train anyway... Mary Tanner, apprentice magic-user joins the party.
Sep 18th-Sept 23rd - Following the trail to a vile pit in the heart of the Blightwood past deadly kobold traps, the party battles the vampiress Princess Katarina, daughter of the Horned King and her Deadite allies, including the now-undead recurring villain/necromancer Cathbad. They defeat Katarina, forcing her to flee, as well as two of the Horned King's dread knights (obtaining two more accursed swords) and manage to slay the Dread Patriach Nialghas. Too late for Bensarion though and his ghost charges them with stopping the Deadites from opening the Temple of Zargon and releasing death upon the world. Maybe later, they say. Gilligad, the leader of the elves, extends an invitation to the Heart of the Wood to meet with Rory Oakenheart - maybe later, they say. Toppling the iron-crowned statue of Arawn in the dark shrine earns Trommer and Paavo, the Curse of the Death-God, a skull-shaped bruise.
Sep 24th - 27th - The Harvest Festival. Some journey to Castle Aldagmor to compete in tests of archery and melee mastery. Geoffrey Sureshaft of Danton Mills wins the Golden Bow. Friedrich wins the melee and is named Lord of Fenhold, a swampy fief somewhere in the Black Marshes. He's ecstatic.
Sep 28th - Learning from Finnious that the Silver Princess is imprisoned in her palace, the party heads deep into enemy territory to enact a daring rescue. They retrieve the Sword of Sylaire from the ruined manor of Denolas, slaying Scatha the Black Dragon. The Palace of the Silver Princess is overrun with demons and witches - the Nighthag Ravelthorn makes another appearance as does Vatath, the Whisperer in the Dark, attache to the Shadowlord. The ultradaemon is an implacable foe and the party is fought to a standstill, invoking a Limited Wish to save themselves. Ultimately they rescue the Silver Princess but she seems remarkably ungrateful and can do little to assist the humans of the Forest Kingdom against the armies of Denagoth and the Shadowlord as long as he possesses the Elven Star - an artifact of great power, yadda, yadda, yadda. Much magic is obtained on this adventure.
Sep 29th - Oct 6th- The Silver Princess uses the Harp of Winter to summon an Ice Blight upon the land, and she and her rebel elven allies escape. The party treks back to Devonshire.
Oct 6th - Nov 4th - Everyone trains. Sherlane insists that Colby take an oath to only practice "white" magic before he will train him further. Colby hems and haws. Friedrich goes to Fenhold to find the place a crumbling backwater, heavily in debt, all their resources invested in what Bolo calls "A Causeway To Nowhere". Pickled eels are the highlight of the trip. A pack of wraiths is dodged on Hollow's Eve. Strange murders in Devonshire are cause for investigation as the victims are being drained of blood.
Nov 5th - Confrontation with Princess Katarina @ the Chicken & Ogre, the popular bar where she's been working!? -- couple vampires slain, the princess escapes. Colby is wanted for questioning by the Church as he is seen casting powerful offensive magicks.
Nov 6 - ???(time doesn't pass the same in the Ethereal Realm) Drained of levels by the vampires, the party heads off on an epic quest to find the Tears of the Rainbird, in Faerie Realms, somewhere East of the Sun and West of the Moon... which takes like 12 sessions. They traveled the Faerie Road again, to the strange otherworldly Vernal House. There they entered the Land Beyond the Magic Mirror through the Crystal Caves, defeated dragons (The Deadly Nightshade) and fomor (giants, trolls, etc) and fey (well, kinda..) alike. They learned of the Seelie Courts and the various Houses of Faerie and to avoid them at all costs... in the dragon's hoard was a ship in a bottle, containing a fast vessel called the Lamia's Kiss. Colby was slain by his own summoned elemental and sailing to the Isle of Avalon the party met the Druids and made a deal with the inexplicable Green Man to restore Colby's life, as long as they were willing to accept a geas to journey to the "deepest depths of the earth" and destroy something threatening all of existence called "The Demonspore."
Still searching for the Rainbird, they sailed from the Lake of Dreams to the Sea of Eternity -- meeting Captain Morgan and his tattooed magi Momo-lazu. Ghost ships, sea monsters and octopus-men were defeated -- but Danakes the Ranger was slain. A castaway, Nordel, with a remarkably similar skillset was found soon after, adrift on the Sea of Eternity. For all their might the heroes could do nothing against Nooz Wana, the Whelmer of Ships, the great whirlpool that vexes the Straits of Pondar Oleb and were shipwrecked on the Summer Isles. Poisoned by native fauna and captured by man-hating Amazon-Barbarians, they met Xiles Iomptu, famed aeronaut and explorer (also imprisoned). Mary Tanner tried to negotiate their release with the Amazon Queen but inadvertently let slip that Colby was a magic-user! Dice were rolled and an 01 reaction roll lost him his tongue! Escape was possible only with the help of Einmyria, a romantically inclined Amazon who required a ring and an engagement proposal from Bolo the halfing... Colby restored his tongue with one of Cathbad's fizzy black potions of unnatural regeneration, but was left with a hideous ghoul's tongue! Investigating the volcano at the center of the island, they met Mervis and Nigel - sailors from Zothay - and accidentally released their liege, the Dey of Jeru, ruler of Fire Mountain, a powerful efreeti who they battled beneath the Castle of the Storm Giant Queen Cloudia, earning the favor of the storm giants and eventually the fabled Tears of the Rainbird. Levels were restored, woot, hurray.
Danakes was revived but opted to leave the party...
