Author Archives: Ranjr

After having defeated the were-raven mage Moezra and his gruesome demon the slayers crept cautiously up the stone steps which rose from the ground floor and its black oubliettes to an archway flickering with flame-light.

Vorwulf: “This is a wizard’s lair so watch it.”

Bers: “No duh!”

The room at the top of the steps was small with an angular northwest wall in which was a large cleft revealing the latrine. The room was torch-lit and windowless with a door-less archway to the east and a solid bronze door with an image of a roaring demon over the entire door-face in the south wall. The south door did appear to be locked and all could see the evil glow of the rune engraved on the demon-image’s forehead. Vorwulf peeked through the archway into what appeared to be a sitting room from which a narrow band of sunlight beamed in through the arrow slit in the north wall. There was a black iron door in the south wall bearing the image of a twisting serpent, also apparently locked, an unlit golden candelabrum on either side. A table of an unidentifiable exotic wood squatted in the dark northwest corner on which sat an astrolabe and a small wood box, a finely carved bone pipe sitting atop that. Vorwulf took the pipe and checked the box in which he found contained fine smoking herbs. There was also an unlabeled vial of yellow powder which the shaman identified as yellow lotus pollen and he took that. There was also a stuffed leather chair in the niche next to the arrow slit. They proceeded to an archway in the east wall from which a spicy scent was wafting.

Bunches of all kinds of spices were hanging from the ceiling rafters and the angled northeast wall was lined with shelves filled with bottles of spices, a 1lb. sack of salt, 3 bottles of wine, 1 jar of honey and 10 lbs. of salt fish. On a small square table in the north corner sat a wheel of cheese, a knife, fork, spoon and a stack of 4 wood cups, 4 wood bowls and 4 wood plates. On the floor beneath it sat a 10 lb. sack of nuts. In the southwest corner next to the door in the south wall was bronze-wood barrel with a loose cover. The door was a solid looking wood door which could only be opened from the other side. The shaman occupied himself in collecting as many spices he could carry while Bers contemplated the door. Vorwulf lifted the lid of the barrel and found a plate of roasted chicken, a loaf of freshly baked bread and steaming squash & potatoes along with a full jack of fine wine. He replaced the cover and Kyr tried it out but failed to pull anything else out of it. The shaman performed clairvoyance on the bronze demon-door and the black iron door. He found that the bronze door if touched would emit the effects of the Fear spell if touched by any other than Moezra. The black iron door would emit a cone of poison gas filling the entire chamber if touched by any other than Moezra. He returned to the larder with his new revelations just as Bers decided to try the wood door. Bers tried to kick down the wood door but failed. Grom (the shaman) cast Bull’s Strength on her but it still took another 3 tries to bash the door down.

They found themselves in what appeared to be a magical laboratory. Alchemist’s glassware covered the long worn table in the southwest. There was a large wooden chest in the northwest and northeast corners on both sides of their entrance both were locked. Grom found 3 bottles of acid, 1 bottle of powered diamond, 1 polished copper mirror and an alchemical manual on the table. Vorwulf took a crowbar to the northwest chest. Inside he found 1 bottle labeled ‘mummy powder’, a book of what appeared to be potion formulae, 4 dragon-scales (identified as shadow dragon scales) and 8 bottles of various color pigments.

Vorwulf looking wide-eyed: “Crap. I screwed up. I should’ve checked that chest for traps first.”

Bers after receiving the crowbar from Vorwulf checked the other chest for traps before she pried it open. She found multiple scrolls of paper, a book of Westland dragon-lore (that got snatched up quick), 3 large semi-precious crystals, 1 potion labeled ‘Stone to Flesh’ and 1 piece of obsidian and 1 onyx. They checked the small narrow room through the east archway which was lit by an arrow slit and found a couple of crates and shelves on both sides of the arch. On the shelves was an alchemist’s kit, a bottle of powdered onyx, various tools and writing implements. In the crates were jars of various herbs, dried insects and preserved bits of animals such as lizard tails and batwings. They then proceeded through the archway in the laboratory’s west wall.

