Wizardru's Story Hour (updated 11/21)

A Family Affair - Chapter 4

A Family Affair - Chapter 4

OOC Notes:

Experience is 1500 each. Found 2 potions on the wererats, enlarge and reduce at 5th level, as well as a magic bracer of protection (+1 resistance bonus to all saves) and a cloak of armor (+1 armor bonus).

I had hoped that Thorkeld and Thora would be able to provide some information and perhaps insight on a good next step. We haven’t had a conversation with Thora yet but so far I’m not convinced. Last week we had little to go on but hope that something at the manor house would help. This week we just have little to go on.

Obvious next step is to rest the night. Our tanks need the time to recover. I’m not sure if the manor is a good place or not – they may look for us here if they find out we took it back. After we rest, we need to look at how we’re going to take the keep and/or rescue Dravot. (I lean towards the latter.)

Our rat friend had a good deal of information. I was surprised – I mostly charmed him out of spite. Not sure what it means or how we can act on it though. Look for a re-cap at the end after I write this up.


This Week’s Adventure:

Evil to the left of me, evil to the right. I never thought I’d say this, but I miss orcs. They were dumb in a reliable, familiar kind of way.

We holed up in the basement of a tavern for the night – hiding in plain sight as it were. It was too dangerous to move with the watch scouring the city, and some of their forces certainly had the advantage at night.

I talked further with Euphamis – he told me that The Brazen is headquartered in Hexpools. I’m surprised he didn’t contact us personally when we were there but then we didn’t give him much chance. They can get a message to him in two days, and have already sent dispatches with information in them.

I inquired about the habits of the keep. He told me that he knew little of the habits of most of the key figures, but that each morning the head cook and several bearers would go out to the Chatter Street Market for food and return just before dawn.

And Valanthe returned. She did not mention where she had been, and I didn’t bother to ask. She did however have a brilliant idea – she had several vials of oil of slipperiness with her. These were something that would help us against the webbing of that demon. It was a fine idea and I was impressed. More stunningly, Scorch even expressed his approval. First time I can recall him approving of anything as more than “marginally adequate”.

While we were there, Bellamy also became conscious. He told us he had gone to the estate at the prompting of a letter from Thora. (It was vague like the one Dravot received but he caught the meaning.) Bellamy realized that Anton and Kaltin were both under the influence of some combination of divine and arcane magic which he had never seen. Each afflicted person bears a mark – Kaltin’s is on his chest rather than arm. He did suspect Roget had something to do with it. Anton and Kaltin are both completely undead. They died at least three months ago, the father perhaps five or six months ago. They are completely afflicted and already dead. Bellamy tried to kill them to end their suffering and that is apparently when al hell broke loose. The “thing” in the crypt is something that he had bound once before, only with an artifact and significant help. It is Dravot’s grandfather, Chavram, who was made an Animus in service to Ivid. The only reason they could bind it is because they caught it when it came back for reasons of its own. He and his were attempting to summon more powerful members of his order to cleanse the place. His order can lend some aid to us hopefully. The symbol on his arm however has taken some of his power, as it is a binding of some sort. He also indicates there are others in the city who may be of some help but is vague about it. (We surmise that there are followers of Wee-Jas in a temple in town who might be enlisted to aid us, if approached by Thorkeld.)

As for Chavram, he was a powerful wizard before Ivid made him an animus. Bellamy suggested we not engage him if we had a choice. However Chavram is bound in the crypt. Bellamy believes Chavram came seeking something but he knows not what. Apparently the animus are vulnerable to disease but have few other weaknesses. Overall they are a very diverse group and one is very little like the next but they can all command the undead.

An hour before dawn we slip out of town. Most of the group takes a secret tunnel that leads from another tavern out under the wall. I ride alone with the horses and leave through the gate, trying my best to look like part of the caravan in front of me. At that light, there was no telling who I was, but I still cannot be sure if I was observed.

Our goal was to head to the estates outside town and reach Thora and Thorkeld. Of course it was possible that there would be Roget’s guards in our way but we were prepared for that.

About a mile before we reached the estate, we saw a large group coming up the road. (We had taken to travelling off the road to avoid ambush but could easily see them coming up the road.) It was headed by a mounted, armored man, and there were several guards and servants trailing on foot. Also mounted were two women, one in her early 20s and one but a small girl.

They were clearly fleeing something but it was not immediately behind them. However they were then greeted with a larger problem, as the several creatures burst from the forest.

They were large – easily as large as crescent. Made of wood and oozing with sap, and with vicious teeth and claws.

Bark blights.

Our experiences and research on these twisted gulthias creations let us recognize them, and thanks to Marcus, we had an idea of how to handle them. We knew bludgeoning would be only marginally effective, and Scorch had prepared some special alchemical mix that he thought would be quite effective against them.

The blights attacked the advancing group, tearing into their horses. The armored man was trying to protect his charges but there were too many to oppose them all.

Good thing we happened along. Scorch announced our presence with his usual flair – a fireball dropped squarely on three of the creatures. We were some 200 yards from the scene and most of the group charged forward. Personally I remained where I was – I had little difficulty engaging from this range. My first action was to try a new spell and I was rewarded by a very nice increase in my coordination and aim – more than enough to help with the range.

Of course we had a fair notion of what was before us – Thorkeld, Thora, Dravot’s youngest sister Steffania, and some loyal men. The difficulty of the battle would like in protecting the servants, guards and ladies. Indeed a blight laid open Steffania’s horse and she fell to the ground. It was about to turn on her next, and Thorkeld was being pressed too hard to assist. The blight seemed as good a first target as any. And this is when we learned something more about bark blights. They are pulsing with sap, and it seems because of that anything piercing their wooden flesh causes quite a bit of damage. This would include arrows, two of which I dispensed into the beast.

This made it rather annoyed with me, and it came running towards me. Fortunately this meant it left Steffania alone, and Valanthe subsequently took her up on her horse. By the time the bark charged me, Rackhir had taken several shots at it, and between us we killed it as it reached me. It also quickly became clear that the bark blights could heal very rapidly.

While this was happening, everyone else was in equally tense engagements. Thora was trying to protect the servants by placing herself between them and the blights. Thorkeld was joined by Jozan and Meepo and they were fighting hard. The five guard with Thorkeld were doing their best to hold the blights at bay but lacked any weapons strong enough to be of much use.

As moments past, the tide turned. While we did loose several horses and one guard, we were destroying one blight after the next. Scorch handed his toxin to Valanthe who promptly rained it down upon the nearest blight. Not only did the creature find this extremely painful, but it also prevented it from healing itself for a time, making it much easier to dispose of.

The blights would have easily killed these people, but there were not enough of them, nor were they smart enough, to prevail against our combined forces. Within a few minutes, the beasts (plants?) were destroyed.

These people were indeed those left from the estate. They had fought their way free, leaving about 20 loyal guards behind on a delaying action, and were going to the keep in the city. We convinced them to turn around and return to the manor, as an unprepared assault on the keep was surely a death sentence. Instead we would liberate the estate and work from there. From reports there were anywhere from fifty to eighty men there, but we were willing to try it. While we tended the wounded, Valanthe scouted out the estate to get a first hand view of the situation.

She saw several wererats around – they seemed to be finding survivors and infecting them with their foul affliction and putting them in the pump house. There were no sign of any other troops. In all only eight wererats were around.

Rackhir had prepared several dozen silvered arrows the night before and we were fairly certain we could take this small force if there were no other surprises. We slipped over the low wall in a secluded area near the house and attacked. While Jozan and Thorkeld moved up, I opened fire. I landed two arrows in a wererat’s back before he knew what hit him and he fell over dead with hardly a groan. Before they realized it, we attacked in force and a few more rats died, and Scorch contained two more in a web.

The remaining ones, when they gathered their wits, ran. Each of the runners was chased down and killed, and I smiled only slightly as I saw Jozan charging after a wererat across the grounds. As he was about to run him down, I fired and killed him. Crescent seemed disappointed but not horribly so. I think he just enjoyed the exercise.

In short, the squad of wererats was dealt with quickly and effectively.

While webbed, one of the wererats consumed a potion and proceeded to stand very still. He seemed to be under the impression that he was invisible or something. I couldn’t help but be amused, and he began ranting at the other wererat in the web. “You said that someone couldn’t detect me!” Obviously he bought the potion from his comrade. At that point it became clear to me that this genius of a fellow would need further talking to.

We released the captives, and discussed the need to cure them of the possible lycanthropy. We also examined our captives. I suggested that there was time to cure the captives, but these men were afflicted now and could be of some help if they were unwilling victims. Thorkeld and Jozan each cured one of the disease, and we learned that no, they were indeed evil men and not particularly helpful. Scorch attempted to charm one but failed, and the former wererat seemed to be beaming about some magic item that was protecting him but was unwilling to reveal what it was.

A simple detect magic showed me a magic bracer on his wrist. I removed it and then charmed him myself.

He reveals that Commander Tharsh said they were to stay here and make more ratfolk and they were going to tell someone that they needed more help.

When asked why they were there, he said they were honoring the contract. There was his people – Iuz’s second tier, as well as Chavram, the scarlet brotherhood, and the evil Druids of Vecna. (Iuz's inner circle is called the Greater Boneheart, the outer circle is the Lesser Boneheart, and there is a third tier. The Blackguard leads the wererats, and the Blackguard answers to The Viper, a member of the Lesser Boneheart.

As a whole, they are looking for something – big rings. He said they were seeking some desert type thing – shieks, califs something. Jozan said “Djinn” and he said yeah that was it.

He also seemed clear that they were all expecting to turn on each other sooner or later and they were just waiting for the inevitable in that area. His ambition is rather limited and his only goal in life is to go with the flow and avoid having his skull decorating the road to Dorakaa.

We’ve moved back to the estate house to tend our wounds but I’m uncertain if it’s good that we stay here or not. The estate has nothing useful to us in terms of weapons or magical items, or even wealth that we could turn towards the battle ahead.

He also said that when some of the house guard saw that the wererats were . . . well . . . wererats, they ran off. This tells me that some of the house guard may consider themselves loyal and be unaware of the evil in their midst. If we can reveal the true nature of things, we may be able to turn a significant number of them to our cause.

What is next I cannot say, but we should likely marshal our allies and then attempt to rescue Dravot.

However looking at the larger picture, it seems we have some new pieces to put in. The major factions include:

Vecna, his worshipers and Druids, responsible for the Gulthias Tree, and the associated horrors spawning from it.
Therizdun and the Scarlet Brotherhood
Iuz, and his forces, including the first tier (the powerful wizards and clerics who are closest to him) and the second tier (that this thug is part of.)
Chavram – it is unclear if he is part of one of these groups or independent or in an equal relationship with them.
Hextor, and his cleric Sebastian. This may be part of Chavram and his area of influence.

They are seeking something, Djinn according to the lackey. The mention of “big rings” is also there but unclear. I remember Valanthe’s encounter with the old Sule god, and his warning of the Tripartate, and I wonder if this is somehow related.

Regardless of what they seek, they are clearly working together under some contract. This explains a great deal of the crossing over of resources we have seen. None of them trust the other, which is hardly surprising given their natures. But what each will gain is unclear as well as specifics of their objective and plans to achieve them. One thing that may well be of use is that since they all expect each other to backstab, we can perhaps turn that to our advantage. If we can convince them that the treachery has begun, their wrath might turn on each other, preventing any one from accomplishing what they together sought to do.

If this is in fact some kind of unholy alliance, it could be the most fearsome thing the world has seen since the Rain of Colorless Fire. I can only hope that the forces of good will come together in equal measure to stop them. We must relay this information to The Brazen and Lord Gelban as quickly as possible.


Jozan’s Journal

I worry about Dravot. That beast that had taken him was hideous, an abomination that must be cleansed, and soon. Hopefully before Something happens to Dravot. I pray to Her that nothing happens that would mean fighting Dravot. He's been a stalwart companion, if not a bit tight-lipped about a few things that may help us now.

But it is now nightfall, and my companions are holed up in the basement of a bar in the city, knowing the guards are hunting for us as we wait. Our hosts have assured us we won't be found here, and the decision is made to move but an hour before dawn. Poor Crescent, this can't be comfortable for him. Even he can sense a wrongness in the city. Meepo is doing his best to sooth him while I take the time perform the rituals and pray. I wish there was a temple here, or at least the ability to do this outside, but the basement of a tavern will have to do. There is a peace to be found in the rituals, even down here.

In addition to the usual prayers, I also asked for, and received somewhat, a boon. Not really for myself, but we had known for some time now that someone has been sending dreams to Dravot, And since that is Her province, I asked if I could communicate with Dravot in a similar fashion. If nothing else, see if he was alright, and give him some hope. I'm afraid I wasn't wholly successful, or perhaps Dravot never slept that night, but I didn't reach him. I did have a vision, of sorts. As I find myself in a dream, I dream of a shadowed figure with two daggers leap through me, and disappear into the blackness. Another man, in a robe wearing a ring almost painful to look at. And lastly, a crowed of people, in deep shadow. I didn't recognize any of them, but perhaps they are people I should look out for in the future. As soon as it started, it was done. I woke, and reflected. After several hours of trance, I woke and made a second attempt at contact. A lot of what is happening is centered on Dravot, and any information about what has happened would help. Alas, I could not focus my attention that morning, and began making preparations for leaving the city.

We made our exit through a hidden tunnel, with Kayleigh leading the horses alone through the streets. We caught up with her, and made our way to the remote estate.

Dravot’s Journal

GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!!

[Dravot's character played his new cohort Thorkeld for this night while Dravot rotted away ]

A Family Affair - Chapter 5

A Family Affair - Chapter 5

OOC Notes:

Experience is 860.

2 gems were worth 870gp total, the gold was 600gp.


Notes for Next Time:

This is the big fight scene! The forces of goodness descend upon the evil infestation and all that. Wizardru wants all players present and word is that Jay cannot make next week.

We have a pretty good sized army to work with and I’m encouraged by that. The low level priests may be able to provide some buffs for us too and free up spell slots.

Some obvious plans include the main assault force and a smaller force that somehow opens a gate for them to come through. We could also consider opening a hole in the outer wall, either with stone shape or with the explosives from the ship. Depending on how things work we could also take a force in through the secret door.

Dravot is safe (at least we think it’s Dravot…) so no subtlety is required. We go it hot and we kick evil’s butt. (Yeah right.) We can plan on the list in more detail.


This Week’s Adventure:

So much to understand, so little time. In trying to get a handle on the situation, Thorkeld kept muttering about missing men. We stopped a moment to understand what he meant. Apparently there were over a hundred men of Roget’s on the estate, and 25 or so of his when the mess broke out. After Thorkeld and his team escaped, the remaining men made a break for it. According to Joel the former wererat, a group of about 25 of their men was sent after them. His group was left here to gather the survivors and convert them, and Commander Tharsh went for “help”. Unfortunately Joel didn’t know what kind of help or from where.

Give the timing, we could try to run down the force pursuing Thorkeld’s men, but we’d need to be quick. As we were riding from the house, Thorkeld reeled – he had received a magical message of some kind from a friend of his at the temple of Wee Jas that was from Dravot. He had escaped and wanted to know where to meet us. We were able to reply with a brief message and told him to wait there.

