Shilsen's Eberron SH (Finished - The Last Word : 9/20/15)

[shilsen]

Written by AviLazar

Session 19 - January 7, 2006

We began our voyage, and I can say – with no amount of uncertainty – it would have been a very boring trip if not for the work Corven and I have been doing. Zeke has also been a treat, making us laugh and doing all sorts of tricks. He has managed to keep himself out of trouble and is learning to behave. I am glad we have made this new friend, and more importantly, he is on the good guys’ team.

I spend little time socializing with those who are on this voyage, but during the dinner sessions we do chat and there is always some lively discussion, especially when religious talks come about. Nameless scoffs at my views, Six finds my beliefs in things you cannot see, hear, touch or feel to be confusing, and Luna believes the gods are doing nothing but corrupting the heart of the land. Either way, I think it is the closest thing we have done together since being together.

On the evening of the second day of our voyage, we encounter another ship – a wind galleon – which is a ship that I hear can go four or five times as fast as our ship. We prepare for the worst, but the Captain reminds us this could just be a routine passing. The Captain speaks with the Captain from the wind galleon – a ship by the name Merry celestial. There was some other ship, a slower ship that left Stormreach two days ago and the Merry Celestial did not pass it – and they should have passed it. The Merry Celestial takes off, and we continue along our path. I spend the night praying with Corven, and invite anyone else who worships the Silver Flame. One of the other passengers joins us but leaves after only the first hour of prayers.

Two days later, while working downstairs the ship suddenly jolts and rocks. I hear screams coming from top side. Immediately Corven and I jump up. Zeke zooms to the deck before I can yell for him to stop. I charge to the other side of the ship, luckily the door was unlocked and enter a room. Some poor soul is there cowering, and looking out the port hole I see one of the renowned Kraken! A deadly creature which, I hear can swallow ships whole. Realizing I would be largely ineffectual against this creature if I went top-side, in fact I might drown, I pull out my bow and start shooting arrows at it. The arrows largely bounce off its tough hide, and one of my arrows accidentally kills an injured summoned crocodile – I think Nameless summoned that one. This was getting me nowhere, and just as I went to leave to find the tentacles lodged into the ship I hear a familiar voice. Zeke is yanked by claws, and I stare at him in horror as he yells “BOSS! HE…” and the Kraken squeeze him to death. I scream in anger and pull out Kizmet, feeling its comforting power throb in my hands. I charge down the deck looking for the tentacles lodged into the ship, and just as I was about cut one down, the thing pulls away – everything goes quiet and I sit there crying for Zeke – I give him a prayer and hope the Silver Flame will make an exception for one such as him, and let him join the eternal flame. I spend the rest of the day, doing my work – quietly – with Corven, not saying much of a word. We need to get off this blasted boat.

The next day, the ship is much quieter. We suffered many deaths from the Kraken, and while the Captain thanks us for saving the ship – it is still a sad time for all of us. We reach Shargon’s Teeth and the Captain blows on a conch shell to summon his Sahuagin contacts. After a few hours nothing happens, and Nameless suggests that Luna turn into a dolphin and lead the ship. The Captain decides to wait a bit longer and this pays off as they appear. After some conversation, the Captain calls our group over and asks us if we would help the Sahuagin. He says they are experiencing problems from Scrags – Sea Trolls – and if we help kill them the Captain will give us some of our trip fees back. I agree to help destroy these vile creatures – though I start asking for specifics, and later we receive the details. We spend the night preparing for the trip and battle. The Sahuagin cast spells of breathing on us, while Corven and Nameless cast other spells – such as a Freedom of Movement spell. I cast a Circle Protection Against evil, and then cast a protection from evil on Nameless.

After being taken to the area where the Scrags are hiding out, we swim down and travel ahead. It is an interesting feeling, being able to breathe and see under water. Also, my movement is not hampered at all – I can swing Kizmet as if I were in fresh, open air. We start to approach our targets and hide behind a wall. Nameless casts a few preparation spells – including an enlargement spell on me. This will make me a bigger target, but will also greatly improve my combat. Nameless also casts a spell of Cats Grace on me to increase my ability to avoid being hit. This should offset the size increase. Corven enchants our weapons with giant bane – this will help us greatly against the Scrags- who conveniently wear no armor! One of the Sahuagin goes out as bait – or as they say in the see “chum” – and lures a Scrag and his shark companions out to us. As they get close, Nameless summons a fireball and kills the sharks while greatly injuring the Scrag. Six leaps out and charges the Scrag performing some of his tumbling tricks to land a solid blow on the Scrag. I then charge out and cleft the Scrag with the most powerful attack I could muster.

After we beat this Scrag the Sahuagins start to cheer and dance, but the rest of us push forward to encounter some more sharks, and another group of four Scrags. Six and I charge up the middle to deal with the two. The Sahuagin go to the right and left to get the extreme ending Scrags. Luna goes to the far left to fight that one. Nameless casts a haste spell, and Six then smacks that Scrag in the face, while I charge up and smite it using all of my divine might to cut it down. Six then works with me and we finish it off. Nameless launches a fireball and injures two other Scrags, just after it injured him. Then I take my full swings on the Scrag that hits me, fully cutting it down and continuing to hit it even after it is down. Six continues on to his left to beat the Scrag. Soon I see a large shark and a hag, and the shark charges me and takes a huge bite into me. I feel if not for the Silver Flame, I would have been dead – but I pass out.

After some time, I am sure it was not more then a few seconds, I wake up due to healing Nameless performed on me using our newly created magical rock*. Kizmet still in hand, due to the locked gauntlet, I step up and smite the Scrag taking every swing I can and taking it down. All I hear is Corven in the back screaming “Damn it, that glory hound!” Then I see two scorching rays blast through the Scrag – which apparently is a lycanthrope. Luckily, even though it bit me, the Silver Flame protects me from such afflictions.

We search the remnants of the Merry Celestial, which we think was taken down due to a storm. We grab some of the items there and go top side. We turn these over to the captain, though we are told we can keep a magical shield and a masterwork sword that we found. We also found a magical ring on the hag, which we will examine later – I am sure.

The Sahuagin are happy with us, and they guide us through Shargon’s Teeth.

 

[shilsen]

Session 20 - The Island of the Skulls

The journey through Shargon's Teeth takes a little longer than a day, with four sahuagin guiding the Wave's Bounty. They alternately stand at the stern with Bly to give directions or leap overboard to swim through and indicate a path. It is quickly evident that the ship would have had a very difficult time making it through the maze of rock and water without their aid. Eventually, the ship emerges from Shargon's Teeth during the morning of the 24th. The sahuagin promptly say goodbye and leap overboard.

The ship continues south. On the morning of the 24th, just before dawn, the lookout calls out that he has sighted Stormreach. Those who ascend to the deck can see the lights of the city on the horizon and as the sun gradually rises on their left, they near it. Soon they are close enough to see that the city sits at the tip of the landmass that it is on, which they know is Xen'drik's northernmost peninsula.

As the ship enters the natural harbor that the city sits on, the passengers see that the docks are quite crowded. Among the varied ships is a Lyrandar wind galleon, moored at a dock specifically designed for it, the elemental that drives it now quiescent. At one end of the docks is a boat town, consisting of boats linked together by rope bridges and rickety platforms, as there was in Sharn. A couple of smaller boats come out and guide the Wave's Bounty into a dock of its own.

The passengers quickly disembark, saying goodbye to Syrina and Bly along the way. They follow Dala onto the docks and follow her into the city. Along the way they pass people of varied races, including a pair of sahuagin standing near the edge of the docks and speaking to some people. After passing from the docks into a clearly low-class area that she identifies as Floodhold, Dala leads them into what seems to be an adventurers quarter. The group of ten (consisting of the Angels, the four other members of the expedition, and Dala) soon arrives at a large inn-cum-tavern, with a sign outside identifying it as the Bloody Giant. Next door is another tavern, this one called the Iron Arm. Between and behind them is another building with a large sign, which identifies it as the Welcome Wench, evidently a brothel of some kind.

Proceeding into the Bloody Giant, Dala speaks to the ogre bouncer, who sends her to the dwarf behind the bar. He identifies himself as the owner, Grelan Parenson. He is expecting her and says that Arrok asked him to hold four rooms for them. Arrok also left a message that he will be by in the evening. On the way up to their rooms, Dala says that Arrok Doone is the guide, and he's one of the best in Stormreach. After dividing themselves up between the rooms, some of the Angels relax at the inn, while others wander around the area. Nameless and Corven find that their respective mage guilds both have a small chapterhouse in the city. Luna and Six go wandering around the marketplace and gets their first glimpse of a giant, in this case a huge, hairy brute who looks completely out of place haggling with a shopkeeper. Gareth locates the local Sivis station and sends a message to Lalia.

In the evening, when all of them have returned, the tavern's common room is a lot more crowded. At least some of the women moving around in there are prostitutes from the Welcome Wench, here to pick up an early buck. While waiting for Arrok to show up, Gareth notices a young man at the rear of the room, dressed like him in full-plate adorned with symbols of the Silver Flame. He is talking to a scruffy-looking man who has a prostitute sitting on his lap. Gareth goes over and introduces himself, followed by Six. The young man turns out to be Magnus, a templar from Thrane, while the scruffy man introduces himself as Cedric (and the girl on his lap as Lily).

The two ask Gareth and Six to join them, with Cedric commenting that there aren't usually many worshippers of the Flame in Stormreach. When he hears that they are from Sharn, he asks Gareth about Flamebearer Mazin Tana at Coldflame Keep. Gareth has heard the name but doesn't know the man, who Cedric says is an old friend. As the conversation continues, Cedric expresses some degree of dislike for the Archierophant Ythana Morr, who he says he's been more than a little unimpressed with when he met her.

Gareth eventually mentions his full name, causing Cedric to mention that his surname is Galan. Gareth recognizes him as a Brelish paladin whom he had heard about from his grandmother, being famous for his efforts against the Lords of Dust (the rakshasa servitors of the rakshasa rajahs who were bound away by the dragons many millennia ago) and known for being a bit of an eccentric. Nameless, who has wandered over to join the group, apparently knows about Cedric too, since he makes a joking comment about how he's heard tales of Cedric standing valiantly against the darkness, steadfastly and without complaint, to which Cedric responds that if the story didn't mention the six bottles he needed to drink before that, it left something out. Cedric eventually takes his leave, inviting Gareth to stop by and meet him at the Welcome Wench, where he is staying. Gareth agrees, though slightly confused by the location.

Shortly after the three return to join the others, Dala says, "There's Arrok." The adventurers see a big, husky half-orc in armor walking towards them. Instead of stopping he walks past the table, to reveal a tall gnome behind him. The latter walks up with a big smile to greet Dala, and then introduces himself as Arrok Doone. He tells the group that they should discuss what he has to say in one of the rooms, so they all head up.

In the room, Arrok says that he's been working as a guide in Xen'drik for 15 years, but has been planning on one big job for the last five years. He asks if they've heard the local story of the Island in the Mist. Both Nameless and Corven know a little about it, and Arrok fills in the rest. It's a story that somewhere off the mainland of Xen'drik is an island that contained a giant outpost. Since it wasn't as directly affected by the fall of the giant civilization as the mainland was, there is a chance that there are artifacts and maybe even a functioning giant city there. The story says that the place is perpetually shrouded in mist, which makes it difficult to locate. A couple of times people have claimed to have located it, but their stories were never proved. The fact that all magical searching for the place has been futile hasn't helped either.

A couple of years ago, Arrok found someone who claimed to have actually come from the area decades ago, which they corroborated magically, with the help of research and divinations. Which, as Luna points out, means only that the person himself believes that he came from there. Arrok says that they have gradually managed to work out exactly where this place should be, and that's where this expedition is to head. He's been in touch with Kidro and Dala and they've been planning this for two years. This could be a huge discovery, so they need to go about it very quietly. Arrok has spoken to the captain of a Lyrandar wind galleon (who owes him a favor) that's heading back to Sharn on the 2nd. The plan is for the expedition to get on the ship late on the 28th, and the ship to leave before dawn on the 1st. That gives them an extra day, which they'll spend in sailing to the island (which is approximately 500 miles from Stormreach). They'll be dropped there and the ship will be back in exactly 21 days to pick them up. After relating all this, Arrok says he'll be back with the drow guide shortly while they discuss whether they're in or not. Even before he can reach the door, everyone has agreed.

Arrok returns a few minutes later with a hooded figure, who drops the hood when he enters, to reveal that he's a drow. He is wearing a mithral chain shirt and has two scimitars on his back*. He introduces himself as Urden and goes on to relate his story. He claims that he was raised on the island, being born to one among a number of drow tribes there. He doesn't remember that much about it, since it was thirty years ago, but he remembers there was a giant wall. The members of his tribe were forbidden from crossing it, because it was supposed to keep some great monster** from crossing over, and he did so out of curiosity. When he returned, he was banished, being put on a canoe and put out to sea. He drifted for weeks, only surviving because his mother secretly hid food and water in the canoe for him, before being picked up by a ship that was on the way to Xen'drik and had been blown off-course in a storm. In Xen'drik, he got off and worked as a servant, a mercenary, a guide, etc. Eventually, he met Arrok some years ago, and when Arrok learned about his background, he persuaded Urden to give him whatever information he could, and to come along on the expedition. So here he is.

Once he's done, the others ask him a number of questions. They learn that the drow tribes on the island believe that it's the world and all that exists beyond it is the ocean. What the wall is built to keep out (or in, since it surrounds the island) is unknown to Urden. He does say that he has seen artifacts on the island that he now knows are of giant manufacture.

Once they are done, Arrok and Urden take their leave, after Arrok tells everyone to get whatever supplies they need to the next day, though mundane equipment has already been taken care of. The Angels spend the rest of the evening discussing the expedition. Gareth visits the Welcome Wench and has an interesting talk with Cedric.

***
The next day, the Angels do whatever shopping they need to. Their budget is slightly larger than planned, since Bly stops by the inn and drops off 2,500 galifars for them, which he says is the reward for the information and the things they recovered from the wreck of the Merry Celestial.

After dinner, the group heads down to the docks, where they locate the wind galleon the Sea Sprite. Boarding it, they meet the captain, Sovelon d'Lyrandar. He has them shown to their quarters, which are much more cramped and less comfortable than the ones they had on the Wave's Bounty. Arrok and Urden are all on board, along with the 8 porters who will be accompanying them.

The ship leaves before dawn on the 1st, traveling at substantial speed out into the Thunder Sea. The adventurers see neither another sail nor any sign of land for the entirety of the day. Early the next morning, they are awoken by sailors sent to tell them that the ship may have sighted what they were looking for. Reaching the deck, they find that there is a huge fog bank directly ahead, stretching across the sea as far as they can see. Arrok and Urden confirm that this is the place and Sovelon guides the ship into the mist, dropping to quarter speed as he does so. Visibility is almost non-existent here, and the Angels feel the mist to be unusually clammy.

Nameless, standing among them, has a strange feeling as the mist envelops him, and it triggers a memory that he didn't know he had. Like the other buried ones that have emerged, it is extremely strong, almost as if he were visualizing it right now. He remembers ...

... stumbling along a stone tunnel, surrounded by a similar mist, which roils and moves around him. He can only glimpse the sides of the tunnel at rare intervals, but keeps a hand on one wall to guide him. He is wearing nothing above the waist and the mist feels cold on his bare skin. There is something wet on his face and when he raises a hand to touch it, he finds it to be blood. There is more blood on his chest and arms. Looking down, he can actually see his ribs laid bare at one point. Somewhere deep inside him, he thinks that he probably should be dead, with a wound like that. His wrists are not bleeding, but feel raw, as if they had been tied. Both ankles have a similar feeling. He tries to think why that is, but his brain doesn't seem to be responding. His head seems full of the same mist around him. All he can think of is that something important just happened. Very important. He must let people know. There was death. And pain. But it's safe for now. He's safe. Nobody knows he's here. They knew (and even within the muzziness in his head he's mildly surprised that he can't remember who they are - or were), but they're dead now. He's alone. Except for the voice. And that's when he vaguely notices the voice in his head. It speaks soothingly to him, telling him that he should turn around and come back to it. It can give him things, shiny things, powerful things, if only he comes back to it. But he knows it's lying. And however much it speaks to him, it can't force him to come back. He's too confused, too tired, too hurt, but somewhere deep beyond that, he's just too stubborn. As he keeps moving forward, now stumbling over what he thinks might be bodies, bumping against walls and feeling his way to the next opening and then the next, the voice keeps cajoling, but it's growing steadily weaker. Finally it starts screaming in a language he does not understand (though, in the present, Nameless now recognizes that language as daelkyr, and the screaming as mostly incoherent rambling about time and a prison) and then fades away. At the same time, his hands encounter a door and he shoves it open. As he steps through, for a moment the mists in front of him part, though they remain as a shroud covering the sky above him. He finds herself standing at the bottom of a hill, looking out over a large plain. Bodies litter the ground, comprising two distinct groups of people. One group, forming a ring around the doorway, is dressed in motley clothes and armor, ranging from people in robes with no weapons to a couple of people in polished mail. Facing them are what seem to be military men, all wearing Cyran uniforms. Most of the dead have frozen looks of horror on their faces. In the distance far beyond these two groups, he sees more bodies here and there, as far as his eye can see. Even within the muzziness in his head, he thinks (or does he just hear someone thinking?), "They will call this the Day of Mourning." Slowly, he stumbles away from the doorway and onto the plain of the dead. As he goes, he think that there's something important he is forgetting, but for the life of he, he couldn't say what...