They came into an octagonal chamber with dark wood paneled walls and dome ceiling painted with the image of the night sky with a full silver moon. The only light manifest in the chamber came from the painted moon filling the chamber with what seemed to be true moonlight. A stuffed leather chair sat against the angled northwest wall, a polished jet table inlaid with mother of pearl sat at the center of the room. A locked cabinet was against the southeast wall and a tapestry hung over the southwest angled wall which bore the image of a murder of crows. Vorwulf checked behind the tapestry for a hidden compartment but found nothing. Grom snatched up the crowbar from Bers and went to smash open the locked cabinet. The others ran back through the east archway ‘just in case’.

The shaman wrenched open the cabinet doors rolling a Natural 20 for the pry check also inhaling the blast of fine brown dust which hit him in the face at the same time. He definitely felt the effects of a powerful toxin but only the secondary effects imparting a -4 to all Will saves and CHA based checks (unfortunately all of his magic is based on his CHA). Bers gave him a Purification potion which negated the poison. Within the cabinet he found 3 rings (made of titanium, gold and bronze respectively), a leather pouch containing 50 silver pieces, an ironwood scepter with copper embossing, a scroll with the spell Wood to Weapon on it, a crystal ball, a ruby wand, a bronze wood wand, a bottle of Oil of Preserve Corpse, and 2 potions (Ghost Form and Celerity). After they finished looting the cabinet Vorwulf lit a gold oil lamp that he had picked up and they continued through the west archway into a dark chamber where the only light was a thin blade of white daylight slicing in from a westerly arrow slit from between a pair of round columns.

The room was mostly bare save for the suit of full plate of obvious Ivoran make standing in the northeast corner next to the archway they had entered. It bore a shield painted red with the black silhouette of a raven and a heavy mace in the other hand.

Cris (Vorwulf’s Player): “Is it moving at all? No. Hmm.”

To the north was the backside of the bronze demon-door and to the south was a solid oak door with black iron hardware upon which was a glowing rune. They were stymied as none of them were willing to even get near the door; Vorwulf was still keeping a careful watch over the armor. Grom performed his Clairvoyance spell and envisioned the mage Moezra opening and walking through the door which repeated and zoomed in to his hand touching the door. After he told them his vision they figured out that they could open the doors using Moezra’s head which was being carried as a trophy by Vorwulf. They touched the head to the door and were able to open it without a problem. They continued south into the room the door communicated with all the while Vorwulf keep glancing back at the armor.

They entered into another triangular chamber, the south wall being diagonal. The room was lit with a warm light emanated by a pair of quartz fire-gems set in the torch sconces. There was a chest of drawers of polished redwood against the diagonal wall. A table with a matching wood chair was in the northeast corner upon which sat a ceramic basin, a wood cup, a clay jug filled with water, a bar of soap, a rag and a small bottle of perfume. Vorwulf snatched up the soap and perfume.

Bers: “Damn, I should’ve done that.”

Kyr and Grom went through the chest of drawers finding about 20 articles of high quality clothing and a pair of red silk slippers each with a single large opal on them. After ransacking that room they moved through the archway in the east wall into the were-raven’s bed chamber. The room is lit by a narrow slash of weak sun coming through the arrow slit in the south wall falling upon the superior quality carpet on the floor and glinting from the four censers hanging from the ceiling filled with mild aromatic resins as evidenced by their noses. The other light in the room, a strange deep-blue glow, was provided by a fire-sapphire sitting on the stool by the bed which was in the southwest corner of the room. There was an unlocked chest in the northeast corner and a cabinet in the northwest corner of the room. Bers and Grom pushed Kyr towards the chest and told her to check it for traps. Vorwulf rifled the four-poster bed and found several handfuls of small loops of braided hair tied with scraps of clothing under the mattress. The shaman busied himself rolling up the carpet and stuffing it into his bag of holding. Kyr opened the chest and found a suit of silk bedclothes, 1 set of high quality bed linens, and 1 bottle of yellow lotus pollen containing at least 3 doses which was given to the shaman. Bers gathered up and took the bed linens.

Kyr: “What’re gonna do with those!? You don’t sleep in a bed!”

Bers: “Not out here but I like to sleep in style.”