We then went after the remainder of Thorkeld’s men. Fortunately neither his men nor the pursuing force made much effort to hide their direction, and we were able to pursue easily. But after a short ride from the estate we broke into a clearing and were surprised to find another battle. It seems that the pursuing ratmen had been wiped out utterly. Some wounds were by the sword or other conventional weapon, while others were from claws or teeth. A few wererats were impaled against trees with an obsidian dagger driven into their throat. There were only a couple of Thorkeld’s men among the bodies – someone else had clearly intervened. Thorkeld had a vague recollection of a group of assassins – Midnight Darkness that used such daggers. They were some kind of political movement but he could not recall more. Valanthe theorized that this may be the work of the “good” shadows. Given there were no tracks leaving this area, it means both the unknown attackers and the survivors were spirited away by some means, which adds weight to her theory. We searched the bodies quickly since it was clear that the attackers had not. We found a cache of gold

We quickly returned to the estate. We were sure it was not safe to remain for very long, but there could be things here that would help us in the coming battles. When we asked Thora and Thorkeld if there was anything on the estate that could be of help – armor, weapons, magical artifacts, gold, and so on, they told us of the Cache d'Chandagnac. The cache was a group of family treasures which included a suit of armor, and some other item. Unfortunately Thora did not know where it was or even what it was. It seems this was a privilege reserved for the heir only. When things started becoming strange, Kaltin hid the cache and did not tell anyone where it was. Also the armor had some property that made it difficult to detect when it was stored.

Lacking any other choice, we split up and began searching the house. Valanthe and Scorch checked the library while Jozan and I looked for references or other hints. Thora showed us a tapestry depicting one of their ancestors in a golden armor. Around his head were two curious pink points of light that seemed out of place. The tapestry was in the reception area and we searched the area thoroughly.

Meanwhile in the library, Scorch had detected no magic. In the search, Valanthe found an odd assortment of books that had been pulled out and examined. This would not seem odd until later when we found Dravot and he reported similar texts under study in the crypt. Also there were a few tomes notably absent. Valanthe also came to realize there was a great deal of dust in the area, though there was no reason for it. Her hand went into the empty spot and found a book that had been rendered invisible, and in another empty spot a second one. There was a mechanical lock on the book but it was difficult to work on without being seen.

Scorch came into the reception area where I was and reported the findings and was still looking for magic. He found some behind the tapestry we were examining. One of the sandbags holding up the tapestry was in fact not sand at all but some kind of magical dust. Confident in what he’d found, he returned to the library and sprinkled some of the dust on the invisible tomes and they appeared. Valanthe was then able to carefully open the locks.

In one was a small golden cube. The hue matched the armor and it had the crest of the family engraved on it. Surely the armor in some kind of stored state. In the other book were two dull grey crystals wrapped in a cloth. After seeing the tapestry, I took a guess and tossed on into the air near my head, where it immediately turned a pinkish color and floated around me merrily. Ion stones.

Turning our attention to the armor, we debated some ideas about opening it. Then I examined the cube and looked for a spot where a signet ring might fit. Sure enough, there was such an impression, and that was likely the way to open the armor.

While there was no ready supply of cash on the estate there were letters of mark, and Thora provided four to us. A fifth she kept for herself, and took the remaining guards and servants to a nearby farmhouse for safety. She also gave us several divine scrolls she had stashed away and had not had time to retrieve earlier. We departed the estate quickly after that, fearing that another force would return.

Our next task was to find Dravot. We returned to the city quickly and entered the way we had left. This time I took the precaution of using a new spell to alter my appearance to that of a human male, and took the horses in. We slipped to the temple without incident and found Dravot.

His experiences were most disturbing. He indeed saw his grandfather who is indeed an animus. Also Sebastian, the priest of Hextor, is also an animus. During Dravot’s escape attempt, his brother leapt from the shadow and attacked Sebastian but was yanked back into the shadows before he could be killed by Sebastian. Also Dravot had a great deal of discomfort when he physically left the crypt – further indication that Chavram is bound inside the crypt. He was held in an area with a number of research tomes and books and he found an enchanted book that he brought with him. He believes it may contain some of the secrets of the animus process. Also he found the Sunhammer that Bellamy used to seal Chavram in the crypt those many years ago.

One odd detail is that Dravot saw his sister Steffania in the crypt when he was first brought in. Thorkeld said that she was on the estate. So one of the two is not what she seems, and we should determine which.

Dravot did read a number of the texts that were in the chamber he was held in. One thing he did not understand was a reference to an elven kingdom of Aliador which, as far as he knew, never existed. Vecna’s name was also mentioned. Sadly Jozan was unaware of it either – the price of being raised among humans. What nearly any elf knows is that in ancient days, some 4500 years ago, there were four elven kingdoms, Celene in the central area, Highfolk in the north, Aliador in the Grif mountains, and Arrisa in the southeast on what is now the Aerdy sea. Arrisa was the seat of the High King of Elvendom. 1500 years ago Celene fielded an army during a war against human agressors. The result was that Arissa and Aliador were destroyed by Vecna, who was a servant of one of the elven houses back then. The devastation was so bad that when the high king was killed, Celene and Highfolk hid themselves from the world using powerful magics. It is only a few hundred years ago that Celene fully reappeared to the world after all.

Having all this in hand, we decide that we need to arrange our allies and gather our forces to destroy the evil in the keep. We move quietly to the temple of Pelor and Dravot, Jozan and Thorkeld sneak inside, since information is that the temple is being watched. Just after they go in, three men go in, all looking exactly the same. Anticipating trouble, we go in to help them.

The creatures reveal themselves as devils. The paladins both attack and wound one severly. They enclose Jozan and Dravot in a wall of ice, but with the strength of his goddess, Jozan bursts through the ice. They then attempt to summon reinforcements, but Thorkeld’s hammer catches the wounded one while summoning and kills him. Of the other two, only one was successful, summoning another of its kind.

The rest of us reached the scene and I opened fire. Unfortunately the beasts were immune to both my unenchanted arrows and the fire from the enchanted bow. Rackhir began firing magic arrows while others moved in. I made a fast dash for the basin of holy water on the altar. Dravot attempted to bring down the shining light of Pelor on one, but it was unaffected by the magic. One of them dropped another wall of ice across the doorway but Scorch crashed through it with a lightning bolt. I scooped up a cup of holy water and threw it at the devil but it was unaffected.

But between Rackhir, the paladins, Valanthe, and the attacks of the others, the creatures fell. While they were difficult to harm with magic and possessed of hellish abilities, they were also fairly frail. As each was destroyed, its body disappeared in a burst of flame and smoke.

After the mayhem was done, it was odd that there was not a single person from the temple who came in response to the commotion. The reason became clear: there was not a single person in the temple at all.

Since I was on the altar, I noticed a key that was at the bottom of the basin of holy water. I wondered if it would be considered sacrilegious to reach in and get the key. I resolved the issue with a brief glance towards Dravot and Thorkeld – they weren’t looking and therefore would not be upset. I retrieved the key. Dravot said it was the key to the high priest’s chambers. We entered and passed through some type of magical ward on the way, which did not seem to mind our presence.

It took little work to find the secret door leading to the bolthole. A long tunnel went several hundred yards before coming to a small room. This room and the room beyond also had various protective wards on it. It was clear that the escaping priests expected to be followed by creatures of extra-planar origin, probably demons since they expected the holy water to prevent them from reaching the key.

It also occurred to me that they expected someone to be following after them, and hence left the key behind. From one point of view, they simply left the next poor souls who entered the temple to become the victims of the devils, and rather than help, simply ran to save themselves. How noble. If these were to be our allies, they might bear closer scrutiny.

We reached a dead end. We simply rolled our eyes at each other and assumed we were at the other end of a secret tunnel. Valanthe made rather the show of it, closing her eyes and simply leaning on the wall and mocking surprise when a secret door opened.

On the other side were, to nobody’s surprise, crossbow-armed soldiers of Heironeous. They looked at us suspiciously, but we simply walked past them as if they were doormen. Personally I was a bit peeved at how we had been hung out to dry with the devils, and I wasn’t about to brook any foolishness from these men. I asked them where Bellamy was and they said upstairs planning. I walked straight towards the stairs and was pleased that the archers and the swordsmen behind them had the good sense to step out of my way.

We found Bellamy upstairs with the other priests of Pelor and Heironeous. There were some 200 soldiers readying for the coming battle. I was pleased at the number, and more so when I mentally added Euphamis’ men to these.

In the assorted discussions, Dravot took a moment to try his signet ring on the armor. He had assumed that the family signet that Roget currently had would be the only one that would open it. The look on his face was rather amusing when the cube unfolded and the armor assembled around him.

There is much planning to do, but surely it shall be a fight for goodness.


From Dravot’s Journal

By my best estimates, it will be dawn soon. I hope and pray that Pelor has not forsaken me. I will discover the truth soon. Last night after I ended my journal, much happened. I feel that I need to record it now while it is still fresh in my mind. If my compatriots discover this journal without me, perhaps it will help them to defeat the evil that has infested my house.

This room has been converted into a study. There is a desk, some candles/lamps, and many texts and documents. I found more candles and lit them, and began to investigate. I found signs of arcane research, but there were also signs of someone investigating the sacred texts of the religion of Hextor. Much of it was beyond my scholarly abilities, try as I might. Some texts appeared to be recently written histories of the Greyhawk Wars, and there was a set of books about the '400 years war' and another about theories of the Suel Empire. I found a map with locations circled in the Sea of Dust and the Ashen Wastes, as well as certain areas all about the Flanaess, a total of nine circles in all. I have copied the map down to the best of my abilities. I hope that it can be of some use to us later on.

Next I looked at a book, untitled, that is written in some script I could not decipher. It is only half-filled, perhaps a research journal. I almost set it down when find a picture of a Gulthias Tree, and a picture of a twig blight on the next page. Clearly this conspiracy of evil and the twig blights has extended much further than I could have imagined. What role does Chavram play in it? Is he a contributor or is he planning to take advantage of other's evil plans? I must find out.

Shortly thereafter, I heard a voice behind me. His voice. Chavram's. He was accompanied by two shadows. I sized them up, certain I could take them out if need be.

"Do you know how long the process takes?" "To become an animus, you are wounded or killed...but it isn't
required. I was left to bleed to death, you see, but I didn't die quickly enough. The priest, damned be his name, didn't care. I think he preferred it that way, in fact. It took months. You cannot possibly imagine the pain. But Hextor showed him that none are beyond judgement. My fate became his, eventually."

I believe now that he was referring to Delglath, the mad cleric of Hextor, and a tool of Ivid. He was the name mentioned in my vision of the siege of Rinloru.

"Do not attempt to use your abilities here. I would not take it well...and I WILL know if you use them. These guards are not mere shadows, and cannot be driven away as normal ones can...they are immune to your control, boy. Your powers are of a use to me. Our time is coming. I have made several . . . agreements . . . to aid us, but their usefulness will end soon enough. But I have greater plan than they know, and with the Binders...."

His voice trailed off in contemplation for a moment. "Never mind of that. I will have you sent for in due time. You will do as I command. You have NO choice. Stay here and rest, as the living must. We will talk later."

The shadows stood at the doorway, flanking each side of it. They stared at me and did not waiver. I thought about what Chavram said and decided that I would test his claim, but later. First there was more information upon the desk.

The different books must have been brought here by someone recently, as some of them look relatively new, but some have dust collected on them. One is a history of the fall of the Great Kingdom, recently written, and rather poorly, at that.

There are five books on the theories of the History of the ancient Suel Empire, and it's rise and fall. Two books concern the Baklunish empire. Four books concern Tharizdun, one of which is a religious text. Two texts are atlases of the Flanaess, with bookmarks on sections concerning the Sea of Dust and the Dry Steppes.

I scanned through and discovered references to the name Tovag Baragu, which are circled several times as some sort of holy site to the Baklunish. The Rain of Colorless Fire appears to have been of great interest for the reader. I was deeply disturbed to find references in one book to someone named Vecna (?!) and a city called Erieadan. I believe that there is a linkage between the name Erieadan and the Gray Elves and the Elven Kingdom of Aliador, the seat of the High King but to the best of my knowledge, there is no such thing, and never was. Is he researching mythology as well? I do not know.

I thought about this for a bit, and decided to test my prison. I cast detect magic, a harmless spell, theoretically. I was interested in 3 things:

1) Would Chavram or the shadows react 2) were there any wards or other majicks upon this room 3) was there anything else of interest.

The shadows were uneasy, but there were no apparent consequences. The spell felt odd however, not normal. I found no wards or majicks guarding the room, but I did find a book on the desk that was magical. As near as I could tell, there were wards placed upon it. I thanked Pelor that I hadn't attempted to open it previously. I nonchalantly opened my pack and took several things out of it, placed them on the desk and then put them back into my pack, taking great care to include the magical book with them. As long as Pelor would grant me my spells come the new day, I would escape, taking the knowledge I had gained.

I closed my eyes for a bit, meditating and contemplating my escape when I heard someone walking down the hallway, coming at a steady and determined pace. I looked out the doorway and saw a pair of red eyes piercing the darkness. It was Sebastian, the evil priest of Hextor. I called out to him as he approached, deriding the stink of Hextor which had fallen upon my House.

He told me that I was to become an animus as well, but that his masters wanted me dead. My stomach lurched at the thought of becoming undead - something that I have fought and hated since I was a young child. I recovered quickly enough to retort back at him. I acted unconcerned at his threats, and implied that Chavram was working behind the scenes to betray Sebastian and his ilk.

He was not surprised by the concept, but was surprised by the timetable that I had implied. He then mentioned that my body contained knowledge of the binders, but I do not know what he meant. Chavram mentioned the binders as well. He ordered my death. At that moment, 2 wights emerged from the darkness behind him and raced toward me. I moved for my mace and was ready to repel the wights with the glory of Pelor when a ring on Sebastian's hand glowed and I was held fast.

At that moment, a shape came out of the shadows, uttering an obscenity and slashed at Sebastian's throat before driving a dagger into his heart. He tumbled across the floor and wound up on his feat next to me. It was my brother, Gerrin. The stories said that he had disappeared shortly after introducing the demon impersonating Roget to the family. I figured that we'd never see him again, certainly not upon family lands after that, but here he was, trying to save me.

The priest however, was unharmed, even unconcerned. He said that he had already been killed by Ivid, but that he had avoided the typical look of the undead. A pair of hands reached out of the shadows and yanked Gerrin back into the inky blackness from which he emerged. I then saw that the wights were on the floor, unmoving. Then they started to get up.

A wave of cold came upon me and the hold spell was broken. I gasped at the intensity of the cold. I knew immediately that it was Chavram. "Sebastian." It is not an address, but a statement. "You. Will. Not. Touch. Him." He then told Sebastian to leave before Chavram fed him to Roget. Clearly there are multiple sides to this alliance, and they aren't happy with each other. I hope we can exploit this somewhat.

As Chavram left, he told me that while I was still useful, I wasn't indispensable, and that he'd kill me if he had to. I prayed that Pelor would help me get out. A short time later, I found the following scrawled on a piece of parchment:

"Brother, I'll be back. Sorry. G."

Whatever he's been up to, I think that Gerrin is trying to make up for his previous mistake. I hope that I can speak with him soon.

Nothing happened later this evening. In the morning I will try to leave.

Later

What a morning. What a glorious morning. I am now in the temple of Wee Jas, waiting for my compatriots to fetch me. Istus keeps bugging me to play chess with him. I may in a bit, but I want to get this down now while it's fresh in my memory.

