Menexenus's Age of Worms Campaign Journal

[Menexenus]

Session 2: Alexander's Ear

While Alexander and Tarric were sleeping off their fatigue during the day of the 11th of Planting, Killick and Alees were cutting limbs off the tree that has been felled just outside the entrance to the cairn in order to allow quicker exit from the dungeon in the future. When Alexander woke up around 8 pm, he had the rest of the night to make a scroll before preparing spells for the next day.

12th of Planting:
In the morning, Killian decided that the abandoned office was sufficiently cleaned and repaired for him to join the party in the dungeon today. (He had grown tired of missing out on all of the action.) So, for the first time, the entire party entered the dungeon together. On the way there, they noticed that the sky was getting cloudy. They guessed that rain must be on the way. Upon entering, they spent a bit more time searching the wolves den and found a broken stone finger. They found that the sarcophagus trap had somehow been reset, so they disarmed it (again. They decided that the sarcophagus was as secure a place as any to place their valuables. Then they returned to the area of the dungeon that they were exploring the previous day (the portion underneath the green lantern).

The party encountered another GIANT BOMBARDIER BEETLE. Katawan noticed 3 large lumps covered in orange goo behind the basin. He scraped off the goo and found humanoid bones. Tarric carried one of the lumps out into the corridor. Alees poured water on it from her waterskin and wiped it off with an empty sack she had been carrying. She found soiled and ruined red leather armor with the 8-pointed star symbol they had seen before. In addition, they found a stoppered bottle on his belt. They also cleaned off the other two corpses. These had stoppered bottles on their belts as well. One of them also had a belt pouch containing 2 gp, 5 sp, 8 cp, and a magnificent pearl.

Tarric went to wash the goo off of his hands in the water at the end of the hallway and was attacked by a small WATER ELEMENTAL. The party decided to explore the underwater room at the end of the hallway. Tarric removed his armor so that he could swim more effectively. Killian decided to keep his armor on and simply walk underwater. The party tied ropes to both of them before they submerged. Each of the two held an object with Light cast upon it. When they were halfway into the room, Killian was attacked by a GHOUL wearing the same red leather armor as the rest of the corpses the party had found. Killian tried unsuccessfully to turn the undead. Tarric tugged on the rope to have his party-mates pull them both back up to the stairs. The ghoul followed them and was killed on the stairs. The ghoul was wearing a gold ring fashioned with the same 8-pointed star figure.

Tarric and Killian returned to the underwater room to explore. They found another corpse in red leather armor who was carrying the violet lantern (that was missing from the 7-alcove room) as well as a scabbard that contained a short sword of very fine make. In the pile of cracked bones that the ghoul had been feeding on, the party found a belt pouch containing 2 pp, 38 gp, and 55 sp.

The party returned to the lantern room. They experimented with turning the sarcophagus some more. They discovered a false elevater CRUSH TRAP and avoided it. They also discovered that one of the alcoves has a round passage cut into the stone 40 feet above the ground. The party climbed up to it and found irregular scratch marks going down the length of the tunnel. At the end of the 70 foot long tunnel, was a bas-relief of an angry face with a very large mouth. Seeing this prompted Killick to plant a piton and tie a rope around Alees. Then the rest of the party evacuated the tunnel while Alees checked for traps. She found one right in front of her, a pressure plate that she was unable to disable. The party decided to return to this corridor later.

After much experimenting, the party descended the elevator in the alcove with the yellow lantern. The elevator emptied into a small room whose egress was blocked by a large bolder. The room itself was covered with a bas-relief similar to the one encountered below the yellow lantern, except this one showed a multitude of bald people in happy adulation. Alees discovered tiny holes in the sculptures that she decided were part of a GAS TRAP. She spent a while (with Alexander) plugging these holes up before moving the large stone block that kept them from moving into the corridor in front of the party. Moving the stone did indeed set off the trap, but the gas was blocked and no one was affected.

The party walked down a long corridor lined on both sides with statues. Although each statue was different, they all had their right hands extended slightly with the palms facing up. Killick noticed that each palm seemed to have a different shaped shallow impression in it. At the end of the hallway was a cold room. Killick and Alees found a BROWN MOLD growing on another basin full of orange goo. Alexander poured oil on the mold and lit it with a torch. The mold seemed to absorb the heat from the fire. With this sudden intense heat source, the mold doubled in size almost instantly. Those near the mold found the heat being drawn out of their bodies. Alexander fell unconscious; he was shivering and turning blue. He seemed to have taken severe cold damage from the mold. Killian dragged Alexander's body from the mold, and then Killian, Killick, and Katawan worked together to stabilize Alexander. However, the young wizard seemed to be in very bad shape.

The party decided to withdraw from the Cairn and do what they could to revive Alexander.

 

[Menexenus]

Session 3: The Ghost of Alastor Land

The party had just stabilized Alexander after he took severe cold damage from BROWN MOLD. They had decided to exit the Cairn. But just when they were deciding who should carry which end of Alexander's unconscious body, Killick's body was hit be a ray of energy emanating from the darkness. Killick shook off the effects and went in to investigate. He found that the party was under attack by a tiny floating abomination consisting of 2 eyeballs and a string of muscle tissue connecting them. The thing cast a Sleep spell on most of the party, causing Alees and Killian to fall asleep. However, Killick, Tarric, and Katawan caught up with the abomination and destroyed it. After Alees and Killian were shaken awake, the party carried Alexander's body as quickly as possible back to the abandoned mine office through a light rain. They warmed Alexander's body as well as they could near the fire, but it was too late. Over night, Alexander's left ear and two of the toes on his right foot turned black and fell off. However, with Killian's curative magic, Alexander awakens the next morning with only some minor hearing loss and a slight limp. Although Alexander is depressed about suffering his new deformities, he is grateful to be alive.