Vorwulf then checked the unlocked cabinet within he found 1 gold oil lamp, a bottle of lamp oil (an hour’s worth), steel & flint, straw matches, an empty clay pitcher, a wood cup, 1 bottle of whiskey and 1 silver goblet studded with aquamarines. After taking the whiskey and giving the goblet to Kyr, the others each have their own ‘fancy’ goblets, he turned his attention to the black iron door in the east wall. He recognized it as the door with the glowing white rune he had seen from the other side when he was looking for a way down after slaying the were-raven mage Moezra. To avoid any trouble he used his Powder of Knock. The door opened of its own accord after the powder was tossed over it.

Vorwulf found himself in a familiar place after the group surmounted the stone spiral staircase. They had entered the room where he had faced off with the mage.

 

To Be Continued…

By sundown the slayers found themselves half-way up the south-western-most slope of Hirok below Ekit’s Watch on their way to see the wizard. It was dark and the group was passing into a dense clump of scrub when Vorwulf detected something moving in the bush. He spotted some human shapes prowling around the bushes one of which had its bow drawn on him. He knocked an arrow and a voice rang out with Bers’ name. The slayers had run into the Hill-Landers (see The Dragonslayers Pt. 10 & 14) Han the half-faun ranger/archer, Skran the half-faun/half-Hill-Giant and Baalkra the satyr. They were wearing plate armor painted a dull, dirty black. They explained that they had been spying and were on the wrong side of the battle lines to the south amongst the Black Soldiery on the side of the lich of Black Brow whose forces were currently sieging the city of Achoran on the south bank of the Nirix River in the south. They had left in disgust but had got all the info that they needed and were thusly returning home to report when they ran into the dragon-slayers. They asked after Dead-Eye and were sorry to hear of his death and Bers introduced them to Vorwulf his pupil. Vorwulf wasted no time in grilling them.

The group was told that the Hill-Landers had found that a large part of the lich’s army was composed of the Black Soldiery, a gaggle of thugs, criminals and sell-swords who wear black painted armor identical to that they were wearing. They also had seen that the Blackbrow forces had undead dragons on their side with a draeco-zombie and a “dragon-skelly” on the south-side of the river. They have heard a rumor of another more powerful undead dragon but also heard it was sieging a fortress somewhere in the Cleft-Rills region farther to the east. The command structure of the “black army” is 3 disciples, young necromancers, at the head of the siege forces with 3 units of zombie warriors and “skellys” led by a Death Knight serving as general followed by 3 fighter liches serving as captains and 3 vampire warriors as lieutenants. The shields of the undead soldiers bear the standards of a rampant rooster against a purple field, a green snake biting its tail on a brown field, a red hawk on a light blue field and a sword through a coin on a blue field. These corpse-fighters fall dead every dawn and rise at dusk. The black soldiery number in around 100 fighters and are well-paid they have a similar straight forward military hierarchy with a general, 2 captains, 2 lieutenants under each captain and 2 sergeants under each lieutenant and all are well-paid. They also revel in the rapine, pillage, and murder that they engage in. On the battlefield their dead are raised as zombies along with any other war-dead raised by the disciples. Vorwulf lets them know that they no longer have to worry about 1 of the disciples anymore. They pass on a couple of passwords used by the Black Soldiery but were not sure if they were still good or not. They left shortly after Bers asked about Sir Chinsalis. It had been some months since they had last seen him just before departing for their spy mission several months ago. As far as they knew he was currently tied up in a crusade against the druids of Strignor back in Chago far to the west.

After the Hill-Lander spies had left Vorwulf found a campsite that was well-hidden amongst the brush which clumped against the hillside with Ekit’s Watch in clear view. The first two watches passed without incident but on the third, Vorwulf’s watch, he spied a pair of bat-like creatures which he deduced to be vampires flying towards the mage tower a leather sack in tow. With his spyglass in hand he watched them land on the battlements at the top of Ekit’s Watch. Come morning and after Vorwulf briefed the rest of them about the vampires the shaman decided to cover them all in war paint before moving out to the tower. A couple of hours later by mid-morning they found themselves gathered on the small platform and at the front door of the tower at the top of a 20 foot-tall flight of stone steps their steeds left at the bottom.

Grom (the shaman): “Open up wizard! We want to talk to you!” He shouted while banging his fist on the door, the others had volunteered him to be the spokesman for some reason.

Moezra (the mage of Ekit’s Watch): “What do ya want! I’m busy. GO AWAY!”

Grom: “We’re the dragon-slayers! We have come to trade wizard!”