At dawn, I had my sign from Pelor, and I received my spells. As an added blessing, I found that I had access to spells that I had previously not felt before. I selected one of those to aid me in my escape.

I waited for the right moment, until I realized that I was only delaying because I was nervous. The time for action was now. I cast Invisible to Undead upon myself. The shadows became most displeased, and started screeching. This was hushed quickly when I cast silence upon a coin that I held in my hand. My stealth was complete, and I set out.

It was quite dark. I moved carefully, aware that I couldn't hear anything either. I came to an intersection, I could go left or right. I went right and came to a large room, pitch black, and yet, I could sense...tell that there were 2 things in the room...undead. I didn't like the situation, and backed out, going the other way.

The other way was worse and held a wight guarding a dimly lit room. It stood in the doorway, and there was no way I could slip by it without bumping it and alerting it to my presence. The other room seemed a better choice. I moved into the room, again sensing their presence. I cautiously made my way to the other side, hoping there was a doorway, and there was. The skeletons (which is what they were) then raced out of the room, heading toward my temporary prison cell.

I soon came to a four way intersection. I couldn't sense any undead, nor could I feel a draft that might indicate which way to go. Given little choice, I applied the right hand rule and continued. I only went two dozen paces when I banged my shin on something, tripping and falling in the process. The coin slipped out of my hand, rolling into the darkness. I cursed my luck and sat for a second.

I had no choice, I needed that coin. I backed out to the intersection and then backed up a bit more. I grabbed another coin from my purse and cast light upon it. If I was missed, I didn't want to be found by my choice of following the path of the righteous. I headed back, quickly finding the wayward silenced coin. I also found something else – a hammer with the symbol of Pelor upon it. I believe it to be the sunhammer that I saw Bellamy use in my vision where Chavram was imprisoned. I'm not sure what it was doing here in the hallway though. I took it.

Based on where the hammer was, and how it was lying on the ground, I had a hunch. I turned around and headed the other way across the intersection. I was rewarded with a set of stairs, leading up. About halfway up, I again sensed undead. A sliver of light came through the crack in the crypt doors, allowing me to see two skeletons. There was no way I could get past them and open the doors without alerting them to my presence.

I placed the coin on the stairs, and went back down, carefully counting, so I could easily find the coin on my way back up. I then cast undetectable alignment and airwalk upon myself. I moved back up and picked up my coin, and then channeled the energy of Pelor at the skeletons. To my surprise, they were more powerful than I had anticipated, but I was able to destroy them. I pushed open the door and felt a crushing searing pain upon my arm as I crossed the threshold. I stumbled and fell to my knees.

It was twilight, the sun was about to rise above the horizon. My escape had only taken a few minutes. I got up and looked about. Jasmine was nearby, and I thought to go over to her until I realized that she was with someone. It was the albino that we saw yesterday when we tried to escape. He was talking with her, caressing her cheek. She spotted me and turned, drawing the albino's attention away from my spot. She was talking to him, but my silence spell would not allow me to hear what was being said.

I quickly closed the doors to the crypt, and looked for an opportunity to continue. I signaled to Jasmine to meet me beyond the walls in 5 minutes. I hoped that she would understand and meet me, as I didn't have a lot of time to dally. She then kissed him and my heart sank. As she kissed him however, she waved me to get out, and I took the opportunity as it was handed to me, however cruel it might have been. Airwalk was an amazing spell...I just climbed up and over the wall, and into the radiant light of the sun. I quickly dropped back to street level and hid, waiting for Jasmine to come.

After 5 minutes she didn't arrive. I waited a few more minutes, and was rewarded by her approaching form. I took her hand and we hurried through town toward the temple of Wee Jas. I would have preferred the temple of Pelor, but it would be watched. The Wee Jas temple was in a secluded part of town, and they could be counted upon to stay quiet.

Istus was there, and I quickly appraised him of what had happened. It was clear that he was concerned, but not for the good of the town. This is typical of Wee Jas. The fact that they would grant me temporary refuge is a huge commitment for them.

He told me that the black art of creating an animus has been lost since Ivid the Undying was killed. There are a few of his animuses remaining, but they are in hiding, always on the run. Chavram came back here for reasons unknown. Apparently the process of creation is not consistent, and some look like typical undead, while others (like that foul bastard Sebastian) look human. They may have individual powers, and some are affected by disease, and they maintain their original abilities before they died.

Istus had a sending spell memorized, and for a price that I am sure I will regret, he used it to send Thorkeld a message. I had hoped that he was in contact with my friends. I was in luck as they had met up and they promised to find me at the temple. I now wait for them to arrive.

I was reunited with my friends and we holed up in some inn that they felt safe in. Thora and the servants are safely at a monastery of Pelor in the country side. I am concerned about Steffania though...Thorkeld says that she was at the manor all night. Was I tricked by an illusion? We are unsure. Jasmine has stayed at the temple Wee Jas to be safe.

They have brought the cache d'Chandagnac with them. I am unsure what to make of this. There are two Ioun stones to increase one's armor, and a gold cube. The cube looks to need a signet ring to open it. I surmised that it needs the one that Roget wears. I put the cube aside to investigate later.

I have found out that Euphamis is working on our side, and that he was placed as captain of the town guard by Thorkeld. He is also working for the brazen dragon that we haven't made contact with as of yet. We met with Euphamis at the inn and filled him in, telling him to prepare for an upcoming battle vs. the keep.

Next we needed more information from Bellamy, especially since I'm no longer captive. He went back to the temple of Pelor. We suspect that it's being watched, but we didn't want him brought back to our hiding spot, so we went there, using back alleyways and side streets.

Jozan, Thorkeld and myself entered the temple and found it empty, with the holy relics missing. Just then 3 men entered the temple behind us. They then threw off their disguises. They were devils, most foul and heinous. I hoped the others in the street saw this, it looked ugly.

We stood our ground and cast spells upon ourselves to start the battle. Thorkeld moved up, striking and missing. The devils spread out. Two of them attempted to doom Thorkeld, but he shrugged off their attempts. The next one tried to imprison Jozan and me in a dome of ice. Jozan invoked the power of his goddess and broke through the wall. I moved out and tried to fry one with searing light, to no avail.

Thorkeld did some serious damage to one, and when it tried to summon help, he killed it, foiling the attempt. Another one succeeded, and we still faced 3. We moved to strike down the next one, and did some damage, but it teleported out of the way. My friends showed up to help, only to find themselves blocked by a wall of ice. I was on the outside of the wall as well.

Scorch was having none of it, and blasted a hole in it with a huge bolt of lightning. We moved back in and quickly mopped up the remaining 3 devils. I used the sunhammer in battle and was amazed at its powers. Kayleigh found a key in the holy water. I recognized it as the key to the high priest's quarters. We didn't understand why it was there, but it seemed to be a clue or message. We went down to the high priest's quarters, and opened the door. There was nothing here either, but we did find a secret passage, leading down and away from the temple.

We followed the passage for quite a ways, and found a set of stairs leading to an open door. The room beyond the door had a protection spell in it. The next room had a protection from evil spell on it, and a secret door. Upon opening it, we found a dozen men with crossbows pointed at us. We were in the temple of Heironeous. I said that we were seeking Bellamy, and Kayleigh barged past them and up the stairs.

There we found Bellamy preparing for an assault upon the keep. He said that he has 200-250 men with clerics from Heironeous and Pelor ready to assist.

A Family Affair - Chapter 6

A Family Affair - Chapter 6 – House Party

OOC Notes:

Experience for this session is 7,000. Gah. Obviously we have a LOT of things to clean up including interrogations, investigations, general looting, and celebration. But it was really late so we’ll hopefully deal with a lot of this via e-mail.

I just wish I knew whether we won or not.


Notes for Next Time:

Expect a lot of discussion on the list.


This Week’s Adventure:

You will never see anyone argue so fervently as a religious man. It was no surprise to me that the argument on the timing of the attack raged for an hour. Between the followers of Heironeous, who were ready to attack immediately, and our group and the remaining members of the temple of Pelor, who wanted to wait, it was quite a debate. Fortunately Dravot managed to bring everyone around and the attack would begin in the morning.

This provided time for a number of activities. The first of which was to contact Euphamis and bring his forces on board for the attack. Another was to be more prepared for that which awaited us. Both of these fell to Valanthe. We felt sure we were being watched and she could slip through town more easily than any of the rest of us. Armed with a shopping list and a few letters of mark from the manor, she paid a visit to the two alchemists in town and returned with a variety of potions and items to help us face down what awaited. Also on her list were some tanglefoot bags – I specifically wanted these to help slow down the bebbilith – and she managed to get three of them. She also paid a discreet visit to Euphamis and informed him of our plan. He said he and his men would be ready, and that we need only signal him using the brass token. It turns out that the tokens can be used to send messages a short distance. (I wish I’d know that earlier but such is life.)

The warded book that Dravot retrieved was examined. There were several powerful spells protecting the book, and the clerics managed to dispel all but one of them. The remaining one was some type of trap designed to damage anyone who opened the book. I suggested that a simple cantrip can open the book from a distance without harming anyone. And not long after that the spell was discharged. The book was partially about divine magic, more significantly about arcane magic, and in some ways more of a notebook of experiments. It certainly deals with animus creation and we may be able to use it later to figure out how to reverse some of what has happened to Dravot. But it requires much more study than a hasty perusal, and will be examined more later.

Another long discussion occurred regarding how to breach the walls. In examining our choices, it seemed only the front gate would provide us the kind of access we required to the grounds. But of course this would be the hardest one to breach. It was guarded and would require effort to open from within.

Unless it was destroyed.

In the discussion, I lost track of who’s idea it was. But someone remembered the explosive chemicals we retrieved from the pirate ship of the Scarlet Brotherhood. With that we could create a bomb that, we thought, would breach the gate and create quite a bit of confusion in the process. Valanthe and Scorch set to work rigging the device, and the rest of the plan was set.

We would enter the estate through the secret escape tunnel with about 50 men. It would bring us into the kitchen which was very close to an outside door that looked onto the gate. Valanthe would be turned invisible by Scorch and place the bomb, and I would fire an arrow to detonate it. The main forces of Heironeous and the town watch would then swarm the estate.

We could not plan when or where we would meet up with our known foes, but we were prepared for them as best we could. We had already acquired oil of slipperiness to counter the webbing of the demon. And the tanglefoot bags would help fix him in place. We also had a variety of potions and spells ready, including Strength and Heroism for the paladins and fighters, cats’ grace for me, and several others.

After a tense night, dawn came, and our army set into motion. (We had some 250 troops for this, before counting the 100 men Euphamis would have.) The other end of the secret passage into the estate came out just outside the city in a small pumphouse. Since the temple of Pelor was very near the city gates, we would slip back down the tunnel to there, then outside the city just over the river and around to the entrance.

Sounded so simple.

We were aware that we could still possibly be under some magical scrying. The temple of Heironeous was proofed against such things but as soon as we left, we knew we were vulnerable. We had hoped to move along quickly enough to prevent any response, and indeed perhaps draw off troops from the thrust of our attack.

However as we went down the tunnel back to the temple of Pelor, we found an obstacle at the end. A magic circle against Law barred our way. Of course several of us could slip past it with no thought but several could not. Such a spell does not last very long and must be renewed by someone. Indeed there were signs that it had been recast a few times already. Bellamy fortunately was able to counterspell the circle after a minimal delay and we crept into the temple, wary for whatever was casting the ward.

As we came to the top of the stairs, we saw a shape standing in the doorway to the street. At first it was backlit and unclear but the in moving showed itself to be a small girl. She was skipping back and forth and said “Dravot…I know you’re here. Come out come out wherever you are.” It was Steffania or at least what appeared to be Steffania. This was immediately clear – Dravot saw Steffania in the crypt but we saw her on the estate. This thing was most definitely evil and not what it appeared.

It did not bother with pretending very long. It’s skin split and took a demonic form, as tall as the ceiling. (Scorch said it was a retriever – a demon sent to find and hunt someone. It was surely keyed to Dravot.)

We had known about several key enemies that would have to be defeated for this evil to be driven out of Blasingdel. But even so I expected to find a few that we had not known about. The first one seems to have found us.

My first notion was that I wanted to deny this thing the ability to move, or to escape with Dravot. A tanglefoot bag performed beautifully and stuck one of its massive claws to the floor. We streamed up the stairs and began attacking. It quickly became clear that our weapons were not terribly effective, even the magic ones. I was firing enchanted arrows prepared by Dravot – apparently Pelor has granted him some new spells and this is one. (He can enchant 50 arrows in a single spell, and the enchantment is better than average. I’m hopeful that this will aid me and Rackhir in destroying some of the more unusual beasts we seem to be encountering lately. The enchantment lasts several hours and Dravot plans to make this enchantment part of his daily routine.) But even these only annoyed the beast without breaking its carapace and the damage from these wounds healed quickly. (OOC: subdual damage unless it’s a blessed weapon.) Jozan invoked a blessing upon his weapon and began tearing into the beast.

The beast turned a wicked red eye upon Dravot and blasted him with magical fire. Dravot barely avoided the blast and was still injured. The clerics of Pelor with us healed him quickly though and Dravot erected a firey shield to protect himself from further blasts. My concern was with the beasts other eyes – each a different hellish color. I was not familiar with these monsters but expected it had more tricks than just fire.

Fortunately, bruised or cut, the beast was still falling to our attacks. Either from arrogance or being stuck, it did not flee, and when it fell to the floor, we made sure it stayed quite dead. As the ichor ran from its body, it began burning until the entire corpse was consumed.

Fearing we had been delayed too long, we quickly made for the city gates. In the distance in the south of town, we saw lightning striking. We looked at each other with a single thought – the evil Druid. And indeed the storm seemed unnatural in origin. We did not know what they would be attacking in the southern end of town but wasted no time in using the small branch given to us by Marcus. Jozan invoked the power in the small twig and it crumbled to dust. He received a message in return – “Do not go into the woods outside town.” Since we had no intention of doing so we moved on.

We located the pumphouse and entered the tunnel. We proceeded carefully, wary they had laid some trap for us, but it seemed they were either unaware of this entrance or unconcerned with it. We reached the fireplace in the kitchen and Valanthe opened the hearth. There was a fire burning but it was easy enough to go around it. A single kitchen maid was at the counter, her back to us. Valanthe was turned invisible as planned and took the bomb outside. Rackhir stepped up behind the maid and knocked her out with a single blow. It was regrettable but necessary for now and even the paladins did not raise an eyebrow.

The final potions were consumed. I slipped up to the doorway and surveyed the courtyard.

There were a dozen or more guards at various posts. So brazen had they become that they were not even in human form, but fully apparent as wererats. Near the gate, a large black tiger was mauling one of the wererats while the others looked on. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the mount of the blackguard. A purple crystal, ten feet high and pulsing with an eerie light was also in the courtyard, a pair of wererats near it.

From the general lack of alertness, it was clear these fiends had no idea what awaited them.

The distraction of the tiger was quite convenient – none of the guards suspected anything odd even for an instant. Even after the bomb appeared in front of the gates, none of them noticed it.

I gave Valanthe a few seconds to get clear, then took careful aim. Our entire plan could have fallen apart if I missed this shot. Fortunately I did not, and the bomb exploded.