Stranded on the Summer Isles, they weighed their options:
1) The elfin-wizard Acorn(elius) asked them to journey to Drachentrog and unearth the Orb of Dragonkind, but they were reluctant.
2) The Rainbird offered them passage to the Jungles of Nepenthe, but they didn't know where that was and it seemed far being that it was reputedly "undespoiled by the hand of Man..."
3) Likewise, Huitapex the Feathered Serpent could transport them to the shrine of Chalchiuhtlicue, "goddess of the jade petticoat" where they might rest and heal their wounds - but that too sounded alien and far away.
4) The djinni Ibrahim offered transport to Barb-el-Shay, the Crossroads of the World, in the Sea of Sand - a vast desert.
5) Finally, Xiles Iopmtu would fly them to wherever they wished in his dirigible, assuming it could recovered from the cannibal goblins of the island.
Unsure they could defeat 1000 goblins, they settled on the Djinni's offer. Before that though, they wanted to attempt to salvage the wreck of the Lamia's Kiss which they had learn from the Amazons would have washed up on the reefs to the south of the isle. Defeating the sharks that infested the wreckage, they recovered nearly everything lost when the ship went down. Greed overcame good sense and they pursued another shipwreck with disasterous results. The Eye of the Deep within slew Trommer and paralyzed Colby when he polymorphed into a shark - killing him as well. Friedrich only barely survived. Licking their wounds, they accepted Ibrahim's transportation to Barb-el-Shay in the Sea of Sand.
Year of the Djinn, Month of Marahat the Fire-Lion??? --
60 days are spent in Barb-el-Shay - training, identifying, roleplaying, etc.
The Lamas of the Temple wash the feet of the dead and refer Paavo to the Holy Rock at Entioch, where the Sainted Fizzi Finnini can perform miracles. A 7 day pilgrimage with fanatic dervishes and lepers to the Holy Rock where the wise cleric Communes with the One God and raises everyone from the dead. Colby and Trommer walk back to Barb-el-Shay, fairly confused. Paavo, Dan Danberry and Ingrid the dwarf cleric remain sequestered with Fizzi Finnini for 2 weeks at which time Paavo, in exchange for Iskander, the Holy Avenger, accepts a quest to journey to the Tower of the Forbidden Gods and bring back whatever he finds on the altars to those foul deities.
Ingrid Stoneback leaves the party, opting to stay with the wise cleric.
Bolo makes the acquaintance of Bhatandu and performs jobs for the local Thieves Guild. He gains a thug henchman named Gabul. Colby and Bolo have a falling out during one of these jobs. A long chest needs to be clandestinely removed from the city and buried in the desert, the only stipulation given is that it is not to be opened under any circumstances. When it becomes clear to Colby that there is someone alive in the chest much consternation ensues. Using magic to smuggle it out Barb-el-Shay, they open the chest a few miles from town. The man Vilsten, a moneylender, is most upset. Colby and Bolo ask him to swear to leave the city. He refuses, claiming to have powerful friends and further that he is not provisioned for a journey across the desert. Colby goes to purchase supplies for the man and while he is gone Bolo kills him and buries the body. Shocked, Colby makes him walk back to the city.
Friedrich joins the Order of the Eternal Axe, seeking fame and glory in the famed Fighting Pits of Barb-el-Shay. He does well enough until he reaches the upper-card circuit and is slain by Umad, a knife-throwing specialist. 7 day pilgrimage to Entioch where the Sainted Fizzi Finnini must Commune with the One God to determine his worthiness for resurrection. Fortunately he's on a vital quest to destroy the Demonspore and gets a pass.
Colby and Mary Tanner join the College of Magick - Colby bargains with Iz Omazzi, the Master Conjurer for training. Promising to go to the ghost-city of Khosura and retrieve the Almanach of Abi-Dalzim.
Seeking allies, Colby meets Haddiq the Blessed, a cleric, and his dervish followers - they agree to join the heroes' quest if Colby will slay a demon in the Ovens of Ar-Gar, the blasted furnace-plain to the north.
Paavo is joined by Youssef, an elemancer from the college.
The party hires Khaddil, a native guide and ghul-hunter.
Finnious leaves the party, driven by paranoia and haunted by the terrible knowledge gleaned from the Demonomicon. Colby, of course, reads it anyway.
Xiles Iomptu leaves the party.
Departing Barb-el-Shay, the party heads across the desert road to the Great Oasis and then cuts north into the Ovens of Ar-Gar. They struggle with the extreme heat and the camels. Avoiding the slavers of the Fleshmonger's Guild, the heroes fight desert ghouls and giant scorpions. They face a pack of demons on the furnace-plain but are triumphant, Trommer really saving the day with the bastard sword of disruption acquired in the green dragon's hoard. Haddiq claiming two demon skulls to be fashioned into a flail.
Leaving the Ovens of Ar-Gar, the party discovers a strange ruin uncovered by the shifting sands. Failing to input the correct combination of symbols/letters on a set of obelisks releases a swarm of tarantula-spiders. Inside is a crumbling temple-tomb dripping with black slime and filled with pestilence. Statues of a rotting woman in a robe of swarming insects abound - the party defeats a clay golem-lamia, some blighted hydra-headed carrion crawlers and a bizarre hourglass trap filled with salt mummies and wraiths wielding time-hammers. An hourglass ring of lesser time reversal is acquired.
Proceeding on to the Tower of the Forbidden Gods, they find a strange tent city at the base of the mesa, filled with heretics and worshippers of evil! Ratrudabi, a worshipper of the Nine Petty Deaths, is suspiciously friendly - and for 5 gold dinars answers basic questions about the great Tower of the [Forbidden] Gods.