Moezra: “Oh? You are huh? Just wait right there.”

They heard a loud mechanical click and the platform dropped out from beneath them and all but Vorwulf fell into the hole. The ranger/dragonslayer leapt away and acrobatically flipped back onto the steps avoiding a 20 ft drop to the ground. He looked up at the tower and spotted something small and winged watching from a window on the third floor. The others slid down a glass-smooth chute which shot them into a pitch black chamber each slamming into a floor of moist earth. They wasted no time in getting to their feet and lighting a lantern finding themselves trapped in an oubliette, a stone walled bottle-shaped room with a rusted trap-door sealing the top of the bottle-neck 20 ft up. They could see the opening to the chute from which they were dropped into this prison. Bers used her Cape of Bat-Flight to fly herself and Kyr back up the chute. Grom cast a spell on himself and growing wings followed. The rusted trap-door was held shut by a powerful spring mechanism and was impossible to just smash open for several reasons. They retreated back to the oubliette where Bers dropped Kyr and pulled out and slipped on her Gauntlet of Transmutation. She flew back to the iron trap door at the top of the chute but found it protected from the gauntlets power by magical wards which pulsed with energy when the gauntlet touched it. She flew back to the oubliette and in frustration she flew full speed into the wood door sealing the top of their cell smashing it to splinters.

Grom: “Into the tower it is then.”

Grom followed with Kyr in tow.

Meanwhile outside Vorwulf pulled the cowl of his Cloak of Invisibility over his head rendering him invisible to sight and slashed the air with his Silver Scimitar. The sword opened a dimensional door and he stepped through instantly emerging on the top battlements of Ekit’s Watch. When he landed on the south battlements he found that they were a level above the north battlements connected by two sets of stone-steps. Below him on the northern battlements he saw a trap door granting access to the interior of the tower and next to it in a pair of large iron cages 2 naked girls were cowering. Being the heroic type he immediately leapt to the floor below with the intent of approaching the cages but was nearly struck by a bolt of black energy which shot from a position very near the cages. He could see the shadow of a small winged creature from where the bolt had struck. He shot at the creature but missed due to it also being invisible. Suddenly with a raven-shriek the mage named Moezra shot up into the air from the trap-door. He was carried aloft by a pair of large black wings and Vorwulf could see that the mage had the head of a raven and talons in place of feet. The dragon-slayer shot him with an arrow wounding him then the mage struck back by calling forth lightning from the cloudless afternoon sky which Vor readily avoided. The dragon-slayer did an acrobatic tumble into the trap-door.

Gil (Grom’s Player): “Dude! You’re running away!?”

Cris (Vorwulf’s Player): “Hell yes! That guy’ll kill me up there!”

Vorwulf found himself on the top of a stone staircase which wound down into the third floor chamber. The octagonal chamber was large taking up the entire level of the tower. It had a 12 ft. high ceiling and had narrow columns in sets of three in front of its huge floor to ceiling lead-pane windows at the northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast walls of the chamber. The floor was tiled with marble and at the center of the floor was a 5ft high dais set with 4 gold 16-candle candelabras and an inactive magic circle inscribed deeply in its surface. Unlit torches sat in sconces in the east and west walls next to floor to ceiling length tapestries; one portraying a white dragon the other a purple one. A leather chest with no lock sat against the opposite wall from the adventurer and a pair of solid iron chests cast with lions’ feet and heads (the heads at one end) with no discernable locks sat against the west wall below the white-dragon tapestry.

Cris: “Man, I don’t like the looks of those chests.”

He ran down the steps and towards the passageway which opened in the floor to the southeast in front of one of the windows. He readied to leap into the opening which presumably led to the second level. A plate of solid steel manifested over it stopping him dead in his tracks. He turned but could see nothing but was still able to hear the rustling of feathers and the beating of Moezra’s black wings.