13th of Planting. The party spent a day healing up, during which Alees and Alexander returned to Allustan's residence and paid 100 gp to copy the spell Identify into his spellbook. The remaining 4 PCs returned to the room with the brown mold to do a bit more exploring. They found a small closet with a large stone slab blocking the entrance. They found a toilet and a shower spigot. They also found a room with an interesting airbed. When Alexander returned from town, he began identifying the party's magical items (a short sword +1 and a 1st level pearl of power).

14th of Planting: The next day, the party returned to the room with the brown mold. Each successful Ray of Frost cast at the BROWN MOLD killed a 25 square foot (5 ft x 5 ft.) area. Alees found a switch to draw the stone block in the closet back up into the ceiling. Behind the stone slab was a miraculously unharmed suit of quality chainmail armor (with a crushed body inside of it). On the ground were 3 small, fantastically detailed models of equally fantastic buildings. On the pegs inside the closet hung 2 wands and a pair of goggles. After Alees did some additional checking for traps, these items were taken from the closet.

The party returned upstairs to the alcove room. They decided it was time to hang the two lanterns on their chains. Killick was dispatched to town to buy a ladder and some candles. Alexander returned to the abandoned mine office to identify the new magical items. When Killick returned with the supplies, the remaining 2 lanterns were hung in their alcoves and (after a bit of experimenting) a candle was placed in each lantern. (The Continual Flame Torch in the green lantern was removed and kept for future use.) As soon as this was done, a rumbling sound of stone-on-stone was heard from above.

Since nothing had changed in the rooms below the green lantern, the party (minus Alexander) explored the round tunnel they had discovered before. They found that the trap Alees had found before was now disarmed, and the screaming face at the end of the tunnel now had a large hole where the mouth had been. The hole in the mouth led into a strange room with a 3 foot wide beam that spanned a 50 foot long room with iron balls covering the floor. Alees found a trap on the beam. Katawan leaped over the trap's trigger. Alees tried to do the same but was unable to jump quite as far. Iron balls shot out of both walls aimed at every square along the beam. Alees was hit but kept her feet. Katawan was hit and fell onto the iron balls below. A GRICK appeared from beneath the balls and attacked Katawan, knocking him unconscious. Killick ran into the room to help, but inadvertantly set off the trap again (which resulted in Alees being knocked out). Killian moved as quickly as he could to rescue Katawan, but he was also knocked unconscious by the GRICK's powerful tentacles. Killick fell back and pulled Alees to safety (using the rope tied around her waist). None of the party's weapons seemed to be damaging the bizarre creature. Finally, when all seemed lost, Tarric jumped down on to the iron balls, took Alees's magic short sword, and charged into battle with the GRICK. One powerful swing of the magical short sword chopped the abomination in two.

Once all the party members were stabilized, the party members began discussing how they might get through the smooth metal door on the far side of the room. At just this moment, the ghostly figure of a young boy appeared to the party. He introduced himself as Alastor Land. The young man said that his spirit had been trapped in this room for 30 years. He asked the party to put his spirit to rest by taking his bones and laying them to rest with his family's in the family burial plot about 30 minutes east of Diamond Lake. He claimed that if the party agreed, he would open the door on the far side of the room.

Partly because of the child's taunting manner, some of the party members were suspicious of Alastor's story and motives. So, to demonstrate his good faith, he offered the party some loot. He led the party to the bodies of 3 adventurers who had died in the same room (and were buried beneath layers of iron balls). The ensuing excavation to recover the bodies yielded a rusty (but serviceable) long sword, a suit of masterwork banded mail, and some cash (1pp, 47gp, 7sp).

After some consultation, the party agreed to help Alastor. He was grateful. He gave the party a description of the room on the far side of the metal door. Killian asked how he would open the door once his spirit was put to rest. Alastor assured him that his curse would not be at an end until he fulfilled his promise to the party. He led the party to his own bones, which were also buried under layers of iron balls. The party placed the bones in a sack and returned to the abandoned mine office for some hard-earned rest.

15th of Planting. The next morning, Killian did everything he could to heal the party's wounds. After breakfast, they hiked through rain for about 3 and a half hours to bring Alastor's bones to his family's farmstead. But when they arrived at the location the ghost had described, they found that the graves in the family plot had all been robbed and the bodies had been taken. Killick did some tracking and found 5 sets of footprints near the graves, but only 4 sets leaving (with a heavily laden wheelbarrow). He also saw muddy footprints leading to the nearby farmhouse. The party opened the front door of the house and found blood and bits of flesh. They rounded a corner and were surprised to find an enraged female OWLBEAR. Alexander cast a Sleep spell that seemed to put a small creature in the corner to sleep. He used his new Pearl of Power to cast it again. This time, the adult OWLBEAR fell unconscious. Killian performed a coup de grace on the sleeping magical beast.

Killick picked up the baby owlbear in the corner and spotted a human arm with a distinctive tattoo. Alees reported that this tattoo was shared by a gang of Smenk's thugs that frequents the Feral Dog bar in town. Killick reported to the party that young owlbears can fetch large sums of money from the right sorts of people. The party spent the night at the Land Farmstead.

