Frostmarrow's Champions of St Cuthbert

Frostmarrow · Jan 20, 2002

It seems my thread in the Story Hour was lost in the move to the new boards. Perhaps I will be able to salvage the old thread when Morrus reopens the old boards. However, I won't dwell on that now for here is the continuation of Frostmarrow's Champions of St Cuthbert.

*** Oh yes. Do not read this if you intend to play Monte Cook's excellent adventure Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. It is chock full of spoilers. ***

Chymon the red dragon was well hidden and invisible in the ceiling of her lair. When Mijka and Aelenathon begun to scoop gold, silver and copper from her pile of treasure she attacked. Both Mijka and Aelenathon survived her initial breath of fire attack. Aelenathon's knight construct, which he won in a game of cards earlier, was utterly destroyed by the flames. Most of the party was shaken in fear of the dragon but in spite of this they attacked. When the battle was over and the dragon was dead so was Helio Castroneves. Fion didn't waste any time and promptly raised the dead archer back to life.

The party decided that they were finished with the Temple of All Consumption. They used the Tourbillion to teleport out of the Spire. Half the party; Fion, Helio and Ebenezer went to Hommlet to study and the rest; Arlic, Mijka and Aelenathon went to Greyhawk City.

In Greyhawk City Aelenathon and Arlic went straight to the church of Pelor and reported Mijka in the hopes of them being able to cleanse Mijka from the evil that has possesed his body. Mijka on the other hand went in search of a new greatsword. He didn't find any but he was imprisoned by the clerics of Pelor. Aelenathon and Arlic were present when he was taken away but refrained from telling Mijka that they were responsible for his abduction.

Aelenathon and Arlic went to the Wizard's Guild of Greyhawk in order to trade some magical items and trinkets. They also wanted to buy a teleport trip to Hommlet. All in all they were successful in their pursuits. They even found a new sword for Mijka.

Mijka was put in a dungeon below the Temple of Pelor. They told him nothing about why he was imprisoned. However, during his stay they used all kinds of divinations and prayers in search of an answer to the question: What to do with this fiendish man? Sadly there was no answer to be found and Mijka was set free again. They left a letter for Aelenathon which only said "Time will take care of all our troubles".

The three travelers joined together again at the Wizards' Guild and were teleported back to Hommlet by a wizard known as Oliver Probono. [Which is my character by the way in Aelenathon's campaign.]

In Hommlet Fion and Helio went to meet with their old friend Wylder. Wylder had accompanied them in their initial assault on the Temple of All Consumption. However he had been killed twice and thereafter been impossible to resurrect. Somehow he was back anyway.

Wylder was organizing the defenses of Hommlet. The next day he called to a town meeting at the keep. Everybody who is anybody in Hommlet attended. From the party Helio, Fion, Aelenathon, Arlic, Mijak and (scarcely amused) Ebenezer came. From the village there were Wylder, Rufus, Burne, Y'Dey, Ingrith, Elmo, Jaroo, Terjon, Arkham, Bedlam, Clamor, Druinora, Exceter and all the soldiers known as Wylder's Wolverines (formerly known as Burne's Badgers.)

After all had had there say in the planning of the assault on the Temple of Elemental Evil it was decided that the party should spearhead the attack. Wylder's Trailblazers (the halflings Bedlam, Clamor, Druinora and Exceter) should guide them to the entrance. A second party should be formed as backup. The backup team consists of Wylder, Elmo, Ingrith and Terjon. Terjon was elected to carry the Talisman of Pure Good, a great honor indeed. By the end of the meeting Jaroo made his excuses and left first of all. The rest of the village was put to work to aid the party in whatever means possible. The party received lots of magical potions and scrolls to aid them on their way. Y'Dey mentioned that the village had sent two agents into the temple already. With which the party could make contact. A Hound Archon and Kella the druidess.

The halfling trailblazers showed the party to a remote farm. On the farm there was a well that serves as an entrance for the cult and the excavation team far below the old temple. Aside from being hassled by some pixies the party made an easy entrance down the shaft of the well. From the well there was a passage that lead way down the earth and finally into a lower level dungeon of the temple.

The guards of the temple, somehow, had been warned of the party's advance and the party walked right into an ambush. The ogres of the ambush was dispatched with considerable ease by the veteran adventurers. Later on they were attacked by an earth elemental and a stone giant. This battle turned out to be just as easy as the first one. Naturally, hadn't Ebenezer disitigrated the elemental it would have been a lot harder.

In a later encounter when some ogres were put to the sword Kella introduced herself. She could tell the party of the denizens of the temple. She mentioned a group of three to four stone giants in a secret room nearby. The adventurers were intrigued by this and decided to take them on. This would turn out to be a huge mistake. There weren't just four giants - there were eight!

Even though the party managed to completely surprise the giants the battle would soon turn to the favor of the opposition. In short order Mijka and Aelenathon was beaten to death by the fierce giants. However by attacking the giants again when they were too busy looting the dead bodies of Mijka and Aelenathon
Ebanezer and Fion were able to destroy the giants with the use of Flame Strike and Fireballs. The giants were defeated but to a terrible cost. Aelenathon was raised by Fion but there is no saving Mijka. Since he lost his original soul he is no longer a part of this world and can therefore not be brought back. Well, perhaps his old soul is out there somewhere, who knows?

Frostmarrow · Jan 28, 2002

During the night something extraordinary happened. The party had decided to rest after the encounter with the giants. With the help of the reserves it was easy finding a volunteer for the the darkest hour of the night.