The battle lasted for 4 more rounds with Vorwulf and Moezra exchanging blasts of lightning and arrows, some of which were silver, most of which missed as both were invisible. The mage’s familiar the small invisible creature was slain in the beginning of the third round which suddenly appeared after the deathblow, an arrow to the chest, revealing itself to be a shadow-imp just before its corpse evaporated away into nothing. Moezra pulled out a magic dagger with a starmetal blade which darted about the room and fought on its own wounding Vorwulf significantly in the last round. At the end of the third round Vorwulf while near the iron plate over the stairs connecting this floor with next, made a successful Will save versus illusion revealing the plate to be an illusion. The mage blasted out a large window with a misplaced bolt of lightning and melted the entire staircase leading down into the chamber from the battlements when he lost control of one of his spells. The wild magic melted the stone into a large puddle of greyish goo. Moezra was killed at the beginning of the fourth round his corpse studded with 5 arrows. After the battle the room was in a shambles and its walls were studded with nearly a dozen arrows. The illusion sealing off the stairs dissipated.

Vorwulf, assuming the others were “stuck in a hole” at the base of the tower somewhere took the mage’s head with his silver scimitar and looted the feathery corpse without actually searching it. He snatched 3 rings (worth about 3 silver pieces each), the curved starmetal dagger which fell to the floor inert after the mage’s death rattle, a phenacite talisman with a starmetal inlay, an ivory wand with decorative runes, an elephant hide spellbook, and a red velvet bag with platinum embroidery portraying the silhouette of a flying raven. He found it to be a bag of holding stuffed with goodies some of which were 4 potions (all labeled), money & jewels, some lotus pollen & seeds and a rod which was made of infernal slag.

After he stowed the booty he used a magic ability on his scimitar sending a Prying Eye which emerged from the pommel stone down the stairs. The prying eye saw a shut and locked black iron door with a rune glowing white on its face at the foot of the steps with no other way to go. He then sent the eye outside and decided to rappel down using his ropes and climbing gear. After gearing up he slid down on the rope through the blasted-out window and successfully swung around to the entrance platform. There he found the front door unbarred and opened it cautiously. He was confronted with a gory sight.

As Vorwulf battled Moezra at the top of the tower the others found themselves in the entrance level after escaping the oubliette. The windowless chamber they found themselves in was dimly lit by a candelabrum at the far end by a set of steps which rose to the next floor. The high ceiling, well-above 10 ft. above their heads, disappeared into shadow. In the floor behind them at the south end of the chamber was the shattered trap-door they had broken through. Directly behind them recessed between a pair of thick round pillars was the assumed front door with a heavy wooden bar across it. The room appeared to be storeroom with another pit in the floor to the east and the curb of an open well-head to the west. Crates stood against the east wall and barrels against the west behind the well. The entire central section of the octagonal room was occupied by thick square pillars placed every 5 feet from the walls. All could see a hulking humanoid shape standing at the foot of the steps at the far side of the storeroom. They approached it aggressively until they got a clear view of it.

It was a powerfully built creature, at least 10 ft tall with a pair of twisted bull’s horns jutting from its ugly forehead and deep sunk yellow cat’s eyes. Its wide multi-fanged mouth appeared to be grinning though it was hard to tell as it lacked lips. Its feet were split hooves and a horse-like tail swished and twitched behind it. Its scabrous fingers curled into jagged yellow claws. They could easily see magical symbols and runes carved deep into its pale flesh, all wet and red but not bleeding.

Gil (Grom’s player): “Man, that’s gruesome!”

Isis (Kyr’s player): “Yeah it’s gross; let’s kill ‘em!”

Jen (Bers’ player): “Ugh! What is it? Is it attacking us?”

Cris (Vor’s player): “Probably a demon. Demons are weird things.”

They all were forced to make Courage saving throws versus Horror Factor and all 3 (Grom, Kyr and Bers) failed and suffered the effects of the Feast of Flesh spell. Small bits of flesh stripped off of their hides and were sucked into the monster even from under their armor. All three were significantly wounded by this. As the creature approached the shaman was able to negate the effects of the horror and the other two met the beast in the middle of the room. In the first round the shaman spent his time trying to cast the Mass Bull’s Strength spell but failed and Kyr activated the Shield ability on her helmet. Bers landed a power attack on the creature but her axe reflected harmlessly from its chest the ward inscribed their glowed brightly when struck. Kyr also landed two blows to Bers’ other two but each time their weapons were deflected by the runes which flashed with infernal light. The creature’s claws were meanwhile dealing significant damage and Bers could feel a sinister cold trying to take hold in her very bones.

Bers: “We’re not doing anything to it!”

Kyr: “Maybe we should hit it in the head!”