Nameless calmly files away the memory for later consideration and characteristically, does not mention it to anyone. The ship continues into the mist for about fifteen minutes, having covered over two miles even at the lowered speed, before people can hear the sound of waves on rock. Moments later, the two lookouts posted in the stern with powerful lanterns yell that they see rocks. Sovelon instantly brings the ship to a stop, as only an elemental galleon can, but not before a couple of large rocks loom out of the mist only a dozen feet from the ship. Turning to Arrok, who is near him, the captain says that he cannot further risk his ship and will offload them via boat, so that they can land.

The group of twenty is broken up between two large boats crewed by sailors from the ship and lowered into the water. As they head in the direction of the unseen shore, they gradually pass scores, or maybe hundreds, of rocks. Some look like they may have once had huge faces or skulls carved on them, but as close to unrecognizable now due to the effects of wind and water. Urden says that now he's sure this is the island, since these were the rocks around it.

Suddenly, the boats break out of the mist, which stops like a wall behind them. It also rises up to form a ceiling about 200 ft above, which eventually breaks up in the distance (about a quarter mile away), revealing blue sky and sun above. The three Cyrans in the group find it very reminiscent of the Mournland, except that the ceiling doesn't end there. The island is only some fifty feet away. There is almost no beach, consisting rather of a rocky outcropping before a large rock cliff that seems to run left & right as far as the eye can see. There are clefts and breaks in various areas through the cliff, some quite wide.

The boats pull up on the rock shelf and off-load the passengers, as well as the boxes of equipment and supplies. These also include some slightly unusual items, ranging from the small pull-cart that Six has insisted he bring along, and the two traveling alchemist's labs, one of which Corven's homunculus is perched upon. Once they are unloaded, the boats quickly leave, none of the sailors seeming to want to hang around.

While the others make the last preparations before heading in, Luna walks up to the edge of the beach and casts a detect magic, hoping to decipher if the mist or the area is magical. To her surprise, she has the unusual experience of her spell flickering like a candle in a wind, till it finally winks out. She mentions this to Nameless, who is near her. He tries the same, and though his spell too flickers, it eventually settles into a weak and narrow cone shape. He finds that he can detect magic on Luna and himself, but items beyond twenty feet do not show up as they should. Nameless tells Luna what happened but cannot explain it, and the pair head back to join the others.

Six, Luna and Arrok then scout the immediate area, looking for tracks, but the stone ground makes it impossible for them to find anything they can be sure of. They do, however, find a cleft that passes through the cliff, which seems to be a few hundred feet wide. The group takes up a formation with Six, Luna and Arrok in the lead, followed by the porters, who are in pairs and carrying boxes strung on poles, with Gareth in the rear. The others spread themselves among the porters.

The procession heads through the cliff. After a minute or two, one of the porters gives a warning yell and drops his pole. Everyone quickly sees what he has noticed, as five creatures leap up from their concealment in the rocks on either side of the cleft. They slightly resemble malformed wolves, though they are shorter and more squat, with patchy fur covering shrunken unhealthy-looking hide that sticks to their bony sides. Their eyes are blank white, set in a feral, low-slung skull.

As others drop what they are carrying and grab for weapons, each of the creatures lets out a wailing yowl that strikes fear into those who hear it. Only Gareth, with his divinely granted immunity, resists the supernatural effect. The creatures swiftly move to attack, leaping from the rocks. Urden, who has apparently seen them before, yells, "They're yowlers! Careful - they are hard to hit."

Apparently the creatures are not just hard to hit but capable of hitting hard themselves, since two of them bear Urden and Corven to the ground, while the other three attack Six, Gareth and the unfortunate porter who first saw them. Luckily for the others, Arrok has ensured that everyone is wearing armor and carrying some weapon and a light crossbow, so they are soon launching a volley of missiles at the creatures. Which quickly illustrates what Urden meant, since some bolts seem to pass right through the creatures, though others hit. "There's some displacement effect on them," warns Nameless, moments after he has slowed a couple of the creatures. He switches to magic missiles, knowing that they hit with unerring accuracy.

The sheer numbers of the expedition make sure some of their attacks get through, though Urden and Corven are soon badly hurt. Urden, rolling on the ground and slapping at the creature with his scimitars, shouts, "Use fire on them!", causing Luna to summon three small fire elementals. One attacks the creature that Six has already seriously wounded, fortuitously setting it on fire. The creature screams in fear and flees, followed by the one that has been worrying Corven, at least partly impelled by a blast of his scorching ray wand fired right into its maw.

This lets the group concentrate their attacks on the three remaining, which soon turn tail and flee. The 'yowlers' are apparently preternaturally strong, having taken considerable damage without going down. Nameless hits the last fleeing one with a parting volley of magic missiles, and it stumbles but keeps going, to disappear into the rocks. Gareth, who has had a hard time hitting his opponent, grimaces and says, "Those things were tough!", before going to tend to the porter who was badly wounded.

Luckily, nobody is mortally wounded, and after some healing, the expedition moves on. When they emerge through the cliff, they find themselves on the verge of a thick tropical forest, which springs up only some thirty feet away. Luna comments, "This isn't natural." Urden adds that this is true of the entire island, which is ringed by the cliff and the forest, which he says is about a quarter of a mile wide. Beyond it is a slightly smaller space before the wall, where the drow tribes live.

They notice that a well-worn trail emerges from the forest about a hundred feet away. Near where it does, set against the cliff, are a couple of small huts, with half a dozen canoes stacked near them. Urden comments that he was sent off to sea in one like that and that all of the tribes use them. Though it was a long time ago, he doubts these belong to the tribe he came from. As he is speaking, Corven sees movement among the trees and catches a glimpse of two drow running off. They are almost naked, wearing hides. He quickly points it out, but they are gone by then. Urden says that they'd probably be very curious, more than hostile, since they'll never have seen any races other than drow.

The group heads along the trail and after about ten minutes, sees a dozen drow coming towards them. The drow come to a stop, looking wary but not threatening, and Urden steps forward and signals them to approach. A couple do, one asking the group in a very strange dialect of elven where they are from. Corven and Collus translate for the others, Collus commenting that it sounds like an incredibly archaic variant of elven. They quickly discover that they drow have no conception of the Common tongue used elsewhere in Khorvaire. They also notice that while the drow carry crude spears and shields, made of wood and hides, two have well-made steel weapons and one has a large steel shield. The drow ask the group to come to their village and accompany them.

Within five minutes of travelling, the adventurers can see a stone wall in the distance, which must be about forty feet high, with the tops of some trees sticking above it. The forest soon ends abruptly, stopping a few hundred feet before the wall. The wall is about 40 ft tall, though it is a little lower in places where the top (which consists of a crenellated parapet) has broken. It looks very well made, though there are places that have crumbled and been replaced crudely by rocks. There are also some crude stone walkways that lead to the top. The village in front of it consists of dozens of large huts, with scores of drow walking around. On either side of the village are some small fields. The huts are all made of very crude materials, with unusual items here and there that stick out. A ten-foot high steel shield makes up part of a wall, while a large spear with an apparently adamantine blade supports a roof. Nearby, two huts are built connected to a 15 ft stone pillar that has stylized symbols (which both Collus and Imre identify as giant in make).

There is a large crowd gathered to see them, many with weapons in hand. The drow with the group call something to them (which Corven translates as "Get Rezan"), and they slowly get out of the way of the group. As they advance, an elderly drow woman comes through the crowd, accompanied by an unusually tall male. The latter wears a fine breastplate and carries a heavy pick, and they are followed closely by six more drow in chain shirts and carrying metal weapons.

The woman introduces herself as Rezan, shaman of the village, and the tall warrior as the chief, Uthgen. She asks if she can touch them and when Corven agrees, comes up to touch his face and arms to check if he is painted. Seeing that he isn't, which draws murmurs from the crowd, she asks them where they came from. When they say they came from across the ocean, she pauses and then asks them to accompany her. She leads them to the center of the village, outside her large hut. Once they are seated on mats placed for their benefit, she asks the other drow to disperse, Uthgen included. They do so, only to stop about fifty feet away and stare at the newcomers.

With this limited privacy, she says that they should not lie. There is nowhere beyond the ocean to come from. There is only the world and the mist (refers to the island as the world) and the ocean beyond. Her forefathers say there were other worlds once, but when the scaled ones came, they took away the other worlds and set up the mist, to keep "the people" (what she calls the drow) safe here. Urden corroborates the others' claim, saying that he came from the island, but though Rezan listens politely, she doesn't seem too convinced.

Some of the adventurers are interested in the story of the scaled ones. Corven asks her if they were dragons, only to discover that she does not have the word for "dragons" in her vocabulary. Rezan relates the story of history that she and her people believe in. The Scaled Masters made the world, which they then give to the High Ones. The High Ones ruled the world, rode the seas and made the wall, but they then angered the Scaled Masters, who cast down the High Ones, made the mist and gave the people (drow) the law, that they were to guard the wall and none were ever to cross it. There were other worlds too, but the Scaled Ones destroyed them in their anger, so there is only this world now. Collus, Nameless and Corven opine that it is the drow's story for the casting down of the giant civilization by the dragons of Argonessen.

Rezan also asks what the adventurers are here for, and when they explain that they plan to travel across the wall, she tries to persuade them not to do so. She says only that it would be very bad. When the adventurers ask about what is on the other side of the wall, she says that is where the High Ones were, but now there are only monsters. In order to avoid alarming Rezan, Corven and the others who can speak elven tell her that they will not cross the wall, which seems to mollify her. She asks them to stay at the village as they wish.

While the rest of the group rests and talks about what they have discovered (and make plans to stay at the village for a day or two, pretend to leave, get some distance away and then cross the wall), Luna wanders away into the forest, planning to do some investigation of her own. She finds a couple of drow following her, but loses them by stepping behind a tree and changing form into an eagle.

She flies above the trees and over the wall. She sees that it is about ten feet wide on the top. The stone on the other side is covered with scorch marks in large sections, as if it had been hit by huge explosions. On the far side is a tropical forest, spreading left and right as far as she can see, as does the wall. The most obvious natural formation is a low mountain that must be about forty miles away. From its position, it might be the center of the island, which would then be close to a hundred miles in diameter.

As Luna flies along the wall, she sees that there are some streams running through the forest, seeming to come from the direction of the mountain. She also sees some large open areas, a couple of them many miles wide. Noticing movement in the closest one, some five miles away, she flies closer and finds that it is occupied by small herds of grazing dinosaurs. The largest is a small family of triceratops. As she watches, a dozen velociraptors come running out of the forest. They cut a couple of the smaller dinosaurs out of a herd and bring them down quickly, before starting to feed.

Moving on, Luna notices that there are a few trails through the thick forest, though they are few and far between. Deciding to find out as much about it as she can, she finds a smaller eagle and casts a spell to speak with animals. The other bird is the usual mixture of laconic and dumb that most animals are, and after a couple of minutes, Luna leaves it and flies off. She manages to snare an unwary squirrel and speak to it too, once she has managed to persuade it that it's not about to die and work past its focus on nuts. Between the two animals, she learns that among the dangers of the forest are the "singing tree" and that the trails are made by "two-feets" that have "yellow skin" and "hunt, kill, eat" many things (including squirrels).

Deciding that she has learned as much as possible, Luna releases the squirrel (which promptly tries to go speak to another bird and gets eaten) and flies back, heading for the wall and the drow camp.

* Yup, that's the one
** No, he doesn't mention a legendary dire ape

 

[shilsen]

Written by AviLazar:

Session 20 - January 14, 2006

We continue on our journey, everything seeming quiet as Captain Bly and the Sahuagin go through their routine to ensure our safe passage. Finally, after a long trip, we reach the shores of Stormreach on the 24th. Stormreach is not what I expected – I thought I would see a hovel of a village, but it is quite an expansive town with a lot of infrastructure. The people who built Stormreach have done a great job into making this a town.

We navigate our way through the town, following Dala, and enter the Bloody Giant inn. Dala goes and speaks with the proprietor to confirm our room reservations. Looking around, I decide to head out to house Sivis and from there I send a message to Lalia – informing her of my safe arrival. This message, apparently, will not get out for a few days as the house has a lot of orders. I travel around Stormreach a bit more, exploring the area and later that evening I head back to the Bloody Giant.

Inside the inn I see two people, one of which is wearing full-plate with symbols of the Silver Flame. I walk over, and introduce myself to him. He introduces himself as Thrane, and his friend – who has a prostitute with him – is Cedric. They invite us to sit down, and Six and I do so. We talk for a few minutes and at this point I learn that Cedric is also a follower of the flame, not to what extent, but I have this feeling he is a brother to arms – though he does not dress or act like those I have met before – not many, but still a lot by most peoples standards. I then give my full-name to Cedric and Magnus, realizing I was rude to only give my first name. Cedric mentions his last name, Galan, and I remember a story of a Brelish paladin – who is well known against the Lords of Dust. I piece his name with the feeling I get from him, and this man who has a prostitute on his legs is brother – a fellow paladin of the Silver Flame. At this point Nameless strolls in and upon learning who Cedric is starts shaking his hand and seems quite happy to meet him. Cedric then leaves, at the urging of his prostitute, and he invites me for drinks at the Welcome Wench.

We then see Dala come back with two other people and she introduces them as some more companions who will travel with us. The first of which I notice is a half-orc in, behind him is a tall gnome who goes by the name Arrok Doone. We begin to discuss what we should expect, and apparently Arrok has a lot of experience in this profession – about fifteen years, and he has been spending the past five or so planning this trip. Knowing this now, I think we have a good chance of surviving this expedition – which apparently nobody has ever taken before. According to Arrok, others have heard of this place but it is supposed to be a myth. Arrok then asks us if we would like to take this expedition, and we agree. He then leaves and comes back with a drow by the name of Urden, who wears a mithral chain shirt and wields two scimitars on his back. Nameless’ scrutinizes Urden and breaths a sigh, why I am not sure – I highly doubt Nameless has met this person, but who knows what secrets reside in Nameless’ head.

Urden tells us of a story, how he was banished from his home – this island we are going to – and although he should have died at sea on a small skiff, he managed to stay alive by the food and water his mother snuck to him before he left, and pure luck of being picked up by another ship. Once in Xen’drik, Arrok worked as a servant, and eventually a guide and sell-sword. An interesting tale, and his experiences should prove invaluable. Everyone turns in for the night, but I take my leave and head over to speak with Cedric.

Upon going to the Welcome Wench, the place Cedric is staying in, I am greeted by a guard who instructs me to leave Kizmet by the cupboard. I instinctively touch Kizmet, but am not about to leave it lying around – especially not in a place like this. I am saved an argument when the owner, Katryna, comes down and says I am expected guest and can retain my sword. Katryna walks me upstairs, and I speak with her briefly. She tells me that Cedric comes here every now and again, paying – in excess – for their services and providing healing to any of the girls who need it. We enter the room, where Cedric has three women with him, and he is telling them of one of his adventures. Katryna takes the girls out of the room so Cedric and I can speak in private.

Cedric and I speak on many topics, mainly how we view the world, drinking whatever concoction he hands me. It is interesting, this Cedric Galan, he holds many views that I do – and definitely the call of the Silver Flame – but he is uncouth. He has great honor, but his diplomacy is about as refined as Luna’s. I like him though – he is honest, and considering how many liars, thieves, and tricksters I have been dealing with lately – it is refreshing. Cedric and I part company, as he walks downstairs asking how he can get a hold of me in the future when he stops by Sharn. I tell him I will look forward to meeting him again, and I will meet his friend Flamebearer Mazin Tana at Coldflame Keep. I head back to the inn, with a little too much drink in me and go to sleep for the night.

Waking up in the morning, with a massive headache – I pray to the Silver Flame, and add in a bit about getting some help from this hangover. I think this is why I was taught to not drink.

We have breakfast, and Captain Bly stops by the inn to give us 2,500 Galifars for helping with the Merry Celestial. This was the reward money for the items and information we recovered. We go about, doing some shopping, and I buy a couple of potions for the trip – particularly in areas where I cannot help – poisons. We spend most of the day shopping and relaxing, and finally this hangover leaves me. Six is curious about this feeling, Luna tells me I deserve as much, and Nameless just laughs at me. The only sympathy is from Corven, but even that came with a lecture about drinking too much.