“Exploded” hardly does justice to the spectacle. I had never seen such a detonation, and from the twisted giggle I heard behind me, I suspect Scorch hadn’t either. The sound was deafening, and the charge blasted the doors off their hinges and shattered the portcullis. Several guards near the device were nothing more than shadows on the wall. I had no doubt that the forces outside would realize that the attack was on.

The battle that followed was truly epic. I plan to search later for an elven bard and tell him the tale, so that he may take it into history. No skulking about in dungeons, no orcs in the night. This was a fight of good versus evil and everyone knew it.

I leapt off the stairs and began choosing targets. A nearby wererat made the mistake of turning towards me and was my first victim. Our forces began coming out of the house behind me and the fight was on. Squads of wererats charged to the gate from other areas of the keep. Their tight formation was not to their benefit, and Scorch showed them why with a fireball that killed an entire squad.

I had no idea where Valanthe was but from the looks of the wererats falling dead atop the walls, I suspected she was up there, putting a blade to anything that moved.

The purple crystal let loose with two crackling bursts of lightning at the ground near it, and two devils appeared. This was a rather disturbing thing and we realized that we needed to destroy that crystal and quickly. Rackhir hit it with one of the explosive arrows we had rigged and it cracked visibly. I shot at one of the devils to help clear Jozan a path to it. Scorch let a lightning bolt fly across the courtyard, killing the devil I had wounded and creating a huge series of cracks in the crystal. The lightning reflected through the crystal and several bolts flew off and either injured or killed anything standing near the crystal. Jozan stepped up to the crystal and let Shatterspike fly – the crystal broke in half and fell to the ground, blackened and dark.

The tiger showed calm but concern. It moved to the far end of the area and waited. Soon, it’s master arrived – Seltan The FellSoul, the albino blackguard. He turned with a twisted smile to several nearby wererats and slaughtered them in three swift strokes. His black sword began to glow as it drank their blood. He then gestured for the tiger to attack.

The tiger was charging the area that Scorch and I were in, while FellSoul was coming towards Jozan and Thorkeld, who were of course happy to oblige. Dravot threw an Entangle scroll which stopped a dozen wererats in their tracks and the tiger to boot. Scorch, fearing the cat was coming for him, threw another lightning bolt, while Rackhir and I, lacking a good shot at FellSoul, started filling it with arrows. Within a few seconds it fell, burnt and bleeding.

Meanwhile the paladins pressed the attack. Crescent knocked over FellSoul and things turned worse for him as Rackhir and Valanthe closed to join the attack.

Then Sebastian arrived. He seemed somewhat annoyed to see the attack and Dravot, and began shouting at Dravot how the estate and title was rightfully his, and so on. It seems that Sebastian was Dravot’s half brother, if Sebastian’s claims are to be believed. He threw an unholy blight on our forces.

By the time he began reaching for a potion in his belt, it was too late, and the flurry of blows laid him low. As he bled, he croaked out a final request to Jozan – “Don’t let them raise me….”

And as he died, his wicked sword drank his blood, and glowed.

At Sebastian’s command, a troop of zombies came on the field. The followers of Heironeous fell upon them and sent them back to the grave with a zeal worthy of respect.

Dravot cast silence upon an arrow and Rackhir fired it at Sebastian, cutting him off from further spells. Dravot consecrated the area in the name of Pelor. He was I believe making preparations to try to destroy Sebastian. However a glowing white hand of light appeared behind him, ornate rings on the fingers, and grabbed him. It then glowed brighter and faded away, and Sebastian was gone. It was difficult to tell but it seemed as much a surprise to him, and perhaps he was not taken willingly. At this time we have no idea who removed him from our path or for what purpose.

With his departure and the death of the FellSoul, the remaining forces routed. Some escaped while others were struck down or captured.

There was no sign of the bebbilith. We have no idea if he ran or was withdrawn. It disappoints me that all our preparation was for naught, but surely better prepared and not face him than the reverse.

We came to the back of the estate to look for the bebbilith and saw the family crypt was smashed. The entire surface entrance was destroyed in a crater. A later examination would reveal extensive caves beyond the bounds of the original crypt. Chavram was digging around apparently looking for something. We’re still investigating this.

Overhead the storms still grew darker. I went to the keep wall to look over the forest and heard a roar. In a few moments, a force of 30 or 40 bark blights burst out of the woodland. I was ready to sound an alarm, but I realized they were not attacking – they were fleeing. Right after them came three dragons – a brass flanked by two copper. They were hunting down and burning the blights.

Apparently The Brazen had received our message.

This was the third time I had seen dragons in their natural form. Calcryx was so small as to hardly count. And Nightscale, while terrifying in her own right, was in a dark cave. To see these three, on the wing and on the attack, their breath raging down on their foes, filled me with awe. I simply stood and stared, watching their beauty and their terror. I doubt I’ll ever look at Lord Gelban the same way again.

I have wondered before why the dragons did not intervene directly if they were so concerned. I now understand perfectly well that they will intervene and will do so VERY directly. Until our message, the nature and depth of the threat was unclear. Once it was dragged out into the light, they wasted no time in coming.

As things began to settle, a runner brought word of the attack in the south of town. Apparently a force of wererats was sent to attack the temple of Wee Jas, what they thought was the last significant power block in the city. The lightning was a sign of the lessons the rats were being taught on why this was a poor choice.

A Family Affair - Epilogue

A Family Affair - Epilogue


OOC Notes:

500 exp per person for this cleanup session.

Aside from the rewards from The Brazen we had a few items to deal with.

Bracers of resistance went to Scorch
Masterwork shield (from Fellsoul) will be sold
The evil nasty sword from Fellsoul will be handed over to the church of Pelor to dispose of
+1 banded mail (from Fellsoul) might be used by Jozan. If not it will be sold.
Cloak of Armor we forgot to discuss
Ring of Shield w/ 12 charges (from Fellsoul) undecided
Boots of Elvenkind was discussed and a few people were in favor of them going to Jozan.
Potion of cure moderate wounds will be on Meepo, the official potion lackey
2 composite longbows will be sold

The dragon hide is more trouble for us than it’s worth, and we’ll sell it as soon as we get somewhere that has enough of an economy to handle it.


This Week’s Adventure:

After the bark blights were destroyed by the dragons, they swept over the forests several more times to make sure nothing remained. I can’t imagine how they could find them beneath the tree cover but who can say the ways of dragons. After a while, the Brazen landed outside the town and shifted form to a man wearing simple clothes and entered. He sat down on the fountain in the courtyard and lit a pipe casually.

I simply started at him for a while. As a dragon, he was huge and would have filled the courtyard. He was a bold golden color and moved with a grace and beauty not often found in the world of mortal beats. To have watched three dragons on the wing, attacking with claw and breath, was a wondrous sight and one I’ll cherish forever. He apologized and said that he had gotten here as quickly as possible.

I had a hard time finding words and could only smile.

We quickly gave him the full version of the events that had transpired here. He told us that they had destroyed the forces in the woods although the Druids had managed to kill one of his brethren in the process.

We had a long discussion trying to put together all the puzzle pieces before us. The Brazen felt that the assassins of Nerull did not indicate Nerull’s involvement in the overall picture and they were most likely just hired thugs. We also began to tease apart various pieces of this tangled skein. What I had previously assumed was one single effort by several evil forces is more likely the intersection of several smaller plans.

First we have Chavram. Dravot had a sketched copy of a map he saw while he was captured. There were nine circles – one was around this area, one was around Celene, and at least 2 or 3 around fallen elven cities.

(Historical aside: there were four great elven cities in the eastern Flaness after the empires were smashed. These were the hidden cities where the elves went into hiding. Most of them do not exist and have not for some time.)

There was also a circle in the desert, one in the barrier peaks around the Sea of Dust/Yeomanry area. Three circles are larger than the other six. The one in our area was one of the large ones, along with one far to the north and the one in the desert. This took us towards the subject of the binders.

The binders were vastly powerful magical artifacts. They created the power of the Sule empire. One was created for each of the keys of difficulty. The first and ninth are the most powerful.

(Second Historical aside: Something that I took for granted but that my companions were quite unaware of, was that the elves first discovered magic in the world. They unlocked the nine keys of difficulty that permitted access to the nine tiers of spells. The elves kept their secrets for many years, until an elven wizard shard a small part of one of the keys with some humans from the Sule empire, who emulated many of the worst traits of the elves of that time. Within five years, the Suloise were cracking the remaining keys and had destroyed the elf who showed them the way. Some time thereafter the first binder was created.)

Exactly what a binder could do is unknown – much information about them has been lost and fallen into myth. We do not even know what a binder’s physical appearance is. But we know that Chavram was seeking something here, and that he found it and then left.

We also discussed the interaction Valanthe had with the hold Sule god. It’s possible he was referring to the Theorparts – the triumverate of evil. It is the object that holds Therizdun in check. (Therizdun’s avatar is in the temple in the Barrier Peaks that we were near when in the Glitterhame.) Each part of the artifact is powerful, two combined are more so, and all three could release Therizdun.

It seems also that what we thought was a cooperation between Vecna, Therizdun, Iuz might not be quite so. We have seen connections between Vecna and Therizdun, and between Iuz and Vecna, but no direct link between Therizdun and Iuz. Each might be advancing their own agenda and manipulating the other. How Chavram’s efforts linked to that is still unclear.

The Brazen was something of a contrast from the other dragons we’ve met. Whereas Lord Gelban is somewhat regal, and Nasir simply annoying and arrogant, The Brazen was warm, friendly, considerate and concerned. He was dismayed by the devastation of the town, and said he would deliver some appropriate rewards to both help rebuild the town, and to reward us all for our efforts. He seemed particularly annoyed that we had been, in his words, treated badly given our efforts. He said that we could take our rest here as long as we cared to, and he would be informing Lord Gelban of that. As long as we remained here, it was his decision to make and he was very clear that he wanted us to have a chance to take our ease. I found him warm and his concern touching. We were not simple agents to him. Lord Gelban was never dismissive or aloof but there was a certain personable nature to the Brazen. I wonder if these traits follow the breed or just the individuals.

A great deal has been happening. I’ll note some events out of sequence just to keep it together.

We took a great deal of time in examining the crypt. The entryway was completely collapsed – it had been blasted outward by a magical explosion of some kind. There was no fire, just the force of blasted rock. We were able to get inside easily enough though. Once the followers of Pelor destroyed the remaining undead (with a zeal I might add) we investigated carefully. We found two things of note.

The first was the remaining research materials and books. While some of the pages had been removed, we were able to piece together what Chavram and/or Sebastian may have been looking for. This supported the notion that Chavram was looking for the binders. How he may have learned of them is unclear but he was doing a great deal of research on certain specific things.

A number of tunnels and excavations had been done past the edges of the crypt. In a large main chamber was a semi-circular hole in the floor about fifteen feet across. It had been carved smooth and was not of dwarven work, or even a stone local to the area. In the bowl were two grooves, criss crossing the pit. They were very smooth but there was no sign of lubrication or a moving part. Around the edge were small tiles, each inlaid with gold work and the rare white mithril. They were imbued with some kind of evocation magic and each tile contained a letter in the old Sule alphabet.

The Brazen was able to read it: The First and Mightiest, He Who Serves, Ali Bin Yalla

Ali Bin Yalla is the prince of the Djinn.

What was here, and what Chavram did with it, is still unclear. However it occurs to me now that this Djinn might be responsible for the glowing hand that snatched Sebastian from our clutches.

There was also quite a bit of other activity taking place. Thora and Steffania returned to the town and both were fine. Diligent patrols were done by all the various forces but the presence of evil was largely routed from both the town and the surrounding countryside.

We took more time to examine the book Dravot recovered from the crypt. It seemed to be a personal notebook of Chavram’s and detailed the creation of the animus, as well as other topics. It seemed that he was actually trying to recreate the process, and do so in a different way than the originals had been made. There were at least three distinct spells in the book and one of them specifically dealt with blood relatives. The mark on Dravot’s arm has to do with control or manipulation of the marked person. Overall this will take more time and skill than we have to understand. It is our hope to have the work examined by one of the Eight, and perhaps they can offer insight on how to reverse Dravot’s condition.

Lord Dravot began dealing with civil matters. He ordered a full celebration of Firemeet – with the evil gone and the house restored, he saw reason to celebrate, and to put some hope back into the townsfolk. He also had to deal with the question of succession in the family. His brother Gerrin was the next heir but was unsuited and disinclined to rule. Dravot solved this issue by setting aside the issue for the term of one year, during which time Thora would serve as regent and see to matters.

I now have some concerns of a very personal nature now. The itching on my arm that began during the battle with the demon persists. I had assumed it had something to do with that beast but apparently not. The itching has eased somewhat, but there is now a mark appearing on the back of my hand with a slight burning sensation. At first it was difficult to make out. It is magical – some kind of conjuration magic – but it is neither evil nor undead, much to my relief. Scorch and I plan to investigate further. However the mark is becoming more clear.

I’ve seen the mark before and I know it as related to the Elven Champions. The head priest in the temple of Wee Jas has heard of it but has not seen it – he called it the Archer’s Notch and knows it relates to the Arcane Archers (the humans name for the champions). He does not know why it would appear on me but assumes someone has placed it there – most likely an arcane archer. He is unsure of the function but believes it to be some kind of link.

The Elven Champions are among the most highly respected elves. Their talents are legendary. I have only in my most outrageous dreams wondered what it took to be numbered among them. I had never even thought to gain control of my magical abilities until Lord Gelban made that possible. I can’t believe this mark is some type of “selection” – I do not have the skills or training that are the legendary hallmarks of the Champions. So I can only assume the mark is for some other purpose. There is only one Champion personally known to me, and I am not even entirely sure that he is one of them – Aran’gel. Why he would be marking me after such a passing encounter is beyond my understanding though.

Flight of Arrows - Chapter 1

Flight of Arrows - Chapter 1

Strange things are happening to Kayleigh this time, and Rackhir's past returns to haunt him.


This Week's Adventure:

During one of the evening celebrations, there were several large bonfires roaring. My arm began to burn and shot with pain. I became dizzy and reeled.

Suddenly I was in a field with several bonfire that were burning elven bodies. Several barbarian humans were near by drinking and laughing. I seem to be tied to a cross, my left arm and legs bound. My right arm is only a stump below the wrist. Beside me I can see a bird of prey in the bright fire light, an arrow through its wing.

I was not in control of myself – I seemed to be viewing the situation through someone’s eyes, and that someone was definitely Aran’gel.

A woman in black leathers comes over. She says that she could kill me (him) but prefers to let me die this way. This must be the “crazed bowwoman” who attacked Blasingdel and who Aran’gel went after. She proceeded to gloat for a bit.

Then she said “If you see that elf girl travelling with my husband, tell her I’m looking for him.” She then drew an arrow and fired it landing just above my (his) head. I could clearly see it had Rackhir’s fletching on it. She then went back to her men.

Arangel mumbled something, and his hand, cut off laying on the ground next to him, began to glow slightly. I was sure it was not the type of thing she could have seen and something only Aran’gel’s perceptions (which I was sharing) picked up.

I slowly came back to myself. Jozan had caught me when I collapsed. My hand feels somehow larger than it is and stronger than before. As if it had a ghost imprint.

I tried to return to the vision, but was not able to. However when I focused, I was able to gain an instinctive sense of a location.

I had to act. Aran’gel would surely die if he did not receive help, and I was the only one who knew. But I was many leagues away. There was only one way to do this – to get help.

