For More Than Glory

Session recap:

Naeron decided to cut Fleck a deal. He would be returned to the living, under the condition that he (a) restore Zerash to motion and (b) remove a thorn from the Death Dragon's side by slaying Reginald Cooper. The catch is that Cooper can now only be slain by the Betrayer's Blade, the weapon that has driven him insane. Knowing the danger of the weapon, he refused to return unless his companions were forewarned. Naeron agreed to bring them into the negotiations, and Valdir and Drack agreed, and Fleck was restored. One scroll later, Zerash was flesh and blood once again, and the group made sure the cave was a safe place to rest.

Drack, of course, looted the body and didn't share with anyone.
 

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hey guys.. no word on the baby yet, but I wanted to let you know the giantess was a EL 16, CR 14 for her and whateveritis for the gorgons. dire lions are standard, so now you guys can get some XP out of it. The giantess had +2 studded leather, a +2 greataxe, and 1d4x100gp in gems.
 



If you're not seeing it in the meta server list, you can manually type
knuth.cs.hmc.edu:6774
into the bar above it and it should connect....
 

Session Recap

The party, exhausted from their previous battle and visit with Naeron to bargain for Fleck's soul, pushed the carcasses out of the way, healed and rested for the night. The next day Valdir, freshly returning from a successful rabbit hunting expedition, informed the group that, by the tracks, it was likely this outpost's guards were relieved every two weeks and the next relief was due any day now. After some discussion, the party decided to head to the pass up ahead and set up an ambush for the relief party. That way, they may buy some time before the lack of a guard at the outpost would be noticed.

Once in the pass, the party found a spot where the canyon narrowed to 20'. In front of this pass a 400' diameter clearing had been hewn out of the surrounding forest by both giants and smaller (assumably dwarven) axes. Deciding this was a perfect place for the ambush, the party started making preparations. During this time, Valdir noticed a strange vibration coming from the area where the pass was at its narrowest. Although no entrance hole could be found, the sound was suspiciously like that of a large burrowing animal. Before they could investigate further, the relief party of two giants and a white dragon were spotted 10 minutes out. Scurrying to their respective posts, the party waited in ambush.

As the first giant entered the narrow spot in the pass, both he and the party were surprised when a 20' area of ground gave way under his feet. The giant attempted to save himself by clinging onto the edge of the hole, but Valdir put four arrows into his hands, making him lose his grip before ducking back into a nearby bush. As he fell, the giant's weight broke supporting timbers in the pit and it collapsed around him, burying him to his neck.

The second giant rushed in to see what was going on. Upon seeing the other giant's predicament and the elf rushing away, the second giant hurled a rock and scored a direct hit.

Next, the white dragon swooped in, strafing Drack with a cone of icy breath on his first pass. Drack, agile as he is, dodged out of the way in time and was completely unharmed by the breath. Turning to swoop in for another pass, the dragon met very solidly with a Wall of Force summoned by Fleck and was driven hard into the ground. The dragon plowed a groove 60' long before coming to a halt, unconscious .

Meanwhile, the second giant charged in rage at Drack. The distance was too far, however, to close before a heavy crossbow bolt from a dwarf, who all of a sudden appeared up through a hole in the ground, and arrows from both Drack and Valdir nearly brought him down. Deciding an expeditious retreat was a better plan, the giant healed himself with a quick spell and started to leave. He was halted suddenly by the waraxe-wielding dwarf who, after the first shot had disappeared for a couple of rounds only to reappear from another hole in front of the giant. The dwarf first directed his attack at the giant's axe haft, splintering it. The giant tried to pick up the dwarf to use as a missile, but the dwarf was obviously skilled in grappling and escaped. With two Dwarven Waraxes, one in each hand, the dwarf quickly sliced and diced the giant.

Meanwhile, the dragon started to wake up. Although Fleck had bound him with a rope and a spell, the dragon shrugged it off and prepared to leave. Valdir quickly launched four Thunderstone Arrows at the creature, deafening and stunning it for a moment. The dragon summoned a thick fog to hide in until it could completely clear its head. Zerash charged in, attempting to subdue and capture the beast, but could not see well enough to connect solidly with the dragon. The dragon, unable to hear Zerash telling his kindred to be calm, lashed out at Zerash but was unable to penetrate the saurian's armor and spells. The next attack by Zerash met far more solidly, nearly knocking the dragon unconscious again and convincing him to submit for the moment.

As the session ended, the buried giant expired from lack of oxygen and the Dwarf stranger was just walking up to the party as Zerash was leading a temporarily subdued and deaf dragon out of the fog...

((800 xp each))
 
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The unknown dwarf stops for a minute, pulls out a tindertwig and lights the cigar he has been chewing on during the combat. After a few puffs show it is fully lit, he strides over to the group.

"Well now, who be ye yahoos that nearly ruin't me trap? Hmmm." As he circles the group, pondering and puffing smoke he mumbles to himself, "yes...this could be 'em... no mistaking the saurian and the leafeater is pretty handy with that bow....human could be anybody, they all look alike anyway... gnome wasn't on the list though....eh, gotta be 'em."