That evening, we have a good dinner – probably the last good dinner for a while – and head down to the docks where we board a ship named the Sea Sprite. We meet the captain, a Sovelon d’Lrandar and the ship leaves pre-dawn. We travel and by the next morning a huge fog bank was spotted. We traverse inside of this fog and eventually come close enough to land where we use canoes to travel to shore. As we do travel, the mist – all of a sudden – just ends. This mist is magical to say the least, and it is confirmed when Luna and Nameless casts a detect magic spell; however, as they does so, it starts to putter in and out. Nameless has slightly better results then Luna, but his field of view is narrowed. I do not try, deciding to save my spells for later use, but I figure I will not be too better off then they will.

We dismount from the boats and our porters – who are fairly well armed – start carrying the boxes on poles. After walking for a bit, we are walking in a path between cliffs…I feel like this would make for a great ambush, and this brings me worry. I keep Kizmet at the ready – as always – and then odd looking wolves appear on opposite sides of the cliffs. Their eyes are white and their skulls are misshapen as the rest of their bodies. Everyone prepares for the oncoming attack, and the creatures try and emit an affect fear to stun the group. The Silver Flame protects me from such tricks, but some in our group are not so lucky. The battle ensues, and spells start to fly – Nameless casts slow on a small group of these creatures dramatically reducing their effectiveness. Nameless screams these things have sort of displacement ability. Realizing that hitting them is not due to armor, but pure luck if their displacement kicks in, I start to attack with all the power I can muster, and miss the first couple of times. Finally these things are taken out with the combined effort of the group, and the remainders flee. We heal the group, and then continue on our trek.

Walking for a while longer we bypass the cliffs and enter a forest that Luna says is not natural. Urden tells us to expect this because it happens often here. We see a trail in the distance and some huts with canoes. Urden comments this is what he was sent off in – for banishment. After seeing the canoes, banishment is just the way these people execute their members without calling it that. Corven then see’s two draw running in the distance and Urden tells us we are more likely to get a curious reaction then a violent one. I am glad; I do not want to fight an entire tribe because they are xenophobic. We walk a little bit further, and twelve drow come up towards us – most of their equipment is crude, but two have high quality steal weapons and a shield. They speak to us, in an ancient form of elven, and ask us to go to their village.

The village is not far, about ten minutes away, and we get there unmolested. The village is strange. It is crude, which is what I expected, but what makes it strange is that some of the buildings are supported by gigantic pieces of equipment. One hut uses a ten-foot high steel shield as part of the wall, and then there is a large spear with an adamantine blade to hold the roof of another. This land was once roamed by giants.

We meet a woman, Rezan, who is the shaman of the village. She speaks with Corven and he tells us she would like to touch our faces – she thinks we are painted this color. Apparantly, she has never seen anyone with our complexians before. Corven tells her where we are from, and she takes us to her hut. We sit there, outside the hut, and begin to speak. Rezan tells us we should not lie to her, she does not believe that we came from beyond the mists as there is no such thing as a world beyond the mists. Taking her story, Nameless, Corven and Collus relate it to the history of the dragons of Argonessen and the destruction of the giant civilization. We tell Rezan of our desire to cross the wall, but she tells us it is forbidden to go there and it would be bad if we do. Corven calms her and tells her we will not cross the wall. Rezan tells us we can stay in the village as long as we would like to.

We rest up in the village, and Luna sneaks off to explore the surrounding forest. She comes back a bit later, and tells us of some of the things she has seen. Luna tells us that she has seen some dinosaurs, and has spoken to a squirrel which said it has seen two legged creatures with yellow skin that kill various animals for food.

 

[shilsen]

Session 21 (1/21/06) - Over the Wall (or "40,000 Years of Rubbing")

Luna nears the wall without trouble but just as she reaches it, she flies smack-dab into an invisible barrier, flattening herself against it with a surprised "squawk!", falling, and then righting herself. She casts a detect magic, which seems to work without trouble, and detects a moderate aura of evocation, as well as some divination and universal magic, mostly in the shape of a barrier in front of her. It stretches as far upwards and on either side as she can detect. She surmises that it is a wall of force and tries flying further away or higher and getting by. Experimentation reveals that it stretches along the inner surface of the stone wall as far as she goes, and as high as she goes. Luna then tries dropping down to the ground and changing shape into an ape and climbing up the wall, which reveals that the wall of force extends to the ground too. Eventually, after trying various things, she tries to climb over the wall in her normal form and is able to do so. Slightly bruised, she heads back to join her companions.

When she reaches the village, where some of the drow look at her suspiciously but ask no questions, she finds the others in the middle of a discussion. Six has been suggesting that the island itself is as big a treasure as anything that could be found beyond the wall. He suggests that the group consider setting up an outpost and trying to control/aid/benefit from travel into the interior, just as Stormreach does in Xen'drik. The others have differing opinions about the feasibility of the enterprise. Dala says, "I'm quite sure that as soon as news of this discovery gets out, people will be swarming to this place, so while it's an interesting idea, I'd say we should still get as much out of here as we can this time." Luna returns at this point to report what she saw and experienced. Nameless theorizes that the wall of force might be triggered by a combination of someone trying to leave and doing so by magical means. Luna suggests he try out the theory, but Nameless declines.

Rezan returns shortly afterwards to let the group know that accommodation has been arranged at a large hut for them. She also spends some time asking them more questions, especially about their plans for the next day. Nameless and others tell her that they will not cross the wall but will simply go speak to some of the other tribes. She warns that other tribes might be more hostile, and Nameless replies, "In which case, they will rapidly become much smaller tribes."

Six asks about the stone walkways leading to the top of the wall, and Rezan says that they are used to post sentries on the wall if they hear dangerous creatures on the other side. She also says that supposedly some generations ago, a few of the surviving High Ones had tried to cross the wall and the drow had used them to fight them back. Six also asks her what they use for money on the island, a concept she seems unclear about. Corven produces a copper, silver and gold coin as examples. Rezan asks, "Like this?" and produces a golden disk from a large pouch she carries around, this one weighing about 5 pounds. Imre, the appraiser in the group, opines that it contains about 250 galifars worth of gold. Unfortunately any marks that it might once have had have been removed by thousands of years of being carried around, so it has no value as a historical artifact.

After some discussion, a couple more drow let Rezan know that dinner has been served, and she leads the group to a large open space, where mats have been set for them, with plates and bowls of food nearby. Dozens of other drow join them, though they sit at a discreet distance. During the meal, a small group of drow perform a dance that sets out the history of the world as the tribe sees it, acting as the Scaled Masters and the High Ones in turn.

After the dance and dinner, Rezan tells the group to rest and says she will see them the next day. Urden suggests that the group post watches, since he doesn't really trust the tribe, so they do so (with Six remaining on watch throughout, as always). Late in the night, Six, Gareth and Niff notice a small group of drow approach the hut. When they are a little over a hundred feet away, they stop and then head away. Other than that, nothing of note occurs.

***
The next morning, the group joins Rezan for breakfast. As usual, she has the silent Uthgen and the six armored drow with her. Over breakfast, she asks again about the group's plans and Nameless repeats what they said before. Rezan then excuses herself for a few moments and goes to her hut, with Uthgen in tow.

The two return and approach the group, and then Rezan shouts, "Kill the liars! They must not cross the wall!" She hurls a small bead in their direction, which explodes with concussive force, battering Corven, Gareth and a couple of others. It expands out into a globe of force that almost engulfs Gareth, but he manages to dodge away. Uthgen rushes forward and strikes at Luna, wounding her slightly. As the other drow grab at their weapons and attack, the Angels and other members of the expedition quickly defend themselves.

Nameless is the quickest, casting a spell even before he bothers to stand up, which conjures up a field of black tentacles, which wrap themselves around Rezan and a drow warrior. "I warned you!" he says, as he stands up. Nearby, Corven quickly uses an infusion to make Six's weapon more deadly to drow, and the warforged attacks Uthgen. Which rapidly becomes embarrassing as he tries to trip the drow chieftain and fails to do so, having to drop the chain before being pulled off his own feet instead. Luna steps away from Uthgen and casts produce flame, hitting him with a bolt of flame that pierces his resistance to magic. Gareth attacks one of the other drow with Kizmet.

With the combination of the adventurers, Arrok and Urden, Dala and the four others from Sharn, and the eight porters, the drow are quickly in dire straits, with a couple being quickly cut down. Rezan and the other trapped drow show no sign of being about to escape. A few dozen drow are in the process of rushing to join the fight when Nameless casts a well-placed web spell from one hut to another, catching a number of them. These drow apparently have no idea about such magic, since a couple try to break through by throwing themselves at the web, promptly sticking fast. Uthgen is the only one who seems to be holding his own, managing to wound Six as he retrieves his spiked chain, but Six and Luna then combine to wound him badly.

In desperation, Rezan pulls a bead from her necklace and hurls it. To the momentary surprise of the group (and from her expression - hers too), it blossoms into a fireball, scorching a number of people. More alarmingly, it reveals that some of the downed drow are wearing such necklaces of fireball, since it ignites another, which then ignites another, and so on. A total of four fireballs explode in quick succession. When the explosions end, Corven, three porters and the student scribe Maura are all lying on the ground unconscious, while everyone else is scorched to some degree. Not one of the drow besides Uthgen survive.

The drow villagers who were hurrying to join the fight stop in horror, scream in terror and flee. Their flight is doubly motivated by the two pseudonatural bison that Nameless had just summoned, which he now commands to kill the drow. They charge off, goring or trampling on the unlucky ones they find. Six, meanwhile, cuts down Uthgen with a mighty blow*, while Rezan and the other drow are squeezed to death by the tentacles. The others hurry to revive the unconscious people and find that luckily none are dead.

With the battle quickly terminated, the group does a cursory check of the dead drow, finding two unaffected necklaces (each with one bead) and collecting the large gold piece that they had seen the day before. Six also goes and collects the adamantine spearhead that they had seen used as a roof support. He notices that the vast majority of the drow have managed to flee successfully into the forest, except for the few who are now barricaded in their huts or sitting on a roof screaming with fear while a tentacled bison tries to reach them.

Once he rejoins the others, the expedition proceeds over the wall. Reaching the top via the stone walkways, they find it exactly as Luna had described. While they lower themselves and the supplies with ropes, Luna wildshapes into an eagle and flies around to try and spot the nearest trail. She finds one that leads in the general direction of the mountain, and returns to lead the group in that direction. Urden, having seen the mountain, says, "My tribe believed that was the center of the island." Arrok says, "Then I'm guessing if there is something to find, it's there. Let's go."

With that, the expedition heads into the forest. Arrok, Urden and Six take the lead, followed by a line of porters, with Corven and Nameless in the middle and Gareth at the rear. Collus and Maura are about a quarter of the way down, while Imre and Niff are about the same distance ahead of Gareth. Luna flies overhead and ahead, using her increased speed to scout ahead and returning at intervals to report with gestures and scratching in the ground.

As they proceed over the next few hours, they discover a number of things about the forest. It is a very heavily wooded one, with a canopy that exists on three general levels. The highest trees are over a hundred feet tall, with a lower layer at around sixty feet, and then a third one at about thirty. This arrangement makes it difficult for Luna to get a clear view of the area ahead. Also, they soon discover that the floor of the forest is at various levels. It often falls away to a depth of a hundred feet or more, and then rises abruptly at other times. A few large crevasses are encountered, splitting the ground to deeper depths. These undulations in the terrain are also difficult for Luna to make out if flying above the canopy, and she is eventually reduced to flying about fifty feet above her companions, avoiding the taller trees as she goes.

The forest has more than its fair share of fauna, and there are sometimes animal tracks on or near the trail. At one point, Arrok spots a set of humanoid-shaped tracks. They are slightly larger than human-sized, but are oddly misshapen. Arrok and Urden consult but aren't sure what it could be. Since they head along the trail in the same direction that the expedition is heading, and also happen to be no more than a day old, they recommend caution (a little redundantly, since everyone is on alert anyway) and continue. A short time later, Six notices a much larger track. This one must have come from a creature at least fifteen feet tall, also humanoid in general shape, which drags or rests on its knuckles as it walks. It is difficult to say if there was more than one. Arrok and Urden say that they could be hill giants, but the fingers seem more misshapen and hill giants are usually only about 10 feet tall, or 12 feet at the biggest. These tracks seem a little older.

The first sign of danger for the group comes from a much smaller set of enemies. A number of the group hear distant chirping, like that of a number of birds. Luna, who is nearby, flies in that direction and returns soon. Unable to explain in detail, she changes back to normal form and explains that she heard a lot more of the sounds but couldn't see anything, though there was rustling in the undergrowth below. Her comment is quickly corroborated as the chirping breaks out nearby, followed by the appearance of a dozen or so small green dinosaurs from the bushes nearby. They are a foot tall and have a large beak-like mouth, with disproportionately large teeth.

The dinosaurs scamper forward, eyeing the group with their beady eyes and chirping as they come. One reaches Gareth and looks up at him. The paladin is apparently not an animal-lover, since he says, "I don't trust these," and takes a swing at it with his sword. To the surprise and amusement of the rest, he misses by a mile** as the creature quickly darts aside. Luna begins to yell, "Gareth - there's no need fo..." but is cut off by a chorus of chirping, as hundreds of the creatures swarm out of the bushes at the group.

Everyone has weapons and wands prepared, so the creatures take a volley of shots, but that only leaves a few of them dead. Nameless manages to cast a spell and fly up above them, but they literally roll over the others, biting and scratching with glee. Six is the first to realize that discretion is much the better part of valor here and runs for the closest tree, trailing dinosaurs as he goes. He leaps up and grabs a branch and pulls himself off the ground. Luna swears in anger and then unleashes a flame strike, which roasts dozens of the creatures, clearing a space for her to also run and get up a tree.

After some abortive attempts to cut down some, many of the others manage to do the same, though Corven and most of the porters are hampered by the pain*** of lots of small teeth and claws ripping at them. After a few seconds, they too manage to make their way to some plant or the other. Only two of the porters are unable to flee. Nameless swoops down and manages to barely pull one off the ground, but it's too late for the other. The dinosaurs literally rip apart the screaming man, feasting on him even before he's dead. After depositing the unconscious porter near Gareth, who barely made it off the ground with his armor, so that he can be healed, Nameless summons three pseudonatural bison. Their magical resistance to damage stands them in good stead against the creatures and after they have trampled a fair number (Six has already nailed a number with a fireball via one of the beads from the drow), the dinosaurs disperse.

The remaining members of the expedition slowly climb down and tend to their wounds. The remains of the dead porter, who has been reduced almost to a skeleton, are interred in a shallow grave nearby and the reduced group continues on its way. Someone jokes that they just got treed by the equivalent of a swarm of featherless, green chickens. Nobody seems to find the comment that amusing.

After a couple more hours of traveling, by which time the trail has ended abruptly and been left behind, Arrok suggests that they now make camp. The group picks a site near the base of one of the abrupt descents that they have found in the forest floor, so that they are protected from a couple of sides. The area has a broad open space in the forest canopy above it, and while they are making camp, they see dozens of bats rise from the forest about a mile away. This wouldn't be unusual, but after they account for the distance, they realize that the bats must be about the size of small ponies. But apparently they aren't the largest things in the island's sky. As they fly about, a pair of much larger winged creatures (evidently some sort of dinosaur) zoom up out of the forest near them. They swiftly grab a bat each and wing away with their struggling prey, long leathery wings propelling them away from the party.

"You know," comments Six after seeing that, "Suddenly I'm glad that I'm not the one flying around as a bird." Nameless points out that if Luna's swallowed by one of those things, she can turn into a porcupine or some such, but Luna doesn't seem that enthused about the possibility.

***
The night passes without trouble, though some of those on watch hear large creatures moving around in the distance, and at one point, a loud roar wakes the sleepers. The next morning, the group heads on. Luna, flying above, estimates that they have covered about a dozen miles from the wall, and that it will take them two more days or so to reach the mountain.

An hour or so after they head out, the group stumbles across a strange area. To the view of those behind him Six, who is only a few steps ahead of Arrok and Urden, suddenly appears to be four times the distance away. Six himself notes that the area around him seems to have suddenly expanded in distance. He promptly leaps back, looking to those outside as if he covered a large distance in a second.

The porters promptly stop, while the other Angels and the experts from Sharn hurry up to join Six. Nameless uses a detect magic to discover that the area ahead is highly magical, in the shape of a large cylinder that must be about two hundred feet in width and forty in height. Powerful auras of transmutation, enchantment and universal magic fill the area, but they apparently do not come from extant spells.

While he is discovering this and discussing it with the others, Corven enters the area, with Six accompanying him. Those outside see the same distortion in space that they had, and soon realize there is a distortion in time as well, with those inside seeming to move much faster. Experimentation and discussion reveals that the area within is four times as wide as it seems to be from the outside, and time within moves four times as fast. A dropped coin, for example, falls at normal speed inside but for those outside, seems to fall in slow motion. Even more interestingly, this spatial distortion applies only to distance, with trees, people and other such things appearing exactly the same size. Perhaps due to these strange effects, this section of the forest has no birds or animals within it that the group can see.

The expedition members spend some time studying the area and conjecturing what its source could be. Collus surmises that it might be some after-effect of the destruction of the giants by the dragons. Six is more interested in practical aspects, wondering whether they would be able to rest within this area for 2 hours in the outside world and gain the full benefits of the 8 hrs of time that would pass within. Though they've broken camp too recently to try the experiment, the cartographer Niff marks the area carefully in the map that he's been making of the island, so that they can perhaps try it on their return.