I looked around and found The Brazen. As succinctly as possible I told him of the mark, and of the vision.

He thought for a moment, smoking his pipe. He then told me that this news troubled him as he counted Aran’gel as a friend. Aran’gel is indeed a champion, though he does not like it to be known. The mark is common to all the champions – I would not have seen it on Aran’gel as he keeps it covered.

The mark appears when the spark has been ignited. Just the meeting of a kindred spirit can be enough though sometimes it takes time for the flame to catch.

He also said that I do myself a disservice to think myself unworthy of the title, and my people a greater one to deny them my skills in the storm that is coming. Evil is coming, and we all have a talent – call it luck or call it a curse, to be in the right place to stop it.

The Brazen was worried that Chavram might return and therefore did not want to leave Brindinford, especially with the people now seeing hope for the first time in months. However he did offer to have one of the copper dragons take me on this mission. He called them the Caldera twins – Hammer and Tongs, though these are surely not their names. Hammer is larger and can carry three, but will be slower. Tongs is swifter but can only carry two.

He said that the mark on my arm is my own, but that Aran’gel my have implanted a spell upon it, perhaps in case something should happen to him before he could speak to you again.

I thanked him well for his aid. Since I believe speed to be of the essence, I chose Tongs. There was little doubt who should accompany me – Jozan had a healing touch, a strong sword arm and the courage of his faith. He was also an elf, and knew Aran’gel from years past, and would therefore want to help. I found Jozan and quickly explained the situation and he said simply “Your battles are my battles, and being an elf in trouble, I would believe Her's as well.” He instructed Meepo to bring the appropriate equipment and to tend Crescent in his absence.

I spoke briefly to my companions and told them of the situation. I also made sure to mention that it was Rackhir’s wife who attacked Blasingdel and had been leading these barbarians, and that she was looking for him. I was quite annoyed with him for not telling us of this.

His reaction left no doubt that he was not aware it was her. The reason soon became clear. He stood numb for a moment, and the goblet in his hand fell from his fingers. His stunned look was then replaced by a cold fury and biting rage.

“Hear me Elf and heed my words as truth. I have a blood debt of revenge upon this woman, the depths of which can never be repaid. She and those she serves are my most bitter enemies. Till you said the bowwoman was my wife, I had believed her dead, slain by my own hands.”

“Had I known it was she who led the raid, I would have never gone south, but would have remained up north hunting her with Aran'gel. If you are going to face her, I have the right to accompany you. For the wrongs she has done me, make any harm she has inflicted upon Aran'gel seem as pale as the moon to the sun.”

“I know you have never trusted me, nor do I care if you do. I have sworn that she will die and die by my hand, as I have sworn I will bring ruin and destruction to those she serves. In this our interests are as twins, for her masters are behind many of the threats we are facing. Lord Gelban knows this and it is why he accepted me into his service. Even if you doubt me, trust his wisdom in this.”

This was not anything I had expected. I had assumed that Rackhir was being his normal, inscrutable self, and knew it was her and chose not to say anything.

“I had no idea "crazed bowwomen" were so common in your homelands. No matter - this is not a journey of vengeance - it is a rescue mission. If I have my way, we will rescue Aran'gel without your wife or her forces so much as catching sight of us. Further there is room only for two on this journey, and I have sore need of Jozan's healing touch and Dravot cannot be spared from here.

Your vengeance may well come at a later time Rackhir - but this is a mission of mercy, not vengance, no matter how much this woman may deserve it.”

His reply was tight and he was clearly seething.

“You do wrong to mock me in this Kayleigh. Arrogance has always been the downfall of Elves. Already it has cost Aran'gel his men and nearly his life. One day it will cost you dearly as well.”

“Even though, Jozan can accomplish nothing a handful of potions cannot, I see your mind is made up and I must pursue this matter on my own. Very well. I thank you for your consideration in 'deigning' to mention the matter in passing and not troubling me with any information on this until you had decided on a course of action. If I encounter any information of equal import to you I promise to extend the same courtesy. Should you encounter Ravenna and survive, please tell her that I look forward to our reunion, but that the Marrage Oath is 'till Death do us part' and that we have parted once already.”

Humans. Arrogant. Impatient. Intolerant. After thinking on it some however, he was right in one thing – I did do wrong to assume that he knew it was Ravenna, and wrong further by mocking him. However his reaction convinced me I was correct not to take him. He is consumed by vengeance – he would pursue his own goals rather than mine, which is the safe rescue of Aran’gel. I have no doubt that if he discovered she was still in the area he would go immediately to fight her, and that is not my purpose in going.

Jozan and I went to Tongs.

Tongs was in the form of a graceful human female in a summer dress with reddish hair down to her shoulders. She was glad to help and we withdrew to an area large enough for her to resume her true shape. As she stretched and shifted, I was unsure if I was still dreaming. She said we were at a loss for not having true wings to take to the air on. (Perhaps I’ll find a way some day.) She too has a charming nature and while sad to leave the festival (as dragons have no such affairs) she recognized the urgency of the matter. She instructed us to bundle up, as this would surely be a cold ride.

Flight of Arrows - Chapter 2

Flight of Arrows - Chapter 2

OOC Notes:

Experience this session is 1000 for Scorch and Rackhir, 1250 for Jozan, 250 for Valanthe and Kayleigh.


This Week’s Adventure:

Tongs set a steady pace but was not pushing herself. She knew we would need her strength to return safely and tiring herself now would not help any. We were headed northwest, and were quickly over the Relmor Bay. After an hour’s flight, I could tell we were getting closer and began to get a feel for the distance. It would take several more hours to reach and we should arrive near dawn.

Rasha of course noticed no such thing. He curled up inside my cloak and seemed quite content to nap. He was like a little campfire against me, and purring to comfort me.

For a time I could do little but stare at the stars and moon. To see the world from high above, to bank and turn, to flow through the night sky as graceful as an evening breeze – it was more than I could have ever imagined.

After a while, the wonder changed slowly to contentment. It would be several hours at least before we reached the site of the battle. I tried to trance so that I would be rested for whatever lay ahead but it was troubled rest. After three hours I began nodding off. Jozan had already fallen into trance by then.

Jozan had a strange vision during the trip. I found myself drawn into this vision. This is what he told me. [I’m assuming Jozan told me?]

He woke up hovering over a flat plane of glass. He could see the moon up ahead. He was not wearing his armor. The plane of glass fell away as he began to look at it. It almost appeared that ice melted away to reveal a maze. Jozan was still hovering in space. He was able to make out people navigating the maze but little more. He began to will himself forward. He started to encounter some resistance as he was surrounded by a light mist. On the far side he could make out a figure wearing dyed leathers and encircled by a serpent of flame. He detected a powerful evil even though the man was too far to normally detect as such. He held up his hand and grasped at something, and then something like molten metal dropped into the maze.

This may be the same man Dravot saw in his vision warning of the attack on Lord Gelban’s daughter.

Jozan could then make out someone he thought was me in the maze. He also saw someone wearing a shirt and armor made of bone and a bone helmet. He could not see any “end” or “goal” in the maze – it was fairly large. At the center however was some kind of shadowy figure hovering above the maze. Around him three concentric rings orbited. The man in the center was ten or fifteen feet tall. There were four entrances into this courtyard. Jozan could not get closer however – a force was opposing him from the left. The air begins to shimmer in that direction and an image comes into focus. He can see an old man in robes but his skin is drawn horribly tight. Jozan believes it was Chavram. A freezing sphere appeared in one hand and Chavram threw it into the maze, and Sebastian appeared where the sphere exploded. Sebastian then began walking the maze.

Jozan said he could sense me but could not get closer, and his movement was being opposed by two others now. With a prayer he tried to force his was forward. The moon glowed brighter and he made some progress and was now about 100 feet from the center.

The form in the center is continually shifting shape but is always humanoid. Four large statues surrounding it faced each of the entryways. Each is very evil and is an abstract figure of human/elven form. Just to look at them caused Jozan discomfort. The face of each is a smooth area, and on one he clearly made out the symbol of Therizdun.

Chavram appeared to be tracking something. Jozan could see a few blood spots. Suddenly scene shifted and it appeared more of a forest than a maze. When he looked at the right angle he could see an old ruin. Chavram was now clearly directing Sebastian who was in a room and having discussions with some men in brown robes wearing masks with horns.

To the right is a column of rock shooting up out of the maze. Actually it was more hovering in the air above it. Part of the column breaks off and redefines itself in the shape of an elven woman. She appears somewhat old and is also examining the maze. She is not evil. She is wearing some type of symbol on a chain at her neck. Jozan attempted to move closer but seemed tethered in his current area. There were definitely rules here about where and how one could move.

Jozan saw me again, and I was clearly hunting something – my bow was drawn and an arrow nocked. The tip of the arrow was glowing a golden yellow, as was the mark on my hand. Suddenly I stopped.

At this point I was suddenly in this same vision. I was seeing a ruin, human built but signs of elven craftsmanship here and there. It was more like a human imitation of elven design. Most of the city is overgrown an din disrepair. It might be consistent with old Sule culture where they aped the elves extensively.

I had definitely been searching but could not recall if it was for a person or thing. Then again the scene shifted and I was underground. Behind me was a sheer wall of rock that had shorn through the ruins. It was so sheer it was surely not natural. A skeleton was imbedded in the wall, the tatters of clothes still on him, of a culture I was not familiar with. I felt a strong magical presence ahead. Also I noticed a great deal of sand, like a desert or a beach. There was an odd light source in the ceiling, a crude magical lighting.

I went deeper seeking the source of the magical presence. There was some damage to the structure of the caves as though something was intentionally trying to collapse them but was not successful. Ahead I see four passages branching off. Then I suddenly began rising up, and the ceiling disappeared as I passed through. I then saw Jozan hovering, lifting me, and behind him a woman three times his size – surely Sehanine. Jozan had felt all four choices were bad and tried to extract me from the maze. As I rose up I saw the crude markings of symbols of Therizdun on the passages, and the phrase “The Lost Ones”. Then I blacked out.

To Jozan I simply fell asleep and then glowed very brightly, and disappeared with the fading light.

The Lady placed her hand on Jozan’s shoulder and said “You’ve seen enough for now.” And he then woke up. To a strange sensation. A tapping. Or tugging. At his belt. Rasha it seems was feeling hungry and trying to work his way to the food in Jozan’s pouch. We were both still on Tongs and it was a few hours before dawn. We were both fully rested. However when I wondered if I had actually cast the spells in the dream, such as detect magic, I found I had cast a spell to change the shape of the arrowhead, but I know no such spell.

Tongs was relieved to see us back among the conscious – she clearly knew we were having some kind of experienced but said little more than that.

The dream seemed to represent the large game which we are now a part of. The major forces, the ones hovering above the maze, were Sehanine, Chavram, the man from Scarlet Brotherhood, and the earth lady, who is something we have not encountered before. The players in the maze included us, Sebastian, the men in the brown robes (Druids of Vecna I suspect – they may be little more than hired muscle in this game if the information in the dream is to be believed) and the man in the bone armor. [Or was he a floater?]

In the center was likely the Prince of the Djinn and likely great power to whoever frees or controls him. The four statues are a mystery, but may be “The Lost Ones” since those markings were on the passageways that I think led to them.

And who is the earth lady? She is a new player to the scene, or one we have not seen before. Or could she represent the influence of the dragons? Learning this will be important.

About twenty minutes later, such musings stopped – we could see billowing clouds of smoke coming from the forest ahead. In the low hills we could see signs of a running battle being fought. At my direction, Tongs veered to the right from the battle path and we came down for a landing. She had the means to prevent casual observation as we passed but we were not immune from detection.

Jozan and I moved in towards the fires. I had Rasha scout ahead and a bit away from us, his presence being more discreet than ours. Above, I saw the hawk circling. I was surprised – when I saw it, it was still injured. I whistled a brief note and held my arm out, and the hawk came to me without hesitation. It had been, and still was injured, but it was better than when I last “saw” it and could fly.

If the bird was glad to see me, it gave no sign. It simply stared back at me. It allowed Jozan to touch it and heal it further and only flapped slightly. I then asked it “Take me to him” in elven and lifted my arm slightly. It took off and headed back for the area it had been circling.

We crept up quietly, still uncertain if the barbarians remained, or if other unsavory beasts were about, feasting on the carnage. The elven bodies of Aran’gel’s forces were all on the fires – the barbarian bodies were looted and left where they fell. I guessed some 70-90 of Aran’gel’s men were dead, while some 40 barbarians had been killed.

In the center of several large fires was Aran’gel, still tied to the cross. He had surely been placed there for a view of the burning of his men. He was alive but unconscious. He must have healed himself somehow but was clearly not strong in healing magic. Jozan began healing him and bandaging him while I watched for visitors. A short way away, I saw his bow, snapped and broken. The wood had been aged and destroyed through some foul magic, and the once beautiful thing was now only a memory. I gathered it in case he would want it. When Jozan was ready, we cut Aran’gel free. He was now healed but still unconscious. We also took the arrow left by Ravenna, and the severed hand, not knowing if a restoration would be possible.

I was uncertain where exactly we were but Tongs said we were in the Shield Lands. Even with her magics it was not a safe place to be flying about. I had expected to take him to Highfolk but Tongs said that would be a great deal more risk, and she would prefer to return to Ahlyssa. We yielded to her wisdom in these matters and climbed aboard for the return flight. Again, I called the hawk and it came to me – it would surely not be able to keep pace with Tongs.

Tongs was carrying more weight and in less of a hurry. While the trip here took some seven or eight hours, the return took twelve. The urgency however was gone and there was no need for Tongs to strain herself.

When we returned, Tongs skipped off with my thanks, dismissing it as a light favor but was very insistent that Jozan deliver the dance he had promised. After seeing that Aran’gel was placed in a bed, I requested Dravot to come see to him.

The new head of household staff did not appear to understand the urgency of my request for Lord Dravot. I was able to make it very plain to him that it was in his best interest to fetch him immediately, and personally however, and Dravot soon came with Bellamy.

They proceeded to do what they could for him. Dravot believed Aran’gel was also poisoned which is why he was still unconscious. He cured the poison and the other wounds and now he simply needed rest. I opened a window so the hawk could come and go, and sat by the bedside to wait.

I’m told that when Jozan found Meepo and Crescent, they were playing cards. I was scared to ask more.

Valanthe mentioned she found Gerrin after a drinking contest that had been going on two days since Firemeet. She had a brief discussion with him but said little more.

Later
After I was sure Aran’gel was settled, I asked a servant to find Rackhir and invite him to come here that I might have a word with him. I was very tired after all the activity but this needed seeing to. Shortly there was a soft knock as the servant returned with him. I slipped quietly out of the room, leaving Rasha on the bed, and went to the hall.

I spoke softly, and he let me finish all I had to say before he spoke.

“I assume you'd be interested in what we found. And I was hoping you could provide some understanding of it also - things did not entirely make sense to my eye there. “

“We found a running battle had been fought. All the corpses of the highfolk had been placed on large bonfires and burned, but all the northmen were left wherever they fell. They were looted however. I thought this was puzzling. there were signs of some 80 or more highfolk dead, though it was hard to estimate, and there were 30-40 northmen bodies. From this I guess it was a close fight, as the injured northmen would have been tended to and removed, while the injured highfolk were killed and burned. “

“There was no sign of your...of Ravenna. Except for this. It was exactly where I had 'seen' it." With that I handed him the arrow.