He steps around to stand in front of the group, hands on his hips, still puffing on the cigar. "Well now, I've been lookin' for you. Name's Grendl Kraigheim. Got a message for the leafeater I do." As he says this he reaches into his breastplate, "...now, where did I...ah, there it is..." Pulling out a sweaty piece of parchment he hands it to Valdir. Valdir takes it gingerly, clearly not pleased with the smell of dwarf sweat and walks a distance from the rest of the group.

Grendl Kraigheim stands 4'-4" and weighs about 155 lbs. Dressed in earthy tones stained to break up his outline and in lighter armor (breastplate) than most dwarves, Grendl walks with an underlying agility and confidence. His long red hair and beard are immaculately braided and he carries two Dwarven Waraxes across his back with throwing axes at his belt. Slung under his arm is a heavy crossbow with a quiver of bolts at his belt. At his side walks a particularly large badger with a somewhat nasty temperment. His steel grey eyes twinkle often as he speaks.

"Well now, what do you plan to do with that frost lizard saurian? They make fine steaks if sliced up right."
 

Grendl and the party got acquainted. Valdir received a note from the friendly cleric that restored his hand releasing him from his quest and informing him that the band of orcs that had destroyed his family had been tracked down near Lorlynia. After quick apologies to the party and promised to return, Valdir departed with a little help of a shadow walking spell from Fleck.

Grendl, as it seems, is a bit of a ranger himself and has been conducting guerilla operations in this area for some time. Knowlegable of the tunnels and city, he led them into a secret tunnel that eventually leads to the main chamber. After sneaking some mushrooms into the kitchen slaves to add to the banquet soup that would knock most of the giants out for a while, the party now contemplates their next move. A large dragon, two twin giantesses and a very formidable chief stand in their way to completing their quest...
 

The plan against the dragon as Fleck sees it:

The entire group will need to be protected from the dragon's breath. Once the place is asleep, Fleck will hit the dragon with a fireball. With the others hidden, hopefully she will see an easy target and swoop down. Fleck will use the stone cage to protect himself and a wall of force to keep the dragon at ground level where she can be engaged in melee. He'll then do everything he can to counter whatever magic she breaks out, or do his best to hamper her.
 

The group found a 10' thick wall of ice plugging the entrance to the main hall. Grendl relayed to the party at this point that he had heard from the kitchen slaves that the giants were going to feed an old dwarf to the dragon after dinner. Deciding to burrow through the ice until only a thin sheet remained so that they could time their entrance with the delivery of the old dwarf, the party cast a Silence spell on Snizzlefritz the dire badger to keep his activities quite while he dug.

Shortly after the digging was done, the giant chieftain could be heard entering the hall and depositing the old dwarf before going to bed. The party melted the rest of the ice at this point to find a thick fog enveloping the old dwarf. Fleck burst into the room intent on putting a stone cage he had fashioned and shrunk in the caverns around the dwarf and himself before the dragon could swoop in and eat him. He quickly found that the floor was covered in ice, making it slippery for walking. Fleck and Zerash both took flight while the others made their way slowly on foot towards the old dwarf.

No dragon appeared for quite a while, even after Fleck dispelled the first fog cloud it had created. It was shortly apparent that the dragon was waiting for the group to reach the old dwarf so it could create another fog cloud and use its ventriloquism spell to confuse its opponents and attack from the air with its breath weapon.

After the second fog was foiled by Fleck, the dragon cast its third fog cloud and attacked Zerash, who was hovering outside the cloud. Using ventroliquism to distract Zerash, the dragon attacked viscously from behind and on its second pass, although being hurt by a blade barrier trap sprung by Zerash, was able to grab Zerash in one of its claws and clench him closely to its belly, face outward. Dragging the helpless Zerash far above the hall floor, the dragon tore into Zerash mercilessly with its hind claws. The party, now able to see with the combined winds from the hovering dragon and a clever use of telekinesis and a sheet by Fleck dissipating the fog cloud, could only watch helplessly as it seemed their saurian friend would soon meet his diety.

Zerash's new juvenile dragon companion, Xinthandir, came to Zerash's rescue and, although unable to do any real damage, was able to distract the dragon enough for Zerash to escape. Both Xinthandir and Zerash plunged to the ground as the large dragon now started to tear mercilessly into the smaller dragon.

As soon as the large dragon landed, Fleck cast a Wall of Force over its head to prevent it from flying. Now the party was in its element as the combined efforts of Zerash, Drack and Grendl tore the dragon to pieces in short order.

Somewhat beaten and bloody, the party now faces an icy chamber with a crevice high above, obviously the dragon's roost, a carcass of a huge dragon on the floor lying in its own entrails and with a ring on one claw, and an old dwarf, somewhat recovered from the dragon's ability to strike fear into its enemies hearts.

((1200 xp each, searching the dragon and its roost reveals: 3000 gp, 20000 sp, 12 diamonds worth 1000 gp each, a ring, and an intricately carved scabbard.))
 
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