Red Hand of Doom - Total Recap!

[Marquis de Sade]

Skull Gorge Bridge

The fight against the goblinoids huge army Red Hand of Doom continues...

My players have set up a war-room as a blog on the net and are discussing tactics for how to organize an effective guerilla warfare.

http://www.rhodhq.blogspot.com/

Last session we paused just as the players came to Skull Gorge Bridge. You should have seen their faces when I described the large Green Dragon on top of one of one of the towers. Yes, I bumped Ozyrrandion one level. One player suggested to run away immediately! But as their characters hid in the underbrush, the players themselves also cooled down. And as of now Im sure they are planning to take out the bridge somehow.

Geth Helder (Human Swashbuckler/Fighter/Dervish 3rd/2nd/1st) is the official commander of the freedom fighters, and they are combining all their experience and brain-power ( ) to rescue the pieceful citizens of Elsir Vale.

Ofcourse their pathetic try will only end with complete massacre and the humans bathing in their own blood as the mighty dragon of Tiamat burns the valley to the ground!

We will soon be back fighting it out.

I will keep looking in here so please post any comments or questions as you like!

And may the mighty dragon Tiamat feast on the lowly humans blood!!!!

 

[Marquis de Sade]

In search of allies

Tonight 4 of my players are coming over. Their goal: Destroy Skull Gorge Bridge. But last session ended with some arguments wether this was possible. It sounded something like this:

Active PCs:

Geth Helder, Human Swashbuckler/Fighter/Dervish, 3/2/1
Anor, Elven Ranger, 6th
Eluard, Aasimar Cleric/Church Inquisitor, 5th/1st
Arranos, Air Genasi Ranger, 5th
Milton Gerosh, Human Warmage, 1st

The players have just arrived at the end of the forest and can see the bridge in a distance. The mighty Dragon sits atop one of the towers. Hellhounds are breathing fire on the bridge itself and they can also see an encampment with 5 tents. My players turn silent, shaking their heads.

"A dragon? Hey, Im not gonna turn into Milton-cheese toast over this!" says Milton Gerosh and shakes his head. "Im saying we need to get back to Drellins Ferry and find a better defensive point to fight this battle. A fire breathing dragon, come on!"

Anor sits down from his horse and investigates the ground. His slender fingers let the soil sipper through. He looks seriously towards the distant bridge. His voice speaks firm but low. "You might be burned by the dragon my friend, but yet not by flames. I fear this dragon has another breath then the fire from hell."

Milton looks up at the proud elf. "Oh, great, so now we have special-design dragons as well! Nobody told me we were up against this sh*t! Im going home!"

"Perhaps Milton Gerosh should refrain from making premature judgements in a field outside of his own expertise" responded the sea-faring swashbuckler Geth Helder. "We have promised the people of Drellins Ferry to aid their cause, and so be it. You are going nowhere as of now says I".

Milton Gerosh pulls out some dried beef to comfort himself. "I wish a big fish could swallow that pirate sometime soon."

"My bow can strike that dragon many times before his breath can hurt us" says Arranos.

"I know my friend. And I would be there beside you letting my arrows fly towards its heart as well. But there might yet be another sollution to this" says Anor.

"Let me guess, I, Milton Gerosh will have to sneak up to the bridge, climb in under it and blow it to pieces, huh!?" says a disturbed Milton Gerosh sarcastically and lays himself exhausted to the ground.

"No, but do you remember the massive effigy we saw down the road? I reckognized it as the work of Forest-Giants. A race that is not evil and prefer to have silence and balance in their forest." Anor looks around on his friends tired faces. It has already been a long war, and they know it will yet be long before it can be over.

"What are you saying?" wondered Geth Helder.

"Im saying that perhaps we have more potential friends then we first thought." (Anor)

"And why would a bunch of Giants help us out in a war that doesnt concern them? You said yourself they wanted to be left alone in peace and quiet?" says Eluard the Cleric and clenches his holy symbol of Lathander. Almost as if squeezing out the last powers of the rays of the sun.

"What can be more disturbing to their peace and quiet than thousands of goblinoids burning and chopping down everything in their path!?" replies Anor.

Silence. Anor´s friends tired brains are working slowly, slowly. Suddenly their eyes regain new power. They believe.