"I thought you might want to see this for yourself."

"There are other things you should know. First, you were right. I did wrong to mock you, and further did wrong to assume you knew it was her. It was unfair of me.

“But I stand by my choice. Everything in your reaction tells me you were more interested in vengance than in escaping with Aran'gel unnoticed. I feared if you saw her you would go charging off, rather than quietly escaping back here. It was a risk I was not willing to take. “

“But I am not opposed to your vengance by any means, Indeed we both have a reason to see her laid low now. Should she cross our path again, I shall stand beside you in your efforts. “

“And one other thing - as I did wrong by you to mock you, I believe you did wrong to Jozan in saying there was nothing he can do that some potions cannot. He has been the bravest and most steadfast among us, and to call him little more than a potion is an insult to all he has done. But that matter lies between you and him, and I will not speak of it further.”

“In any case, I just wanted to tell you what we saw, and to give you that in case it should provide you with some further information or meaning. “

Rackhir looked somewhat nonplussed for as he gathers his thoughts before replying to me.

"I do confess to being nearly as surprised at your apology as at the news you pronounced at Firemeet. I am unused to being shown such courtesy. You are right to believe that vengence upon Ravenna is one of my highest concerns, but I know from all too bitter experience what she is capable of to those who fall into her grasp and would not abandon one who has done me no wrong to her nonexistant mercies. I would have made sure that you and Aran'gel could have escaped, what ever the cost to me. But I would not throw away my life simply to slay her, her living flesh points out the folly of that. I have vowed to make her masters pay dearly for what she did in their name and I do not intend to die forsworn."

"If Aran'gel's men were simply slain, then they were fortunate indeed. Ravenna is a servant of Iuz with a particular love of living sacrifices to her master. I can only assume that the warrior's corpses were stripped for loot by the clan warriors who fought with them. The promise of such loot is generally one of the major inducements to persuade the warriors to join such raiding parties. The northlands are not wealthy places and any who would serve one such as Ravenna will not be among the more principled members of a clan."

"I am puzzled and troubled indeed that she was able to overcome Aran'gel and his men. She would have been no match for someone like Aran'gel, at least in a contest of arms, when I knew her. However, if I have grown immensely in skill and power in the months we have been journeying together, then obviously so has she. I do know this, Ravenna has powerful patrons and allies among the servants of Iuz, apparently they have bestowed much upon her in return for her services to them. She was at least valuable enough for them to bring her back from the dead."

"Alas, I can shed little light on the arrow. I taught her something of the use of the bow and the art of fletching when I knew her, but this has no meaning or significance that I am aware of. I suspect it is some kind of a warning or challenge to me. Perhaps she intends to use it blacken my name in some way, I know not. If you are so inclined,
it may be worthwhile to have Scorch or Dravot check it out for some kind of magic, as I would sooner trust an adder in my bed than any 'gifts' from her. "

At that I became concerned, and interrupted him. "Hm. I had assumed it simply a gesture and not anything more sinister. Forgive my interruption but let us find the truth of this right now" I carefully checked the arrow for any enchantments but there were none to be found on it.

"Since you have shown me courtesy, I shall return the favor. My intention was not to mock Jozan, I knew one of the main reasons why you had chosen him, was that he could heal and that I could not. That much was obvious. My desire was to point out that he could do nothing to either regenerate Aran'gel's hand or heal anything past simple injuries, which potions could just as easily accomplish. Thus according to my logic, leaving the need for a strong arm in combat if Ravenna was encountered. In that I am easily Jozan's equal."

"As you well know, tact and diplomacy are not among my strengths, I prefer to let my bow do the arguing for me. If my tone was less than respectful toward Jozan, I had just received a shock the likes of which you cannot imagine, been insulted about it and knew I was going to be denied a chance at vengance upon Ravenna to boot. Unfortunately, my frustration obviously influenced my choice of words."

This was, for Rackhir, a better than fair apology, and I at least owed him as much one in any case and gave him as much. "Granted. No less shocked than I was at the turn of events I'm sure, or the manner in which they were revealed"

At this point, Rackhir grimaced and gives a look of immense frustration as he says "I have tried to tell myself for the past year that she was dead, that I had extracted some pitiful measure of revenge for what she did. The last time I had seen her, one of my arrows was sticking out of her throat and she was coughing out blood along with her last breath."

He paused for a moment fists compulsively clenching and unclenching, before continuing "If only I had been able to spare another minute to make sure of her corpse, but there just wasn't time... if I had just known, it was her up there... To have been so close and to have missed the opportunity... but, the presence of my mother's clan's men confused me. I do not know why they were fighting at her behest or why she is pursuing the course of action she is, but she extraordinarily treacherous and deceitful."

"I admit I had seriously considered simply mounting my horse and riding north in search of her, but eventually I decided if she is looking for me, I may as well prepare to greet her properly when we are 'reunited'. Given the frequency with which we are assaulted by Gulthias horrors, I do not think we will have long to wait before we shall have a chance to revenge ourselves upon her. I would appreciate it if you would have one of the servants notify me when Aran'gel awakes, I am keen to know more about his battle with Ravenna and her men. Your vigil over him does you credit, if you desire a rest. Please notify me and I shall watch over him for you. "

I thanked him for the offer, which I considered sincere and a significant gesture from him. I told him that as for this matter between us, I would be pleased to consider it past if he felt it was settled. I also suggested that while I know he cares little to speak of that which has gone before in his life, it may be helpful for him to tell us all the full tale that we might be better prepared.

I did appreciate Rackhir’s offer, though I will not likely take it. Not as any slight to him of course. But Aran’gel will have to be asleep a very long time before I will move from here.

The players

During this commercial break, and since I have time at work, here's a brief writeup of various key NPCs
Lord Gelban: a prominent lord in Greyhawk and the person who employs our adventurers. He is in fact a gold dragon and part of a network of dragons that works behind the scenes to bring some stability to the Flaness. He is "The Gilden" which denotes a position within the council. He gives the party their instructions and provides for them generally speaking.

Ariadne: Lord Gelban's half-dragon daughter.

Bellack: evil druid of Vecna (a.k.a. one of the evil vecnids of drua) tending the Gulthias tree in the Sunless Citadel. Also known as "that dead guy", because we killed him dead.

Drawmij: a powerful mage, one of the council of eight, a group of mages led by Mordenkainen

Mordenkainen: see above

Aethelweard: Captain of the guard at Lord Gelban's estate in Greyhawk

Nasir, a.k.a. The Cupric: Lord Gelban's steward and head of household. Actually a copper dragon and also on the council of dragons. He plays the subservient role in public to Gelban, and seems to chafe a little at that. He's a bit of an arrogant snot but that's just my opinion.

Rasha: Not really an npc. Kayleigh's familiar, acquired after the Citadel.

Crescent: Not really an npc. Jozan's dire wolf mount. (i.e. Paladin's steed)

Meepo: um...yeah.

Aran'gel: The Warden of Highfolk. This elf is an Arcane Archer and has ties to the dragons. He was first encountered during the Forge of Fury and has re-appeared.

Nightscale: black dragon residing in the Forge of Fury. Deceased. The second dragon the group killed.

???: There is an orcish druid with a wolf companion that has plagued the group and nearly killed a few of us. His name is unknown. Theoretically there could be more than one orcish druid for all we know.

Marcus: A druid who escorted us on part of a journey. Actually another member of the Council of Eight, Warnes Starcoat.

???: The man believed to be currently leading the Scarlet Brotherhood. Seen in a vision by Dravot during A Well Earned Rest, and by Jozan in a dream during Flight of Arrows. We believe this because we've seen him in connection with Brotherhood affairs giving orders but Wizardru has indicated that this may not be the case. Since we like to re-name most everything we find, we're now calling him Mister Heat Miser.

Thora: Dravot's older sister. Currently serving as Regent.

Steffania: Dravot's younger sister. About 12 years old.

Gerrin: Dravot's older brother, and the apparent heir, except that he's a spoiled, drunk, party boy with no desire nor talent to rule

Roget: Dravot's older brother, believed to have been dead for many years. He returned recently but was in fact a demon impersonator.

Chavram: Dravot's grandfather and an animus created by Ivid the Undying.

Bubba: The bebbilith that was posing as Roget during A Family Affair. Bubba was just our name for him. This bugger got away before we could give him a little payback.

Fellsoul: (a.k.a. SwellFoal a.k.a. SwellFella, full name in the text) a blackguard in service to Iuz, working with Chavram during A Family Affair. Also quite dead.

Sebastian: Roget's bastard half brother. Also an animus and priest of Hextor. He was made an animus by Chavram and serves Chavram's agenda.

Bellamy: A priest of Pelor and friend to Dravot's family. It was Bellamy's example that made Dravot enter the priesthood. He's an older man, and an 8th level cleric.

Jasmine: one of the household staff at Dravot's family estate.

Thorkeld: The Champion of the House for Dravot's family. A 7th level paladin of Pelor. He is now Dravot's cohort via the leadership feat.

Ravenna: Rackhir's wife, which he killed but apparently has been brought back.

The Brazen: Another dragon, brass by color. He is in charge of the general area that includes Ahlyssa. He is very concerned by Chavram's activities.

Hammer and Tongs, the Caldera twins: two twin copper dragons that assist the Brazen. Tongs flew Jozan and Kayleigh to rescue Aran'gel during Flight of Arrows.

The Shadow King: We don't know much about the shadow king except that he's out there. There are good shadows (and folks touched by them, like Valanthe) and bad ones. The bad ones work for the Shadow King. I'm not entirely sure if the king is imprisoned and they seek his release or not. The shadows played a role in A Family Affair but it was very hard to spot (compared with, say, hoards of wererats attacking a temple.)


Other major players:

Forces of Vecna

Forces of Iuz

Forces of Therizdun and the Scarlet Brotherhood.

Flight of Arrows - Chapter 3

Flight of Arrows - Chapter 3

OOC Notes:

Experience for this session is 1200.

After the sell-off of assorted stray loot, your purse increases by 750 gp each.


This Week's Adventure:

After two days, Aran'gel has still not awakened. I have kept a constant watch on him and he has not stirred. I've used the time to see to various details, having little else to worry about. When he awakens, he'll find fresh armor, clothes, a new bow and arrows, all ready for him. The bow is surely not of the quality he is used to, coming from my hand, but I hope it will do until he fashion or retrieve something more suited to him.

The household staff is actually quite good and very supportive, offering whatever I need without being intrusive. They've taken to calling me "Lady Kayleigh." Apparently Jozan is now "Sir Jozan" and we also have "Lady Valanthe." It seems Scorch and Rackhir are not particularly titled in their minds.

Apparently Scorch has been going on about the lack of materials in this town for his studies. They are going to go to Hexpools to find what he needs and let the others do some shopping as well. Jozan and Rackhir go with him, and they also take Bellamy who needs to return to his temple. I declined for obvious reasons.

Later that day, Aran'gel finally woke up.

"Correlian's Grove! Such a dream I had...I imagined that I.....", and as he spoke, he lifted his right arm...and catches sight of the stump where his hand should be. I saw the look of dread realization come over him, as if
he was falling down a deep hole inside of himself. And then he screamed. I sat on the bedside and put my arm on him and my hand on his cheek.

His scream faded to sobbing, and he was whispering "The Mark…she took The Mark…" There was little I could do but let him grieve.

A few moments later a servant arrived to check on the noise. By then he had quieted, but wore an aura of dread like a shadowed cloak.

I sent the girl for food and to fetch Lord Dravot and she quickly departed. Some fifteen minutes passed without a word before Lord Dravot arrived with his healing kit. He only barely spared a look at him and lapsed into his silence again. Dravot then examined him.

With a screech of what I assume is pleasure, Aris came in through the window. He must have been hunting quite a ways away to have taken this long to return once he realized his master was awake. Aran'gel offered his right arm as a landing, then winced and offered his left. I sat far enough back from him to allow Aris to land.

Aris and Aran'gel exchanged information quickly in their way. Apparently Aris was able to bring him out of his mood better than I was because Aran'gel recovered at least some of his presence of mind.

"I....I forget myself, my manners. Thank you. It is obvious you heard my call. Would that I had sent it sooner." He pauses, contemplating something. "Don't think me rude...but, I must know. My hand. Did you save my hand?"

I told him that yes, we brought it back and preserved it as best we could, though for what purpose I am unsure. I also told him that we did not have the strength of spellcraft here to repair the damage done to him.

I was surprised by his reactions to this point on many levels. I was surprised at the depth of his shock - I suppose I thought he knew what had happened to him rather than realizing it just now. And I was still trying to understand this man and how we were linked, but more on that in a bit.

"Good. You did me no harm...others are to blame for that. The Black Archer and her monsters take that honor. I need to see if my memory is true...if the mark is gone from my severed hand." He again stared at the stump, a brief flash of anger crossing his face.

I placed a small wooden box on his lap that contained his hand.

"I was a fool. I thought the spells we lay for protection would be enough...but they had magic of their own, and not just the druid. I do not know if we were betrayed, or if they intended as such...but they appeared without warning, catching us unawares. We killed them two to a man, perhaps more...but they kept coming. Then, the spider came. It was like no horror I have ever seen. It cut through my men like a knife through butter. Finally, we broke."

From his descriptions it sounded like a bebbilith like the one that was Roget.

"They took me alive. As I see it now, they desired my capture, but I couldn't say why. Their leader, the black archer, she commanded them to crucify me...and then she.....DID something to me. She...stole the mark, stole my abilities...and then cut off my hand and broke my bow by way of final mockery. She wounded Aris so that we could suffer and die together. She ranted and raved about her husband, then told me to tell you that she was looking for him."

After some thought, I've become convinced that Ravenna wanted Aran'gel to survive and to be rescued.

"I remember little from then. I had the strength to heal myself with a spell I had learned, and then used my remaining strength to contact you through the mark. It is a spell I know that allows those of our kind to ... communicate, after a fashion. I remember little from then on."

I told him very briefly of receiving his message and the trip to rescue him. I realized later that I hadn't mentioned where he was now, and he never asked, which I find puzzling.

I knew I had many questions for him, as did Rackhir, The Brazen and others, but so would Aran'gel. I thought it easier to answer his questions first before turning to my own.

He opened the box to examine the hand, staring at the palm.

"It is gone. I do not know how, but it is gone. I can still feel some of the ability, but when she...took something from me, the mark departed. I do not know how, or why. The mark is an outward focus of the spark, but it is NOT the spark. I could cut the sign with a knife, but it would not take the power. Somehow, she made me less than I am."

I looked to Dravot and said simply "Restoration?" and he nodded slightly at the possibility.

He closed the box, and put in on the small table near the bed. He raises his hand, and Aris flies across the room to rest on the windowsill. Dravot inspected his wounds, and asked some questions of his demeanor. He seemed
satisfied that the healing, at the of the body, is complete.

"I apologize for not speaking to you sooner," he begins. "The fault is mine. I recognized the spark in you the first time we met, but I was unsure of how long it would take to catch fire, and did not seek to worry you of it. I cast a simple spell upon the arrow I handed you, one to create a tie between us, champion to champion. It was merely intended to monitor your progress, and to know when the time of the drawing came. I never thought I would need to use it to save my life. I hope you understand I never meant to place you in peril. It is to my great dishonor that I used the enchantment such."