[It was only after the session that I discovered that the adult Owlbear should not have been affected by Alexander's Sleep spell. Oops! -DM]

 

[Menexenus]

Session 4: Kullen's Gang

16th of Planting. The party travelled from the Land Farmstead back to the Whispering Cairn. Alexander cast enough Rays of Frost to clear a pathway to a previously unexplored room. Immediately thereafter, Alexander headed for the Able Carter Coaching Inn to catch his stage coach to Greyhawk. It was agreed that the cost of the stagecoach will be deducted from party funds. With him, he took a baby owlbear, a set of masterwork red leather armor, a ring with an 8-pointed star, and an elven armband to sell. (The swaddled owlbear was a little fussy until Alexander cast Sleep on it...) Of course, Alexander avoids showing his "baby" to anyone until he arrives at his destination - Lord Henway's Menagerie on the east side of Greyhawk.

After Alexander's departure, the rest of the party entered the unexplored room and found what appeared to be a sculptor's workshop. Aside from some odds and ends, the only things that looked potentially valuable in the room were a large marble statue of a 7-foot tall bald headed humanoid creature (of the same race that that the party has seen on all the other sculptures) wielding a short staff or a long rod. The other noteworthy item was a black egg with a golden equilateral triangle device sitting on a red pedastal. Upon closer inspection, the rod/staff that the statue is holding is not part of the statue itself. It is made of pale petrified wood and has 6 grooves in it, as if the staff were made of 7 distinct parts. Also upon closer inspection, the red pedastal is made out of a very hard metal with sharp pointy spikes. The metal's coloration is steel gray with abundant swirls of red that seem to shift position when the observer isn't looking. Killian casts Detect Magic, but the only thing that glows is the ceiling of the room which has a permanent Daylight spell cast on it (making the room very bright).

Killian tried to take the black egg off of the pedastal. As soon as it was touched, it immediately turned into a medium EARTH ELEMENTAL and asked the party a question in a gravelly language that none of the party understood. When it did not receive the answer it was looking for, it attacked. After the creature was destroyed, the party returned to looting the room. Killick removed the staff from the statue's hand, and found that it would function as a lighter version of a masterwork quarterstaff. Then the party experimented with breaking off a piece of the red-metal for taking into town. The party found that the metal was harder than any metal they had with them. Consequently, they were unable to break off a piece. Since it was very heavy to carry, they decided to place the red pedastal inside the sarcophagus upstairs for safe keeping.

Then they went to town. First they stopped at the Diamond Lake boneyard and spoke to the green-robed clerics of Wee Jas that protected it. Although the Keepers of the Dead seemed a little odd, when they learned of the grave-robbery at the Land Farmhouse, they seemed genuinely concerned about finding and arresting the culprits. The party was introduced to the head cleric, a human woman named Amariss. When the party asked her about Kullen's gang, she expressed disdain for Kullen as well as his employer, Smenk. She confirmed that he and his gang had come through town with a wheelbarrow, but the contents had been covered. The party thanked Amariss for her help.

Next the party went shopping. First they went to Taggin's General Store on the town square and stocked up on trail rations plus some other odds and ends. Taggin was a genial fellow who went out of his way to avoid learning about the party's business. Then the party went to Venelle's leather/bowyer shop to sell Killick's wolf pelts and 2 suits of studded leather. Venelle offered to sell the party some magical arrows for more money than they had available. Venelle offered Killick some friendly advice about how to catch and skin animals in the future so that he would get maximum value for their pelts. Next the party went to Osgood's Smithy, a metalworker who sells armor and assorted metal goods. Although Osgood showed a great deal of pride in his craftsmanship, he did not seem to have the sort of items the party was looking for. When the party inquired about purchasing weapons, Osgood explained helpfully that he stayed out of the weapons trade, but he recommended a shop called the Captain's Blade. The party followed Osgood's directions to the Captain's Blade. The proprietor, Tyrol Ebberly, welcomed the party with shots of scotch whiskey. He bought a rapier and a rusted longsword from the party and sold Killian a heavy flail. He told the party that he specialized in masterwork weapons. He showed the party an ornate dagger that he called Vondoch's Claw which he claimed had a sordid history. He also showed the party a broken spearhead that he claimed had magical properties. Both were too expensive for the party. He claimed to have a wand for sale, too. Before the party could leave, Tyrol offered them more whiskey and pumped them for tales of adventure. He confided that he was once an adventurer, too, who had traveled as far as Veluna back in his heyday. Most of the party seemed a bit suspicious of Ebberly's his questions. However, Tarric seemed to appreciate the strange old man. He joined Ebberly for a few drinks when most of the party shied away. However, Tarric was careful not to divulge anything about their expedition to the Whispering Cairn.

For dinner, the party ate at one of only two sit-down restaurants in town, called the Hungry Gar. People in town had raved about the food at the Hungry Gar, but the party found it to be merely mediocre. Near the end of the meal, a noisy chef came out to visit the table and introduced himself as the proprietor. He insisted that his food was the best in town. The party humored him to avoid making a scene (and to expedite his return to the kitchen). As they were leaving the restaurant, Tarric bumped into an old friend from the garrison named Melinde, a paladin of the church of Heironeous. Although Melinde is not directly affiliated with the Greyhawk Militia, she was an acolyte in the church of Heironeous located inside the Militia stockade. She seemed like she might be a useful contact if the party ever needed help from the church of Heironeous.

The party decided not to confront Kullen's gang that evening since Killian was out of healing spells. That night, each party member slept in various locations throughout the town (Killick in the woods, Killian and Alees at Killian's father's house, Tarric and Katawan at the Able Carter Coaching Inn).

17th of Planting. the party investigated farmhouses on the periphery of Diamond Lake, looking for more evidence of grave robbers. None was found. When they returned to Diamond Lake, they visited Benazel the chemist who works at the Smelting Plant and does a side trade in alchemical items and arcane potions. Killick bought 2 sunrods and asked Benazel if he had ever heard of a hard, gray metal with swirling red patterns. Benazel seemed intrigued and asked where the party had encountered it. They replied rather lamely that they had heard of it from Alees's dead uncle. Benazel did not press the subject any further. He said that he had not heard of such a metal, but he'd pay 100 gp to anyone who could bring him a sample.