"With the help of mighty Giants, perhaps we can take out that bridge after all. I swear you my friends one thing. I, Anor Laelithar, will do everything in my power to see to it. Now, mount your rides, off we go to meet the Giants of the Forest. We have a bridge to destroy!"

And so the friends rode off from the bridge with regained belief in their cause. But somewhere in the back of Milton Gerosh´s mind, and perhaps someone elses to, was that lingering feeling of having been pulled into a conflict out of their hands. Were they going to die hear on these southern plains of Faerun? Atleast it would be for a good cause he tried to tell himself. But what about all the people in the valley? How can we possibly save them?

Darkness fell and hid them as they rode slowly due south in look for a mighty ally. Will this be the last chance to delay the horde and the fate of the humans in the valley?

Only time will tell. And they dont have plenty of it.

To be continued....

 

[Marquis de Sade]

Skull Gorge Bridge

The heroes are doing recon over the bridge. They all agree that an all out attack is useless against the heavy guard duty. They see the Dragon, the Hellhounds, the encampment, and they notice movement and reflections from the towers. Snipers!

The PCs pull back to ride to the Forest Giant effigy. Milton Gerosh decided to return to Drellins Ferry and aid the evacuation rather than taking part in trying to take out the bridge. Being only 1st level this was probably a smart move. However, instead the Drow Rogue Vrinn joins the group.

So now we have:

Geth Helder, Human Swashbuckler/Fighter/Dervish, 3/2/1
Anor, Elven Ranger, 6th
Eluard, Aasimar Cleric/Church Inquisitor, 5th/1st
Arranos, Air Genasi Ranger, 5th
Vrinn, Drow Rogue, 1st

Session playing time: 6 hours, 17:00-23:00
Players: 4
Player Characters: 5

As they rode into the ruined steading of Warklegnaw, Anor held out the giant's belongings that they recovered from Vraath keep. "We are here as friends to see to it that you recover this item to you and your kin." said Anor in common. This turned old Warklegnaw immediately into "friendly". With Aid Another the others supported Eluard as he tried to win the giant to join their cause. A DC 25 Diplomacy turned Warklegnaw into Helpful. After having dinner together the giant walked north to persuade his kin to join against the goblinoids. Important allies indeed.

The friends now returned back to Skull Gorge Bridge to try and destroy it. My players studied the map intensily and discussed a long time before they set their plan to work. Geth Helder receiveed Major Resistance to boost his saves +4. Also he receiveed Resist Energy Acid which gave him Damage Reduction 10 against acid damage. They knew beforehand that Green Dragons have acid as breath weapon as they have fought one in "The Vault of Larin Karr". Eluard activated his Griffon Ring giving him Fly for 90 rounds, and also swallowed a potion of Invisibility. The plan was that Geth would distract the Dragon and lure him towards the forest line while Eluard flies in under the bridge to try and use 2 x Stoneshape to take it out.

Geth Helder, Anor, Vrinn, and Arranos were positioned along the tree-line, firing arrows towards the first Hellhound. They took it out already in the surprise round. Vrinn stepped out of cover momentarily shouting profanities towards the dragon "I hear your mother wasnt more than a dirty Wyvern!" he shouted in common. Furious, Ozyrrandion took off immediately wanting to burn Drow flesh. The other Hellhound now ran full speed to join the cause. As did the Goblinoids in the encampment after having readied their gear.

The Dragon moved much faster than the heroes thought he could. As he approached they could only manage a few hits with low damage. Enraged the Dragon engulfed Anor with acid. The slender Elf took full damage. The friends kept firing with ranged weapons but nothing seemed to stop the Dragon as he charged down on Anor and hit him with full force in melee. Anor went down to 9 hitpoints only. The other friends kept firing at the Dragon with ranged weapons, but they knew that Anor's fate was probably sealed by now. Unfortunatly they were correct in their assessment. The Dragon hit Anor again, leaving him at -4 hps. At the same time the other Hellhound came running closer and closer at full speed....