The group continues onwards, changing direction slightly to start using a nearby trail that Luna has spotted. Around noon, a few of them hear movement among the trees to their right. The source is quickly revealed, as five humanoid-shaped figures emerge from among the trees to hurl javelins, winging Arrok and badly wounding Collus. As he cries out and drops to the ground, those who spotted the creatures return fire or cry warnings to the others. As the creatures move closer, the adventurers see that they resemble trolls but are only slightly taller than humans, with warty yellowish-green skin. They wear no armor, or clothing for that matter besides a couple of pouches and straps, but have a pair of javelins strapped to their backs.

Luna comes flying back in eagle form, casting a spell to entangle the creatures, but only one is affected, being stuck in place with vegetation wreathed around its legs. The other four move closer, hurling more javelins, even as the porters, Imre, Dala and Niff respond with a volley of crossbow bolts. Nameless sends a fireball that explodes in their midst, scorching them all, though they seem able to dodge the worst of the blast. Urden charges forward with scimitars flashing, followed closely by Arrok, who yells a warning of "Forest trolls! Careful - they use poison!" Six, who has waited momentarily to fire his bow moves up as well. Gareth, a little far from the attackers due to his position at the rear, moves up too, blessing those around him. Corven, who has infused his wand to fire twin rays at once also does so, and characteristically enough, fails to activate it**** when in range.

The amount of crossbow bolts being fired means a few hit home, and by the time Arrok, Urden and Six reach the enemy, all of the trolls are wounded. As they attack, they see that the trolls' wounds are gradually closing, though not as effectively as a normal troll's would. They hack into the creatures, causing further damage. All of them take a few minor wounds in turn, but one troll quickly goes down. The entangled one staggers under a volley of crossbow bolts and a hurled produce flame from Luna, but manages to hurl one last javelin. It ricochets off a porter's pack and buries itself in the already wounded and poisoned Collus, killing him instantly. Maura, next to him, gives a scream and hurls herself at the body, trying vainly to revive the elderly scholar. A pair of scorching rays that Corven finally manages to fire slam into the troll's chest and drops it in a heap.

The remaining three trolls attempt to flee, but Six and Arrok cut one down as it goes. The other two head back into the trees, their flesh changing color slightly to blend into the background and making them difficult to see. Gareth, who has just managed to move up to join Corven, watches in frustration, knowing that he cannot catch them in his heavy armor.

Nameless, launching magic missiles from behind a tree on the other side of the porters, where he has taken cover against stray spears, gives a yell of pain as a javelin slashes his side. This one comes from behind him, on the opposite side of the trail from where the trolls attacked. Spinning around, he sees another five trolls heading for the group, these ones above the ground and moving along the overhanging tree-branches. Besides the javelin that hit him, four more fly into the porters, hitting one of them. Maura, weeping over Collus' still form, barely has time to look up as one pins her to the ground.

Nameless feels the sting of poison on the javelin-tip but manages to resist it, moving back around the tree. He casts a stinking cloud spell that envelops all the trolls. He hears growls and cries of surprise, followed by a 'thump' as one falls out of a tree. By the time four of them emerge from the cloud, Urden, Six and Corven are racing back and have almost reached him, with the slower Arrok and Gareth some distance behind.

While Luna hurls more bolts of flame, Nameless uses another spell to slow the trolls, though only one is affected. Another, the fifth and last to emerge, has apparently been affected by the cloud and is unable to fight, choking and coughing. One troll comes rushing up with a snarl and swings at Nameless, but he manages to dodge away. Corven appears next to him and levels his wand, blasting the troll back. The others are soon there too, and quickly engage the rest.

Gareth slashes one badly, is clawed in turn, and quickly realizes that the trolls have poisoned claws too, as he feels his vitality lowered. Still, he wounds it again, as does Six, causing it to try to flee. A pseudonatural bison appears beside it and smashes it to the ground. Arrok and Urden, who apparently have some expertise at fighting together and against such creatures, take the slowed one down. Corven blasts a third off its feet. The nauseated one has already fled and so does the remaining one, pursued by the bison.

Corven, who has very clearly been enjoying his wand's effectiveness, thinks for a moment of pursuing, but decides not to. He returns to rejoin the others and heads back to the porters, to take stock of losses and heal the wounded. They find that Collus and Maura are both dead, as is another porter, while two others are wounded and poisoned.

* Crits with drow-bane spiked chains hurt!
** Natural 1
*** i.e. nauseated
**** Rolled a 4 when he needs a 5
***** Only person in the group who could save on a 2. Rolls a 1.

 

[shilsen]

Written by AviLazar:

Session 21 - January 21, 2006

Sitting down we discuss various topics and Six seems to want to take the safe and easy way out by just leaving and selling tickets to this place. I disagree with Six, and agree with Dala that would not work – to say the least. For one, the sheer size of the island would make it impossible to prevent entry, but people like Dala do not want to setup an amusement park, they want to explore – and frankly, so do I. Luna flies in, as a crow, and then changes explaining to us she was having some problems coming back from the wall. She says some kind of wall of force was in place, but only activated when she was in animal form. Maybe this wall keeps the animals from coming over here? Given that she mentioned seeing dinosaurs that may not be such a bad idea.

At this point Rezan returns and speaks with us some more asking us what we plan to do if we are not going to climb the wall. Nameless tells her we will not cross the wall but will examine it instead and will speak to the other tribes. Rezan mentions some of the tribes may be hostile, and Nameless informs her that the tribes will not survive our onslaught. I think diplomacy was thrown out the window as the threat sounded directed towards any of the tribes here, including the one which is hosting us. We discuss other things and dinner is served, while a show is presented. Apparently this is a show of their version of the world history. Once the show and dinner are over we proceed to sleep, setting up guards. On my watch, with Six and Niff – Niff spots a group of drow. Since they do not advance towards us we let it go – this is, after all, a drow village.

We wake up the following morning and have breakfast with Rezan. She asks us about our plans, and when Nameless repeats his previous story, Rezan curiously leaves for a few minutes. She comes back and suddenly attacks us! A battle ensues, which catches us – as well as her guards – by surprise. Rezan throws a bead of force at us and I narrowly dodge its powers which would have immobilized me. We proceed into our well trained routine – Nameless casting spells to disable the area around our enemies – which sometimes hinders us as well. Luna charging in, and Six working on tripping everyone while Corven provides us with initial support. I proceed to hack away at other drow. While we are outnumbered, we make up for it in sheer power and training – these drow are definitely under matched for us. Rezan, in a last act, hurls a bead from her necklace of fireballs. This blows up – doing a little damage to us, but then sets off a chain reaction as her allies – that also have such necklaces – start to explode. The chain reaction causes a lot of damage, killing many drow and hurting us – and dropping Corven. I proceed to Corven and provide him with some healing, to bring him up to walking status. Nameless’ pseudo natural bison proceed to attack some of the other drow warriors. The battle is over, very quickly, and unfortunately many have died – fortunately, it was not on our side. On a side note, I wish Rezan did not attack us. I understand her fears, but to attack us was foolhardy.

We collect our gear and some of the drow’s gear and walk to the wall. I suggest we stay on the opposite side of the wall, resting there. We would be close enough to hop back if trouble happens, but would be safe from the drow – which surely will get their neighboring tribesman. We proceed with the expedition underway and as we travel we encounter little tiny dinosaurs who seem to follow us…something seems puzzling about them, and after looking at them I realize they mean us harm – I swing Kizmet at one and it dodges my attack. Then, out of nowhere, hundreds of them appear and begin to swarm us. I swing at them, hitting but as one takes a hit, five more takes its place. Nameless casts a spell of fly to get above the creatures, while Six leaps ups a tree. Luna casts a flame strike spell and noticing myself being swarmed I leap up a tree and manage to climb it – in full plate. Corven manages to make it up the tree, but slowly, and Nameless is flies down to get one of the porters…the other porter, unfortunately fell to the onslaught of the swarm. Nameless summons more of his bison and they do a good job on the dinosaurs who cannot seem to do much – if any – damage to them. After some rounds go by, the dinosaurs run away, being chased by the bison.

We travel for a while longer and we then make camp, finding a good spot. We see an amazing sight – bats in the distance, large bats – the size of small ponies, but they get eaten by flying dinosaurs of some sort which are much bigger. This land is strange, but there is much to explore here. I have to say I am excited about heading into the dungeons of the scaled ones. We go to sleep, and wake up the next day – refreshed and feeling good about continuing our journey.

Walking for a while, we notice Six taking a step or two, and then jumps ahead what we later calculate to be about four times the distance. After spending some time we find this area has some weird time effect where things inside operate four times as faster then outside. This might not be a bad place for us to rest, assuming time is of the essence.

Traveling a bit further we encounter some creatures that resemble trolls, though a bit shorter. They attack us with javelins – which are heavily poisoned to sap our health. A battle ensues, and I charge up the front – ducking behind trees so I will not present myself as a target. Everyone is fighting and I cast a spell of bless to give our porters extra help in their attacks. Just as I get to within striking distance, I see Nameless attacked from behind. Now being surrounded by these trolls I charge back where I came from. Nameless casts a stinking cloud which makes the trolls fall out of the trees they were hiding in. I come up to one smiting it with all the might the Silver Flame can give me and gash it deeply. Finally as the battle turns more and more our way, the Trolls begin to flee.

Unfortunately, this battle has left some of our number dead, including Collus and some porters. We regroup ourselves, healing those who were drained – including me. We prepare ourselves, allowing those to bury the dead.

 

[shilsen]

Session 22 (1/28/06) - Fighting The Big Stuff (or "Why Haven't We Leveled? Why? WHY?!")

While the poisoned people are healed, the adventurers check the six dead trolls. All of them carry the barest amount of clothing, consisting mainly of straps and bags made of dinosaur skin. Only one has something worth taking, a thick golden belt studded with diamonds. After examining it, Dala suggests that it was a giant's armband. Imre estimates it as worth 2 to 3,000 galifars, maybe more to a collector. The Angels discuss whether to follow the trolls that fled, but eventually decide not to.

Collus, Maura and the dead porter are buried nearby. The remaining six porters are understandably upset about the death toll on this trip, but unable to do much, since retreating would mean traveling across more than a dozen miles of forest alone. To mollify them slightly, Arrok has a significant amount of the provisions buried in a cache, so that the porters have less to carry and can move faster. He says that since the provisions were to ensure that they have enough to return, the expedition can safely do without and recover them on the way back. As the group continues, some can hear the porters muttering darkly, "IF we make it back."

As the group continues on, Six offers to scout a little distance ahead. He says that there's a chance that he will detect dangerous creatures before they reach them, especially since Luna has trouble doing that (due to the multi-layered forest canopy) if she's flying overhead. Arrok agrees and Six takes point about fifty feet ahead of the group, moving as quietly and stealthily as he can. About half an hour later, he sees three carnivorous dinosaurs, all slightly taller than him but their long tails making them more than twice as long, heading towards the group. They have not detected him and seem more curious than hostile. Six drops back to warn the group and everyone stops, readying weapons just in case.

The three dinosaurs emerge from the forest some sixty feet away, stopping to look at the party. Arrok says quietly, "Bigger version of the Talenta clawfoot," drawing attention to the big hooked talons on the dinosaurs' feet. These three do not seem threatening, and after some ten seconds of staring at the group, turn and disappear into the woods. After giving them a little time to get far enough away, Six returns to his position and they continue through the forest.

The trail gradually ends. About an hour after it does, Six catches a glint of light on something a couple hundred feet away, which he soon sees to be a broken stone structure. He tells the others and the expedition quickly detours towards it. They find the structure to be the remnants of a stone floor and a 20 ft wide set of stone steps (of which only two steps and part of a third remain), each of which is three ft tall, with the remnants of the parapet on one side. The steps are cracked, with a large split between the top of the second step and the half-existent bottom of the third. A little searching reveals shorter shattered columns and pieces of stone in the area.

Nameless casts a spell and detects magic from within the split on the steps. He finds a magical adamantine dagger wedged within, sized for a user about ten feet or taller. It is extracted with some difficulty and found to be still usable, so Six carries it for the time being. Besides the dagger, they find no worthwhile artifacts in the area. Urden finds the bottom of a pillar with part of a word on it - "Pra'xi..." ("Pra'x" meaning "forest" in Giant). Luna flies around but finds no other such area, and the expedition continues.

Shortly afterwards, Luna warns that they are about to hit one of the large open spaces, about a mile in width. There are large dinosaurs out there, but not in the immediate vicinity. After some discussion, the group decides to travel across it as Arrok suggests, rather than take a huge detour. When they emerge from the forest, they find that the area is shaped like a bowl, with gentle slopes descending to about a hundred feet below the level of the forest floor. As they carefully and quickly proceed across it, Nameless and Six discuss whether it's natural or not. Six says, "I wonder if it's a giant's bowl" and stops to produce the adamantine dagger and dig it into the ground as deep as its blade will go. It doesn't hit anything, so he pulls it out and continues.

Though they see some large dinosaurs in the distance, none of the creatures seem interested in them, and after half an hour the expedition passes into the trees on the far side of the open area. They proceed for another couple of hours, before deciding to make camp. As before, they pick an area where the ground drops and make camp at the bottom. Or prepare to. As they are in the process of doing so, a soft whispering sound reaches them, which turns into a haunting song.

Everyone experiences the song in a different way, but to each of them it is the saddest thing they could hear. Corven hears the sound of Cyrans dying on the day of Mourning, Gareth hears the weeping of his mother and grandmother at his father's grave, and Nameless ... well, Nameless probably hears tentacle soup being spilled somewhere. Luna shakes her head at the sound and says, "Hey - maybe this is that singing tree I heard about!" The opinion doesn't seem to get the hearing it deserves, as all around her, the other Angels and the members of the expedition quickly drop whatever they were doing, rise to their feet, and head into the forest in the direction of the sound. Luna, Arrok, Dala, Imre and one of the porters are the only ones who are unaffected.

After a few seconds of calling to the others and trying to physically stop them, which they discover is possible but difficult, Luna uses an entangle spell to ensnare as many as she can. Nameless, Niff and most of the porters are affected, but Nameless and a couple of others quickly manage to extricate themselves and continue on. Arrok and Luna leave Dala, Imre and the porter to restrain the remaining ones if they escape, and hurry after the others.

That group manages to reach the source of the singing, which is a tall tree with dark-gray bark and strangely leafless branches. Six, the fastest of the group, is the first to reach it. As he walks up to it and gazes upwards, one of the branches swings downwards, clubbing him brutally on the head. This promptly ends the strange effect that the tree's singing had, but only upon him, as the others keep moving towards it. As Six dodges away from the tree, Urden and Corven reach it, followed by a couple of the porters. More branches lash out at them, knocking them into sensibility. At least Urden and Corven, that is, since the two porters are both smashed to the ground.

Racing up to the scene, Luna sees what's happening and yells to those conscious, "Use fire! Plants are weak against it!" She illustrates her point by calling down a flame strike. The tree actually tries to bend away from the blast but is too large to do so, and branches wither and bark chars under the magical inferno. Arrok fires a couple of arrows at it, but finds that they are ineffectual. He shouts to Luna, "Keep doing what you're doing," and turns to try and hold back those trying to get to the tree.

Nameless and Gareth are already too close for Arrok to stop and each of them suffers a heavy blow, which at least makes them recover their faculties. Near them, Urden tries to dodge away from the tree, but stumbles on a hidden root*. Before he can recover, a branch shoots down like a spear, impaling him to the ground. Corven, right next to him, decides that he can't get out of reach and pulls out a wand instead. He unleashes a scorching ray that chars the tree's bark.

While Luna begins to call lightning down on the tree and Six abortively unleashes a series of arrows, Nameless backs off as far as he can and summons three pseudonatural bison, which begin trying to butt and gore the tree. Their attacks draw its attention, as more branches smash down at them. Unfortunately, it has multiple branches, and another swings down at Corven. It slams him full-length into the ground, breaking bones and knocking him unconscious**. Gareth too takes a heavy blow as he retreats, but manages to get out of range and begins to heal himself.

Over the next few seconds, Luna lashes the tree with bolts of lightning and Nameless uses an acid arrow, while the bison keep attacking it, but the tree has incredible vitality, and it smashes the life out of two of the bison. This leaves one bison and the retreating Nameless as the only targets. Realizing that one blow will kill the already wounded mage, Luna (who has been yelling futilely at Gareth to get in there with his sword, only to be met with an "It'll kill me in one hit!") decides to take a considered risk and runs forward, waving her arms and yelling, "Come on, you ugly weed - I bet you can't hit me!"

Fortunately for Nameless but not for her, she apparently does catch the tree's attention. To the surprise of the watchers, it pulls a huge root out of the ground and places it in front of it, pivoting as if on a foot. Three huge branches swing down at Luna, all of them hitting. The druid is flung backwards, battered and broken***. The focus on Luna does, however, give Nameless an opportunity to fire off another volley of magic missiles, even as his earlier acid arrow burns further into the plant and the bison slams into it one more time. The tree teeters and then keels over, barely missing some of the unconscious people.