At around 8 pm that night, the party entered the Feral Dog tavern, a noisy "townie" bar frequented mostly by mine workers renowned for animal fights. The Feral Dog is owned by Balabar Smenk and located on the north side of the town square. The party entered the bar, sat at an open table, and ordered a pitcher of ale. They quickly spotted the half-orc Kullen and his gang seated at a table in the far corner. The "gang" was composed of 4 members: Kullen himself, an albino half-orc with an imposing greataxe strapped to his back, a sullen human wearing chainmail with both a longsword and a shortsword hanging on his belt, an old bald spellcaster, and a fighter in banded mail with a long pole arm propped up in the corner. Alees tried to read lips to find out what the gang was talking about. Eventually she realized that they were talking about her! They seemed to be discussing how to collect a bounty Smenk had put on her head. Alees made a show of buying her "friends" another round and then leaving by herself. Kullen walked by the party's table and warned them not to get involved. Killian followed as they walked out the door, but as soon as he poked his head out, it was met by an axeblade burying itself into the doorjam.

Both parties fought intensely, forcing each other to drain their magical resources (such as potions and scrolls). Eventually when no one in the party was above zero hit points, and it looked like Kullen's gang would win by attrition, Alees ran next door and pounded on the Church of St. Cuthbert's doors. Father Jierian emerged in his bedclothes with a light mace in hand and warned Kullen's gang to leave the party alone. And, of course, immediately thereafter, Killian stuck his greatsword into Kullen's prostrate body. Father Jierian warned Killian that if he wanted to continue the fight, he could do so without Father Jierian's assistance. Reluctantly, Killian backed down, and Kullen's gang took flight into the night. The party assembled inside the church of St. Cuthbert, where they were debriefed by Father Jierian who seemed very disappointed in them.

... the party still doesn't know where the corpses of the Land family have been taken or why ...

 

[Menexenus]

Session 5: Filge and the Observatory

17th of Planting. The session began immediately after the inconclusive fight with Kullen's gang. Father Jierian expressed his disappointment/frustration with the party for putting him in a position that compromised his church's neutrality in town politics. He proclaimed that he cannot be put in a position of showing favoritism toward the party now that their public actions have proclaimed them to be Smenk's enemies. He reluctantly asked his young protege Killian to remove his belongings from the church grounds, and he told the party to find someplace else to sleep that night. Father Jierian instructed his acolytes to cast one more Cure Light Wounds spell on each party member to ensure that they have a fighting chance if Kullen's gang is waiting for them outside, and then the party was shown the door. The party got the unmistakeable impression that it should expect no further assistance from the church of St. Cuthbert.

The party decided to spend the night at the Whispering Cairn. As they passed by the abandoned mine office, they discovered lots of heavy bootprints. Killick went up to the building to investigate more closely. He found a note nailed to the door (signed by the Greyhawk Militia) stating that whoever is squatting in this building must report to the Governor-Mayor's office immediately to either rent the building (5gp/month) or purchase the deed to the property (150 gp). Failing that, anyone staying in the building must vacate the premises immediately or be arrested for trespassing. Inside the dilapidated building, Killick found clear evidence that about a dozen soldiers entered the building and rifled through the few belongings left inside. The party continues to the cairn and sleeps in the entrance hallway.

18th of Planting. Killian and Killick both spent the day using their healing proficiencies to give long term care to their party-mates. Killian stayed up until dawn to pray for spells. He cast some healing spells and then went to sleep. Later in the day (after Killian woke up again), Killick walked back to the abandoned mine office and found a new note posted to the door. It read, "Dear Killian and company. A potential benefactor has paid the rent on this building for you and wishes to make your acquaintance. Please present yourselves at the Rusty Bucket at dusk on Earthday (19th of Planting) to hear a proposition."

19th of Planting. The party headed into town later in the day (after another round of Killian's healing). They chose to stop at Killian's father's house to drop off Killick's pony, but they found to their consternation that Killian's father's house has been burned down. A little wooden sign with hastily painted letters near the burned out building read, "Too bad your dad wasn't here." Killick decided to board his pony at the Lakeside Stable instead.

The party arrived slightly late at the Rusty Bucket and were immediately ushered to a private meeting room. Chaum Gansworth introduced himself and informed them that his lover, Luzane Parrin, has asked to meet with them privately. He left and Parrin entered soon after. Over a fine dinner, she applauded the party's bravery in standing up to Kullen's gang. She expressed her wish that she and the party might find ways to cooperate in helping to rid the town of Smenk's influence. She offered the party protection in the form of guards and minor influence with local law enforcement if the party would agree to undertake missions to investigate Smenk's dealings and undermine his operations. When the party seemed amenable to such a deal, Parrin suggested that the party's first mission be to find out who Smenk is sheltering at the Old Observatory and for what purpose. (Killian and Killick secured side agreements to house Killian's father until he finds new accommodations and to board Killick's pony indefinitely.)