I smiled slightly at this and said "I'm fairly certain, Warden, that it was my choice to enter that danger, not yours. You did not compel me against my will. You simply asked, and thereafter the choice was mine to make. I chose to help you rather than let you die, and I would do so again. Except next time I would bring an extra cloak."

But he could not even find the smallest smile. "You are an Arcane Archer, Kayleigh. One of Corellian's blessed, we stand separate from our people. We have a duty to protect others from the likes of Iuz and his ilk, from the orcs who would hunt us, or the goblins who would rob us. Among our kind, it is a responsibility...no, a privilege to pass our knowledge to those who follow, those who share the spark. I have much to teach you, and our time is short. And I am....less than I was."

So it comes to this I thought.

Before I could form another thought, the door flew open, nearly thrown off it's hinges by a huge brute of a human with ruddy skin and fiery red hair. There never was anything subtle about Hammer.

"So it's true, then. You do be awake, aye? A long time it's been, then, Aran'gel Brightflame. Sure you'll be wishing for food, soon I'm thinking. How fare you, eh?"

"I am scarce close to well, sir Hammer. I am nothing more than useless, now." So saying, he raised his arm.

"Aye, well I'm sure that you do be feeling right sorry for yourself, anow. And maybe you oughts and maybe you oughts not. If you do be needing me, I'll be in ma forge, doing a turn for your friend 'a Dyvers. All the same,
I brung you this."

So saying, he produced an ornate wooden box with silver inlay and a pearlescent lock. It was a largish box, being almost as long as an arrow, and half as wide. It was not deep, but when he set it down, it landed with a serious weight.

"I'll be going back, now, young Aran'gel. You do be thinking on me words, then. I know ye of old, and I know your line, true enough. This sitting in bed do not be suiting you."

With that, he stormed out almost as quickly as he entered.

Aran'gel was clearly intrigued. I was just somewhat stunned. He asked for my help to go to the table - he was still somewhat weakened. He opened the box and inside saw a hand of iron.

I said something inane like "Seems you've been offered a new chance."

He simply stared at it for some time, uncertain whether he should even touch it. He then brushed it with his remaining fingers, and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kayleigh, my lord. I find that I am still very tired. Please don't think me rude, but I feel I need to rest. You look as if you could do with some rest, yourself. I need rest and...time to think."

I suppose I've been dismissed.

With that we left him, with a maid to keep an eye on him should he need anything.

Dravot excused himself to return to his duties, which lately largely consisted of mediating arguments between Gerrin and Thora.

And so there I stood. After watching him for the past two days, flying across half the Flaness into Iuz-held territory, and near freezing to death, I was dismissed. "So long, thanks for the rescue, things to do, excuse me won't you?"

Or perhaps "There is much you must learn. Now get out."

I was . . . a bit miffed. On one hand the man had been through more than I could possibly know in the past months and in the past few days. He had lost his men, lost his hand, lost his life force. He had much on his mind and much to consider. Surely I would be the least of those matters and it would unreasonable of me to think otherwise.

That did not change the fact that I still felt like some maid who had been told to go away.

So bothered by these conflicting notions that I'm writing this some days after the events occurred. To give myself time to sort it out, and since I was clearly no longer needed here, I decided to go out. Having been cooped up since my return from the Shield Lands, I decided to go out into the town for a while and enjoy the celebration that I missed. So with that I immediately went off into town. I suppose it was pouting, after a fashion.

I browsed the market, bought a few things and so on. As evening came I took a meal and visited various taverns. It had been too long since I had enjoyed the bards and of course they had some very interesting new tales to tell. Of course now I had the purse to reward the bards well, and I made sure to do so. Partly for their telling of the song or story, and partly for taking my mind off my troubles.

I just wish it had worked better.

As the night drew long, I decided to simply take a room in the inn I happened to be at. Since I was no longer needed at the estate, I wouldn't be missed.

The next day the others returned from Hexpools. And it was not an uneventful trip. I didn't learn of this til later but I mention it now - they were attacked on the trip. It appeared to be another spawn of the gulthias tree. Scorch has called it a Gulthite, and it appeared to be some tree-like type of golem. The leafy covering protected it until it was blasted away exposing the woody structures underneath. While a formidable beast, they fought with vigor and were able to destroy it. Was this another ambush for us, or a bad stroke of luck? Answering this question is vital, given that if it was an ambush, we may have a spy among us.

I passed some two days in town this way, moving among the markets, between taverns, or just taking a walk in the woods outside town. I did not find a resolution between my conflicting ideas, but I had at least determined that Aran'gel had enough on his mind that I would not be troubling him with my petty concerns. But having no pressing reason to return to the estate, I didn't.

Or wouldn't have for a time at least. It was a bit after lunch and I was sitting around a tavern and a small boy came up to me with a note. I looked at him slightly surprised but took the note. I was being summoned back to the estate as Aran'gel had made his decision.

Summoned.

Perhaps I am a maid after all.

The boy was waiting to see if he was to return anything to his employer. I toyed with the idea of waiting a few hours before returning to be difficult, but rejected it and thanked the boy. After finishing my wine I returned to the estate, though in no great haste surely.

One thing was very clear - there were a LOT more people here than when I left. A few inquiries told me why - apparently there was a grand banquet tonight with various visiting noble houses as both a celebration and a political affair.

I made my way to Aran'gel's room and found the door open and Dravot inside. Aran'gel was standing over the box with the hand in it. Aran'gel says he has decided to accept Hammer's gift. I did my best to stay quiet and not let my mood add to his troubles and I had promised myself I would.

He takes the iron hand and places it against his severed wrist. There is a brief blue flash and the iron glows and runs hot down his arm, melting with the flesh partially down his arm. The glow quickly faded and the hand was clearly part of him.

He looked at the hand, which was still extended flat. He then looked at us.

"I . . . somehow expected something more." We shrugged at each other. He then said "I also thought the fingers would move. This doesn't seem much help." Then I realized that the fingers were indeed fixed - I too had thought they would move. He then used the hand to close the box but the box stuck to his hand as if glued. We looked at it and each other. He then released the box with a bit of thought, and then picked it up again and started nodding. "Hm. Not what I expected but this could work…" He then looked around and asked for a bow and I handed him the one I had prepared for him. He put an arrow in and managed to fire it into the headboard of the bed, to Dravot's disapproval. He nodded, not entirely displeased but still uncertain.

Dravot told him of the celebration tonight and that he was welcome to attend if he was feeling up to it. Aran'gel inquired as to whether he would have to be pleasant and upbeat, and Dravot said no he could seat him at the far end of the table.

To my surprise, Aran'gel asked if I would attend with him. I replied "Do I have to be dour and moody?"

He did not laugh or even smile, but seemed to yield the point. I excused myself to get ready but Dravot caught me in the hall. He had not had a chance to talk to me since Hammer had been in Aran'gel's room.

"Did you hear what Hammer called him?"

I thought back. "Only vaguely. My heart was still racing after he slammed open the door. Why?"

Dravot looked around before speaking, "Aran'gel Brightflame." I simply nodded not grasping his point.

"Brightflame." Slowly my mind started realizing where he was going as he continued "Brightflame, such as in Prince Melf Brightflame, kin of Yolande, Queen of Celene." I nodded finally seeing where he was going. Had I not been so distracted I surely would have seen it for myself. Was Aran'gel kin to the royal family? Was he perhaps the Prince under another name? (That seemed unlikely.) Surely this was an important item, but I was unsure what it would mean. I thanked Dravot and went on my way. After careful thought, I've decided to keep this to myself for the time being.

On a whim, I went to the alchemist shop and purchased a potion of charisma. It was a shameless expense, but I just wanted to be pretty for the night, for no one but myself. And I had little else to spend my gold on.

Fortunately the gown I purchased in Dyvers was just the thing for this type of affair, and I took a long bath and enjoyed the preparations.

Dravot entered the affair with Gerrin and Thora - in their rush to outpace each other they found themselves leading Dravot slightly but there was little conflict between them for the rest of the night. To my amused surprise, Scorch arrived with Valanthe. Both were very nicely dressed, though knowing her I could see Valanthe's discomfort in the finery.

Aran'gel did at least make some effort to not be depressed for the evening. He did try to use his new hand several times though and that had some moments. I was rather amused when he tried to use the hand to take a drink, and found that not only did the goblet stick to the hand but so did the wine inside. I was smiling a lot but he was not amused. I wondered if he would ever be amused at anything again.

Lord Dravot made a proclamation during dinner. Servants came with a box for each of us, and Lord Dravot issued his thanks to all those that helped the house during the recent crisis. He then made each of us a Companion du Soleil Argent. This is a high award in the house, only awarded singly in history, but the conditions merited this reward for us. In the box was a medallion of a silver sun. I was touched at this gesture from Dravot and wore it that evening.

After the ceremony and the plesantries, he also announced the succession plan for the family. Thora would serve as Regent for one year and the succession would be decided at this time next Firemeet. One of the visiting nobles from the House Darmon was preparing to say something when Gerrin whispered something in his ear and he sat back down. Gerrin then handed him something and slipped away. Other reactions were varied but there was no great outcry and the feast continued.

Overall it was a very pleasant evening - food, dancing, performances, and so on.

The next day, Aran'gel requested a horse and supplies. He was planning to return to the Shield Lands to find his remaining men, if indeed any escaped.

Before he left, he spoke to me privately.

He thanked me for my help, and for 'pointing him back to the road', so to speak. He had lost faith, somewhat, because he sacrificed a great deal to follow his path, and worried that now he had lost it.

Further, he wants me to begin training you in the skills of the Arcane Archer. "You know how to use a bow, and you know how to use a spell," he said. "Now you must learn how to use both as one. I have learned spells that are specific to those with our skills. When we have time to spend, you and I shall begin your training, if you wish it."

"Your friend Rackhir wields the bow like a hammer...as a pure and simple weapon of death. It can be more. The bow can be like a pen, a torch or a piece or rope. Creative. Useful. Versatile. The mark is a symbol, but it is not the power. That power rests within you, with the spark. Focus upon it until we meet again, and seek your focus. My power is reduced, but not my knowledge...and this I give freely."

With that he rode off.

After he cleared the gates, I was rather annoyed. "You must learn how to use these skills. You must begin training. See you later!"

Feh.

And off he went, riding to what could well be his death. I suppose the training isn't that important after all. Oh well. I suppose I could try and figure it out for myself. Someone must have done it once.

I spent the next hour in the garden, fuming and muttering under my breath.

I wonder how long it will be until the next time I see him. He certainly didn't say he was coming back, and I have no idea how long we'll linger here.

After I calmed down I decided I may as well do as he said - focus on the spark. With him or without him, my path clearly lies there. We lingered in Brindenford some weeks - Scorch had much he wanted to do and we had no other pressing business. This being the case I had little else to do but explore that spark and I did so. After a few days I had calmed down, and did indeed begin to focus and explore that flame. After a week, I was sure there was no turning back, not that I wished to. And I was sure I would continue, whether I had a teacher or not. And my expectations were "not".

After two weeks, I changed my mind. Not out of optimism, but a feeling. I knew he was coming.

After three weeks, Aris circled the estate and cried out. Rasha was, as usual, disinterested, but Aris landed on my offered arm. "So he's almost here is he?" I said and Aris chirped slightly and took off again.

And just before dinner, Aran'gel rode into the estate. Over dinner he told us his findings. It was very clear to me this was not a casual sharing of information - there was a purpose, and this was a briefing.

He found ten of his men that had survived the battle. These men had tried to keep an eye on the area as best they could. They had also returned to rescue Aran'gel but by then he was gone. During their work they had intercepted a few scouts and tracked troop movements in the area. They were hoping to find Aran'gel when he found them. The various communications they intercepted indicate the troops are searching for something called "The Twisted Grove" that lies within a ruined elven city in the Shield Lands. The forces are also warned specifically to watch out for any troops acting under orders from Chavram, and also to be on the lookout for "the traitor". They are very clearly warned to be wary of "the traitor" and not actively engage him now that they know him to be an active agent of Therizdun. The troops are to find the site of this city and try to locate some object. It also seems that the intended reader is not the brightest person, or may not have Common as their primary language.

The Brazen has requested that we investigate this further. (Needless to say I was not surprised.) The dragons are beginning to piece together more information and there are probably several groups trying to find the binders.

They also have a theory as to why Venca is corrupting druids and using them for his plans. They believe Vecna is using the druids to access the elven places of power that have been concealed. The druids would be the most skilled at this and he is using them to help find the binders. They believe that the elves hid the binders knowing what had happened and that the power needed to be removed from the world.

So we concluded our stay in Brindenford. We arranged for a ship to take us from Prymp back to Greyhawk and from there we would sail to Radagast. We spent but a day in Greyhawk and finally relieved ourselves of some of the more esoteric items we had been planning to sell, such as Nightscale’s hide. I can’t help feeling I should find some kind of use to put all this gold to.

As we sailed, I learned, and Aran’gel taught. While I had been away, Dravot had used a restoration spell to return some of what was lost to Aran’gel, but unfortunately not all of it. But he was still an able teacher and I was a motivated student.

Of course I had motivations that went beyond learning. I was determined that he not remain in his somber mood. Jozan has told me that Aran’gel is normally quite different and I’ve decided to help him through this whether he likes it or not.

The voyage offered us more time to talk than we had ever actually had in our brief encounters. And I learned a great deal. He feels very guilty for abusing my trust as he puts it, by putting a spell on me without my knowledge, and then for using it for selfish ends. I have made it rather clear that a single apology was sufficient and started to tease him when he kept going on about it, and he learned to let it go.

I also think he looks at me as more than a protégé. When the halfling bartender told me he was asking about me with his lurid overtones, I simply dismissed it. But now I think he was right, if crude. He is attracted to me, but I think it conflicts with his sensibilities and what he sees as his responsibility to teach me. I find the conflict somewhat amusing personally, since I don’t see a problem with it. But it offers me a means to help him out of the darkness he is surrounded by, and I intend to use it.

I also learned that he was a bit miffed that we didn’t offer to come with him when he first went to look for his men. He commented that it was nice to have us along this time. I looked at him in surprise and said that we would have come had he asked, and that he had not seemed receptive to company. Then I looked at him with big slightly hurt eyes and said "Did you think I wouldn’t have come had you asked?" I knew the effect this would have, and I was right.

He massaged his forehead against the oncoming headache. Did he think I was going to make it easy for him? He said "I knew you would go if I obligated you...that wasn't the way of it." At which point I disabused him of the notion of "obligating" me, with a grin.

"Perhaps I'm too used to not asking. I'm used to others knowing my thoughts and ways....it was perhaps foolish of me to expect such. My mother said more than once that I was more like a dwarf than an elf when I was in a funk. My brother often said I was more like a dwarf like an elf when I was in my cups. But then, no one ever cursed me to wake up in the morning and dance naked in the sunlight every day." And then he smiled broadly, and it was a very pleasant thing to see. Once he realized he was doing it, he stopped though. And then I could only smile more.

I debated straying into the topic of his family, but decided not to for now.

We arrived in Greyhawk, and had a day before the ship would continue to Radagast. Since there was no reason to remain on the ship, I didn’t. There was always things of interest to do in Greyhawk, and markets to browse, songs to hear, and food to eat. And I was determined to go off and have some fun. And of course I took Aran’gel with me. And as expected, he protested, wanting to stay in his cabin and be moody. But I was not going to be refused so easily, and a bit of pouting easily overcame his protests (which were only just for form’s sake anyway). We had a very pleasant day as I dragged him from market to market, then meals and taverns. Rather than return to the ship we just stayed out all night and returned in the morning, since we could rest once underway. (This let me avoid issues like off-ship sleeping arrangements, which neither of us were ready to deal with yet.)

