Sand's End (D&D 4e Maptool Campaign)

[Rhenny]

Hi all,

Just because I like reading what others write about their campaigns, I decided to publish the game logs for my latest mini-campaign. I'm currently playing with 4 of my buddies using maptools and so far (we've been at it for 3 weeks now) it has been very fun. Most of my friends are old timers, playing 1st and 2nd edition over 30 years ago, so 4e is new to all of them.

The logs I post will be slightly edited versions of what I send to the players each week after our sessions. I left DM comments, introductions and parenthetical statements to make the campaign building aspect more transparent. I'll try to post sessions on this thread for as long as I can (at least until the first part of our campaign ends - which should be when the players make it to 2nd level).

Well, here goes. Enjoy.


Introduction to the players and beginning the campaign

Hi Guys,

To start the ball rolling, assume that you all either live near or in Sand's End, and you will meet each other in the town square. (You can decide why you are in this small town an share or not as you choose). Here is the starting situation:

You've been looking for work for a few days now. You fear that the coins you have in your purse will not last you too long, especially if you want to continue to equip yourself for the adventuring life that you so yearn to embark upon. You've trained in your chosen class for years, but you haven't really had much in the way of worldly experience. Today is the day that that will all change. You feel it in your bones. As the sun begins to rise higher in the sky...about 11:00 am, and the temperature hits 85 degrees, you see a messenger hammering a notice to the side of the town center building. Some village kids come over to look at it, and then they scamper off pretending to fight monsters as they play. A couple of villagers look at it and turn away. Then, as you get close to it, you realize that there are three other young adventuring types standing next to you. You all look at the notice and at each other. (This is how you meet. In total, there is a huge Dragonborn cleric, a Tiefling wizard, a Dwarven fighter and an Eladrin rogue. You guys will have to see if you can form an adventuring company...perhaps you can respond to this notice as a newly formed team).

The notice reads: "Lord Berris, the Vizier of Sand's End, is seeking a team of explorers who are brave and trustworthy. Come to Lord Berris' manor house this afternoon to apply. There will be ample opportunity to gain favor with the town and make some coin as well." -- The notice is signed by Lord Berris himself. You finish reading the notice and begin to daydream about honor, power, riches. You look at the other characters around you and begin to think.

Ok...that will start you off. Remember, this campaign will include roleplaying and combat (and you gain experience points for both!!) To that end...one of the first questions I will ask you when we start to play is: What is one or two words that you would use to describe your character? I'd also like to know which one of the following your character craves most: honor, power or riches? The answers to these simple questions will form the basis for your roleplaying/character development. As we play, feel free to expand your character personality or back story to make our games more vibrant. (Also, your ideas will help me develop parts of the campaign).

Also, try not to think of our sessions as a game where you know all the rules, etc. Think more like a character in the world. In 4e, combat can be dangerous. Most creatures even adventurers would rather avoid fighting when it is possible unless they are completely sure of the odds. Don't think like old 1st edition D&D, or Advanced Dungeons and Dragons where an orc is an orc is an orc and it has only 1d8 hit points. That is not the case in this world. For each race or species of monsters there are different variations and different roles. Many Kobolds or Orcs could be minions (1 hit and they die) creatures, but there are also ones that rival you in power, and even ones that may be more powerful than you. It is entirely possible that you may meet a Kobold Warrior who is a mini-boss or boss monster. He could have 100 hp and nasty attack abilities. I will try hard to describe each creature to give you clues or outright knowledge which will give you a sense of the creature's power. If you feel that you don't stand a chance vs. the mob...try to figure out another way around, or run away to regain resources, or retreat to make a better battle plan, or whatever. If the monsters are common, I'll tell you a lot about them. If they are more rare or are special variations, you will want to use your skill rolls to let me know what you know about the creatures -- Roll arcana skill for extraplanar or conjured/magical creatures -- Roll dungeoneering for underground creatures or hazards -- Roll Nature for natural creatures or hazards -- Roll Religion for undead, devils and demons. In game I'll let you know when you should make the checks, but you can ask anytime if you think it would benefit your group.

I'm looking forward to our sessions.

- Paul


1st Session

Karyak, the Dragonborn Cleric of Pelor (Played by Max), Grimgold, the Dwarven Guardian Fighter (Played by Lance), Xaxis, the Tiefling Combat Wizard (Played by Rob), and Geyorg, the Eladrin Trickster Rogue (Played by Ian), met in the town square of Sand’s End (a Southern Village only 10 miles west of the great desert and 10 miles east of the sea) and formed an adventuring company. (You guys should come up with a name for your group/enterprise) They decided to roam around Sand’s End to gain more information about the town and the vizier, Lord Berris, who was seeking explorers for a job. Buying fruits from one of the farmers in the marketplace, handing out sweet dried fruit to some children, and roaming the rest of the marketplace the group heard the following rumors:
Lord Berris was able to clean up the town and save them from raiders a number or years ago.
Lord Berris was able to inspire the town militia and lead it to victory
The children say they have seen a small dragon fly north of the town
Some say that they’ve seen Lord Berris having secret meetings with some town folk.
Two weeks ago, Abner, the town vagrant, was babbling about Orcus. Two days later, he vanished and has not been seen since.
Lord Berris pays well for help

After spending about 2 hours in town, the group went to Lord Berris’ manor house and applied for his job. The group found him to be a charming man, who seemed very agreeable, comforting and patronly. He explained how he knew of a ruined building about 10 miles north of town that may have a magical box that he would like to recover. He offered the party 100 gp each and the promise of future work, if the party investigated and if possible retrieved the magical box. He even gave them the coin in advance, saying that he trusts the group and if all works well, he would become their patron. Lord Berris also gave the group a crude map to help them locate the ruins.

The party spent one more night at the Oasis Inn, and started their trek north before sunrise the next morning. By about 8:30. succeeding a skill challenge, they found the ruin and sent their rogue, Geyorg into the entrance to scout ahead stealthily. Inside this celler-like room, they found two Red Iron Defenders and an electrical trap. The party fought the defenders valiantly sustaining wounds from the mechanical jaws, fire that the defenders could breath, and the electrical discharge from the trap. After destroying the defenders, Geyorg and Xaxis with help from Karyak disabled the trap while Grimgold, the stout dwarf, carefully watched the east portcullis, which rose when the trap was disabled. Grimgold tried to listen carefully at the door behind the portcullis, but could not hear anything alarming.

Needing 5 minutes to bandage their wounds and recover from their first official combat as a team, the group searched the room, and found nothing but the lifeless remains of the iron defenders.