The heroes were now shooting and retreating, leaving Anor to his hopeless situation. They still hoped for Eluard to take out the bridge with his 2 x Stoneshape spells. Perhaps then would Anor's sacrifice be worth it all. The Dragon now turned to attack Geth Helder with it's breath-weapon. Geth's high saves and his Resistance to acid gave him only 7 damage, but he also knew that the Dragon would crash onto him as with Anor just before. He tried to retreat further but the Dragon charged him from the air and landed next to him. At the same time the other Hellhound attacked him. He started his Dervish Dance which gives him the possibility to move and attack, using tumble to avoid AoO. But the Dragon hit him again putting him in low hps. Vrinn and Arranos moved back and diagonally towards the deep forest and closer to Geth Helder to try and help him out. All the time firing covering fire with their bows. But too late. The Dragon used his full attack killling Geth Helder outright with -13 hps. Anor and Geth Helder were now both down. The situation was out of control and the party faced a TPK.

Back at the bridge Eluard used Stoneshape to try and take out the bridge. He attacked it at the middle from inunder. He damaged it, but it still held. The players were totally depressed. This was their last chance to take it out.

Vrinn now tried to run to the horses to flee the battlefield altogether. The Dragon followed him as he saw fast movement in the woods. After killing one horse it went after Vrinn. Vrinn managed to jump up on a horse but was sprayed with acid and died immediately at -18 hps.

In the meantime, Arranos had ran all the way to Anor and poured a potion of Cure Moderate Wounds into him. Anor returned back at 3 hps! He immediately started firing 3 arrows per round to try and wear down Ozyrrandion. But the other Hellhound arrived and attacked him and Arranos . The friends took it out immediately however. The Hobgoblins refrained from entering this combat, knowing they cant leave the bridge unguarded. They trusted Ozyrrandion to kill these infidels.

Ozyrrandion now attacked the remaining 2 heroes. But Eluard had flown back in from behind invisible, and used his power to heal Anor almost 100%. Anor and Arranos were now pounding the Dragon with arrows. Anor with 3 arrows per round, Arranos with 2. And now they were starting to roll better dice and to hit him good! Eluard activated his powerful Smite Evil spell which makes 5d8 damage! The Dragon failed its save and was now starting to feel hurt. However, he attacked Arranos with his breath weapon and then landed for melee combat. He killed Arranos who went to -13 hps, but Eluard immediately activated his Close Wounds spell, which revived Arranos instantaneously. Arranos then took a Total Defense action to try and survive. But he didnt. Next round the Dragon finally killed him outright at -18 hps.

Eluard activated Blessed Aim, giving Anor +2 on all ranged attacks. Anor now succeeded with an extraordinary feat! He hits all 3 attacks, 1 being a critical! The Dragon bled from all-over and took off badly hurt. The players were screaming and crying of joy. As the Dragon flew away in the distance, Anor activated his spell Guided Shot. This cancels all negative attack effects such as range. From 600 ft Anor again hit the Dragon 3 times. The last shot hit the Dragon straight in the back of his head. He fell down dead.

Ozyrrandion had been defeated by the mighty Elven Ranger Anor. 6 shots in a row hit, one being critical.

But the bridge was still standing, however badly damaged. Geth Helder, Arranos, and Vrinn were dead. But Anor and Eluard were still alive and they had shown the Red Hand of Doom that even their most strategic points are vulnerable. Having killed Ozyrrandion and the 2 Hellhounds it was a major blow to the guards at the bridge. Perhaps this weakness would prove fatal?

The heroes have the Staff of Life to bring back one of their friends from the dead. Who it will be from the 3 fallen comrades is yet to be learned. A difficult matter to resolve fairly.

This session was the closest a TPK this far. But they hold their ground and killed a powerful enemy. Will they now be able to also destroy the bridge?

We will know come next Tuesday.

To be continued....

 

[Marquis de Sade]

Last men standing

Eluard, Cleric of Lathander, is down on his knees. Tears in his eyes. 3 of his best friends slained by the mighty dragon Ozyrrandion. Eluard touches his holy symbol and let the rays of the sun bath his soul in the midday of the southern plains. He looks at his one remaining friend, the corageous elven ranger Anor. The elf never quit fighting. Alone against the dragon he let his arrows fly to strike its evil heart.

"I am sorry my elven friend. I tried my very best. I am so sorry."

The touched one bows his head. Anor steps up to him and puts his slender hand under his friends cheek, slowly but determinantly raising his head.

"I know Eluard. The battle is not over yet. We can still destroy the bridge. With the Staff of Life we can bring back one of our friends from the dead and still succeed in our mission."