After dinner, the party walked to Parrin's manor in order to move into their new rooms. The guest rooms were very comfortable, but the furniture and linens are noticeably worn and dusty. At the party's request, hot baths were drawn up. Before midnight, the party decided to scout the Old Observatory. In case anyone was watching, they left town using the Elmshire Road (that leads to the Whispering Cairn). However, after a couple miles, they doubled back traveling across country to scout the Observatory from the opposite direction (i.e. from the north). Alees and Katawan spent some time investigating the circumference of the grounds of the Observatory. When the lights visible through the Observatory's second floor window were extinguished, Alees and Katawan quietly approached the building. Alees tried to open a tool shed and a tiny undead creature called a TOMB MOTE attacked. In order to see their attacker more clearly, Katawan uncovered the continual light torch which he had been carrying in a closed backpack. Upon hearing the fight and seeing the torchlight, the other party members came running to assist Alees and Katawan, but by the time they arrive, the undead creature has been dealt with.

After the fight, the party noticed that lights are on again in the top 2 levels of the Observatory. Katawan climbed up onto the roof of the outer building and looked through the 2nd floor window of the Observatory. Meanwhile, Alees used her rogue skills to unlock the building's only exterior door. As soon as Alees opened the door, 3 skeletons at the far side of the room shoot arrows at the party. Killian walked in and turned them all. Killick used his quarterstaff to destroy them as they cowered in fear. At this time, Katawan met up with his party-mates, having entered the building through the 2nd floor window and walked downstairs. The party explored the remainder of the first floor and found an odd dining room full of zombies sitting around a table. Strangely, the zombies did not seem interested in the party. Instead, they act out a bizarre and somewhat gruesome scene that seems orchestrated for the sole purpose of stroking the ego of someone named Filge.

The party ascended to the 2nd floor of the Observatory and discovered a bedroom, containing a strange funereal statue, a desk with lots of papers and some odd test tubes, a night stand with a book, and a halfling-sized figure wrapped in bandages wearing a top hat and holding out a silver platter with a preserved head on it.

The party ascended to the 3rd floor which seemed to function primarily as an operating/dissection room. Upon seeing the party members, a thin begoggled man with a raspy voice gave commands releasing 4 zombies that had been floating inside glass tanks (3 TROGLODYTE ZOMBIES and 1 BUGBEAR ZOMBIE). Following the commander of the zombies was a small skeletal servant holding a book open. Upon entering the room, Killian turned the small skeleton and 2 of the troglodyte zombies. But immediately thereafter he suffered the paralyzing effects of a Ghoul Touch spell cast via Spectral Hand. However, even without Killian's help, the party made quick work of the 2 remaining zombies and then destroyed the cowering ones as well. With his zombies gone, the man dropped the syringe that he had been using as a weapon and surrendered. The party began questioning him. The man introduced himself as Filge. Now that he was beaten, he seemed quite cowardly and willing to tell them anything they wanted to know. He confessed that the skeletons they fought downstairs (as well as his skeletal helper) are the bones of Alastor Land's family brought to the Observatory a few days ago by Kullen's gang. In a fit of disgust at Filge's manner and careless disregard for others, Killick struck Filge and knocked him unconscious.

Even though it was already very late, the party spent 2 more hours searching the Observatory for valuables. They took 4 sets of skeleton bones, Filge's spellbook, 3 heavy crossbows, 3 rusted scimitars, a silver platter, a set of silverware, a lammasu-skin rug, a masterwork tophat, 7pp, 18gp. An hour or two before daybreak, the party grabbed a wheelbarrow from the toolshed to cart their loot (plus Filge's unconscious form) back to Parrin's residence. They couldn't be sure whether anyone witnessed them making this pre-dawn trip through town.

The party revived Filge with healing magic in Parrin's presence for more interrogation. Again, he seemed more than happy to tell them everything he knew if it would save his own skin. He told them that he was hired by Smenk to investigate a green worm that Smenk had stolen from a cult called the Ebon Triad living beneath Ragnolin Dourstone's mine. Apparently these green worms have the ability to create powerful, infectious zombie creatures called Spawn of Kyuss. Kyuss was apparently an ancient lord of undead whose return is supposed to herald the advent of the Age of Worms. Apparently, the Ebon Triad has been working to hasten Kyuss's return. In exchange for not telling the authorities about him, Filge offered to use his knowledge of the green worms to help the party if they should decide to root out the cult. However, the party wants nothing to do with him and makes no deals. (Since these events occurred around dawn, Killian withdrew to pray for spells while the others interrogated Filge.)

20th of Planting. After Killian casts his healing spells, the party decides to bury the Land family's bones. On the way to the Land farmstead, the party informs Amariss, the priestess of Wee Jas, about Filge's necromancy. The priestess appeared to be outraged by this news and pledged to inform the authorities and accompany them to the Observatory to investigate the extent of Filge's misdeeds. After re-interring the Land family's remains, the party decided to remain at the Land farmstead for 24 hours in order to take advantage of the long-term care rules.

 

[Menexenus]

Session 6: Zosiel's Tomb

21st of Planting. The party returned to the abandoned mine office after burying the Land family's bones at their family plot. However, on the way, Katawan began to look feverish and complained of feeling weak. Upon arriving at the mine office, Katawan collapsed unconscious. Killick examined him and found evidence of a disease called Corpse Bloat, which is typically contracted from bites by undead creatures. Remembering that Alees was also bitten by the Tomb Mote, Killick checked Alees and found that she was also in the incubation stages of the disease. With Killick's help, Alees avoided suffering the effects of the disease. The party stayed with Katawan for the rest of the day while Killick and Killian did what they could to help him recover.

22nd of Planting. After noon, Katawan regained consciousness but was very weak - too weak to stand, let alone adventure. A few hours later, Alexander returned from his trip to Greyhawk. He gave each party member 225 gp from the sale of the baby owlbear, a ring, and an armband. He told the party that he learned that the 8-pointed star symbol is used by a mercenary group called the Seekers that is renowned for recovering lost artifacts for the highest bidder. The Seekers have a bad reputation because of their underhanded methods and because they are willing to work for *anyone*, no matter how evil. Alexander chose not to draw unwanted attention to the group by selling the leather armor and the ring that had the Seeker insignia on it in Greyhawk.