Bers: “Let’s just hit it harder!”

The demon took another power attack from Bers’ weapon, now the silver-bladed great sword that she had taken from the ruins at Black Brow (see the Dragonslayers pt. 6) after dropping her axe, the blow from which proved harmless. The creature returned her power attack with one of its own but she parried it easily and countered finding her weapon all but useless again. Kyr reactivated her helms Shield ability and the shaman while casting the Mass Bull’s Strength spell lost control and unleashed wild magic. The wild magic worked in their favors however, by doubling the effects of the spell granting them all a massive increase in raw physical strength.

Kyr: “Maybe I should use my Doom Sword! I need to use my Doom Sword; I think I’ll use my Doom Sword!”

The other 3 players in unison: “No!”

The players settled on a strategy of trying to push the monster into an oubliette or the well since they couldn’t seem to harm it. Bers tossed her sword to the ground and successfully pressed the creature towards the open mouth of the oubliette in the east part of the room but was disheartened when it moved in another direction on its turn. Kyr readied by the well-head for the creature to get near so she could try to force it into the well. The shaman successfully tripped the horned creature and it fell into the remaining barrels shattering them to bits and spattering their contents everywhere.

Grom the shaman: “Aw. That’s a waste of good ale!”

Lamp oil and fine ale splashed and flowed over the flagstone floor. After rising from the flags the creature picked up and tossed a barrel, which was full of syrup, at Bers whom dodged it. The barrel shattered leaving the west wall oozing with syrup. The third round was spent forcing the creature to the well where it simply wound up straddling the mouth with a hoof on both sides of the curb. Grom healed Bers as his first action since as Bers was badly hurt by this time and found himself forced to make 2 recovery checks in order to survive a pair of nasty and successful claw swipes. Their luck turned as at the beginning of the fourth round Bers successfully pressed the creature into the mouth of the oubliette from which they had escaped earlier after it unsuccessfully tried to push her back into the well as one of her items granted her the effects of the Might of the Mountain spell making her immovable by force. Granted the respite from battle Bers walked to the front door and after looking for traps and finding none she lifted the bar and set it aside. The shaman yelled his warning too late as a claw reached up from the open pit for the fighter’s ankles. Bers jumped back and the demon crawled from its hole.

The battle began anew. Bers failed her save versus horror and suffered more damage realizing that she was now badly injured. Grom attempted to press it back down into the pit and was successful but it used a simultaneous attack to grab him as it fell taking him with it back down into the pit. In the pit the shaman jumped to his feet from the damp earthen floor and tried to cast a spell in the pitch black of the pit and the creature broke his concentration disrupting his attempt to cast the spell with a successful claw strike. The creature climbed back out to confront Bers who had overcome her fear and attacked but got her sword slapped from her hand and after having just picked it back up! It clattered 15 ft away and she chased after it snatching it back up. Grom flew up from the hole after casting a fly spell on himself behind the monster but careful to fly to a safe height. The creature struck at him as he flew by. The sixth round commenced and all three adventurers were feeling the strain of battle. Bers struck at the beast’s head as she realized it had no runes carved into its face and was surprised that the blade finally sunk into its flesh and struck bone. Grom after pulling out his Mace of Supernatural Power flew struck the monster in the head for a second time splintering one of its horns. A black syrupy ichor leaked from the wounds and clung in heavy spidery strands to their weapons. Bers brought her sword down on the demon’s deformed skull as it tried to grab at the blade and the door opened flooding the chamber in blinding daylight. Vorwulf opened the door in time to see in full light Bers’ blade shear the monster’s skull to the shoulders splattering her, the shaman and him in stinking thick pitchy blood.

Isis (Kyr’s player): “See! I told you; hit the head!”

Jen: “Oh yeah! You did say that. Why didn’t we try that before?”

Isis: “I don’t know, somebody said no or something! I don’t remember who.”

They spent the next few minutes post battle drinking healing potions and the shaman found a sea-chest in a far corner and took what Vorwulf identified as a pair of white harpy feathers, taken from harpies native to the Icefere to the far northwest, from it.

After healing up they decide to move up through the tower in order to “clear it out” and rescue the girls that Vorwulf told them about imprisoned at the top.