But how can one choose which friend to bring back from the dead, wonders Eluard.

One of many questions still to be resolved in the war against the Red Hand of Doom. But Eluard regains his faith as he sees the mighty elf draw yet another magic arrow and placing it carefully on his powerful magic longbow.

"Put the questions aside for now Eluard. It is time to put this evil to an end. Lets go kill us some hobgoblins my planetouched friend." The elf smiles wrigly.

Indeed, the players have decided to stand and fight until death or victory. Skull Gorge Bridge will be attacked yet again one final time. This time with only 3 heroes. Lathander may bless the corageous at heart.

 

[Marquis de Sade]

Mission Completed

Skull Gorge Bridge. Built by dwarvish masters of stone hundreds of years ago. So near, yet so far away.

As 3 of 5 friends fell by the force of the mighty dragon Ozyrrandion, they contemplated running away to fight another day. But with Cinder Hills and the goblinoid horde so close Anor and Eluard feared that reinforcements may be arriving anytime soon. With the Staff of Life they resurrected their friend Geth Helder.

At the same time at Drellins Ferry, Falrinn the Svirfnebblin Druid has resurfaced after some time off. He met with Oulpatrull, an Elven Sorcerer claiming to have dragon´s blood in his veins. They set out for Skull Gorge Bridge to try and find their friends and if possible help out.

Falrinn and Oulpatrull arrived by their friends early afternoon, and they started planing to attack the bridge knowing that only 9 hobgoblins were left in the towers. So they charged with an open assault, full speed on their mounts. Falrinn was proud as he charged across the open field on his riding dog holding a lance in his arm. But the hobgoblins were alert and they showered the heroes with arrows. Geth Helder, just back from the dead, got hit. Anor, the mighty Elven Ranger marksman got hit 3 times for 21 damage....Aware of their delicate situation they turned back to the woods....

The hobgoblins seemed more potent than they first would have thought. Time for a new warplan. Again Eluard the Aasimar Cleric was planning to use Fly to attack the bridge from beneath. If he could only pray at dawn for 2 more Stoneshape, perhaps the bridge would fall. At the same time, Isilwen the Gray-Elf Wizard, left Drellins Ferry for Skull Gorge Bridge. Oulpatroll was totally fed up with being a target already and wandered alone off into the forest, away from it all. Isilwen on the contrary rode full speed to join his friends cause.

The final and third plan, was to have Geth Helder, Anor, and Falrinn, firing arrows at the towers and drawing attention towards them. At the same time Eluard will come flying in from the bottom of the canyon and yet again attacking the bridge from beneath. One final charge for the friends.

At dawn next day Eluard prayed to Lathander and succesfully received his spells. He took off about 3.600 feet to the east to be able to fly in towards the bridge unseen. The other friends attacked the towers head-on riding on their mounts. The hobgoblins fired back again, and the heroes noticed that there were several new tents present, more guards, and even a hellhound on the bridge. Reinforcements had already arrived! They took out the hellhound very fast, but the guards in the towers proved tougher. They were also hidden in the shadows of the towers and protected by crenellations and arrowslits.

But Eluard managed to fly in under the bridge unnoticed. He casted the first Stoneshape. One of the two huge blocks of stone making up the bridge´s centre crashed to the ground of the canyon far below, and almost crushed Eluard as well! One more block of stone to go....

Up by the towers Falrinn took 2 hits and turned back to safety. Anor and Geth Helder kept riding towards the towers drawing all the attention to them. As Eluard started casting the second Stoneshape, the guards started shouting, but too late! As the second block of stone was destroyed, the bridge started to collapse and as it went down the canyon so did the towers with the guards in them.

Skull Gorge Bridge was finally destroyed.

At a huge cost, but perhaps this might be one of many bricks that will defeat the Red Hand of Doom in the end.

As the tired friends rode back to Drellins Ferry they meet Isilwen who was on his way to meet them. They all rode to Drellins Ferry to watch the final steps of the evacuation. They met with Town Speaker Norro Wiston and Captain Sorannah Anitah to inform of recent events.

Only destiny knows what comes next.

To be continued....

 

[Marquis de Sade]

Admin Session

Tonight we played through a so called "Admin-session". That is I hand out XP awards, Victory Points, and the chracters progress in levels.