Despite his feverish state, Katawan urged the party to return to the Cairn without him. They reluctantly agreed to leave him in the wine cellar with 3 loaded heavy crossbows. They also instructed the guard that Parrin hired (Gabriard) to watch over Katawan while they were gone.

The party returned to the Whispering Cairn without Katawan and retraced their steps back to the iron ball room - the room with a door that the ghost of Alastor Land had promised to open. When they arrived they found that the door was indeed open as promised (and there is no longer any evidence of Alastor's presence). The party cautiously entered the newly accessible room. It was a large, round room with 4 expansive bas-relief galleries on four sides. In the middle of the room was a round chasm with 2 bridges extending towards a column of illuminated rushing air in the middle. (It looked like there were originally 4 bridges, but the other 2 bridges have collapsed.) The column of air led to a platform about 40 feet up. Since there seemed to be no threat in the room, the party took some time to investigate the bas-relief galleries a bit more closely. They depicted the bald-headed race that the party has seen elsewhere in the dungeon being attacked by armies of demons led by a giant creature that looked like a cross between a wolf and a spider. The party identified that one of the bald-headed figures bore the same glyph that they had seen earlier on the broken mirror near the entrance of the Cairn. That individual seemed to be someone important, like a general. The party also identified that another of the sculpted figures bore the same glyph that they had seen on the sarcophagus in the alcove room. This second individual seemed to be one of the first individual's lieutenants or personal guards. In the last gallery, the party saw the bald race's final victory over the army of demons was achieved by plunging a rod with seven parts (like the one Killick is carrying) into the giant Wolf-Spider and imprisoning it in a planar rift.

When the party was done looking at the galleries, Alexander made an Unseen Servant with his wand and tested the two walkways for traps. Alees looked at the walkways for traps. Neither Alexander nor Alees found anything wrong with the bridge. However, as soon as someone stepped on to one of them, 2 warriors appeared out of the column of air. They seemed to be animated suits of ceramic armor wielding 2 long swords each. They got the better of the party with their swift blades and sonic attacks, but the party was able to escape the room in relatively good order. The Wind Warriors did not pursue. The party returned to the mine office to lick its wounds and strategize.

23rd of Planting. The party spent the day at the mine office resting in order to heal. Katawan is getting better slowly.

24th of Planting. The party spent the day at the mine office resting in order to heal. Katawan is slowly getting better, but he is still in no condition to travel or fight.

25th of Planting. The party decided to return to town for a variety of reasons: Killian felt the need to protect his father from further retribution by Kullen/Smenk, the party was in need of rations, and they learned from Gabriard that they were wanted for questioning in connection with the Observatory. They intercepted Killian's father (who had been driving a team of horses laden with ore along a circuit that included Greyhawk) and escorted him through town to the smelting plant (to turn in his wagon) and then to Parrin's residence (where he would be staying until his house was rebuilt). Almost immediately after arriving at Parrin's, the party was taken into custody and brought to the Sherriff's Office where they were stripped of their weapons.

After initially trying to mislead Sheriff Cubbin, the party eventually told him almost all of the truth about the attack on the Observatory. The Sheriff interrogated Luzane Parrin to corroborate their story. She turned in Filge, who had been a prisoner in her basement all this time. Parrin was fined an unspecified amount for Obstruction of Justice (failing to hand over a criminal) and for Inciting Unlawful Behavior (hiring the party to trespass at the Observatory). The Sheriff kept the party locked up all night while his constables tortured Filge. In the morning, the Sheriff let the party go, mentioning that Filge has kept strangely silent despite the torture. As the party left, the Sheriff warned them that he doesn't like uppity adventuring types in his town. He insinuated further that, if they didn't keep their noses clean, they would not fare as well with the law next time.

26th of Planting. The party left the Sheriff's office and took the opportunity to do a little shopping. Alees placed an order for masterwork thieves' tools, and everyone bought extra rations. The party returned to the abandoned mine office outside of town to find Katawan gone with an unsigned note that says, "We have your man. Meet me at Parrin's at dusk." The party returns to town and waits. At dusk, Smenk, along with a phalanx of bodyguards (including Kullen's gang), walked up to Parrin's residence. He pretended to be making a social call, but once inside, he quickly got down to business. Smenk confirmed Filge's account that he was being blackmailed by a cult (or multiple cults) underneath the Dourstone mine. He told the party that Katawan will be returned unharmed if the party eradicated the cult and brought him the head of the cult leader - a man with no face. Smenk told the party that he was being blackmailed into supplying the cult's physical needs, and that he made weekly shipments to Dourstone's mine. He suggested that the party hide inside the crates until they had gone down the elevator into the cult's temple area. After a bit of haggling by Alexander, Smenk also agreed to pay some clerics to heal Katawan's Corpse Bloat. He also promised to pay to have Killian's father's home restored. Smenk said that his next shipment to the cult would be in two days, so the party should complete any unfinished business they had in town before then.

The party headed back to HQ and attempted another assault on the Wind Warriors. They find that the Wind Warriors have not fully healed from the party's first attack. One Wind Warrior was destroyed by Alexander's Magic Missile, and the other was destroyed by a powerful blow from Killian's great sword. Now that the room was secure, the party tied a rope to Alees and sent her up the column of air. On the ledge at the top, she discovered another sarcophagus, identical to the one in the 7-lantern room. Behind the sarcophagus was another bas-relief gallery showing the man on the sarcophagus being killed by a demon bearing a black sphere in a metal loop. As Alees approached the sarcophagus, the sarcophagus started to glow with a bluish light, the bas-relief animated, and in her head she heard the man say "What is my name?" Since she didn't know the answer, she kept quiet. She searched the sarcophagus for traps. She found no traps, but she also found that there was no way into the sarcophagus - it seemed to be a block of solid stone with no lid. Having no way to get in, she returned to the party.