Those still standing rush to those who are down and attempt to revive them. Urden is stone dead, as is one of the porters, but the other is barely revived, along with Corven and Luna.

Nameless, having ordered the bison to keep battering the tree just in case, gives Gareth a dirty look and says, "How about healing them?"

Seeing the look, Gareth asks in puzzlement, "What did I do?"

"Nothing - that's what!" snarls Nameless and stalks off to see to the others.

Once those still alive are revived and all the wounded are healed, the adventurers cautiously search the area. They find that the tree had actually walked (as the root impression show) to this point from an area a couple hundred feet away, which is piled with the bones of its past victims. These include a couple of skeletons that may have come from forest trolls and one giant-sized one. There is no useful equipment or treasure to be found, and the group quickly heads back to camp. Luna suggests camping near the now-dead tree, since creatures that know about it would be scared of approaching, but nobody wants to risk the chance that "maybe it has friends!"

Once they return to the camp, Urden and the dead porter are buried. Arrok seems a little more obviously upset than he has been with the previous deaths, saying that Urden was a reliable friend of his. He takes most of the drow's possessions, but offers the others use of some of his things, saying that Urden had no family and would have preferred the equipment to see some use. Six and Luna take one of the scimitars each, while Corven takes a Cloak of Protection.

***
There are no more interruptions and the rest of the evening and night passes peacefully. Corven's homunculus, which has been working on Six's spiked chain (since the previous night) while the others are asleep, has completed enchanting it by dawn. The group soon breaks camp and heads out. Arrok asks Luna if she can take a couple of hours and fly as close to the mountain (which is now a little over fifteen miles away) as possible, specifically to look for structures and signs of habitation. She agrees, changes form into an eagle, and flies off.

The others continue on foot. After traveling for a little over an hour, they hear the sounds of loud bellowing (evidently from a number of huge creatures) and crashing trees off somewhere about 4-500 feet to their right. They quickly conceal themselves. The bellowing quickly devolves into screams of pain and is abruptly cut off. Six suggests that they remain where they are till Luna returns and can find out what it is, and they do so.

Luna, meanwhile, heads directly towards the mountain. On the way, she passes over the largest of the open spaces that she has seen, about 3 miles across and like a bowl set about 300-400 ft below the level of the forest. It is strangely formed, as if someone dug out huge chunks of the ground, leaving deep gullies and trenches. There is a lake about a quarter mile across in the middle. Despite the distance, she can see large dinosaurs there, as well as in other parts of the bowl. When she is almost across, she also catches sight of some large humanoid shapes in the distance. A quick detour reveals them to be seven large hill giants (though they seem larger and even uglier than hill giants she has seen or seen pictures of) stalking a herd of dinosaur. After watching them for a little bit, she heads on.

As she nears the mountain, Luna still sees no signs of any structures near it. When she is less than six miles from the mountain, she does notice something strange. Ahead of her are a few birds that appear to be perched in mid-air, floating a few feet above the tallest branches of the trees below them. They seem otherwise normal - or as normal as a bird floating in mid-air and preening itself can be. Luna flies closer, circling around to study the strange sight, and suddenly crosses an invisible barrier. Though the general sight in front of her remains the same, the details change a lot. Many of the trees are taller and it turns out that the birds she saw were actually sitting in the branches of trees that were masked by the illusion that seems to cover the area. Even more interestingly, Luna can now see a city sitting at the base of the mountain. It is about two miles across and despite the distance, she is sure that the buildings in it (which seem to be in ruins, though she can't be sure) are giant-sized. It is apparently inhabited, as indicated by a couple of thin plumes of dark smoke rising from it.

Having found what she was looking for, Luna heads back to the group. As she goes, she notes that the illusion doesn't affect those within the area when looking out. Arriving back with the others, she finds them waiting for her. They explain what happened and she flies off to check. Some 400 ft from their position, she finds a number of knocked-down trees and the corpse of a large dinosaur, which has been killed by a series of very large bites. Huge chunks of meat are missing. A swarm of small carnivorous dinosaurs are feeding on it. Luna's doubts that they killed it are quickly confirmed, as a tyrannosaurus (also known as the swordtooth) comes charging out of the trees. The small dinosaurs flee as the huge reptile takes a big bite out of the corpse, rushing back as it turns away.

Luna heads back to join the others and changes shape so that she can report what she saw there and near the mountain. After her description, Corven and Nameless surmise that it is some sort of a hallucinatory terrain spell, which can affect the appearance of natural terrain and artificial structures, but not living creatures. Nameless also points out that since the average hallucinatory terrain would cover an area a few hundred feet long and wide and maybe sixty feet high, this is by far the largest one he's heard of.

The group continues, Luna now traveling in shifter form with them. Eventually, they reach the large open space she told them of. Picking one of the gullies that will get them across quickly but also not take them towards the center of the 'bowl', they quickly head across. When they are most of the way across, the adventurers hear thunder. It takes only a moment of looking up to see a complete lack of clouds, followed by the feel of the ground trembling and the sound of loud bellowing breaking out behind them to confirm what it is. "Dinosaur stampede!" yells Arrok, "Get the heck out of here!"

With little time to respond, if the thundering of huge dinosaur feet is any guide, people respond in various ways. While backing away as far as he can, Nameless quickly casts a web spanning the roughly thirty to forty foot width of the gully, some sixty feet from their position. "That'll slow them down!" he says, then snapping to the nearby porters, "Stay close - I'll get you out." Two of them comply, though clearly shaken. Three others are not as trusting, screaming in fear and running as fast as they can. Nameless quickly casts a fly spell on one of the porters and says, "Get him out!" The porter immediately grabs the other and begins to rise upwards.

Six and Arrok both rush to the rough rocky sides of the sixty foot deep gully and begin to climb as fast as they can, Six quickly outpacing the slower gnome. It's quite clear, however, that neither will reach the top before the dinosaurs get there. Gareth, after one look at the walls and another at his heavy armor, also rushes to the side. But instead of trying to climb, he tries to back into an indentation in the walls. Just in case, he casts a shield of faith and throws in a quick prayer for good measure, followed by a shouted, "Someone throw down a rope!"

"Sure!" says Luna, changing form into an eagle. She soars up to the top and changes back again. As she does so, she also gets the first good view of what's thundering down towards the adventurers. Above the walls of the gully around the turn, she sees the long necks of a dozen brontosaurs, jostling for position and racing forward as only a panicked dinosaur can. The reason for their panic is not immediately evident, until a break in the gully wall reveals the sight of not one but two tyrannosaurs charging after them, jaws agape. Just to round off the tableau, a few pterosaurs fly in their wake, toothed beaks agape in excitement. "Oh bugger!" says Luna fervently, as she begins to pull a rope from her pack.

Still down in the gully, Imre has pulled out a potion and swigged it. "Grab hold!" she cries to Niff and seizes the gnome cartographer. Both of them begin to rise slowly upwards. Dala follows suit, using a potion of her own. Seeing them, Corven hurriedly pulls out a similar potion of levitate that he has been carrying for weeks on end. He follows suit and begins to rise. It's only when he's a few feet off the ground that he remembers how slowly the spell works. Corven quickly begins to cast a bear's endurance on himself, figuring he can use all the protection he can get. Close enough to both see and hear him, Gareth quickly follows suit.

And this is the point when the first two brontosaurs turn the corner and hit the web. The magical obstruction creaks and stretches, holding for a few moments despite the fact that it isn't designed to take this kind of stress. A number of strands snap, but the web holds and the brontosaurs' momentum slows. For a couple of seconds, it looks like they might be stopped - until the rest of the brontosaurs pile into them from the rear. One brontosaur is actually knocked off its feet by the impact and a couple of others almost climb onto it, and the web finally gives way. The watchers are treated to the sight of multiple tons of confused, terrified, bellowing dinosaur sliding through the gully like the world's largest cork being popped. With a chorus of moans, bellows and screams, the dinosaurs are upon them.

Or almost all of them. The seconds that the web lasts is just enough for Nameless, having made his way as far down the gully as he could while casting his spells, to summon a trio of pseudonatural creatures. He barely has enough time to mount one and as the dinosaurs come surging down the gully, the hippogriff soars out in the nick of time. The other two, at his command, pursue the fleeing porters. "They're here to help!" he yells after the porters, but with the distance and the noise he doubts they will hear.

The others - except for Luna at the top - are not as lucky. Though they all try to take up as little space as possible, each is smashed against the gully's side to some degree, though that would count as being brushed by the creatures in passing. What is lucky for them is that they are all off the ground and above the bulk of the brontosaurs, so they are not actually squeezed into the gully's sides or stepped on. Other than Gareth, who sees a huge foot descending near him. He shoves himself as deep into the gully wall as possible, which stops the foot from more than brushing his shoulder, though that is enough to rattle his teeth.

The sight of the dinosaurs passing below her are distracting enough for Luna, but quickly added to it is the fact that she seems to have caught the attention of two of the pterosaurs, which turn and fly in her direction. She hurriedly throws Gareth the rope and begins to cast a spell. It's only a second after she has begun that she realizes that in her hurry, she didn't actually anchor the rope before throwing it down. Gareth realizes it a moment later. As he looks up past thirty feet of rushing dinosaur, he sees the rope descend next to him. His happy "Yes!" is quickly cut off as the rest of the rope then hits him in the face, leading to a couple of comments that Cedric might have appreciated. His mood isn't improved as he looks beneath the huge legs of the brontosaurs and sees something Luna couldn't see from the gully top. A few clawfoot dinosaurs race along below the brontosaurs, snapping at them like excitable terriers. One of them spots him and charges at him. Luckily for him, as it hurls itself forward with talons raised, a brontosaur foot brushes its side, bruising it badly and sending it sliding off to the side.

Above Gareth, the various levitating and flying people reach the gully top. Corven, nursing some bruised ribs and having had the singular experience of his life as well as four brontosaurs flash before his eyes, is among the first to do so. Seeing the two pterosaurs heading for them, he quickly pulls out his wand and begins to apply an infusion to double its power. The two porters, Dala, Imre and Niff also emerge nearby. Nameless is further along the gully, and he quickly dismounts and sends his hippogriff to join the other two in rescuing the porters.

Some distance below the gully top, both Arrok and Six have managed to hold on to the sides despite the battering they have taken. As they try to climb closer to the top, a chunk of rock that Six was holding onto comes off in his hand. He claws vainly at the surface and then drops. Luckily, his fall is cushioned by a passing brontosaurus. Six hits on its side and bounces off, desperately trying to hold on. He finally hits the ground, bruised and battered, and desperately rolls away from the huge feet pounding around him, though the bare touch of him slams him against the gully-side. A nearby clawfoot, apparently deciding that Six must be dinner from the sky, rushes towards him.

Meanwhile, on the gully top, both Luna and Corven dodge away from the pterosaurs, which squawk in disappointment and continue on. Before they can make another pass, Luna finishes her spell, summoning three hippogriffs to surround and attack them. Corven, seeing what has just happened to Six, decides to go help him. Then, seeing what is about to pass by, he politely waits until each tyrannosaurus can pass by. Once they have, he steps off the gully top and begins to levitate down.

The clawfoot that attacked Gareth still shows fight, leaping forward to slash him with his talons. Being stepped on has left it a little wobbly, however, and Gareth cuts it down with Kizmet. Six, realizing that after the fall he is in no condition to fight, pulls out a potion. Before he can drink it, the clawfoot is on him in a flurry of teeth and claws, and he slumps to the ground, unconscious. The clawfoot hesitates for a moment, apparently having found his combination of wood, metal and fibres somewhat unappetizing, and that's just enough time for Corven. He levels his wand and fires, sending two scorching rays through its head, killing it instantly. Corven then descends to the gully floor and revives Six.

With the dinosaurs far enough away (though the sounds indicate that the tyrannosaurs have managed to kill at least one brontosaur), the expedition-members quickly fall to healing. Amazingly, not one of them has been killed, with the three fleeing porters having reappeared, struggling and screaming in the grasp of the hippogriffs. The creatures drop them near Nameless and fly off to join Luna's summoned creatures in dealing with the pterosaurs. Once everyone is healed, the group quickly descends into the next gully, hurrying to exit this area as soon as they can. As they leave, Nameless points out to the porters how much effort he had to put in to save them and suggests that they stick close to him and follow directions next time.

***
In comparison to being caught in a dinosaur stampede, the rest of the day's travel is completely uneventful. By the time the group makes camp, they are only about a mile from the border of the hallucinatory terrain and four miles from the giant city's outskirts, Luna estimating that they will reach it around noon the next day. As usual, the group makes camp near the bottom of a slope, picking a spot that gives you a little space between the bottom of the slope and the trees.

Shortly after they have made camp, most of them hear the sounds of multiple large creatures moving through the trees towards the camp. The expedition-members either back away and ready weapons or conceal themselves as well as they can in the undergrowth. Except for Gareth and two of the porters, whom he is giving a crash course in the worship of the Silver Flame. The three of them are too engrossed in the conversation and only realize something is afoot when they look around to find half the expedition apparently missing and the others pointing crossbows at the forest.

Gareth just has time to rise and say, "What...?", when a hulking shape emerges from the trees. It resembles a hill giant, but stands close to one and a half times as tall, and is significantly deformed, with a twisted face and one hunched shoulder higher than the other. It wears a chain shirt and carries a club that is the size of a small tree. Three more, slightly shorter, figures move through the shadows behind it.

The prepared adventurers hold their fire, just in case the giants are not hostile, but the hope is quickly dispelled. The giant raises a trunk-like arm and points at Gareth and the others visible in the middle of the camp and bellows a word, which Corven and others translate as either "Food!" or "Poop!" Presuming it's the former, the group promptly unleashes a hail of weapons and spells on the creatures.

Arrows hit a number of the giants, though they seem to have little effect. More troublesome for them is the fog cloud that Luna drops around them, which is followed by a black tentacles spell from Nameless. Though the others cannot see it, the grunts of surprise and pain from within the mist signify to its efficacy.

While the others reload or move closer, Luna casts another spell, creating a spike growth in the area around the cloud. Her action is timely, as the big giant rushes out of the cloud. It promptly stumbles into the spikes, and with a howl of pain, rushes through the area. Gareth, running forward to attack it, takes a blow from the club that rocks him from head to toe. The three other giants also emerge a moment later, to step on the spike growth and also be surrounded by a glitterdust from Nameless. Two of them are blinded, taking them out of the fight, and one of them is lamed too.

The remaining giant manages to resist being blinded but by the time it makes its way through the spikes, it is hobbling. With a cry of rage, it rushes at Corven, who has just blasted it with his wand. Corven's cries of "No, no - not me! Look at the big armored guys!" apparently doesn't convince it and he barely avoids being crushed to the ground by a blow that leaves him bruised and battered.

Arrok and Six have been sniping with great effectiveness all this time and they focus their fire on the giant threatening Corven. The porters, Dala, Imre and Niff have also been doing their part with their crossbows, and with the two blind giants blundering off (one of whom wanders back into the tentacles****) after having been blasted by a fireball from Nameless, they switch to the two remaining targets too. While Luna uses produce flame and hurls bolts of fire, Nameless further summons two pseudonatural bison to attack the giant facing Gareth.

The big giant seems very surprised at the appearance of the creatures and Gareth seizes the opportunity to smite it with all his strength and the power of the Silver Flame. Badly wounded, the creature bellows in anger and brings down its club with all its strength - on Kizmet. There is a tinny sound and the sword shatters, leaving only a hilt-shard in Gareth's hand. As he screams in anger, the giant turns and smashes one of the bison.

Across the clearing, Corven realizes he is too close to escape and levels his wand at point-blank range, blasting the giant looming over him. It screams in rage and swings, hitting Corven amidships. Ribs crack as he is lifted off his feet and hurled backwards, landing in a heap ten feet away. The giant promptly turns to flee.

The giants' momentary triumphs are completely transient. More spells and arrows slam into them, as do the two bison, and they both collapse. An angry Gareth uses the remaining fragment of Kizmet to dispatch the one next to him, having to literally saw its huge throat open.

As Luna rushes to heal Corven and the others move forward to ensure that the giant stuck in the black tentacles is dead, Gareth picks up the fragments of Kizmet. Once he has collected them, he asks Six if he can try using the magical adamantine dagger they found, to see if its magic helps heal Kizmet. Luna, having got Corven back on his feet, offers Urden's scimitar too. Gareth places the two in contact with Kizmet, before placing the pieces of Kizmet in order. As the others watch curiously, he places his hands on them and prays to the Flame.

There is no change in the other weapons, but there is a short flash of light and the pieces of Kizmet gradually knit together. As they do so, Gareth feels the same draining sensation that he had when first doing this, after the sword had been sundered by Desro. The feeling is stronger this time. As he picks up the now complete sword, Gareth feels a dim sense of relief. It takes him a couple of seconds to realize it, but the emotion is not his own. As far as he can tell, the sword in his hands is relieved, and he can feel it.