First out was XP awards. Eluard, Geth Helder, Anor, and Falrinn all levelled. Arranos was given enough XP despite of his death, so he will level as well if resurrected (after loosing levels for death ofcourse). Ilzzt did not level but only needs a couple of 100 XPs next time.

These are the current levels of the group: (new level underscored)

Eluard, Aasimar Cleric/Church Inquisitor/Radiant Servor of Pelor, 5th/1st/1st.

Eluard chose a level of Radiant Servant of Pelor to maximize his possibilities to turn undead and prepare to become a Morninglord of Lathander. He rolled for 5 new hitpoints and has 49 hps total. As a 7th level caster he can now cast 4th level spells which will be needed by the group.

Anor, Elven Ranger/Order of the Bow Initiate, 6th/1st.

Anor is focused on being a true sniper in the group. We all saw him shoot down Ozyrrandion by Skull Gorge Bridge from 600 ft when everyone thought it was all over. And now he will get even better as a sharpshooter. This guy can take out enemy officers from great distances. With his +3 Mighty Hunting Composite Longbow +3 Str he can threaten anyone. Anor rolled 6 for hitpoints, making it 56 hps total.

Geth Helder, Human Swashbuckler/Fighter/Dervish, 3rd/2nd/1st

Geth Helder lost his Dervish level as he fell at Skull Gorge Bridge. But the XP award for taking part in that same encounter raised him a level at the same time. So he got the Dervish level straight back. He is the melee fighter of the group with high AC 28 and 2-weapon fighting. He has also proclamated to be the leader of the resistance in the valley. With a roll of "11" Geth got a surge in his hitpoints up to 43 hps total. He was also given the Amulet of Health +2 found in Vraath Keep so he has 49 hps currently.

Falrinn´s player wasnt here today, but all indications are that he will choose Druid 3rd for Falrinn. Falrinn is currently a Svirfnebblin Druid 2nd.

Arranos player wasnt here either. He has 2 alternatives: 1) Play with his second PC; Milton Geroz, Human Warlock 1st, and wait until they have found magic items or a high level spellcaster to raise Arranos, Air Genasi Ranger 5th, from the dead; OR: 2) Forget Arranos and roll up a new PC one level under Arranos (4th level).

After the XP awards and level progression of 4 characters, it was time for the Victory Points.

This is how my players managed the first chapter:

Victory Points, 1st Chapter:

Destroying Skull Gorge Bridge - 2 VPs
Twistusk Forest Giants aid - 1 VP
Evacuating Drellin´s Ferry - 3 VPs
Killing Commanders:
Wyrmlord Koth - 2 VPs
Ozyrrandion the Green Dragon - 1 VP

Victory Points total: 9 VPs

DM comment: Excellent work!

My players have managed to fulfill all major objectives in the first chapter. They have lost 4 characters in the process, but of those 2 were 1st level and Geth Helder was resurrected. And my players did it in record time - only 6 full game days (we are at day 6 evening in RHoD!). Chapter 2 might hold serious challenges to the group, but they are well prepared to match the strategic advances of the horde with this good start.

Next week on Monday our adventure continues!

 

[Marquis de Sade]

Preparing for Chapter 2

My group is more than ready for chapter 2 after having gained 9 Victory Points (!) in the first chapter, and I know the following beforehand due to our midweek intensive emailing:

1) After the bloody battle at Skull Gorge Bridge where 3 of 5 PCs fell, the group will be reorganized.

2) My players have gathered lots of information and their first mission in chapter 2 will be to try and attack and destroy the road blockades into the valley.

3) They know Saarvith is somewhere in the Rhest area and will try to take him out as soon as possible efter the road blockades are gone.

4) Several of the PCs have leveled and chosen key Prestige Classes that will aid them well in their cause. Anor chose Order of the Bow Initiate as his 7th level, and Eluard chose Radiant Servor of Pelor. These are powerful classes and the heroes will be even stronger now in the 2nd chapter.