Above Mijka's body something materialized. A ghost. In fact it was the ghost of Mijka that was back to help the party out. It turns out that the real soul of Mijka when he escaped the pillars in the Tabernacle of Utter Darkness began following his body around. He even went to Greyhawk City with it. Desperately seeking an opportunity to get his body back. Sadly, this had been impossible until the moment Mijka's body died and the foreign soul departed. However, once the body was dead it couldn't be possessed. Catch 22 if there ever was one.

Fion turned his mind inside out searching for once learned knowledge of ghosts. He remembered that the only way to put a ghost to rest is to right a wrong that had happened earlier. Fion came to the conclusion that Mijka's killing of evil priestess Naquent must have something to do with everything. Fion tried to have Mijka atone for his crime. This was very much needed but it was not the reason Mijka was cursed to walk the earth as an undead spirit. Fion and Helio decided to bury Mijka's body outside the temple by the well.

The party decided to delve further down into the Temple of Elemental Evil. They thought they'd take on the beholder Kella had reported. With the employment of tactics they entered the foul beasts lair. Arlic managed to catch the beholder by surprise and the beholder was slain before it even got a chance to react. The party was very happy with this as they had heard of a beholder's impressive array of lethal rays. Aelenathon even mentioned his surprise over the effectiveness of planning and tactics.

From this point everything ran smoothly. Mijka possessed ogre bodies in order to be able to fight on the Prime Material Plane. The party descended one level and summarily cleared most of it out. Without hesitation they entered the Greater Temple. In this temple a Doomdreamer and an ogre were in the midst of some foul ceremony. The doomdreamer and ogre were easily taken care of and so was the illusions and other magicks cast by the hidden Second of the Triad. Victory was sweet and justice was swift. The moment the Second died Mijka's soul departed. Mijka's curse of the undead was lifted when the priests responsible for the Pillars of the Unfettered Ones were killed. As the Second was the last of the Triad Mijka could rest in peace.

Fion decided to raise Mijka and it worked like a charm. Now, the party is once again complete and they are about to enter the Fire Node.

Frostmarrow · Feb 3, 2002

This is the last chapter in the story about Frostmarrow's Champion's of St Cuthbert. Even though Wylder died and left the party long ago he was in fact present at the grande finale. Wylder had been resurrected with a miracle so even though he didn't want to come back he had to. Wylder and a few men and women from the village of Hommlet had accompanied the party of heroes dead set on foiling the evil cult's plan on world destruction.

Wylder and the villagers always stays one room behind so to speak. They establish a camp whilst the heroes trie to break into the next one. When Wylder first arrived at the Fire Node the heroes had already cleared the first room in which they appeared. A Salamander Noble lie dead on the stone floor skewered on four arrows. Wylder recalls that Ebenezer showed them the way. Ebenezer was holding the Orb of Silvery Deth with which Ebenezer claimed that he could pin-point the location of the other orb- the Orb of Oblivion. (An artefact needed to summon Tharizdun). The party immidiately went for the other orb. It took but minutes before they came upon Imix's throne room. The scoutning could have been better, for when Arlic and Aelenathon entered the chamber they both met with Imix's doomdreamer friend Maliskra. Even though Arlic and Aelenathon were invisible they were both turned to stone in short order as they met the gaze of Maliskra. The snakes on her head, worn as people wear hair, was a tell tale sign of her lineage.

The rest of the heroes stormed in. Fion and Mijka took on Imix. Helio begun raining arrows onto him. Ebenezer went after Maliskra. Ebenezer took steps not to meet her gaze and promptly disintigrated her. Meanwhile Fion and Mijka were being cut to pieces by Imix. Had they not been protected by stone skin spells the fight would have not lasted long. Imix and the heroes exchanged blows for a few seconds when suddenly Mijka was struck very badly. Instead of rushing for his assistance in a long shot attempt at saving his life Helio decided to bring Imix down. Helio's precision is unsurpassed with a bow and arrows. A moment later Imix keeled over as he had four arrows sticking out from the same cheek in his fiery face.

Imix was killed and the Orb of Oblivion was found. The party felt confident that the cult's evil plans were thwarted. One question was left unanswered though. Where was Lareth the Beautiful? The party decided to leave the Fire Node to rest and have Mijka raised.

The following day they went into the Fire Node yet again in search of the elemental power gems they were still missing and also Lareth the Beautiful. They found him locked in a chamber with several dead bodies. Signs could be found that the chamber up until recently had housed a demon. Arlic found the elemental power gems in the mouths of the dead. There was no saving Lareth. He had gone mad from the treatment he had received from the demon. The party took the gems but left Lareth were he was with no means of ever returning to the Prime.

With the gems Ebenezer found it easy to destroy both orbs. The party returned to Hommlet where they were celebrated for their heroic deeds. Ebenezer did not stay for this celebration, if he left as to avoid Wylder and the others or for he was eager to research some new spells we do not know.

Helio went home to the keep he had won from the deck of many things. There he founded a detachment of archers who's mission it is to assist the church of St Cuthbert when ever necessary.

Fion became a missionary. He is travelling the world spreading the word the St Cuthbert is a lawful good god of wisdom and courage not a lawful neautral god of retribution. Sometimes others accompanies him on these travels. Arlic comes for the adventure and Helio for his sense of loyalty.

Ebenezer built a tower on an island in the Nyr Dyv. When the tower was completed reports of missing people were heard.

Arlic went with Fion.

Aelenathon went back to the elves of Celune and did the things bladesingers do.

Wylder finished the wall around Hommlet. He ruled for years and was well liked of the general populace. Some day he will become the ruler of Verbobonc.

Fin