* Also known as John cursing him so that I rolled a 1.
** Well past -10 - the first time for Corven.
*** Took her from completely healed and 75 hp to below -10; also a first for Luna.
**** Poor guy was shot, sneak attacked, burned, blind, lame (down to 1/8 speed!) and grappled.

 

[shilsen]

Written by AviLazar:

Session 22 - January 28, 2006

We finish up with the battle and heal our numbers, as well as search the bodies of our dead prey. We gained a giant’s armband, worth a lot of money, but we also had some deaths – Collus and Maura, plus a dead porter. That is a travesty – these were not combatants, but scholars who were on an exploration for knowledge. We redistribute our supplies, including burying some of our supplies, since the porters cannot carry everything.

We continue along our path, and eventually find some big hooked talon tracks. According to Arrok, it looks like a Talenta clawfoot, only bigger. We eventually come to some ruins and we search around. Nameless casts his detect magic, and even I even perform a detect evil. We find a magical adamantine dagger that is sized for a giant. We give it to Six to hold, though I would imagine it is quite unwieldy for any of us. We travel some more, and go through a huge crater, which provides some interesting banter for Six and Nameless.

Eventually, after a long day of traveling, we make camp. Later that night – I wake up, and I hear a sad song – it reminds me of my mother and grandmother – when we buried my father. I am not sure where this song comes from, but I head towards it. Who or what hear could possible know the sadness I experienced at this funeral? Maybe they can help me, maybe they have magically contacted my father and he wants to pass a message to me. I travel onward, and for some reason things try and get in my way. Something tries to entangle me, but it will not hold me down. I must find what is causing me this sad memory – what message is trying to come across to me. Finally I reach a gigantic tree, and cannot help but stand there and listen to the sad tale. I try and converse with it, but it does not respond – it just sings to me, and I want to cry. Then, as I do not think something can get any sadder I get smashed in the face by a branch. I was charmed, how I do not know, but I retreat, and get hit again – just barely standing, only because I healed myself before I moved. I get out of the way of the tree, knowing that melee combat with it will prove futile. Spells start to fly, and I realize this battle is not something I can contribute to. The awesome blows of this creature are too much for me to handle and ranged attacks are the only method we can use…unfortunately, as I have seen – Six’s arrows are bouncing harmlessly off the creature. Luna and Nameless all start hurling spells. Eventually, after many spells, the tree collapses. We go and heal people – though Urdern and one of the porters died. Nameless starts berating me for not entering the combat – but I guess he would have preferred if I walked in and got killed in one hit. I saw the creature hit Luna – that hit would he killed me as it almost killed her. We head back to camp and bury the dead as well as go back to sleep.

After traveling we encounter some more sounds, creatures fighting each other – but at least they are not fighting us, so we hide and let nature take its course. We eventually encounter a large gully, that Luna found, and we go inside that way. We hear a loud noise, almost like a heard only to find out as Arrok screams it is a dinosaur stampede. Nameless starts casting web to hopefully hold the stampede or slow them down. I ask him to cast fly on myself so I can get the porters out of here, but instead he casts fly on the porters – which I question. They are unreliable, in my opinion, and how much can each of these porters carry. Six climbs out of the crevice and Corven uses a potion of levitate. Luna is off flying somewhere, so I am left down below with a couple of porters. I look for a niche in the wall and try and flatten myself, casting shield of faith and shouting to someone to get me a rope. I then feel a rope being thrown at me, unfortunately, Luna threw the entire rope. Seeing the hopeless position I am in, I cast bears endurance to give myself some extra health.

I then see an amazing sight, two gigantic dinosaurs charge head first into the web knocking them off balance and causing a cascade effect as other dinosaurs run into them. I then get clipped by a dinosaur, luckily not squashed, but still a pretty good hit. And then, I see something even worse, some clawfoot dinosaurs – small dinosaurs – that get very hungry come jumping towards me. The first clawfoot gets stepped on by a bigger dinosaur. It then recovers and comes at me again, but I slice at it with Kizmet. Note: At this point I am in serious trouble. Without any allies, if I get surrounded by anymore of these little dinosaurs I will not make it. Luckily, the stampede – by this point – passed us. We recover our numbers and I found out the true reason why Nameless casted those spells on the porters instead of me. He is trying to curry some special favor with them. This is confusing on a number of different levels. While the porters are helpfully at what they do, they offer very little in the way of combat prowess – not to mention they cannot heal, and let us not forget – Nameless and I are group mates. I am a bit more reliable then a hired porter when it comes to helping the group. I remember Nameless trying to gain control over Zeke a while back – is Nameless trying to dominate people and becomes some lord? This is something worth keeping an eye on. Megalomania has no place in this world – it leads to evil. We got lucky without casualties, and continued on our path.

Going along we encounter an area of magical illusion. It is a large area, according to Nameless larger then what a spell of this type is normally. Whoever casted this spell must have used some great magic. We are close to the city and decide it is best to camp now, and get to the city refreshed in the morning.

At night, I am giving some of the porters a lesson about the Silver Flame. I eventually notice the rest of the group is not around and as I stand up to look for the group I see a giant walking in. I tell the porters to stand back, but do not attack – just in case the giants are non-hostile. The giants begin to shout in their language and Corven says they are calling us food. We go into battle – with spells flying – Nameless and Luna start to disable their targets with area spells that blind and hamper movement. Impressive! I charge forward to attack one of the giants, and he hits me once before I get to him. Then Nameless gives me some support by throwing two of his pseudonatural bison at the giant I am fighting. As the creature is distracted, I smite it with all my strength and divine might doing considerable damage. This creature, cries in pain and then turns to me. I have a feeling he would kill me, but then he smashes down on Kizmet – shattering it to pieces!! Not again! I scream in anger, and the giant turns and ignores me for the bison. Then the giant goes down, and I ensure it’s death by stabbing the remains of Kizmet into it’s throat.

As the group goes to make sure the other giants are dead, I gather Kizmet and carefully put it together, assembling the pieces on the ground – the porters look at me oddly. I then place my hands upon it, praying to the Silver Flame to grant the same miracle as it did once before. My hands start to glow, and Kizmet forms back on itself – I am exhausted – a lot more then the last time. It feels as if more of my souls has been sucked from me – but Kizmet is whole and it seems stronger then before.
I grab Kizmet and I feel a sensation of relief, but it takes me a moment and I realize the sensation is not my own, but of Kizmets! It feels now, and I can tell that it feels! Kizmet is sentient.

 

[shilsen]

Session 23 - Pra'xirek (or "A plan? You want us to actually have a plan?")

While Gareth tries to mentally communicate with his sword and discovers that it apparently hasn't developed conversational skills yet, the others take care of healing everyone and examining the dead giants. They find that the largest one's chain shirt is finely crafted and remove it, since Dala says that it will be valuable. The giant also carries a brass cup the size of a bucket with inset opals. Imre estimates it to be originally worth about 1,000 galifars, but it is quite battered and now about half as valuable. The cup detects faintly of conjuration magic. Another giant is wearing a platinum ring engraved with a leaf pattern (worth about 2000 galifars). Between the three, they have four silver coins the size of the one recovered from the drow and another golden one. All five have a stylized picture of a tree and a tower above it. Dala and Imre surmise that by the system of symbology that the giant's used in their art, it would mean something like "the house of/in the forest".

While searching them, the Angels also notice that the bigger giant has a tattoo on his left shoulder, depicting a serpent wrapped around a gem (probably a dragonshard). Both Corven and Nameless recognize it as something they have seen in a book, which said it is supposed to represent the dragons of Argonessen.

After having taken what they want off the bodies, the expedition decamps, moving a few hundred feet away from the corpses. After they have remade the camp and started on supper, Six discusses the giant attack, pointing out that the alacrity with which the giants attacked, rather than showing any surprise at their appearance, implies that the giants have experience of humanoid-shaped creatures of their size. They also discuss what to do when they reach the city, some thinking that it would help to find a place near it to hole up and then investigate carefully.

***
The next morning, a couple of people mention a dream they had. It turns out that everyone in the group (except Six, who can't sleep) had a dream where a faint voice was speaking to them from a distance. They saw nothing and its words were unclear, but they realized that it was asking them to free it from its captors and promising great rewards. Though Gareth does not mention it to the others, he had a variation. In his dream, he saw Kizmet appear, floating in mid-air and glowing. He sensed great fear and anger in the blade and the voice faded away.

While they discuss the dream, Nameless identifies the magical cup. It turns out to be what the group quickly names a Bucket of Beer, which fills up with a gallon of strong beer thrice a day. "Oh well," says Corven at the news, "At least we have a backup if we ever need to retire and open a bar!"

The group breaks camp and heads out. About ten minutes later, they run across the corpse of a giant, evidently the one that had managed to survive the battle the previous night. It has been slain by multiple wounds, some from slashing and some from piercing weapons, evidently manufactured ones around the size that the group carry. The body has been stripped of equipment other than the hide armor and the greatclub. Six and Arrok cast around for tracks, and they agree that whoever or whatever it is that slew the giant had taken care to remove tracks. Six does find a partly obscured print of what is probably a boot-print form a humanoid the size of a human being.

The group continues on, traveling for an hour before crossing the hallucinatory terrain barrier. The difference between the illusion and the reality is much more obvious at ground level, making it clear that the scene depicted is sparser than the level of vegetation in the forest currently. Continuing on, it takes them another three hours to reach the edge of the city.

The forest ends right on the edge of the city, and the adventurers carefully look out and study the area. The city is about two miles across. The buildings are clearly giant-sized, though most are in ruins, with only a few dozen mostly intact. The largest one is in the center, standing about two hundred feet in height and separated from the rest by a wide space. This one is in reasonably good shape, though it seems like the sides are broken, as if it were originally part of a larger building. Unlike the rest of the stone construction, it has a large metal dome at the top, with small metal protuberances. The entire city has a huge crevasse around it, about 200 ft wide. A single stone bridge (about 30 ft wide) crosses it. There was evidently a wall on the inner side, which is in pieces now. Just as Luna had done earlier, they see smoke rising from a couple of places in the city.

The group stands around and discusses their options for entering the city, until suddenly interrupted. A voice from behind them says in accented elven, "Impressive, isn't it?" The speaker, a drow, steps out of the trees nearby. He is tall and muscular, with large white tattoos on body and face, as some in the group know Xen'drik drow tend to use. Unlike the drow outside the wall, his equipment is finely made. He wears a fine chain shirt, with small chitin us plates attached to the shoulders and upper chest. A coiled chain weapon hangs by his side, like the spiked chain Six uses, but without spikes and with a long blade at each end.

Though wary, the adventurers greet him, with those who understand elven translating. He introduces himself as Ek'ann, of the Ka'ki'kur clan. Arrok comments that it's unusual for Xen'drik drow to provide their family and clan names, Ek'ann's lack of response indicating that he doesn't understand the common tongue either.

A discussion ensues, with Ek'ann expressing interest in the group, saying that they must be from beyond the island. He says that though his people have never traveled beyond it, they know that there are "worlds beyond", unlike the "savages" beyond the wall, whom he seems dismissive of. He says that the city "Pra'xirek" (which translates to 'forest home' in giantish) belonged to his people as friends and servants of the Guardians, but they are now dispossessed by the giants. When they ask, he says that the Guardians are dragons, though only one is left. He dissuades the group from entering the city since they will be killed, saying that the local giants are quite violent. Nameless hazards a guess and says that they realized that since they fought some yesterday, though Ek'ann already knows that. Ek'ann admits that one of their patrols did notice the fight and slay the last giant, but he says those giants did not come from the city. He suggests they talk to the clan-leader Ghyrra, who will tell them more about everything.

The group quickly agrees, with a couple being surprised that Gareth says they shouldn't distrust Ek'ann just because those outside the wall proved untrustworthy. Dala and Arrok are both a little wary, but say they agree to go along. Once they agree, Ek'ann turns and claps his hands, causing five more drow to emerge from hidden places in the forest some sixty feet away. None of the adventurers are really surprised. Ek'ann comments that it is dangerous to be alone here, and then leads them towards the mountain, having said that their lair is at its base.

As they go, Gareth scans them and comments that two of them are evil, causing Nameless to ask whether water is wet. They continue to talk along the way. Six examines Ek'ann's chain weapon and finds that it works a lot like his own chain. Ek'ann comments at one point that it is interesting that they have "metal men" too, indicating Six, which interests the warforged a lot. When asked, he says that though there were never many here, the giants did have some metal men and were planning to build more. They were useful against the quori and their ability to manipulate dreams, since they did not sleep, and they were also used against the elves when they revolted. Nameless, Dala and Six discuss how valuable this information could be back in Khorvaire, considering the theories about the origin of the warforged in Xen'drik, especially if they can find material proof of it.

The group has gone most of the way around the city when some strange creatures appear over the side of the crevasse near them. Six of them are dolgrims, like those the Angels had fought in Sharn, with their squat bodies, doubled heads, and four arms. These have thick greenish-black scales on their bodies, unlike the ones in Sharn. Levitating out of the crevasse behind them is another creature, looking like a male drow to the waist and having the body of a scorpion below. "Drider!" shouts Arrok upon seeing it.

"Dolgrim!" cry the drow warriors instantly, charging the creatures as they climb over the crevasse's lip and slashing at them with long knives. Though a couple hit, the dolgrims' scales seem resistant to damage. From behind them, the drider calls out (interestingly enough, in the common tongue), saying, "Join with us. The drow will betray you. Work with the Three and we will reward you."

Nameless' response is to summon three bison. At his command, the two that can reach the dolgrim promptly rush forward and butt them into the air. The two startled dolgrim scream and wave their arms as they describe a short arc and disappear into the depths. Their screams fade away, with no sound of hitting bottom.

The drider says again, "We are offering you another opportunity. Join us!" Evidently not trusting the group's restraint, it casts a spell, creating a fog cloud that envelops much of the group. Gareth and Corven, still outside the area, move up but are unable to affect anyone, Gareth because the drow are in the way and Corven because he, as ever, fails to activate his wand. Ek'ann and Six both move out of the fog cloud and strike at the dolgrims with their chain weapons, Ek'ann actually wounding one while Six fails to trip another.

The four remaining dolgrim reveal a hidden ability, opening their mouths and vomiting streams of slime at those around them. With the various overlapping streams, everyone nearby is hit and feels the slime burn them. The effect also stuns many, including all of the drow except Ek'ann, as well as two of the bison.

Arrok and Luna quickly provide reinforcements, emerging from the fog cloud too and moving towards the fight. Nameless, on the other hand, figures that the fog cloud is good protection and remains within, simply summoning two hippogriffs, which attack the flying drider, one wounding it. Evidently not considering them a threat, the drider ignores them and casts a fireball, which scorches many of its enemies.

Despite its magical aid, the fight quickly goes against the dolgrim. Gareth shoves past a stunned drow and cuts one in half with two powerful swipes. Six trips another and wounds it, allowing the bison near him to finish the job of treading it into the ground. Ek'ann and Arrok combine to drop another. Corven finally gets his and to work and blasts the drider with a scorching ray, while Luna hits it with a bolt of call lightning.

With Nameless deciding to emerge from the cloud and add a volley of magic missiles, the wounded drider tries to take out its enemies via a method besides spells, moving forward (and being wounded by another hippogriff in the process) to vomit a much larger cone of slime over Nameless, Luna and Corven. Unfortunately for it, though all of them are hurt, they remain on their feet. Luna lashes the drider with another lightning bolt, and as it staggers, Corven hits it right in the face with a scorching ray.

With an anguished scream, it plummets downwards. A last cry of "You are fools! You will have to face the Threeeee..." fades into the depths with it. Nameless thinks for a moment and gives a command in the tongue-twisting language of the daelkyr. A momentary look of bovine surprise crosses the bison's faces, followed quickly by a combination of irritation and resignation. They charge toward the edge and leap out, before plummeting downwards in the same general area as the drider. "That's gonna hurt!" says Nameless with a satisfied smile, turning away from the edge.

Nearby, Ek'ann, Arrok and Six have finished off the last dolgrim, while Gareth has disengaged to heal himself. The group looks around at their enemies but have little time for celebration. A large boulder arcs over and slams into the wall of the crevasse, close to the group. Looking across, they can see a couple of large figures preparing to hurl more rocks. The group instantly heads into the forest, avoiding the couple of rocks that come their way. Nameless yells a command to the hippogriffs, sending them off to distract the giants.

Once they are safely away, Ek'ann leads them on towards the mountain, commenting only that the giants normally don't stay this close to the wall, but their fight and all the magical effects must have attracted some. As they go, the others ask about the Three. He says that they are a trio of mindflayers that have emerged from the depths of the crevasse recently, with a number of aberrations, and have been attacking both the drow and the giants. They are interested in freeing the Bound One, or so the drow believe. When asked about it, he says only that the Bound One is a creature that came here thousands of years ago and was bound by the dragons, but Ghyrra should be the one to talk about it. He also mentions that the Three can apparently affect creatures in some strange way by drilling holes in their brains and inserting a type of slime, which allows them to control them from a distance and see through their eyes. There was a small tribe of driders nearby, which were slain by the Three, with the drider attacking them being an example. This account explains the small holes in the heads of both the drider and the dolgrims that some of the adventurers had noticed while fighting them.