Alexander tried the same thing, and the same thing happened to him. Since the party doesn't know the answer to the question and has no way to open the sarcophagus, they left the dungeon somewhat frustrated.

27th of Planting. The party returned to town. Alexander paid Allustan to identify the glyph on the sarcophagus. After revealing some information about the man, Allustan was able to find the book he needed and he identified the glyph as that of Zosiel. Allustan explained that eons ago, a race called the vaati fought a demonic incursion into the Prime Material plane led by Miska, the Queen of Chaos. The vaati were losing this war until they sent 7 of their best warriors on a quest. These warriors returned with the secrets to creating the Rod of Seven Parts. Once assembled, the vaati (sometimes called the Wind Dukes of Aaqa) assembled to face the legions of Miska in a final, apocalyptic battle of Law against Chaos. (Apparently this battle took place somewhere on Oerth, north of the Nyr Dyv.) The Rod was wielded in battle by the finest of the vaati warriors, and when the Rod came in contact with Miska, both were destroyed, opening a planar rift which imprisoned Miska forever. With their leader gone, the vaati were able to defeat and scatter the remainder of the demonic host. Legend says that the 7 pieces of the Rod were scattered across the world, but that the pieces will allow themselves to be found and re-assembled when the world is threatened once again by great Chaos and Evil.

Armed with this new knowledge, the party returned to the Cairn, and spoke Zosiel's name when prompted. This caused a searing blue light to reveal the sarcophagus's lid. The lid swang open easily. Inside was a pewter box, a circlet, and a pair of demon horns. Opening the pewter box revealed a handle with a loop. Both the circlet and the loop radiated magic. Alexander spent the rest of the day identifying the objects. The circlet was a Circlet of Wisdom +2, and the loop was of such awesome power that the Identify spell did not function properly on it.

28th of Planting. The party returned to town. They went to Tidwoad's gem and jewelry shop and each party member bought a 50gp emerald for future castings of Identify. There were only a few hours left before the party was scheduled to report to the Feral Dog to start their mission against the cult lurking beneath Dourstone's mine...

 

[Menexenus]

Session 7: Assault on the Ebon Triad, take 1

28th of Planting. Before heading to the Feral Dog, Tarric went back to the militia garrison to buy some cheap potions of Cure Light Wounds.

Upon arriving at the Feral Dog, the party was escorted to a back room where Smenk gave them a final run-down of what little he remembered of the cult complex. Although he had been blindfolded for a great deal of the trip, he recalled going down a creaky hand-powered elevator. At the bottom of the elevator was a dark cathedral. On 3 of the walls were doors with evil insignias painted on them. When he was led through the back door with a hand and eye symbol, he had to follow a twisting path through dark corridors with the sound of strange skittering feet moving around him. At the end of this trip he was intimidated into providing the cult with supplies by a man in green robes wearing a metallic mask over his face. Smenk reminded the party that when he receives this faceless man's head and mask, he will release Katawan.

The party members were then packed in crates which were rigged so that they could easily bust out. Although the party could no longer see anything, their sounds and feelings told them everything they needed to know about what came next. The crates were loaded onto a wagon which was pulled by a team of horses to the Dourstone mine. The mine guards gave them admittance. The crates were off-loaded and carried through a locked gate to an elevator shaft. The elevator made several trips up and down.

When all the elevator noise stopped, the party members heard a door open and strange voices of 2 or 3 men entering. They spoke in a harsh language that none of them could understand. Killian felt his crate being dragged by one of these men. He chose that moment to bust out. Upon hearing Killian bust out of his crate, Alexander did the same, but the rest of the group found that they were unable to break out immediately. Killian and Alexander found themselves in a darkly lit subterranean cathedral with vaulted ceilings, ornate pillars, and ancient stonework. The elevator shaft (which is of much newer construction, mostly of wood and iron) came down out of a hole in the vaulted ceiling to the floor in the middle of the vast cathedral chamber. There were short passages leading to doors on the north, east, and west sides of the room. Each door had the symbol of a different evil deity painted on it - Hextor, Vecna, and Erythnul. The south end of the cathedral chamber was domed rather than vaulted. Beneath the dome was a large rectangular pit filled with a thick black liquid. A winding staircase led to a platform 30 feet above the black liquid. They saw that about 12 crates with the Feral Dog insignia have been piled near the elevator. Near the crates stood two dumbfounded TIEFLING GUARDS with horns on their heads and battleaxes at their sides.

Killian commenced the attack as the others made their way out of their crates. One of the guards put up a magical area of inky blackness, giving one of them time to buff up while the other one ran to the door with a symbol of Hextor on it and began pounding and yelling. Alexander webbed the western door while Alees tied a rope to the door knob of the northern door. A group of 8 SKELETONS in rusty full plate came lumbering out of the eastern door. Killian attempted to turn them once, but failed. The second time he was successful and 7 of them were instantly destroyed. The last skeleton emerged into the cathedral chamber and was quickly destroyed by a shower of attacks.

A group of 8 CULT FANATICS wearing studded leather and carrying long spears emerged from a room at the far end of the hallway. They tried to taunt the party into charging forward. When that failed, half of them surged forward to meet the party. Alexander cast a spell that sent 3 of the 4 who charged forward running away from the battle. The party quickly dispatched the last charger, and then moved in to finish off the remaining 4 fanatics. Once the party entered the large room, a DIRE BOAR charged in. The party flanked it and dispatched it with surprising ease.