- Paul

 

[Rhenny]

2nd Session Letter to Players

Hi guys,

We had a terrific night tonight.

There was a lot of great strategy in the two battles we had, which took about 2 1/2 hours. I really feel that as you learn more and more about your characters and get more experience using the maptool characters, we will get faster and faster. I think we can get to 1 hour battle encounters and 15-20 minute roleplaying or skill challenge encounters.

Also, think about the few words you want to use to describe your character's personality. We did learn today that Xaxis is motivated by power; Karyak is motivated by honor, and Geyorg is motivated by riches. What will drive Grimgold? Is it honor, power or riches?

Let me know if we should play next Saturday.

Game summary is below.

Paul

****

2nd Session Game Recap

After resting for 5 minutes and healing, the party had Geyorg listen and open the next door behind the raised portcullis. The group found that the next room was a basement room with a huge 25’ radius hole in the center of the room. At the bottom of the hole was a large chest and lots of wooden debris. It seemed as if the floor of this room collapsed or fell down, splintering 10’ below. On the east side of the room, Geyorg noticed some debris and after checking it more closely, the group found that the east wall had a small hole blocked by rubble.

Karyak and Geyorg decided to go down to inspect the chest while the other two remained on top. The chest was not locked. In fact, the lock was broken. Karyak cleared to the backside of the chest and Geyorg opened it. From inside the chest, two medium sized gray oozes quickly pounced on Geyorg burning him with caustic acid. He used his fey step to get out of harms way, but Karyak was left in the pit alone with the two oozes. While the oozes were far enough away from Karyak, Xaxis used his burning hands to singe them, and Grimgold threw a hammer at one injuring it further. Karyak used his dragon claws and great strength to climb out of the pit as the oozes crept and climbed toward Geyorg.

After a few rounds, the entire party was surprised by a Kobold Dragonshield Warrior named Urkluk. He burst out from behind the rubble on the east side and attacked the unguarded wizard. From across the room, Grimgold noticed that the Kobold was brandishing a beautiful battleaxe…surely of Dwarven make. The party delt with the two oozes, while Grimgold moved and charged straight for the Kobold Dragonshield. Using his shield bash, Grimgold knocked the Kobold into the pit, prone and hurt. When the Dragonshield tried to climb the walls and failed, he knew it was all over for him. Within a few rounds, the group killed the Dragonshield and Grimgold got to see the axe up close. It was a beautiful +1 Rending Battleaxe. He told the group that he would give up other shares of treasure if he could wield the axe. The party agreed.
(This axe will allow Grimgold to make an additional basic attack on any critical hit).

After a short rest, the party sent Geyorg through the rubble. He found a ladder going into a natural cavern. He stealthily scouted ahead and heard growling so he ran back up the ladder to tell the others. Soon after, Xaxis threw a light spell into the room and the party was able to see two grey wolves and two stirges in a larger natural cavern that had colorful moss in patches, providing a little multicolored light at the bottom of the cavern. Smelling fresh meat, the wolves ran to the ladder. Xaxis dropped a flaming sphere on one of the wolves injuring it badly with a critical hit. After that, a stirge flew up and attaching itself to Xaxis. Karyak, using his strength, grabbed the flying monster and pulled it from Xaxis. Then, he tossed it up and sliced it with his sword. The flaming sphere scared the wolves so they backed off allowing the group to descend into the cavern.

As the battle continued, Geyorg took one round to shoot the remaining stirge with his crossbow, killing it. Then, Geyorg walked through the rainbow moss, took damage and became dazed. Grimgold faced off against the two wolves doing tremendous damage, but one of the wolves hit him critically and knocked him prone. Xaxis used his sphere to kill the most wounded wolf while the radiant heat from his sphere hit the other wolf and missed the prone Dwarf. Finally Karyak and Grimgold finished off the remaining wolf. Actually, Grimgold, loving his new axe, downed the beast with a critical hit. After the encounter, the party noticed a red curtain on the east side of the cavern, blocking off a passage that continued east. Taking another short rest to heal and access the situation, the adventurers prepared themselves to go deeper into this cavern.

This part of the adventure gives each character about 250 xp. They are nearly ½ way to 2nd level.

 

[Rhenny]

3rd Session Game Recap

The party ended its rest and walked over to the red tapestry that blocked the passage to the east. Listening at the door yielded no results, so Xaxis the wizard used his mage hand to tear the tapestry down. The area beyond the passage was still dark and quiet. Geyorg the rogue and Grimgold the fighter decided to go through first while Karyak the Cleric and Xaxis watched from behind. Xaxis sent a light about 20’ into the room, but nothing was visible, just a cavern area with darkness beyond the light spell. As soon as the two adventurers stepped into the next area, the ground beneath them gave way and they both fell into a 10’ pit that had glistening spikes at the bottom. Then Karyak and Xaxis noticed some shifting in the dark cavern.

To help the two adventurers out of the pit, Xaxis tied off a rope on a boulder and threw it down the pit. After the two emerged from the pit they were attacked by Kobold Skirmishers and minions who appeared out of the darkness. Geyorg and Grimgold both took some damage from the Kobold spears as the battle raged. Grimgold, using his cleave attacks to perfection, dropped Kobolds like they were made of hot wax. But, from out of the darkness in the northeastern corner of the cavern, Grimgold was hit by a stinkpot sling bullet. The smell made him nauseous, but he fought on. The others held their own, when one of the minions started to run away. In response, Xaxis shifted his light to see that the fleeing kobold ran over a stone bridge that crossed a small underground river, and on the other side there were four new kobolds who ran onto a stone bridge.

Grimgold and Xaxis both advanced to meet the new challenge, while Geyorg engaged, and ultimately killed, one of the kobolds from the original skirmish. Karyak also moved up to stay near Grimgold and the light. As he positioned himself, Xaxis used burning hands to burn one of the kobolds to ash. Then Grimgold took two down with the cleave of his magical rending axe. From behind, Geyorg used his crossbow to kill another minion, and to end this threat, Karyak used his breath weapon and burned another foe to death.

As the adventurer’s were dealing with these foes, Xaxis was hit by a gluepot sling bullet that came from the darkness in the southeast of the cavern. The sticky glue immobilized him. Karayk was able to use his healing word to heal Grimgold, but then Karyak was also hit by a gluepot from the northeast, and he too was stuck in place. At that moment, a bolt of pure force hit Karyak, damaging him and pushing him off of the bridge and into the river below. Once in the river, the glue that immobilized Karyak began to disolve, but the current started to drag him to the south.