The group eventually reaches the mountain, which the trees abruptly stop short of. Ek'ann leads them to a set of concealed cave-entrances. Taking them past the curious guards at the entrance, he leads them down to the home of the drow, which consists of a huge complex of interlocking caves. After a sparse entrance area, they are quite well appointed and decorated with paintings, carvings and tapestries. Most of them depict giants, dragons and drow. While the giants and drow are shown in various situations, the dragons are almost always simply depicted singly on an ornate background or shown battling giants. One picture shows figures that resemble warforged, fighting on the side of giants against the drow.

As they proceed deeper into the complex, the group passes more drow, with Ek'ann deflecting all questions with a quick "They need to be taken to Ghyrra." In one large tunnel, they pass a pair of drow accompanied by two scorpions the size of big dogs, with a single specimen the size of a cow following behind. Nearby, they hear growling speech from behind a large door, which sounds like "Me hungry!" in bastardized giantish. When asked, Ek'ann says that it is a cave troll, a couple of which the drow have fighting for them.

Eventually, Ek'ann brings the group to a large, well-furnished chamber, containing a number of armed drow. At the end of the room is a large stone seat carved in the shape of a giant scorpion, where a short and slender drow woman is sitting. Ek'ann introduces her as Ghyrra, the leader of the Ka'ki'kur. She greets the group and asks them to make themselves comfortable. Once they have and she has sent for food and drink, she has a lot of questions about who they are. Like Ek'ann, she seems to know something about the world beyond the island, admitting that it is mainly because of magic and because of what the Guardians told her people. When Nameless asks who the Guardians are, Ghyrra begins to relate the history of the island, adding sections as the adventurers raise more questions. The explanation takes a long time, since she speaks no common, and those who understand elven must translate her story, as well as any questions that are asked.

Ghyrra says that Pra’xirek was one of the few outposts outside Xen'drik that the giants had just built when the Quori war occurred. The giants had planned for the city to be at the center of the island, which would also have a couple of ports and would be a stopping point for long sea voyages. However, the one port was destroyed in the war and the others were never made. When the elves here rebelled (upon learning that their compatriots in Xen'drik had), the giants prepared to use the magics they had used against the quori. They were destroyed by the dragons, though many giants fled into the forest and lived there, slowly descending into savagery. The dragons rebuilt the defensive wall the giants had begun, leaving the drow tribes on the outside. A family of dragons, who were sages and studied the stars, remained in Pra'xirek. They allowed one tribe of drow, who'd fought bravely against the giants, to live with them. These were the Ka'ki'kur. They lived in the city, as allies of the dragons, whom they called the Guardians.

Then, 9,000 yrs ago (which Nameless, Corven and Dala realize matches well with the Daelkyr invasion of Khorvaire), a strange creature from beyond the world invaded the island with an army. It slew a number of dragons, but the survivors managed to trap it using their magic (thus naming it the Bound One). Its army was destroyed, the few survivors fleeing into the mile-deep crevasse around the city. As centuries passed, the few surviving dragons began to show signs of strange behavior. They stopped returning to their homeland, which they had used to do. They also became paranoid, talking perpetually about the Bound One (saying it was speaking to them) and about some prophecy. They became suspicious of the drow and eventually drove them out, going so far as to bring some of their old enemies - the giants - back into the city.

That is the way it has been for the last two thousand years. The drow were forced to flee into the caves and watch the giants inhabit the city. From the caves, they would clash with the giants whenever possible. The few remaining Guardians, now warped by malice and the effects of the Bound One (or so the drow surmise), would sometimes fight for the giants. But gradually, the older ones died out, till there were only two left. The older and stronger one died in the last open battle that the drow dared to fight, devastating what remained of the city and slaying most of the greatest of the drow warriors and spellcasters. Now, only the last Guardian, named Tyrass, remains. He never leaves the central palace any more.

Ghyrra says that the drow have been plotting an attack for a long time, but have not acted yet, because they might be able to defeat the giants (of which there must be thirty or more) or the Guardian if they could face them individually, but not both together. An added wrinkle is that the Three have recently appeared, a trio of mindflayers that skulk in the depths and send their minions to harass the drow and/or the giants. Another reason they were waiting, Ghyrra says, is that their seers have foreseen that help would come from beyond the ocean, to "wash away the taint from Pra'xirek". The adventurers must be these people. She says that if they help the drow fight the giants and the Guardian, the drow will be very grateful and will pay them with magic and historical artifacts from the city. As a token, she gives each of the expedition-members a golden disk with a dragonshard embedded in it.

Along with the disks, the drow bring food and drink. As they are eating and drinking, Dala comments that it's probably not a good idea to ask what the meat they're eating is. Once they are done, Ghyrra suggests that they talk it over among themselves. Either way, they should stay the night here, since it is one of the "nights of memory" and they will see something that she can promise they have never seen before.

She has the group taken to a pair of large rooms where they can rest and talk. Dala is all for helping the drow, while Arrok is somewhat suspicious of them. Imre, Niff and the porters generally don't care, but many are uncomfortable about the drow. The Angels are unusually unanimous in their decision to help, at least partly because (as Nameless points out) if the Bound One is a daelkyr, the last thing they could possibly want is for one of those to be loose, especially near them. Gareth comments that though most of the drow are not evil, Ghyrra is, so the group should be careful how much they trust them. Arrok adds that if they do help, the porters, Imre, Niff and Dala should stay out of harm's way. Dala promptly refuses, saying she's the one who organized this expedition and is "not missing any of the fun".

After some time, Ghyrra and a few others come to tell them that it is time to see what she promised. The Angels tell her that they have agreed to help, which pleased her immensely. While leading them through the tunnels, she says that there are passages under the city that are still in existence. When the giants ruled the city, the elves were not allowed to walk in certain parts of the city, and would access have to them underground. The giants can't travel through the tunnels since they're too small, and though they've tried and managed to destroy some, much remains. The drow can use them to get the group far into the city, whether to places from which they can attack giants or almost to the central palace. Ghyrra adds that the Three have burrowed into the tunnels and sometimes unleash strange creatures in there to incommode the drow, but they don't usually utilize the tunnels.

Eventually, the group emerges onto the mountainside, through a tunnel some 200 ft above the one they entered through. It is night outside, but there are lights glowing above the city. As they watch, the lights expand into scenes that begin as misty shapes and gradually develop into perfect clarity. Ghyrra says they show visions from the battles between the giants and the dragons. It is a fascinating sight, as if a number of brilliant illusionists were at work simultaneously. At one point, a cloud giant wrestles a dragon. Elsewhere, a squad of giants hurl spells, bringing down a dragon, before three more descend upon them with fangs and claws flashing. A higher vision reveals a flight of half a dozen dragons, soaring through the air and breathing streams of dragon-fire as they go. If the visions were not completely soundless, they might seem as if the watchers were actually present during the battle, rather than watching moments of an age nearly 40,000 years old. Ghyrra comments that the drow have no idea why the scenes occur, but once every month they do.

The other thing that the group notices is that the palace has changed. The metal dome on the roof is now a raised globe over a hundred feet across, standing at the top of a 20-ft wide, metallic shaft. The protuberances on it are glowing softly. Ghyrra says that it is the Guardians' observatory, which they build some time after coming to Pra'xirek. Tyrass must be within, studying the stars as he is wont to do, especially on the nights of memory.

Luna promptly says, "I want to fly over and try to see the dragon." Her comment is met by various responses, ranging from, "Are you sure that's a good idea?" through "You're kidding, right?" up to "Are you fricking NUTS?!" Corven and Nameless, both of whom have read a significant amount of lore about dragons, hasten to explain to Luna about the amazingly sharp senses dragons have, how quickly they can fly, and the dangers of encountering a creature warped by close proximity to a bound daelkyr. Six points out that there are no birds in the area around the globe, presumably scared away by the visions appearing and disappearing in the air. Gareth says that if she is noticed and attacked, the group will not be able to reach her at all, leave alone help in any way.

Once they are done explaining, Luna looks around at them, and then says, "I still want to try it." As various palms smack foreheads around her, she changes form into a falcon and rises into the air, arrowing towards the globe. As she goes, Ghyrra comments to Corven, "Your friend is very brave - or foolish." Corven nods in a resigned manner and says, "Both!"

As Luna darts over the city, she notes that firelight is visible through windows and cracks in the roof of some of the buildings, indicating the presence of giants there. No giants are out on the streets, although a large head protrudes momentarily from a window or two, as giants look out at the visions in the air.

Reaching the globe, Luna finds that its surface is covered with large triangular metal sections. The protuberances are now revealed to be large lenses made of a translucent crystal, lit by both the visions outside and a glow from within. Each crystal is set in its own metal section, with Luna estimating there are twelve or thirteen in all. She comes to a landing near one and cranes her neck to peer in.

The crystal makes details unclear, but she is able to make out some details. The room she is looking into takes up the entire top half of the globe. It is currently occupied by a large reptilian form, which must be anywhere from thirty to forty feet from nose to tail-tip. The dragon Tyrass moves around the chamber, peering out of one crystal and then another. Sometimes, he stops to pull on large levers that are attached to the curved sides of the room. As he pulls each lever, one or more of the metal sections slides over or under an adjoining one, changing the alignment of the lenses. At one point, Luna has to do a quick sidestep to avoid having her tail feathers caught in one such sliding section. Ghyrra had said that Tyrass was originally silver in color but had begun changing. Luna notes that the dragon is mostly a dark gray in color, with only streaks of silver still marking its form. Although the crystal lenses make it difficult to be sure, she thinks she also sees large open sores on parts of its body.

Having carefully studied the dragon and deciding not to push her luck, Luna leaps into the air and flies back. She thinks for a moment that the dragon lifted its head at the motion, but can't be sure, and there is no alarm raised. Within a few minutes, she is back with her companions at the mountain. She quickly reports what she saw. Ghyrra suggests they return within and the group does so.

Once they are back near the rooms they have been given, Ghyrra then bids the group goodbye, thanking them again for their promised aid. She wishes them a good night and leaves. The adventurers spend a long time discussing options and exactly what it is that they are going to do. Ideas and strategies range from attacking a few giants at a time to weaken them, to charming a bunch of dinosaurs from the forest, shrinking them down and taking them through the tunnels to attack the dragon, to sneaking into the palace and going after the dragon while the drow attack the giants, to heading into the palace vaults (where Ghyrra said there are likely to be powerful magical items left from the giants or made by the dragons) and trying to recover items to use against the dragon.

Another area of concern is the question of sleep, with many fearing that the Bound One might affect them through their dreams (everyone is certain that's what spoke to them earlier). After discussing many options and realizing there just isn't any magical protection that will last all night, they reluctantly head to bed. Six, who is beginning to believe that half the problems with the other species comes because they sleep, keeps a very careful eye on them. He notices a couple move their lips at times as they sleep, but nothing really suspicious happens.

***
When they awake the next morning, the adventurers realize that all of them had exactly the same dream as before, with the voice asking them to release it and promising them many things in return. Nameless, who spent some time in the dream swearing at the voice in daelkyr, is fairly confident that it is unable to affect them now, though he's not sure whether that is a permanent situation.

 

[shilsen]

Session 24 - Giants and Dragons (or "Oh crap! We're All Going to Die")

Corven ir’Lanya Deneith - Human Art8
Gareth Byron Deneith - Human Pal3/Clr2/Exorcist of the Silver Flame3
Luna - Shifter Drd8
Mithral 6 of 6 - Warforged Ftr2/Scout4/Extreme Explorer2
Nameless - Human Wiz6/Alienist2

While the adventurers are discussing their options and tucking into the breakfast the drow delivered for them, Ghyrra and a pair of drow drop in on them. She introduces the others, who are Kir'ris, a priest of Vulkoor, and Manar, the warchief of the Ka'ki'kur, and then says that there's some news. A small group of giants has left the city and gone into the forest. It consists of four hill giants and one of the fire giants that are currently the leaders of the place. It is probably just a hunting expedition, though sometimes they try to capture some of the wilder giants and bring them back and force them to work in the city. The drow sometimes harass these groups but usually don't attack them in force, since the losses are too high. But they are considering an attack on these ones in hope of capturing the fire giant and finding out more about the dragon's current situation. Also, one of the drow patrols that had been sent through the tunnels to spy on the giants hasn't returned. Ghyrra wants to send some drow in to check on what happened to them. She says that she would really appreciate it if they would help with one of the two jobs, and asks which one they'd prefer.

Gareth says to the others, "I think it would be beneficial to slay these giants and capture or slay the fire giant. We are severely outnumbered and this might be what we need. Even better, if they send out a rescue operation - later - we can take that one out too. This will be a tough fight, but then - so will fighting all of the giants in their home. Who knows, maybe if we attack the giants - and in the process save one of the wild giants - that giant may decide to help us out."

Nameless agrees, saying, "I'm for the giant mission as well. Stealth is not our greatest strength."

Ghyrra says that she will send Ek'ann and three drow warriors with them and leaves, giving the group time to prepare and plan. The Angels naturally decide to they will leave the porters and experts at the drow lair. Arrok says that he will come along and Dala says she will as well, since she's "not about to miss out on any of the fun." She does promise that she'll stay safely in the back.

After they have made their preparations, the group departs with Ek'ann and the other three drow. They travel back towards and around the city, this time staying further away from the crevasse. Ek'ann leads the group to an area in the forest half a mile from the bridge. He suggests they set an ambush there, while two of the drow and Six move a couple hundred feet ahead and keep watch.

Eventually, after a wait of around an hour, Six hears the sounds of large creatures heading in their direction. He and the drow head back quickly to let the others know they're on their way. The ambushers prepare themselves with spells and when the giants emerge through the trees some distance away, the ambush is sprung.

It begins well, with Nameless using haste to let his allies move faster and attack more often, and then using a slow spell to affect a few of the giants. Meanwhile the drow, Dala and Corven open fire with ranged weapons, hitting a number of the giants. Six and Ek'ann, who seems to enjoy using his scorpion chain with Six's spiked one, move in at an angle towards the hill giant on the flank, both striking and wounding it. Luna, now in the form of a large brown bear, and Arrok, rush in side by side and wound another hill giant. Gareth, who has been enlarged to be as tall as the giants by Nameless, moves in more ponderously behind them.

And that's when it goes bad - for Luna. While two of the hill giants are busy with Six and Ek'ann, the other two hill giants have only her and Arrok as a target, and next to her bulk the gnome is almost invisible. One hill giant catches her a powerful blow on the side, and so does the other, crunching ribs as they hit. More troublingly, the red-bearded fire giant that has been walking behind the first two hill giants (wearing ornate half-plate armor, unlike its hide-wearing companions) rushes forward, drawing its large greatsword as it comes. The greatsword slams down on the bear's skull, driving it to the forest floor, unconscious and bleeding*.

For a few moments, this leaves the gnome alone facing three giants. The moments could have been longer, as Gareth, shocked to see Luna go down so easily, takes a few steps to the side as if moving to help Six and Ek'ann. Whether it's Nameless' shout of "Gareth, you cowardly bastard - get in there and help him!", or the slightly more polite yells from Six and Corven, or Arrok's worried, "Um, guys - some backup here?", something changes his mind and he does head towards the giants facing Arrok. To the future (nobody laughs about it till after the fight) amusement of the others, Gareth actually stops behind Arrok, keeping him between himself and the fire giant. He smites one of the hill giants, wounding him severely.

As those in the rear continue to move in and shoot, Nameless releases another spell, bringing down a rain of glitterdust around the giants near Arrok. The fire giant is blinded and flails around blindly in the direction of Gareth, the one large target it has seen. Most of its blows go wild, but one hits home perfectly, almost cutting Gareth in half**. With a cry of pain, the paladin collapses, again leaving Arrok facing three giants. Luckily, the big one is now blind, and the hasted Arrok steps in between its legs and launches a series of pinpoint blows, sending blood spurting and drawing cries of pain and swearing in giant.

Corven hurries forward towards Luna and Gareth, stopping on the way to fire a giant-bane-infused crossbow bolt into one of the giants. Six and Ek'ann, meanwhile, have badly wounded the first giant they attacked and Six rips its throat open with his chain. They quickly go on to engage the next one, which is already wounded and then speedily blinded by another glitterdust from Nameless. Six tries to trip it but the blinded creature manages to pull away his chain. Six calmly picks up the chain again, dodging its wild blows as he does so, and trips it on the second attempt. It is promptly dispatched by Ek'ann and him.

The blind fire giant, meanwhile, is running streams of blood down its legs from Arrok's unending attacks***. One of its wild blows grazes the gnome's shoulder but that's all the damage it does, its blindness and his size making him almost impossible to hit. While it is tottering, Corven reaches and heals Gareth back to consciousness. Rising groggily to his feet, Gareth sees the tottering fire giant and smashes it to the ground with the flat of his sword, so that they can question it.