The group on Tuesday will probably be as follows:

Geth Helder, Hm Swashbuckler/Fighter/Dervish, 3rd/2nd/1st
Anor, Elvn Ranger/Order of the Bow Initiate, 5th/1st
Ilzzt, Drow Fighter/Wizard, 5th/1st
Eluard, Aasimar Cleric/Church Inquisitor/Radiant Servor Pelor, 5th/1/1st
Oulpatrull, Elven Sorceror 1st

As you can see Geth Helder is back from the dead thanks to the Staff of Life, although having lost a level due to Resurrection. Ilzzt is back in the group and takes the place left by Arranos who died at Skull Gorge Bridge. Ilzzt with his AC 29 is a formidable opponent and will add some juice for tough combat situations no doubt. Anor and Eluard have both leveled and added tough prestige classes, so they will be very interesting to follow the next couple of sessions.

As an Order of the Bow Initiate , Anor will continue to be a master marksman in the group. Remember how he killed the fleeing Dragon Ozyrrandion from over 600 ft distance! A remarkable feat. Eluard has immense power now to fight undead, but also with his 4th level Cleric spells he will be a tougher combat guy as well. He is also a formidable healer. Oulpatrull replaces Tatanka who fell at Vraath Keep. He is a 1st level PC and the other players will need to protect him in the beginning until he levels accordingly. Falrinn will not participate in tomorrows session even though he leveled to Druid 3rd - his player cant make it unfortunately.

Chapter 1 was tough but my players hold their ground and they managed to get the 9 Victory Points they needed. They are well equipped and moral is high for the 2nd chapter. I look forward to have more comments and questions from all you guys with great perception.

Happy Gaming and may God bless the mighty dragon of Tiamat!

 

[binkus]

Updates?

Any updates coming soon? I will be running this campaign soon and your story is good. I figured it would help me out greatly as my group started into it. I hope to see an update soon.

 

[kensanata]

Makes me want to abandon my current campaign and get started with Red Hand of Doom!

 

[Marquis de Sade]

Treason

Sorry guys, I have been skiing in the Alps. But here we go again!

The Heroes:

Geth Helder, Human Swashbuckler/Fighter/Dervish 3rd/2nd/1st.
Anor, Elven Ranger/Order of the Bow Initiate, 6th/1st.
Eluard, Aasimar Cleric/Church Inquisitor/Radiant Servor of Pelor, 5th/1st/1st.
Ilzzt, Drow Fighter/Wizard, 5th/1st.
Oulpatroll, Elven Sorcerer, 1st.

Session playing time: 5 hours.


The Spy

Back in Drellin's Ferry the heroes are greeted by Town Speaker Norro Wiston and Captain of the guard Soranna Anitah. They are thankful, but yet plagued by having to plan for the evacuation of their beloved little town. The players have not forgotten the rumors of the spy and Norro Wiston reminds them that a guard was killed mysteriously a couple of days ago. Also, the big saw that they had prepared to severe the ferry´s ropes in case of an invasion, had disappeared. Someone had also put sand and gravel in the cans of oil that they would use to faster roll the ferry into the river in case of emergency.

The players didnt socialize too much but went to bed early. They were however visited by Jarett Nurth, the young woman who runs one of the stores in town. She came over with 3 Potions of Cure Moderate Wounds. "I want to aid your cause" she said shyly. Always suspecting something, Geth Helder used Sense Motive on her, but she only seemed sad and to be in despair.

Goblin Raid

The PCs were suddenly awakened in the middle of the night: "The town is under attack!" shouted their patron Kellin Shadowbanks, the halfling Inn-owner. "They are riding on huge wolfs and setting the entire west bank on fire!". The heroes reacted quickly, pulling on their combat gear and setting out immediately. They joined Capt Anitah and her men as they took the ferry across the big river. Fires ravaging the buildings on the west bank. Already from the ferry they could shoot at the enemy. They fell a Hellhound indeed.