Although Xaxis was stuck by the gluepot, he could still his use his light to illuminate more of the cavern, revealing a Kobold Wyrmpriest and two Kobold Slingers. The two slingers were on 10’ ledges on the east side of the cavern, one to the north and one to the south. The Wyrmpriest was only 15’ away from Grimgold, so Grimgold charged the priest and connected with his battleaxe. In response to Grimgold’s charge, the Wyrmpriest shifted one square away and then moved a few more and unleashed another bolt of force that hit Xaxis, knocking him unconscious and knocking him off the bridge to join Karyak in the river.

With two of the party in the water and out of action, all was not well, but Geyorg and Grimgold moved to flank the Wyrmpriest, each delivering wounding blows, Grimgold cutting the Wyrmpriest to the ground, dead. In the water, Karayk was able to swim closer to Xaxis and use his healing word to bring the wizard back to consciousness. Over the next few rounds, while Grimgold and Geyorg dealt with the Kobold Slingers, Karyak and Xaxis tried to swim in the river, but they were being pulled even further to the south.

Back in the larger cavern, Grimgold, acting on instinct and using his dwarven prowess, ran toward the ledge to the south, and climbed up the rock face to attack the Kobold slinger, dealing a killing blow. Then, Geyorg tried to run to the wall where the other Kobold slinger perched, but as he flipped up to try to land next to the Kobold, he lost his balance and fell short of the mark. Recovering, he fired his crossbow at the creature and drew blood.

Back in the water, Xaxis was having a more difficult time than Karyak, so he floated down further and saw that the river was bringing him into a cave. He cast his light spell to help Karyak see, and as Xaxis looked into the cave he saw two Cavern Chokers clinging to the ceiling about 10’ above. He unleashed a scorching burst, but the Chokers eluded the flaming burst. Then he shouted out to everyone and waited for help with baited breath. With great strength, Karyak was able to swim toward Xaxis and drag him to the west side of the cave, out of the water onto a rough stone ledge before the Chokers could attack. Back in the other area, Grimgold and Geyorg heard Xaxis’ warning, but they could not make out what he was saying. Grimgold took a throwing hammer from his belt and hurled it to the north, hitting the last Kobold and smashing its skull. Then Grimgold and Geyorg made their way down into the water.

In the cave, the Chokers attacked and grabbed Xaxis, doing damage to bloody the wizard while lifting him off the ground. The next round, Xaxis wiggled out of the grab and fell to the cave floor. Then he unleashed a scorching burst injuring both Chokers. By this time, both Geyorg and Grimgold were able to swim to the rescue, both using ranged weapons to damage the creatures. After, the cleric caught his second wind, Grimgold launched a throwing hammer at the most wounded of the Chokers splattering the cave ceiling with its blood, ending its life.

The other Choker, still hungry, moved toward Karayk and Xaxis. It tried to attack the cleric, but missed. Then it suffered a few wounds from Geyorg’s crossbow, Grimgold’s throwing hammer and Karyak’s Avenging Flame. Even with all of this damage, the Choker lived and then attacked the wizard, grabbing him tightly, knocking him unconscious while pulling him up into the air. This was a horrible sight, Xaxis dangling lifeless in the tentacles of the beast 10’ above the cave floor. Geyorg couldn’t stand to see it. He leveled his crossbow and fired. The bolt was true and killed the beast, saving Xaxis from the choke hold. After Karyak used his healing skill to revive the wizard, he cast his Healer’s Mercy, and everyone rested and recovered, yet everyone was fatigued, low on healing surges, and both the wizard and the cleric had already used their daily powers.

Looking around the cave, the party found some old bones and a small sack. Xaxis could tell that the sack was magical, a bag of holding. Inside the bag was 100 gp, 400 sp and 2 Healing Potions (healing surge +15). The group decided that Xaxis should carry one of the potions, while Grimgold should carry the other. The coin was split 4 ways, and Karyak would carry the Bag of Holding. After determining that the cave seemed like a safe place to camp, the party decided to rest for the night to heal and regain their powers and action points.

You are all about ¾ of the way to 2nd level. Well done!

- Paul

 

[Rhenny]

4th Session

After spending the night in the cave, the party swam back to the main cavern to proceed eastward through a large cavern opening. Cautiously scouting ahead in the dark, Geyorg noticed that the chamber the group was entering was a vast rocky cavern with a number or 10’ rock ledges dropping down below. Together, with light cast upon Karyak’s helm, the party advanced into the large cavern. Moments after stepping forward, they heard the sound of beating wings, and as their eyes adjusted to the cavern they saw a small brass dragon fly toward them and land just a few feet before them. The dragon spoke with the group and asked them why they were there. Karyak began by telling the truth, but not the whole truth. He mentioned that they were exploring the area for their benefactor, Lord Berris. The group continued to parlay; Xaxis used his Dragon lore to help him converse in Draconic with the dragon. He learned that the Dragon’s name was Telliscore, a young Brass Dragon who had to flee from his lair far to the north about two years ago. It seemed as if the Dragon was not upset at all that the party had killed the kobolds. Telliscore said he used them to defend himself but he was growing tired of them. While Xaxis and Karyak were speaking with Telliscore, Grimgold, the Dwarven fighter tried to assess any weakness or injuries that Telliscore might have, and Geyorg, the rogue scanned the area looking for a good place to hide, if a fight broke out. The Dwarf and the Eladrin Rogue made Telliscore uncomfortable. He said, “The silent ones are always dangerous.”

Attempting to calm the Dragon and redirect the conversation, Karyak used his religious knowledge to try to comfort the young Dragon, but Telliscore did not care about Pelor, and Karyak’s attempt at empathy did not work. (The party failed a skill challenge – Speaking with Telliscore).

At this point, Telliscore challenged the party to a duel to sharpen his own combat skills, which in turn, would also give the adventurers a chance to sharpen their own skills. Telliscore set the rules: “If you bloody me before I knock you all down, you’ll be victorious. If I knock you all down before you bloody me, I am the victor. I assure you, I shall not kill you. Besides I’m not even hungry now.” Telliscore even allowed the adventurers to position themselves before beginning the challenge.