In spite of himself, I think he had an enjoyable day, and perhaps forgot for a little while all the troubles he bears.

One thing that came up was that in Greyhawk we might be able to have his hand regenerated. But Aran’gel refused – he wishes to wait until after this mission is done before even considering it. He also has “uses” for the iron hand – what he meant I’m not sure.

He does at least have a renewed sense of purpose – with a mission before him and a student to be taught, he has new purpose, and that is also helping to bring him back to himself.

The ship sailed after a day and hugged the southern coast to stay clear of Iuz’s influence. Aran’gel and I began training more seriously now, and delving into more of the arcane subjects now that the spiritual groundwork had been laid. We also discussed the sortie in great detail. We arrived in Radagast without incident. Aran’gel took trouble to conceal himself once there, and we slipped out of the city drawing as little attention as we could.

A side trip

From Valanthe's Journal

Firemeet 7, 591 C.Y.

- I made a deal with a dragon today. Again. I swear that they enjoy this sort of thing as much as hoarding treasure. (Note to self: Why is it that all the dragons I know are folks I can't steal from? Need to find more evil dragons to rob, not these politically active work-within-the-system nabobs). It started just after Firemeet.

I've been trying to find someone to make that armor for me since Dyvers. We didn't have enough time to check around Hexpools last time I went through. I did some checking, though, and it turns out that one of the friends of the Brazen is known to be a master smith. Typical dragon, I guess, doesn't do things in half-measures. Thought I'd see whether or not he could be talked into crafting the armor I wanted.

I checked around town, hoping to find a good smith. But this is Brindinford, not Greyhawk. The best smith in town works for the house of d’Chandangac, and he’s no master. I was at his forge, when this giant of a man shows up. The smith treated this man mountain like he was in charge, and I guess he was. His skin was a ruddy copper color, his head shaved smooth and bald. He had long sideburns, but no mustache or beard. He didn’t wear no shirt, just one o’ those forge aprons. His hands are covered in gauntlets, and I know mithral when I see it, and his huge muscles meant he knew the inside of smith, all right. He had a large tattoo on his upper shoulder...i know a little old Flan from Ardestor, and that’s the rune for 'Copper', or I’m a halfling. The local smith told me who he was, and I put the rest together myself.

I decided subtlety wasn’t worth the effort here, so I told him straight up what I wanted. I’ve been saving some money, he’s an ally, and I was hoping he could find the time. He scratched his head and looked at me.

"Nae, naught normally do I. Ah, but yuir one a' the young lairds
companions, hey? The Sleepless, was it? "

I quickly told him who I was, and confirmed what he knew about me.

"Ya, as well I thought, then." He lowered his hammer and used a pair of tongs to grab the piece of metal he'd been working and dipped it into a barrel of water, causing a cloud of hissing steam to rise.

"Yer don' us a good turn, and no mistake. I don' normally make armor on request, but I could find time fuir yuir like, then. Ask on then, and I'll tell ya as sure enough."

I told him about the armor I’d heard tell of, and asked his help with it.

"Dark Armor, is it? Hmmm. May as I can forge it, but there's a problem. Armor like that, it requires some special items. Rare ones, at that. I don' have 'em here, nae in my forge in Hexpools."

He stopped for a moment, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. He sized me up for a moment, and then went on.

"There is a way, mind ye. I do know of a source for some a' these things that's about a half-day's ride. But it's dangerous, and 'taint..well, ya must naught speak of it ta The Gilden, nae yuir young laird, neither."

"I do know of a place, an old tower, at least by your reckonin. Yuir can find it easy enough, once I draws it fer ya. A fella lives there what we know of, and canna do much about. A mage he is, and a foul sort, too. We'd be melting his mask, if it were that simple, but he's got powerful friends, and we canna draw their attention.not yet. But there ain't nothing says we can't poke 'im a little, aye?"

"Yuir needin to find yuir way in and find a mask. It'll be carved a' some metal, and worked ta be black as night. Mays be it's in a case, mays be not. Take that, and nothing else, and yui'll get yuir armor, sure as I can make it. What say ya?"


He gave me a map and instructions to reach a small house, or some sort of abandoned keep. This wizard whose name was Ibra’him, a member of the Horned Society in exile, had sought refuge in this abandoned keep. The Hammer didn’t know what his agenda was, but did know that he was too powerful to become confronted directly. He wasn’t undefeatable, mind you…but he has connections. He said he could make the armor without the item…but that it might take months or longer to find the necessary materials.

So the options were wait and hope for something before winter, or rob from a rich and formerly powerful wizard responsible for repressing an entire nation. Easy choice in my book. Hey, Tritherion would be proud. I think.

The others planned on going to Hexpools for a little shopping trip. I thought Scorch's jaw would hit the floor when I mentioned I wasn't planning on going. Jozan just gave me a suspicious look. I'm not sure if he was wondering what I was planning, or just if I was going to be a 'bad influence' on Meepo. I think he's starting to suspect that I'm the one who's been teaching Meepo a few tricks. That, and Tonk. Never hurts to know a few human card games. Especially ones that can...ahem...make you some money. Besides, it's all for charity. Who cares where the money comes from? It's what you do with it that matters. That reminds me, time to send another care package to Mother Gota...that gem of Ibra'him should do nicely.

Hmm? Oh, Ibra'him, right. Lost my thought, there. Anyways, I waited 'til they were out of town, left a note for Kayleigh and Dravot, made a quick shopping trip and headed out the next morning. I made sure Dravot didn't catch wind of what I was on about.... he’s as much a stickler about these sort of things as Jozan is. I doubt he’d approve of what the Hammer’s asking me to do. He’d probably start another one of those damn ‘rug’ lectures. Make a mistake once, and he’ll never let you forget it. “You’ve got to be more careful. You’ve got to follow the rules. Blah. Blah. Blah.” Give me one of Ardestor’s lectures, any day of the week. It’s still boring, but at least he’s not being chased by the undead all the time. Hmmph.

Anyways, I saddled up my mare, Apple, and rode out. Yes, that’s my horse’s name. You don’t like it? I’ll have her bite you. Or would you rather I gave her some silly Elven name or something? Anyways, it took me the better part of the day to follow the Hammer’s instructions.

The map eventually took me into the forest, off the road. Great. I’m a city girl. I hate doing this sort of thing in the wild. Especially with evil druids running around everywhere, but there it is. I led Apple along ‘til I found the small valley amidst the hills. I clung to the shadows and headed on foot towards the clearing, where the old tower stood.

The tower was in the center of a circular clearing. The grass had been killed or cut very short for approximately fifty feet around the tower. The tower itself appeared to be made of stone with cement or mortar layered over it, to prevent easy purchase. The tower rose some 60' into the air, and had no visible doors of any kind. There are signs of three windows running up the tower, but they had all been sealed using stones and mortar. The top of the tower came to a conical slate roof. I noticed something built on the roof...but at this distance I couldn't make it out. It might have been a window facing skyward. There was also a pole (maybe a flagpole? Still don’t know) rising some 15' above the roof. I think it was made of brass. Not sure though.

I went full-on shadow, if you know what I mean. It would still be a leap-of-faith to cross the killing field, but sometimes you just have to take that chance. I waited for the right moment, when the clouds blocked the sun, and moved from the clearing towards the tower. Once I was close, I kept a careful eye and even used small stones test the area in front of me. I expected there to be traps….but I missed the Glyph all the same. I smelled that telltale odor and felt the air change just in time…a bolt of lightning shot from the ground and shot right at me! I didn’t get this far without knowing when to jump, though, and I got out of the way. For the most part. It still hurt like hell, but it wasn’t fatal. Right. Lesson learned. What did LittleShade tell me? Some wizard traps can be keyed to people, or size or whatever. Obviously stones didn’t count, here. Check.

The tower had no way in that I could see. At least, for someone who couldn’t climb, I guess. I had my boots on, so up I went. Checking for any further traps, I walked up the wall and headed straight for the roof. If there was a way in, it’d be up there.

The roof of the tower was made of gray slate shingles. The roof window was a circular window with a grate over the top. The window was about 3' in diameter, I think. Mind you, it’s not like I carry surveying tools or anything…but I do carry some measuring tape and the like. Sometimes you need to know what you can get through a window. The grate looked like iron to me, and had a heavy lock on the outside (to open it from below, you'd have to reach through the grate). The grate itself was fairly large, and a normal person could easily get their hand through it (it wasn’t a fine mesh...just a way to prevent birds from entering, most likely). It was cloudy now, lucky me, so my shadow was light. The sun was in front of me, so I didn't cast a shadow on the window. The glass was pretty crude make, if you ask me (and looked like it had shifted during cooling), but it let light into the tower, and what else do you need it for, anyway. I could see a poorly furnished room inside. It was child’s play to pick the lock, open the grate and get inside. I expected trouble, but got none. Sometimes you just get lucky.

The room had some boxes, and was relatively clean. No dust. Bad sign, that. The boxes were all for storage, and if the Hammer told me right, then it wouldn’t be here. He said it was something like a trophy or prize…and this isn’t where you’d store that. But you can never tell…wizards are an awfully fruity lot. Along the outer wall was a stairwell, winding it’s way down against the tower.

I went down the stairs. I noticed something downright odd. While from the outside the windows were sealed, it was obvious that from this side, they are allowing light in, as the next floor was receiving light from the outside. Silently moving along the stone stairs, I came into some sort of study. There was a desk and chair of really poor make, if I’m any judge, with a pile of neatly stacked papers atop it. There were several inkwells, each containing inks of different colors....if it's ink they contained. There was a large book on a book stand, closed with a sturdy lock upon it. No way was I messing with that. At least, not yet. The window itself had a picture frame around it. Where the frame covered the window, I could see outside, and the sunlight was coming in through it. I could see the mortared window behind it where the frame didn't match its dimensions, though, and some testing revealed it was just some sort of illusion or something, and not a portal.

Something bugged me about the view, though, and I realized that it wasn’t looking directly outside and appeared to be looking out over a different forest in a much rockier place. It's was sunnier there, wherever it is. A rug of rich colors, maybe from the Sea Princes, covered the floor. A rug…I’ll have to watch that.

I played with the picture, and searched around. I avoided the book…bad mojo to mess with that. If Scorch is any indication, I could get my hair burned off with that thing.

I headed down again. It was a bedroom, of sorts. When I reached the bottom, I realized that something was there. Unfortunately, it had the same idea, and decided it’d better deal with me. I panicked for an instant, thinking it might be the wizard, but instead a wolf crawled out from under the bed and attacked. I had no idea where this thing came from, but we danced nonetheless. It was no normal wolf, I knew. It tried to get me, but this thing wasn’t a real wolf. It moved all wrong. I rolled to the side and past it, hit the floor, pulled my dagger of poison and slit it’s belly wide-open. It screamed as I landed a particularly nasty strike, and it went down in a heap. As it collapsed, it melted into a little demon-like humanoid. I finished him off for good measure. Too many things have gotten back up lately for me to make that mistake.

I did a quick look around. A coat rack stood nearby, the bed, a dresser and some sundry furnishings. First things first, as Mother Gota used to say. Down the stairs to the ground floor. If the mage was here, then that’s where he’d be. I had to be sure, if I was to do anything else. Creeping slowly down the darkened stairs, I could see eerie light coming from below. By the odd colored lights, I could see alchemical equipment, and various tables. The lights appeared to be coming from some of the glass potion flasks. I could see small cages, and hear….things…moving. The good news was that there was no sign of the wizard. Good thing, as I haven’t found another way out of here. The bad news is that if the mask wasn’t somewhere upstairs, I’d have to venture into the lab. Not good. Never good. Ibra’him obviously liked to experiment on living subjects. I didn’t intend to become one. I went back upstairs.

A quick inspection of the dresser revealed nothing of value. I decided to move the mephit or quasit or whatever it was over to the corner, in case I needed to conceal it. Was this thing his familiar? Don’t these things disappear when you kill them? Stupid wizards. Under the bed was a locked chest. Even from here I could see the magic glyph hovering in front of it. I’ve learned a few things about deactivating these things…but they’re tough to deactivate without knowing the passwords. But it’d need some sort of human hand to trigger it, if I didn’t. I might be able to take the pain, or I might not. The lightning had hurt me more than I’d prefer, and my ribs still burned. But how was I going to get the chest? I stood and though about it…until my eyes came to rest on the little outsider.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. That’s just a mean thing to do to a dead familiar. Well, for your information, the stupid thing attacked me, was evil and worked for evil. Oh, and he was dead. Trust me, when the fireball exploded under the bed, he didn’t feel it. The coat rack that I’d tied him to was pretty much ruined, and the sheets on the bed caught fire. I honestly tried to put them out. I guess I just don’t like to see good linens go to waste. That and the fact that I didn’t want this place to burn down. This was just a nuisance theft, after all, not a search-and-destroy. I wanted Ibra’him irritated, not in a blood rage. I really hope that outsider wasn’t his familiar. I mean, I really, really, REALLY hope so.

Anyways, I opened the chest, and sure enough…the mask. Made of some obsidian carvings, and inlaid with gold. A hideous look, with two horns coming out of the forehead. Not sure what it’s for, but I sure don’t want to be the one to try it on. There were also some robes an a gem in the chest. The robes were pure silk, and very…well, wizard-looking. I mean, they had all these funny symbols on them, and looked very impressive. I thought about it for a moment, and snitched them for Scorch. In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.

Leaving was easier than arriving, but I still was cautious. I decided the sooner I leave the better. There was no telling how quickly the mage could return, or what he’d do when he go here. Did I mention wizards are a fruity lot? Well, they are. I crossed the clearing almost as carefully as before, once I was sure I wasn’t being watched. I followed my exact route back. The tower was still surrounded by warding glyphs, but the one I’d already tripped was gone, and I didn’t intend to repeat the first mistake.

It was another day before Apple and I returned to town The Hammer was well pleased with the mask, and pledged to forge my new armor (if forged is the right term…it’s leather, after all). It would take several days, but I’m not going anywhere. I checked up on the rest when I got back to town, and left a Scorch a little present. He grumbled, but he didn’t give them back after he found them, so I’m guessing that he’s examining them, at least. As for that gem….well, the orphans will appreciate the gold more than the gem, so I’m making arrangements for that back to Dyvers.

Not a bad haul for a few minutes work. Did I mention I hope that outsider wasn’t his familiar? Not that I’m concerned, mind you. Just….cautious.

note

(A poster on the old boards was confused by the changes in points of view so I posted this to clarify. At this point all of the players have ID's on the boards, and most correspond to their player name in this game.)


Our formats here have varied somewhat so I'll clear it up

Wizardru: the DM

Zad: er, me. I play Kayleigh, and I'm the one who writes most of the stuff here, and posts it. Occasionally there are journal entries from other characters (Dravot in A Family Affair) which are written by those players and just included wholesale in my post.

Valanthe's player is also married to Wizardru, so he is occasionally posting Valanthe's journal entries, but Valanthe's player wrote them.

Scorch: Feh.

This weekend's game had MASSIVE numbers of goblins. Look for a post today and maybe pictures. Also I'm gathering up stat blocks for posting.