 

To Be Continued…

After burying the bard Jesae our intrepid group of slayers carried on their quest to recover their buried treasure, buried atop a plateau on Hirok. They decided to make their way to the mouth of Sawback’s lair to see if the trolls were occupying it and if their treasure had been found. Vorwulf guided the group following the foot of Hirok to the cave mouth by late morning. The cave was intact and seemingly deserted the sound of water flowing from the cave met their ears as did the stench of troll mixed with the sharp scent of a reptilian origin. They sighted dozens possibly hundreds of small smooth stones akin to water smoothed river-stones scattered about most collecting on the shores of the creek each deeply engraved with a spiral pattern.

Vorwulf: “Well there’s definitely troll here.”

Grom: “What’re those stones? Are they magic?” He picked up a stone and his magic sense told him they were mundane.

Vorwulf: “Aw, probably some bored trolls sittin’ around carvin’ on ‘em.”

Since they appeared to be alone and were intent on charging into the cave the shaman performed the war-paint ritual and painted the faces of each of the adventurers in preparation. As the shaman finished up the ritual, all faces now painted, the others sighted shambling humanoid shapes stumbling towards them from the other side of the creek approximately 60 ft. away. Bers pulled the cowl of her Cloak of Invisibility over her head disappearing from sight. The others attempted to hide in an effort to avoid a fight as they could clearly see these were undead creatures with a mage leading them. The mage had an Acton bearing the white star being gripped in a black gauntlet against a purple field. The shaman stumbled through a bush making quite a racket while trying to hide (he rolled a Natural 1). Needless to say the creatures and their mage saw him. They began moving towards the creek in an agonized attempt to cross its chest-deep waters. The slayers could see that the enemy group consisted of the mage whom they could see now was wearing a black hood over his head with a red skull painted on the face, an undead warrior wearing a rusted great helm and a bronze pectoral plate over a suit of scalemail bearing a bearded axe in his hands shreds of shriveled blue flesh still clinging to his yellow bones, four half-faun zombies bearing sledgehammers wearing rusted helms and rotted studded leather armor, and five skeletons bearing battle axes and carrying medium wood shields with the same arms as the mage painted on them.

Grom and Kyr emerged to do battle as Vorwulf stayed back in the bushes with a ready bow and Bers still invisible began moving forward. The undead warrior with the bearded axe began to levitate and float forward over the running water while the skeletons easily crossed running straight through the creek. Bers engaged a skeleton easily smashing it down while the shaman called down lightning onto the rest their bones dropping into the current. The levitating creature moved towards Bers and caught her in its gaze, her eyes went white and she dropped to the grass apparently dead. The shaman was able to reach her used his Mithral Helm to cast Heal on her bringing her back from the brink of death (she made the luck roll not to be just dead but only caught a glimpse with her left eye which is now permanently discolored). Vorwulf shot the mage and stuck him good. Kyrahma charged forward to Bers’ and the shaman’s sides. The lich warrior, they now knew what it was due to its Death Gaze, reached down to touch the shaman whom dodged. The mage attempted to cast a spell on Vorwulf whom saw cold grey mists begin to surround him but he was able to shake off its hold and remained unaffected. The zombies reached the water and the skeletons re-emerged from the water onto the bank with Bers, Kyr and Grom the shaman. The mage was slain by a second arrow which nearly passed directly through him and Vorwulf emerged from his cover. At the start of the second round Kyr battled the skeletons and the zombies forded the creek. Grom pulled his magic mace gaining the benefits of the Supernatural Power spell from it (his spells for the day were nearly exhausted) and swung at the lich. The lich successfully touched Bers and she froze in place unable to move a rigid muscle. At the end of the round only two of the skeletons had been permanently smashed into dust as the group found that these keep putting themselves back together after being beat down and getting back up and the lich was struck down after a couple of massive blows from the empowered shaman the corpse crumbling to dust leaving behind the wretched armor and gear. It took two more rounds to dispose of the zombies and the skeletons. After the battle and the adventurers took account they found themselves exhausted and badly wounded. Bers however was still as stiff as a statue.