The combat started with Xaxis’ burning hands. He soon realized that the Dragon was somewhat resistant to the flames, but not completely resistant. Then, Telliscore flew up to Xaxis and clawed him. Then he shifted one square and braced himself. Grimgold rushed up the rock ledge to get to the Dragon, and he connected with a might blow, Villain’s Menace, making Telliscore easier to hit and increasing damage for Grimgold’s future attacks. Geyorg, also climbed up the ledge, but he stayed 20’ from the Dragon and fired a crossbow bolt at the beast, hitting it in the rump. Karyak clambered up the rocks and also scored a hit, injuring Telliscore even more. The next turn, Telliscore used his breath weapon and fire burnt both Karyak and Grimgold. Karyak screamed in pain, bloodied and singed. Then, Telliscore used his Frightful Presence, stunning all but Grimgold. Grimgold noticed that his companions were out of action, at least for this round, and he charged Telliscore for all he was worth. Using his Shield Bash, Grimgold damaged Telliscore and knocked him prone. Then, with an extra action (action point) he hacked away at the prone Dragon, cutting him deep enough to end the contest. Telliscore was impressed by the group’s performance.

Seeing that Telliscore kept his word, Karyak healed everyone, including Telliscore, and the party continued a longer conversation with Telliscore, on much better terms. The party learned how Telliscore’s mother, Tiscari, pushed young Telliscore out of the lair as horrible Dragon hunters attacked. Telliscore had to flee. The party spoke of Sand’s End and told Telliscore about their own mission, and when they mentioned that they were sent to find a magically warded box, Telliscore went to his treasure trove, shuffled through his gold and other items, and awarded the very box the group was seeking to them. Xaxis looked it over and determined that the wards on the box were truly powerful, beyond his own comprehension at this time.

Telliscore asked the party to do him one small favor. He wanted them to help him seal off the entrance to his cave from where they entered, so that no other creatures could find him. He wanted to remain hidden here for at least another year, at which time he planned to fly back to the north to see what happened to his mother. The party agreed to help. Grimgold used his dungeoneering skills, Geyorg used his thievery skills, Xaxis used his arcane knowledge as Karyak aided the others, and the group was able to collapse the bridge over the underground river, move larger boulders to block the cave entrances, cover over the kobold pit trap, and reactivate the electrical trap in the original cellar to the Dwarven ruin. (Skill Challenge Success) Once that was done, the group made their way back to Sand’s End.

Before visiting Lord Berris, Xaxis decided to copy on parchment, the runes and wards from the Magical Box so that he could study and research more about this strange item. The group decided to keep the Dragon’s existence a secret to help Telliscore remain hidden. They also noted that the water they found below the Dwarven ruin, could be a valuable commodity for a desert town, but they would not reveal its location for fear that others would find Telliscore if they went to get the water.

Two days after the party set off to find the ruin and explore the area, they returned to Lord Berris. He was delighted to see them and hear their tale. When the party offered the Magical Box to Lord Berris, and warned him of its potency, Lord Berris assured them that he would not open it. He asked them to let him study it over night. Lord Berris gave the group, 60 gp from his purse, and then brought them a magical wicker basket that would create enough food for 5 adventurers once per day. The group was pleased.

After a night at the Oasis Inn, the group returned to Lord Berris. Karyak mentioned that he was glad that Lord Berris was still alive, and his manor house not blasted away. He feared that Lord Berris might try to open the box, but that fear was not realized. Speaking with Lord Berris again, it seemed as if the party had a new task. They would become guardians over the box and bring it to The Abbot at the Monastery of the Cliffs, beyond the Great Desert, about 2 days from the village of Kirisk. After the party agreed to do this task, Lord Berris helped the adventurers gain mounts. Karyak will ride a camel. Xaxis will ride a horse. Grimgold will ride a pony. And, Geyorg will ride a llama.

This session was worth about 270 xp each…and that puts everyone up to 2nd level. Congrats.

- Paul

 

[Rhenny]

Well, that ends the first adventure in the campaign. My players are enjoying our sessions, and I'm enjoying the DM duties. We've gotten to the point where we play for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours per session. I'm trying to use the D&D Encounters style game sessions - 1 or 2 combat/skill challenge/roleplay opportunity per session.

Feel free to comment or ask any questions. I hope you enjoyed these write-ups as much as we enjoyed playing.

Cheers.

 

[Rhenny]

We played another session this weekend. This 2 hour session was basically travel and combat, but we had fun with it.


5th Session

The party secured their mounts and equipment and began their trek across the Great Desert en route to Kirisk, and ultimately the Monastery on the Cliffs. Traveling the early morning hours they made good time, and came upon a small half-buried ruined stone building. Geyorg scouted the area, and found that no danger lurked within. The group dismounted and brought their mounts inside. They found that the back wall of the building was completely gone, but there were portions of the ceiling that could provide the group shelter from the hot sun. As they searched the area, Grimgold noticed signs that a small campfire existed in the middle of the room, but its ashes have been buried under some sand. Geyorg also noticed a shiny object in one corner of the ruin. When he dug in that area, he found an amulet (a +1 safewing amulet), and some tattered, yet affluent clothes. As he dug a little more, he found gnawed bones, and at that moment the party heard the sand shifting to the rear of the building and 8 stormclaw scorpions (4 adults and 4 little dudes/minions) burrowed out from the sand and moved in to strike. Grimgold got the jump on the scorpions and positioned himself between the group and their foes, just as the scorpions rushed in and surrounded him. Attacking a large scorpion, Grimgold scored a hit, and cleaved into a smaller scorpion, killing it. Then the scorpions attacked. One of the stormclaw scorpions scored a devastating hit on the heavily armored Dwarf, grabbing and holding him in his claws. Karyak realized that he had to help, so he moved in and pulled Grimgold from the scorpion’s grasp. Xaxis used burning hands to injure two larger scorpions and kill one small one, while Geyorg attacked and missed. At this point, the party noticed that their mounts, spooked, ran off out of the ruin and on to the nearby dunes.

The group fought on, and the scorpions changed tactics, using their stingers to poison and immobilize Grimgold and Xaxis. With poison coursing through their veins, both heroes suffered, as Karyak and Geyorg attacked to save their friends. Unable to shake off the effects, Xaxis took more damage and remained immobilized, so Karyak moved over to use his healing skill to successfully help Xaxis overcome the immobilizing poison. Grimgold’s fortitude enabled him to resist the poison on his own. After another round of fighting, the group killed the rest of the giant insects. When they searched the area, they found more treasure and bones, a bronze crown (worth 250 gp) and 10gp. When all was quiet, the party rested for 4 hours waiting for the sun to drop lower in the sky so they could continue to travel without fatigue. While they rested, Xaxis and Karyak participated in tumbling exercises. The loser gained possession of the safewing amulet. Xaxis was the loser, which made him the winner.