While Corven heals Luna back to consciousness too, the others take care of the remaining giants. While the wounded are healed, they strip the fire giant of weapons and equipment, tying it as securely as can be. They also go through the equipment of the other giants. Though they find nothing magical, there are a couple of items that Dala thinks are worth taking. The adventurers also notice that all of the giants have the same tattoo of a snake wrapped around a gem/dragonshard on them. When one comments on it, Ek'ann says that the dragons all started wearing that tattoo shortly after the Bound One was defeated. They also paint it on all the giants that serve them. None of the drow know why.

Finally, the group wakes the giant. Originally, it is understandably defiant and even though threatened by Nameless, refuses to speak to them, since they will only kill it anyway. After some discussion, Corven infuses a suggestion and uses it on the giant, suggesting that if it gives them some information, they will free it. The giant succumbs to the spell and becomes much more helpful, providing a lot of information.

The fire giant's name is Logoran. He says that there are currently another twenty or so hill giant warriors, plus around ten non-combatants. There are also a few stone giants (6, plus 2 non-combatants) and a trio of fire giants (which includes Logoran). They live mostly in the buildings near the palace. though the fire giants have been spreading them out a bit so that they can cover more space. There were originally four fire giants, but the last time some of them spoke to the dragon (a little over a week ago), one argued with him and Tyrass simply breathed on him, paralyzing him, and then ripped him apart. Logoran says that Tyrass is steadily getting more mercurial and violent, and now seems to have little interest in the city outside. He has also become more paranoid, saying that the giants should be prepared for dangers they haven't seen before, and continually asking they giants if they hear voices in their sleep (which none have).

Tyrass has also produced two new guards from somewhere, which stay at or near the front door of the palace. Logoran has no idea what they are, since they wear ornate full plate that hides their features, revealing only two glowing eyes. They are built like giants, but are over 15 ft tall, and Logoran (who's been here for twenty years) hasn't seen any giants that size. Tyrass has warned the giants not to try to proceed into the palace since he has awakened more guardians. Logoran hasn't seen much of it, since Tyrass always speaks to the giants in the entrance hall or the large chamber beyond. He believes the dragon stays in the upper levels, since he usually descends to meet them.

When asked exactly what the relationship between the dragons and the giants is, Logoran says that the dragon has promised to protect them from dangers that could destroy the city, and allows them to live in the city in return for service and information. One example of the service (and of Tyrass' paranoia) is in the fact that Tyrass got the giants to seal up all entrances and exits to the palace besides the front door, and sealed up the entrances on the higher levels himself, since he would not allow the giants to go there.

Having got whatever information they could, the Angels tell the drow to do what they will, and the latter promptly kill the giant. After having done so, they begin to cut steaks off Logoran and the other giants, to go with the large pieces of dinosaur meat that the giants had been carrying. When the Angels ask about them eating giant meat (which Arrok says isn't at all common in Xen'drik), Ek'ann says that it is a tradition among the drow to eat their enemies. Plus giant tastes good if treated right, as the group has already found out in their meal the previous night. A couple of the Angels turn a little green at that information.

The group returns to the drow lair. Ghyrra meets them and says that the soldiers they sent after the initial patrol in the tunnels returned to say that all three are missing and presumed dead. They found a dropped sword, blood and slime, and marks that indicate they were dragged off. They are quite sure that it was creatures associated with the Three.

She is also very interested in what they found out from the giant. After hearing the details, she suggests an excursion into the palace early next day, after they've had a day to prepare as much as needed. The drow will attack the giants at the same time, to draw them away . Ghyrra has been studying whatever records they have of the palace, which are very sketchy since they could not enter it while the giants ruled, and did not do so much after the dragons took over. She gives the group a rough map that she has put together based on the accounts. It indicates that beyond the entrance hall is another one, which has stairs leading up, and then a huge audience chamber. The audience chamber apparently has a hidden entrance to the lower levels behind the throne, which the ruler could use for a quick exit if needed. She says that it might be a good way to get to the vaults below and see what they can find.

Six, who is the most suspicious of entering the front way, and says that he would much prefer to find another way in, asks Luna if she would mind checking out the area in bird form. To nobody's surprise, she agrees promptly, and a few minutes later, is winging her way down the mountainside and towards the city.

Reaching the palace, she finds one of the main thirty-foot tall double doors ajar, and promptly heads inside. Inside, as expected, is a large chamber, a hundred feet wide and fifty feet high. Despite the fact that all windows are sealed up securely, the chamber is lit dimly by continual flame torches set into the walls. There are decorations along the walls and on the ceiling, but covered in dust and cobwebs. In the center of the hall is a dais some twenty feet tall. All there is on it are the bottoms of two feet, broken off at mid-shin. A golden inscription below says something that Luna cannot read. There is also a large open set of doors leading inwards to a huge hall, where she can see more open doors and stairs leading up. Next to the doors are two huge figures in full-plate (bearing the serpent/gem symbol), each carrying a morningstar nearly as tall as itself.

They do not respond in any way to the entrance of the bird as she flies in and perches on the dais. Trying to make out whether they are alive or not, the fearless druid flies over and perches on one's helm, and then begins to preen herself. There is no response, and she flies into the next hall. Here she finds two sets of stairs curving up the sides of an equally large hall to a closed doorway leading up to the next level. Between the stairs is another open set of double doors, revealing a pillar-filled chamber. Luna flies into this one too and discovers it to be the throne room, with a huge obsidian throne on a plinth at one end. Two sets of pillars march down the hall. There are other doors leading out of this room, but each is closed.

After checking around, Luna flies out and around the palace. She quickly discovers that while she can find a number of entrances, each of them has been sealed up securely. Based on what she has already seen and since the walls are to giant proportions, she decides that spells to affect stone like her stone shape will be useless here due to the sheer size of the seals. Deciding that she has seen enough, she flies back to the mountain and the camp.

Once she rejoins them and says what she has seen, the group makes plans and prepares for the morrow, with Nameless, Gareth and Luna working with Corven and his homunculus to create a number of scrolls. Now that the decision is made, Ghyrra provides them with some magical items too, including scrolls of healing and the loan of a bag of holding to bring any recovered items out. To Nameless, she gives a golden disk with a dragonshard set in it. She calls it a disk of absorptive negation and says that if he uses it while casting a dispel magic spell, it'll trap some of the spell energy dispelled and let him use it to power his own magic.

She also loans him a necklace of the phantom library, a golden chain, with five lozenge-shaped Siberys dragonshards spaced at discrete intervals, and shows him how to use it. When he puts it on, golden sigils appear floating in the air in front of him. They represent the spells scribed within the item and he can move from spell to spell with a thought, deciding what to prepare. Though few of the spells are new to him, Nameless finds that it holds significantly more than his own spellbooks. A couple of the new spells that he does find useful are an improved version of his mage armor spell and a spell that will allow him to protect all of the group from cold, which should be invaluable in fighting a silver dragon.

After providing the group with the items, Ghyrra asks them if they would join her in an oath-taking ceremony at the Shrine of Vulkoor to ensure that they do not betray the drow and vice versa. The group agrees, though Gareth says he will only swear by the Silver Flame, which Ghyrra accepts. The ceremony is quite short, performed by the priest Kir'ris in front of a huge statue of the half-drow half-scorpion Vulkoor. It involves a zone of truth spell, which all of the group stand within and speak the oath. So too do Ghyrra, Manar and Kir'ris.

After that, the adventurers retire to supper and a good night's rest. As is now becoming a habit, they have the same dream as before, except that this time the voice threatens that if they do not free it, someone else will and will reap the rewards. This time, Nameless settles for taunting it in fluent daelkyr. Most don't have the dream last long, perhaps because Six makes a habit of poking them if they murmur in their sleep (which, sadly, sometimes happens even when they aren't having the dream).

***
The next day, after making their preparations, the group leaves with the two drow warriors that are to guide them. Arrok and Dala accompany the Angels. They enter a chamber that has a large opening, which they climb down to a dark tunnel below. This is one of the tunnels that the drow have created from their mountain lair to the tunnels under the city. As the group heads down the tunnels, they find them crude and narrow, but after both descending a few hundred feet and traveling about half a mile, they expand into well-made stone ones that are a little less than 10 ft tall and wide. They pass a few sections that have collapsed, the drow guides saying that these are the results of the giants' attempts to destroy the tunnels. A couple of times, the guides stop at a place that has a hidden opening above and cautiously check the area above to orient themselves. Finally, after an hour of traveling, they emerge into an abandoned building near the palace. The top levels of the building have been destroyed, but the bottom remains.

After nearly half an hour, they hear the sounds of giant shouting and metal gongs ringing far in the distance. Through the high windows, they see some hill giants emerge with weapons from a building nearby and hurry towards the sound. The drow tell them to go, saying that they'll be waiting here in hiding for them. The adventurers quickly cast a large number of protective spells, ending with a silence spell on a stone that Six carries. Then they head quickly across the two hundred and fifty feet separating them from the palace.

Nobody seems to notice them and they reach their destination, finding the door ajar as Luna had. As they hurry through, they see exactly what she had before, with the addition that those who can read giant realize that the golden inscription on the dais below the shattered feet says "Ozy..."****. There is little time for appreciating the scenery, however, since the two huge armored figures promptly heft their morningstars and attack.

The battle is violent but short, and just as silent as the group had hoped, due to the silence stone Six carries. Luna - in bear form again - engages one of the creatures alone, while Gareth, Six and Arrok engage the other. Nameless and Corven blast them with spells from the rear, while Dala uses her crossbow (mostly with no effect). Early in the fight, one of Luna's claw swipes tears away some of the armor, revealing that the creatures are actually giant skeletons.

Luna and the skeleton she is fighting exchange mighty blows, wounding each other drastically, Luna continually moving in and forcing the creature to back up to be able to swing at her. On the other side, both Six and Gareth take serious wounds too, though Six is partly protected by the stone construct infusion that Corven has used to strengthen his form. Gareth eventually backs out and blasts the creatures with positive energy. This wounds the one closest to them enough for Six, who has switched from using his chain (which is less effective against the bone of the skeletons) to using his fists, to smash its knee and bring it down in a heap.

On the other side, though direly wounded, Luna backs the skeleton into a corner so that it has to back up around her and give her a chance to disengage. Corven promptly blasts it with his wand and Six tumbles across to slam it in the knee too, bringing it down like the first one.

With the creatures down, the group hurries through the chamber with the stairs and into the audience chamber, casting healing spells on the way. Six and Corven search the area behind the throne and find a well-hidden door, which pivots more smoothly on its hinges than its 15 foot high size would indicate. The area beyond is a tunnel the size of the door, lit by more magical torches, which leads to a set of stairs leading down. The area has dust on the floor, with the marks of huge clawed footprints and a dragging tail in the dust.

The group heads down the stairs, but quickly discover that the giant-sized steps are dangerous to climb down. Nameless slips and falls, but Luna lunges and grabs him. The group switches to using a rope to climb down. They descend for about 200 ft before reaching a blank wall with another hidden door. This one opens into the end of a huge hall, about 50 tall, 80 ft wide and 200 ft long, again lit by continual flame torches in the four corners.

There is a huge doorway on the far side, which had a stone door but it is broken and lying in fragments. There are four more doors, two on each side. This hall is dusty too, with similar marks of a dragon's passage. There are large webs in the corners of the room. The closest corner has what seems to be three large humanoid shapes wrapped tightly in webbing. Nameless tries vainly to prevent Luna from messing with them, but the druid goes ahead and does so. She finds that they are not web-wrapped but seem to actually be made of webbing, with their otherwise featureless faces bearing eight blank eyes. Luna promptly goes back and pulls Nameless towards them. After examining them, he and Corven decide that they must be web golems, which the giants of Xen'drik are known to have invented. These ones have been destroyed, evidently a while ago, by large claws.

The group heads for the closest door. Experimentation reveals that it has some kind of proximity trigger, causing it to slide up into the ceiling when someone is standing next to it, sliding down again in ten seconds. Beyond is a 40 foot long corridor, leading to a similar door. Beyond is a cubical room (30 feet to a side), containing large stone shelves and racks with numerous items on them, many of which Nameless detects as magical. The room also contains four alcoves, holding creatures that resemble a warforged, though much more like the versions that pre-dated the truly sentient versions that were created thirty-three years ago. Each has a two-handed flail held in both hands and wears a metallic harness, linking a starburst on the chest, a thick metal belt and two large metal boots.

Presuming that they are guardians of some kind, Six enters the room cautiously, but they show no signs of life. Nameless suggests that they might be activated by someone disturbing the items, so Six and Gareth stand with weapons ready in front of one, while Luna takes up position in front of the other. Nameless picks up a gnarled wooden staff and the creatures promptly come to life, stepping forward with weapons raised.

Their "life", however, is very short-lived. The adventurers quickly cut down the two they were ready for and Nameless webs the other two, allowing the others to deal with them in turn. When the creatures are slain and collapse, the star explodes as they hit the ground, damaging those immediately nearby and destroying the harness. Luna manages to catch one in her mouth before it hits the ground and Six removes the harness, finding that it is all in one piece. Nameless discovers that it is magical and Six sticks it in the bag of holding for later usage. Along with that, go the other magical and non-magical items in the room. The magical items include the wooden staff, a Necklace of the Phantom Library, a set of metal bracers, a wooden wand, a cloak, a rod, two rings, a scarab, a small case of what seems to be ointment, a coiled rope, and a set of boots. There is also a giant-sized shield and huge warhammer, but these are far too long to fit through the opening of the bag and the group leaves it.

Gareth decides to try on the boots and a ring. Experimentation reveals that they are Boots of Striding and Springing and the ring is like a Necklace of Adaptation, surrounding him with a blanket of fresh air. Nameless points out that the ring will protect against the dragon's paralysis breath and suggests that either Corven or he use it, since Gareth's divine protections mean he has the best chance of resisting the breath anyway. Gareth complains that he was the one who risked trying it on and should get to use it, but after Nameless berates him for being a selfish so-and-so and Luna steps in to say the same, he gives up and hands it over. Corven says that his temporary magical protections make him slightly more resistant now, so Nameless puts on the ring.

Leaving the room, the adventurers head for the next door. They have only taken a few steps when they notice something drop from the ceiling above. It looks like a pebble and bounces away, but it makes no sound as it does so, as if it too had a silence upon it. Looking up, they see a huge dragon appear above them, looking down from where it crouches on the ceiling. It snarls down at them and says, "I have been expecting you. Now we make the future!" And then its huge nostrils flare and it breathes...

* Luna went from 84 hit pts to -5 in that round. Power-attacking giants hurt!
** Made the 50% miss chance and confirmed a crit for 80 pts.
*** Arrok alone did nearly 90 pts of damage to the fire giant
**** Yes, of course P.B. Shelley was a giant.

 

[shilsen]

Written by AviLazar:

Session 24 - February 18, 2006

We spend some time with the drow, listening to their problems and eating their exotic foods. The meats taste much different, and I am not entirely sure I want to know what some of this is – I just hope it is not giant flesh. We are then told about a group of giants who left their base to go hunting for food. After a recommendation, we decide the best course of action is to go and ambush these giants, but try and bring them back alive – at least their leader, which happens to be a fire giant. We then prepare for the trek and the oncoming battle.

We get to the area and see our opponents. I yell to Six and Luna "let us go in together" and immediately both of them charge up at different angles – Six to my left and Luna to my right – but way to far for me to go straight up the middle and not be left alone. I then decide to go towards Six, but as I do so Luna is knocked down – beaten by two giants. Nameless casts a spell of haste upon us, followed by a spell of slow on the giants – which greatly hinders them. Earlier, Nameless had enlarged my size and this not only helps me do more damage, but makes me a bigger target.

I then hear Nameless yell at me and call me a coward, not knowing why, and then I see he was referring to Luna, who just got pummeled to the ground by two of the hill giants and the fire giant. Note: If we only charged up as a team, things would have been a bit different. I then change direction and run right to the giant, but am behind Arrok, who looks so small right now. With my reach, I am easily able to target the creatures over his head. I then hit one of the hill giants, smiting him but I do not manage to take him down. This is followed by Nameless casting his Glitterdust spell, blinding a number of the giants, including the fire giant. The fire giant wildly swings his weapon, and actually connects with me knocking me out.

Some time later, but still in time for the battle, I wake up – as Corven just healed me. I then, from the floor swing at the giant with the flat of my blade – finishing off the work of the other group members. The giant lays on the ground, unconscious. Seeing the other giants down, we heal each other up and tie the fire giant securely. We start to question the giant, but it does not respond to us so Corven casts a spell of suggestion. The giant then begins to tell us everything we want to know – their numbers, who is in charge, what they are doing and so forth. We also learn the dragon seems to becoming more and more insane, maybe due to the magics around him. The giant also breaths paralyzing gas – and Nameless mentions Silver Dragons tend to do that. After we are done questioning him, the drow proceed to kill him. Normally I would want to turn in a criminal to the local authority- but this creature is evil and there is no authority here. To let him go would only ensure that he warns his comrades as well as fight us at a later point. I then learn, to my horror, the dinner we ate last night was giant meat!

We start to make our way back to the drow camp.

OOC: At this point I left the game so my story will not continue