As they landed on the Western bank, Cpt Anitah and her men hold one flank and the heoroes were asked to hold the other. Several buildings and fields were set on fire. The heroes were immediately attacked by 3 Goblin Worg Riders, 5 Hobgoblins and a hidden Khulkor Zhul War Adept. The War Adept casted Lightning Bolt and hit Geth Helder and Eluard real bad. 22 and 24 damage. Ilzzt made his save and his spell resistance! No damage. The Worg Riders were circuling around the heroes trying to hit them with arrows, but the PCs superior armor neglected it. The Hobgoblins charged down the streets trying to take control over the ferry landing. "Kill the spellcaster" shouted the Khulkor Zhul War Adept, "Or you will burn in the fires of the Nine Hells!". The PCs took out 2 Worgs pretty fast, Anor being a very skilled archer indeed (ask Ozyrrandion!). Oulpatroll kept shooting his magic missiles adding 1d4+1 damage to injured enemies.
Geth Helder who was badly hit drank one of the potions he got from Jarett Nurth and......... enormous pain stroke his guts. Like flames of fire the poison was burning him from the inside. He made his DC 18 Fort save, but he also knew that in 10 rounds there would be a second save....."Dont use your potions from Jarett" he managed to shout, all to well knowing the others had poisoned potions as well. The War Adept casted Lightning Bolt again, and this time hurt Anor real bad. Eluard got hit at the same time for half damage, but he used Cure Moderate Wounds from his spontaneous casting. The PCs dropped a couple of Hobgoblins, but Ilzzt feared that someone would get killed by the Lightning Bolts, so he activated his Darkness to cover his friends. Too late though, Oulpatroll was killed outright by charging Hobgoblins. In the cover of darkness the other friends drank potions and Eluard casted healing spells. The enemy withdrew after having lost 1 hellhound, 1 Goblin Worg Rider, 2 Worgs, and 4 Hobgoblins. Geth Helder failed his second Fort save and lost 2 Con and 4 Str. A strong poison no doubt.

Jarett Nurth

Cpt Anitah was happy that they could hold their ground. "But its time to leave the Western bank now" she said. "The river will have to shield us now. Pack everything we cant leave behind". And so they put out the remaining fires and took the ferry back to the Eastern bank. Leaving the deserted west Drellin's Ferry for its destiny...

Furious the PCs immediately headed for Jarett Nurth. If she handed them poisonous potions, perhaps she was the spy they were searching for! At her house they pounded her door, waking her up. She seemed surprised and sleepy. Perhaps she didnt know that the potions contained poison? Perhaps she honestly thought she was helping them? "Where did you get those potions from?" demanded Ilzzt with fire raging in his dark eyes. "Why? What happened?" she replied seemingly terrified. "They contained poison". First Jarett refused to tell the PCs. Apparently protecting a third party. But finally she let go. "It was Iormel. It was he who handed me the potions and told me to give them to you." Iormel was the old man present at the Town Council. The one who had most strongly opposed the PCs suggested evacuation. Iormel had also left the meeting furious at one point. The heroes demanded that she followed them to the Town Counsel to confess. "If only I can change to proper clothes" she sobbed with tears in her eyes. As the PCs waited for her to get dressed Ilzzt got impatient. It was too silent. When he opened the door to her bedroom no one was there! She was gone! They searched the room meticulously (take 20) without finding a trace of her. However, the window hinges were open....

The PCs ran out of the building trying to spot her. Without succeeding. Anor started looking for tracks and finally found some. She was apparently heading for the forest to the southwest. The friends followed suit. They met a guardpost that could inform that Jarett had recently passed by. The PCs continued following the tracks. The tracks took off into the deep forest, but Anor´s great tracking skills made them follow. Anor lit a torch to be able to see, but as Eluard activated his Luminous Armor he didnt need it really...120 ft daylight!

Apparently Jarett was moving carefully to hide her tracks, but that also slowed her down. Geth Helder heard a cracking noise.... Suddenly they arrived at a small stream. The tracks disappeared. So, upstream or downstream? Geth heard another crack. Upstream. The friends set after the noise. The little stream disappeared into a canyon about 30 ft deep. The friends moved onto the upper right hand side of the little canyon, gaining leverage. Ilzzt and Eluard now heard something from deep within the canyon. Anor decided to have a look down. He saw the stream down there but couldnt really see all due to the cresting top. The friends decided to lower Ilzzt and Eluard down into the canyon with ropes. As they were being lowered down Jarett Nurth waited hidden in a secret cave. Her eyes stared full with hatred as she proclamated long forgotten words in the name of Erytnul, the God of Slaughter. She wielded a Morningstar trying to hit Ilzzt, but the agile drow avoided it. Fearing for their lives Ilzzt and Eluard were immediately pulled up out of the canyon.

To be continued....

DM Note: Strange things are apparently taking place in the midst of Drellin's Ferry. Follow the exciting conclusion here next week!