The next leg of the journey started uneventfully, and the group decided to push themselves to travel through the night. As the sun began to rise, the group realized that they would need to rest within a few hours, but they kept up their pace. At one point, the sand below their mounts shifted, and Karyak’s mount fell prey to a large burrowing desert beetle. The creature’s burrow, captured the mount and dragged it down, as Karyak used his great athleticism to dismount before falling into the beetle’s burrow. Within two rounds, Karyak’s camel died in the grips of the beetle’s mandibles, a horrible sight.

Springing to action, the party attacked the giant beetle, Grimgold’s axe, Geyorg’s longsword, Xaxis using his flaming sphere, and Karyak using his longsword. The group found that the beast’s carapace was a tough armor, so Grim, Geyorg and Karyak could only land a few blows. After tossing aside the camel, the desert beetle clashed its mandibles at Grimgold and clamped tightly onto the Dwarf. Again, Karayk used his great strength to pull Grimgold from the mandibles before the creature could use its crushing might, and as the flaming sphere continued to burn the creature, Grimgold was able to cut into it more deeply. Finally, after Karyak healed Grim and the flaming sphere continued to burn, the mighty insect fell lifeless in a smoking heap.

After the fight, Geyorg offered to climb down into the insect’s burrow to look for treasure. The group tied a rope to the Eladrin, and he used his athletic ability to climb and dig his way into a small lair in which he found 70 gp, an amethyst (100 gp) and a garnet (100 gp). After this, the group decided to take an extended rest and continue after 8 hours, when the sun would be lower in the sky. Travel the next day was uneventful, and as the sun set on 4th day of the 20th week in the realm, the adventurers neared the town of Kirisk.

About 320 xp per player for this session.

 

[Rhenny]

Session 6

Karyak, Grimgold, Xaxis and Geyorg road into Kirisk after dark. Kirisk seemed like a small town with very little night traffic on the street, but the adventurers did find an inn, The Bear and Crown, near the center of town. They stepped inside to see a nicely appointed tap room and a small crowd enjoying themselves, listening to a bard playing a lute, mediocre at best. The adventurers found an open table in the corner, and caught the attention of the serving girl, Pria. She took their order and the party gave coin in advance for full meals with ale, and a large room in one of the upstairs rooms.

The party observed the evening festivities, hearing bits of conversation at three other full tables, watching three other patrons drinking at the bar. Mid meal, a slight, cloaked figure entered the inn and sat at the bar. A few moments later, Pria, brought new ales to the party and told them that the drinks were paid by that woman, the slight, cloaked figure sitting at the bar. The party motioned for the woman to join them, and she did, striking up a conversation that revealed many interesting things.

The woman introduced herself as Lady Saterly, and she said that she was from Targus, a city far from here. She was seeking adventurers to help their city, and the realms because their legendary Seal of Targus, runes inscribed around a magical portal that protects the realm from the Shadowfell, were growing weaker. She emphasized how the Shadowfell was a nether world of the undead ruled by Orcus. She explained how the Mage Trust (the governing body in Targus) were supposed to monitor the Seal, and of course, they are not pleased that the runes seem to be weakening. The weakening runes also seemed to correspond to an increase in undead activity within the realm. She also mentioned that she was an emissary from the Mage Trust, and the Mage Trust believed that a magic Quill, Zerik’s Quill, might be an item they need to help them re-inscribe the runes in the Seal. She attempted to enlist the help of the party to travel into the mountains, across the Bridge of Iben Ja, over the “Raven Road” (whose builder, Magnusun, the Builder of Roads was rumored to have sold his soul so that he could build the road and finish his own keep and tower), into Magnusun’s keep and up to his tower where they would find a teleportation circle that could transport them directly to Targus. Lady Saterly also told the group that the Mage Trust believed that Zerik’s Quill, should also be in Magnusun’s keep.

When the group told her that they had to travel to the Monastery on the Cliff prior to helping her, she told them that she heard that the monks of the monastery had gone mad, and warned the party accordingly. After discussing their plans and the possibility that they would help her, she gave them a small card with a magical rune emblazoned upon it. She instructed them to show this card to any member of the Mage Trust in Targus if they do decide to help. With a pleasant farewell, she left the inn, and the party decided to buy drinks for the entire establishment so that they could chat up the locals to see what they thought about the Monastery on the Cliffs. After hearing a few traveler tales and Pria’s own account, the adventurers found that many of the travelers and Pria herself seemed frightened by the Monastery. They all said that the monks no longer visited the town like they used to in the past year. One man even said that he heard of a traveler who said he saw the monks performing strange rituals. Then, when the party mentioned that they were from Sand’s End, Grimgold noticed that the people they spoke with seemed just as frightened at the mention of Sand’s End. Another man said that he heard that the guy who runs Sand’s End is a questionable character himself. The night passed, as the group shared stories and listened keenly. Then, after all the patrons left, the adventurers went to their room.

Up in the room, Xaxis and Karyak quickly opened the bag of holding that Karyak was carrying, and they took out the little box that Lord Berris entrusted them with. Everyone in the party immediately noticed that the box’s runes glowed more intensely now and the box itself seemed to be hotter. Xaxis studied the box and determined that some how, some way, the box’s runes seemed to be activated by some trigger, perhaps a command word, or perhaps because the runes were within range of something that could trigger them. After putting the rune box back into the bag, the group went to bed, each man taking a couple hours of watch. During the night, on Geyorg’s watch, Xaxis had a strange dream. He dreamt of the Seal of Targus. He saw the rune enchanted portal and could see horrible faces of undead creatures straining to push through the portal. At that moment, Geyorg heard some commotion down in the tap room. He woke everyone up and went down to investigate. He could not see clearly, but he could tell that there were creatures in the tap room searching for something. The group decided to try to lure the creatures up the stairs and see what they were. If they had to fight, they wanted to fight them in the hallway so that they could escape into their room and out the window if necessary. As the adventurers set themselves, they saw a group of 4 Zombie Rotters, 2 Zombie Soldiers with longswords and armor, 1 Zombie Skulk, and 1 Zombie Skulk that looked even more menacing. A battle was imminent.