As they persisted in looting the remains of the undead and the shaman used his Clairvoyance (a cantrip for shamans) in order to try to find the warrior lich’s phylactery but got nothing but the definite sense that he had just given their position and identities away to something particularly nasty (rolled a Natural 1, again). They could all hear the sounds of metal armor, multiple voices and weapons being drawn from within the cave. The shaman then turned his attentions towards Bers and casting the Mystic Diagnosis spell on her he found that the paralysis was permanent. They briefly debated on whether or not to use the Potion of Arch-Cure that the shaman carried but in the end decided to save the potion. Vorwulf dug around in her gear remembering that she was carrying a dragon-metal Ring of Freedom of Movement from when he and the shaman had taken inventory of the group’s gear before this little venture and slipped it on her finger which allowed her to move suppressing the lich’s uncanny paralysis. The shaman got around to healing the wounds of Vor and Kyr. Vorwulf took down a healing potion in addition to that. Four 12 ft. tall trolls in full plate armor and bearing large two-handed serpentine bladed swords emerged from the cave mouth and charged the hapless, exhausted adventurers.

Behind the four armored trolls a human in full plate armor with a visor resembling the face of a roaring demon and a creature resembling the unholy union of a troll and a dragon in half-plate armor and a wolfskin mantle followed them. The human locked eyes with Vorwulf whom immediately recognized him as the merc commander from the battlements at Merdna (see Dragonslayers II Pt. 2). The commander pointed at him hissing, “You”, before he lowered his demonic visor. A troll attacked Bers and avoiding the blow she hit it with a power attack cutting it down. The armor split and burst open as the body within turned to stone. The other tow trolls charged and engaged Bers and Kyr. Kyr power attacked wounding one and the shaman cast Mass Bull’s Strength increasing the slayers’ physical strength. Vorwulf used a magic ability on his weapon to warp the sword of the troll that had yet to charge. The group fought the three remaining trolls as the commander and the half-dragon troll readied to join the battle. During the first round of the fight a troll was knocked back by the blast from Kyr’s armor when it struck her causing it to fall on Vorwulf who became trapped underneath the immense bulk of steel and troll-flesh. When it came to the second round the commander in the demonic armor and the half-dragon troll joined the fight. The felled troll rose off of Vorwulf whom appeared dead to him and attacked Kyr again striking at her helm who after parrying the blow struck at him with a counter-strike. The commander engaged Vor who landed a power attack on him causing the demonic-armor to glow red-hot. Vorwulf was forced into a recovery check to reduce the damage of a nasty blow from the commander’s claymore. Grom and Bers fought on as the half-dragon unleashed a blast of steam-breath with little effect and met the shaman in battle. By the end of the round two more trolls fell, their armor bursting unleashing gouts of foul blood as they fell into pieces of stone and twisted metal. By the third round the group was fighting the remaining pair of enemies. Vorwulf, the shaman and Kyr were on the merc commander and Bers was fighting the half-dragon. With every blow he had suffered the commander’s armor glowed brighter and flames had begun to wreath his glowing form with flames forming around his weapon. The half-dragon was dropped with a single blow from Bers and her magic axe and when struck the deathblow by Kyr the commander exploded with a burst of flame which burnt them all and reduced the Hill-Lander’s corpse to dust leaving the demonic armor empty and still standing.

Blood and sweat pooled in gauntlets and boots of the adventurers and their sweltering helms dripped. The group realized that they were “really beat down” and decided they had to get out of there far away from the cave especially since they could hear more troops mustering within. Grom and Vorwulf were again badly injured; Bers and Kyr were mildly hurt. Grom found that he had cast all the spells he could for that day and thus was “out of magic”. Kyr admired the commander’s armor and inspected it closely but without touching it.

Isis (Kyr’s player): “Man, I really want that armor! Its frickin’ cool!”

Cris (Vor’s player): “You don’t want that f@$#in’ armor. It’s probably evil anyway.”

The group began deciding whether to travel either to Ekit’s Watch or to Robber’s Roost. Robber’s Roost where they had really gotten under the craw of the Crossed-Staffs gang unintentionally (see Dragonslayers Pt.26) lay half a day even going at full speed on their mounts to the southwest. They had no news about or knowledge of the place since returning to Hirok-Nor. Ekit’s Watch lay almost half a day to the northwest and which housed the wizard which Bers, Vorwulf and Grom had bartered with over a year ago before they went on to slay Old Sawback (see Dragonslayers Pt. 26 & 31). Bers, as senior member, decided that they would go to Ekit’s Watch.

To Be Continued…