The battle was fierce. Karyak used his Divine Shield to ward the group while attacking with Righteous Brand and Healing Strike when necessary. Xaxis used magic missles, missing a few times. But burning hands worked to perfection catching 5 of the foes in one blast. Grimgold wielded his rending axe, cleaving and cutting to take down some foes. Then, at a crucial moment, he used his Villain’s Menace to hit a zombie skulk, which helped him in subsequent rounds. Geyorg attacked with crossbow, and ultimately was able to flank a skulk and do tremendous damage. The battle went well, but Xaxis was bloodied and healed by Karyak. Then, in bloodlust, Xaxis fired a scorching burst at the zombies, but his burst caught Karyak and damaged him slightly. Then a zombie soldier and the biggest zombie skulk flanked Karyak. It seemed as if they were trying to grab for the bag of holding that Karyak carried. They both hit Karyak, knocking him unconscious. Then the skulk tried to pull the bag away. Karayk started slipping toward death (failing 1 death save). Thinking quickly, Xaxis took the healing potion he had and poured it into Karyak’s mouth, even though the zombie soldier swiped at Xaxis with his longsword and cut him deeply. With Karyak back up, the party doubled its efforts. Xaxis used magic missle to down the Zombie soldier, and Grimgold and Geyorg worked fervishly to finish off the last threat before the zombie skulk could grab the bag away from Karyak.

After the fight, the serving boy came upstairs and a few guests looked out of their rooms. The party flipped the boy some gold for the trouble, and the boy began cleaning. Back in their room, Xaxis and Karyak opened the bag of holding and looked at the rune box again. It was still glowing and warm. With trepidation, the group finished their night’s sleep and prepared for a new day.


About 280 xp

 

[Rhenny]

7th Session

Grimgold, Karyak, Xaxis and Geyorg woke up early the next morning, and headed down to the tap room of the inn. Downstairs, Pria, Garn and Scarl cleaned and prepared for a new day, but the party noticed an old man sitting nervously at a table, looking up at them, and looking away, looking back and away. After a few seconds, the old man sat up and shuffled toward the adventurers, groaning with aches and pains of age. Karayk greeted the old man in a friendly manner, and the old man told the group that he was Vincent Gander, a shop owner in town. He wore a leather apron, his hands were warn and bent showing signs of a lifetime of craftsmanship. As he spoke, Karyak and Xaxis paid careful attention, and tried to determine the old man’s sincerity. Vincent told the group that he heard about some new adventurers who had come to town so he decided to seek their help. He went on to tell the party that something strange was in his basement storeroom. He was too frightened to stay and determine what it was, but he was hoping that the party search the storeroom for him. Karyak felt that the old man was telling the truth, but he could definitely sense that the old man was very nervous. With the zombie attack of last night fresh on their minds, and Lady Saterly’s request from the night before percolating, the group decided to follow Vincent to his store and see what he was so nervous about.

When they got to the store, Vincent led them to his basement storeroom. He said the creatures he saw and heard were “in there”. Then he unlocked the door to the storeroom. Before opening it, Geyorg listened to the door, but all was quiet. The group cracked open the door and the light from the cellar spilled into the dark storeroom. With light from Xaxis light spell, the group moved into the storage area to see that there was a rough, covered opening in the floor on the west side of the room. Once the group positioned themselves inside the storeroom, Vincent slammed the door shut and locked it. Then he rapped three times on the door, and slimy, stinking Troglodytes emerged from the opening floor.

The party battled the first wave of Trogs, nauseated by their stinking putrescence, but before they could cut down the remaining Troglodyte Impaler youth, three more Trogs entered the room. Soon after, a Hobgoblin soldier with two Hobgoblin grunts also came up to attack the party. The battle raged, and although Xaxis and Geyorg were both impaled and restrained by large barbed spears, the group managed to vanquish the foes with minimal effort. Xaxis used his burning hands, Karayk healed Xaxis twice, and also fought valiantly, using his sword to cut down many foes. Geyorg attacked with crossbow and longsword, and Grimgold cleaved his way to bloody victory.

After the battle, the party started to think about exploring the tunnel below, but then they heard Vincent verbally defending himself in the other room. “Constable, it was not my fault. They threatened me. They made me lure the adventurers here. I was frightened.”

After that, the storeroom door was unlocked and opened and the party saw a town constable, holding Vincent Gander in his arms, and a regal young woman standing side by side with the constable. She introduced herself as Lil Galbraith, Mayor of Kirisk. After a quick conversation to attempt to unravel the strange happenings of the day, Lil was satisfied that the newcomers to town were not troublemakers and something bigger was at work in her fair town. After the mayor vouched for Vincent, and remarked how he had been an upstanding citizen for many years, the party agreed that Vincent was somehow in over his head, and he was only acting in fear. They pardoned his behavior, and agreed to explore the underground tunnel that had been recently dug under Vincent’s store. Lil thanked the group and asked them to follow the tunnel, and find its source. Its existence was a security risk to Kirisk, and it had to be secured. With promise of reward for the party, Lil suggested they search the bodies of the slain creatures.

As the party searched the creatures, they found 60 gp and a 100 gp pearl. In addition, Grimgold noticed that each of the creatures had a strange, skull-like, tattoo on its neck. Karyak immediately knew that the tattoo was a symbol of Orcus, Lord of Undead, and the hairs on the backs of their necks prickled. Lil added to the feeling of dread, when she mentioned, “it is rare for Troglodytes and Hobgoblins to join forces, not good.”

As Lil, the constable and Vincent Gander exited to the upstairs area of the store, the party took stock of their situation and took a short rest. The rune box, Lady Saterly, the strange reactions the villagers had when talking about the Monastery on the Cliffs, and Lord Berris of Sand’s End….the zombie attack and now more signs of Orcus on the foul creatures that the party just encountered. Did these creatures know the group was here? How could they? Were they here because Lady Saterly was in Kirisk? Are the Monk’s really crazy and involved in strange rituals? Did Lord Berris set them up? The group had lots of questions…no answers, but they were determined to dig deeper.

All PCs gain 300 xp for this session.

 

[Rhenny]

8th Session

Geyorg the Eladrin rogue, Grimgold the Dwarven fighter, Karyak the Dragonborn cleric and Xaxis the Tiefling wizard prepared to descend into the tunnel under Vincent Gander’s store. Geyorg stealthfully climbed down a makeshift ladder into the darkness, and peered out with his low light vision, listening for any signs of danger. He determined that all was quiet, so he signaled for the other to join him. When the others got down, Xaxis illuminated Karyak’s shield with light. Then the others, each of whom were adept at seeing in low light situations, looked westward into the darkness. Grimgold and Xaxix both saw a cloaked figure in the distance run from the north and retreat further west into the darkness. They could hear the sound of soft boots running as it faded away.

Quickly, the group tried to pursue, Grimgold moving first. Grim walked down the smooth finished sewer way in the direction of the cloaked figure, but even his eyes, accustomed to underground darkness, could not help him see the figure he knew had run from them a split second before. Calculating a possible position, Grim loosened a throwing hammer from his belt and let it fly. It hit something soft and clanked to the ground, no grunts or screams of pain. Then, Geyorg ran ahead and stopped 40 feet ahead. He too could not see any further because he realized that a curtain of sorts was hanging in the passage blocking vision further to the west. He yelled back to Grim, “Your hammer hit a curtain. Here.” Then he tossed the hammer back in Grimgold’s direction. When the others moved up, they saw that the curtain hung before them, but a small 5’ passage branched off on the north wall. Grimgold moved down that passage and found a heavy lever at a dead end only 20 feet up and around a corner. He pulled the lever and everyone heard the sound of metal grinding and clinking into place.

At this point, the group started to hear some heavier footsteps and groaning from behind the curtain, and two zombies popped through the curtain to attack Geyorg, one slamming him forcefully. The party snapped into action and fought the zombies. Xaxis used his scorching burst to injure the zombies and burn the curtain down. Karyak stepped up to slice one of the zombies with his righteous brand. Grimgold made it back to the group, only to find that two new zombies, Rotwings, had entered the fray. Positioning himself in the front ranks, Grimgold attacked with his mighty axe, taking one zombie down.

The remaining zombie hit Grimgold and then the Zombie Rotwings took to the air and charged ferociously. One of the Rotwings scored a critical flying slam against Grim, and Grim went down, unconscious, dying. Karyak moved close to Grim, and used Healing Word to get him up. He also attacked the remaining zombie, and cut through it with his longsword. While the party fought the Rotwings, they heard the distant calls of a Hobgoblin, but they could not understand what it was saying. Then, they heard a more terrifying sound. A piercing magical shriek that weakened all but Karyak.

In their weakened state, the party fought on. Xaxis used scorching burst and magic missile to damage the foes. Geyorg attacked with both crossbow and longsword, even using his Handspring Assault, but alas, that failed. The undead spread their attacks against Grimgold and Karyak doing some damage to Karyak, bloodying him. Then Grimgold set the foes up for his devastating Cleave, but even he had trouble hitting the Rotwings. They were obviously quicker and more experienced fighters than the first zombies.

Just then, a Skeleton Trooper wielding a longsword also joined the battle. Grimgold tried to hold the line, but a Rotwing, and the Skeleton Trooper both scored terrifying blows against Grim, and Grim went down for the second time in the encounter (-16 hp…only 2 hp from instant death). Karayk used his healing word again and attacked the foes once again, doing damage to the Rotwing. Then, after Xaxis was able to injure the foes slightly with a weakened Scorching Burst, Grimgold took down one of the Rotwings.

The fight continued for a few rounds when from behind the undead, a Hobgoblin Necromancer appeared and used a magical spell that injured Xaxis and drew him through the battle directly toward the Necromancer. The fight raged on, and Karyak needed to use Healer’s Mercy (his last healing spell) to fortify himself, Grimgold, Xaxis and Geyorg. Eventually the Skeleton Trooper went down, and the Necromancer ran to the North. Xaxis dropped a Flaming Sphere on the Necromancer as the Necromancer fled, but the Necromancer continued to run, full speed, around the corner and out of view. Geyorg (flanking his foe, but missing an attack or two), Karyak (using his breath weapon and sword) and Grimgold (wielding his +1 Rending Battle Axe) finished off the remaining Rotwing, and the group decided to follow the Necromancer with the Flaming Sphere in the lead.

As the group went after the Necromancer, the Necromancer circled around and was able to pop up behind the party. Fortunately, Grimgold was in the rear, so the Necrotic Mote that shot from the Necromancer’s staff missed and the group doubled back to finish off the Necromancer.

It turned out that around the corner the passage wrapped around and came back to the original hallway. There was a shut portcullis in the middle of the west wall. Evidently, when Grimgold pulled the lever, the portcullis shut, trapping the Necromancer so he could not flee back into the sewer system. After searching the bodies, the group found 20 gp on the Necromancer and a scroll case that contained two ritual spells: Wizard’s Curtain and Unseen Servant. The Necromancer also had a tattoo of the skull, the symbol of Orcus, on his neck, just like the other creatures the party encountered in the basement of Vincent Gander’s store. The party took a short rest to tend to their wounds and prepare themselves to venture beyond the portcullis.

This was perhaps the most dangerous and challenging battle the party has faced yet. If Grimgold did not pull the lever and trap the Necromancer, who knows what would have happened. A few more reinforcements could have tipped the balance and made this encounter a disaster for the party. Great job to all. Excellent movement, strategy/thoughts and great use of encounter powers, action points and even a few dailies to survive.

This session was worth 300 xp for each player. You are very close to 3rd level. I think one more encounter may push you over the edge.

 

[Rhenny]

Before this session, I added a house rule that gave PCs an action point every encounter...but I also warned them that monster leaders, elites, etc would also have action points. I did this to help me with bookkeeping and to speed up combats. I think I like how it worked. Without using action points, I think our adventurers might not have made it through this encounter. As it was, the Cleric used all of his healing and every PC took his 2nd wind. Even though nobody went down, it was a tense fight. Here it is:


9th Session

As the party waited at the closed portcullis, Karyak decided to cut off the Necromancer’s Orcus Skull Tattoo to keep as a token or for possible use later if the group would need to impersonate worshipers of Orcus. Then he and Xaxis experimented with the Rune Box Karayk had in his bag of holding. They took the box out and observed it close to the fallen zombies and then further away, near the entrance to the underground sewer and closer to the portcullis. The box glowed slightly brighter and hotter than it did the night before, but it did not change when they brought it to new locations near and far from the zombies.

To continue into the sewers, Karyak went back to the portcullis lever and pushed it up. The sound of gears and iron chains echoed through the dungeon and the portcullis raised into the ceiling. Before stepping into the sewer, Geyorg scanned the area and with encouragement from the others, he took the lifeless Skeleton Soldier’s longsword and used it to jam the portcullis open, successfully manipulating the mechanism to keep the iron gate open. Then, Geyorg looked ahead with the entire group, and saw the back of a huge humanoid statue in the middle of the passage ahead. The statue rose 8 feet high and takes up about 5’ from side to side in the middle of a 15’ passageway. Grimgold noticed that the statue was carved from stone as an ornament within the sewerway. On the statue, Xaxis felt the fleeting, dissipated aura of magical energy, elemental in nature, but nobody else could find anything else extraordinary about the statue.

Slipping past the statue, Geyorg went into the larger sewer way. Then the others followed. From out of the darkness to the north, two arrows wizzed into the group, hitting both Geyorg and Xaxis, doing considerable damage. The group ran back to the original statue and entrance tunnel to gain cover and plan their strategy. Before ducking around the corner, Xaxis through his light spell 50’ to the north, and he illuminated the area to reveal a phalanx of Hobgoblins (3 grunts, 1 trapsmith and a Hobgoblin soldier blocking the 25’ wide passage way.

Grimgold came up with the tactical idea to wait them out, and try to badger or vex them enough so that they come to the party. Geyorg took the next two rounds to make pop-out attacks against two grunts, killing both with his hand crossbow. Luckily he avoided one of the archer’s arrows, but another arrow hit him and injured him badly. The others helped Geyorg back into cover and Karyak used his healing word to sooth the deep puncture wounds. In a few rounds, Karyak saw another figure come out behind the phalanx, and Grimgold also popped out to throw his hammer and down another grunt.

While everyone waited to see the Hobgoblins’ reactions, the Hobgoblin soldier barked orders. Then the Hobgoblin Trapsmith sneaked forward to get cover behind another statue 50’ up the sewer. Xaxis and Geyorg saw him, make this maneuver and then they both heard some tinkering, the sound of tools on stone and metal.

After a few rounds of tension, waiting, the Hobgoblins began to advance with the Soldier and a War Mage moving toward the hidden party with cover from two archers further to the north in the dark. The trapsmith stayed behind statue and tinkered more, as the War Mage casted a larger version of Scorching Burst into the corridor where the party hid. The blast damaged Karyak, Xaxis and Grim, so Karyak casted Healing Word to bring Xaxis near to full health.

The party heard more orders or communication from the Hobgoblin Soldier and a huge chain wielding Hobgoblin Chief, turned the corner behind the other Hobgoblins, and rushed up to face the party.

Back where the party fortified their position, Karayk and Grim attacked the Soldier, and Xaxis took him down with a Scorching Burst. Then the chain wielding Hob stepped up, tripped and bloodied Grimgold. Grim was able to stand, step back and use his second wind to regain his footing and continue the battle, but soon after, the Hobgoblin War Mage shot another Scorching Burst into the crowd injuring the group and bloodying Karyak badly. Karyak took his action to step back and use his second wind, and then Xaxis did the same.

Going toe to toe, in the small area between the large humanoid statue and the small corridor, Grim attacked and marked the Hobgoblin Chief, while Geyorg moved around the statue on the other side to flank the Chief, and deliver a devastating Piercing Strike with sneak attack damage. This enraged the Chief so he turned and lashed out at Geyorg with his deadly chains, tripping Geyorg and sending him to the ground. Once Geyorg was down, the chief laughed and raised his steel shod boot, and smashed it down on Geyorg’s face, further bloodying the prone Eladrin rogue. Fortunately for Geyorg, the archers who were firing at him, missed.

Standing the next round, and attacking the Chief, flanking him with Grimgold, Geyorg and Grimgold were able to injure and bloody the mighty Chief. Over the next few rounds, Xaxis kept behind a wall to protect himself, while using magic missle to damage the Chief only 1 out of 3 rounds.

The battle continued as the War Mage tried to Lure Grimgold out into the larger hallway with a spell. Grim resisted. Then, in the next round, the War Mage used a Force spell that damaged Grim, Geyorg and Karayk, while knocking Karayk back 10’ to his knees. Bloodied and in bad shape, Karyak stood and used his Healer’s Mercy to refresh himself and his comrades.

Fighting the Chief, Grim attacked with Villian’s Menace missing but still granting +1 attack/+2 damage against the Chief for the rest of the encounter. Exhausted and bloodied again, Grim needed to use a Healing potion as insurance against the Hobgoblin Chief’s wicked chains. Using his scorching burst again, Xaxis targeted the Chief and the War Mage, scoring a hit on the Chief, but the War Mage dodged at the last split second to avoid the raging flames. Geyorg kept the sneak attacks up, while Karyak charged to attack the trapsmith with his Righteous Brand, connecting to kill the Hobgoblin and grant Grimgold divine pursuance on his next attack. Geyorg’s next attack hobbled the Chief, so Grimgold set up to take the killing blow, chopping the Chief down for good.

Just then, the War Mage backed off and scorched the party once again. Geyorg ran over to attack and tried to get cover behind a statue on the other side of the larger sewerway; unfortunately he was hit by another arrow. Bloodied but still fighting, Geyorg slashed the War Mage with his longsword and drew more blood. Then Karayk charged the War Mage, slashing into it with his blade to grant Grimgold another divine benefit on his next attack. Grim moved into the larger sewer, but he could not close on the caster, so he took a hammer from his belt and tossed it at the casters unguarded face, smashing it to the ground with a critical hit. At this point, the party heard longbows drop to ground and footsteps recede…then splashing in water. It seemed as if the archers ran away. Soon after, the party heard a grate of steel in the distance, and their suspicions seemed to be confirmed.

After searching the bodies of the fallen Hobgoblins, the group found that they too wore Orcus Skull tattoos on their necks. Karyak sliced three of the tattoos, with flesh attached to save for later use.

As the group rested and healed a bit, Geyorg and Grimgold realized that the Hobgoblin trapsmith was actually disabling a fire trap so that the Hobgoblins could advance down the sewer to attack the adventurers. The adventurers were quite fortunate that Grimgold decided to wait the Hobgoblins out thus avoiding the trapped area of the sewer. In addition, the party found the following:

The War Mage used a +1 Staff of the War Mage, which Xaxis could use.

In a box in an alcove of the sewer, the group found 200 gp, 200 sp, 2 healing potions (Healing Surge +15), and a large set of +1 Exalted Chainmail that Karyak could use.

Finally, on the Chief, the party found a scrap of paper with Hobgoblin scrawl on it. Xaxis asked to see the paper. Then he performed an arcane ritual and within 15 minutes, he could read the message:

“Find the Mage Trust Rep…..and the box.”

It was an unsigned message, but ominous just the same.

****

This was a very dangerous encounter. Great tactics gang…350 xp each and you are now 3rd level. You feel slightly more powerful, but very tired nonetheless.