The 3 fanatics who had run screaming away from the battle before seemed to suddenly come to their senses and opened a double door into a large lit room at the far end of the corridor. One of the tiefling guards is with them using a longbow to shoot at the party from afar. Killick, Tarric, and Alees follow them into the large lit room. As they enter, the 3 party members realize that this room is an arena with sand on the floor, a large statue of Hextor in the middle of the room, and a 15 foot high catwalk along 3 walls. Suddenly the double doors closed and locked behind them! The party was split in two! Three clerics of Hextor, 2 troglodyte zombies, and 2 tiefling guards with bows appeared on the catwalk above. The clerics began casting spells and the tieflings began shooting down on them.

The three trapped party members began fighting the cultists who had led them into the arena, but it quickly became apparent to everyone involved that remaining in the arena while their enemies attacked them from above was a recipe for disaster. Desperate to open the double doors, Tarric launched himself at them and miraculously broke the lock! At almost the same time, Killian took out the Wand of Shatter that he had looted from the Whispering Cairn and blew one of the doors to splinters. These actions gave the three party members a way out of the kill zone.

The head cleric summoned a FIENDISH APE to pursue the party. Alees, who had been backed into a corner, tried to tumble toward the door but was hit by a spear and fell unconscious. At almost the same instant Killian was felled by a tiefling arrow. The party withdrew into the hallway and used healing potions to revive their unconscious comrades. The Hextorites pursued the party into the hallway. Alexander cast a Color Spray that ended up incapacitating one of the clerics and stunning the head cleric. After the head cleric recovered his senses, he cast many spells at the party, like Sound Burst, Hold Person, and Spiritual Weapon. After the party dropped 2 tieflings and a zombie, the two groups seemed to reach a stalemate. However, eventually a tiefling got in a lucky axe blow that struck Killian in the heart. With no magical healing left in the party, Killian died moments later from this mortal wound.

The party was shocked and enraged by the savage loss of a childhood friend. They wanted bloody revenge against the Hextorites. However, when the cleric of Hextor that had been knocked out by Alexander's Color Spray revived, the party realized that their only hope was to withdraw via the elevator and fight again another day. Alexander quickly grabbed Killian's Circlet of Wisdom and his Wand of Shatter. Then the party made haste back to the elevator with the Hextorites in hot pursuit. With the remaining Hextorites jeering at them, Killick, Tarric, Alexander, and Alees crowded into the elevator and pulled themselves up to safety, mourning their lost comrade.

When the got to the top of the elevator shaft, the found themselves in a dark, rough-hewn mine shaft. They blocked the elevator mechanism so that it could not be lowered. They scouted the mine shaft in both directions. In one direction, they found a cave-in that blocked the shaft. In the other direction, they found a wooden gate that was apparently locked or barred from the outside. They had no choice but to camp for the night in the darkness.

The party's situation was dire, and the party members' spirits were low. Not only had they lost their childhood friend, but they had also lost the party's only healer. In addition, they could only wonder about the fate of their other childhood friend Katawan who was being held captive by the honorless Balabar Smenk. Without help, the party's future looked grim...

 

[Menexenus]

Session 8: Assault on the Ebon Triad, take 2

28th of Planting. After the party pulled itself up the elevator shaft to lick its wounds after losing Killian to the Hextorites, Killick and Alexander began using their healing skills to tend to the rest of the party. The party debated what it's next move should be. Some thought that another descent into the cathedral to face the Hextorites would be a suicide mission. Others were adamant that Killian's death shouldn't be for nothing. Besides, if they didn't defeat the cult, how could they save Katawan? As the party debated the issue back and forth, suddenly a dwarf stepped out of the shadows and into the torchlight to announce his presence. The nasty-looking adornments on his armor put the party on edge and caused them to treat him very suspiciously. The newcomer asked if this was the party of adventurers going down to face the evil cults in the mine below. They hesitantly acknowledged that they were. The newcomer introduced himself as Thorash and informed them that he had been sent by the church of Wee Jas to assist them. The party asked where he had come from. He replied that he had cast an enchantment on one of the guards at the front gate, and he had unlocked the padlock on the wooden doors leading down to the elevator. Thorash offered to cast some healing magic on the party. They had little choice but to accept the offer. After the party received the dwarf's healing, they gladly welcomed the newcomer with few additional questions asked.

1st of Flocktime. Late in the evening, after getting a full day's rest and after Thorash recuperated his spells, the party returned down the elevator shaft to the dark cathedral. As soon as the elevator car touched down, Alexander and Killick jumped out heading in different directions. At this moment, the Hextorites, who had been waiting in ambush at the southern end of the cathedral behind the elevator shaft, loosed a volley of arrows and a Silence spell. Hextor's forces consisted of 3 tiefling archers on the landing, 3 clerics near the black pool, 1 cult fanatic wearing Killian's old banded mail, a zombie made from Killian's corpse (wearing studded leather and wielding Killian's greatsword), 4 zombies made from tieflings (wearing chainmail), and 1 troglodyte zombie.

Alexander (who was the only party member not standing in Silence) quickly cast a Web spell that effectively cut the battlefield in two - 2 clerics and the archers were on one side while the zombies and the third cleric were on the other. They began burning the web immediately. Thorash tried to turn the zombies, but found that their negative energy had been bolstered by one of the enemy priests. The party was forced to enter melee with the zombies in silence. A half-orc cleric of Hextor wielding a heavy flail was tripping opponents with relative ease and made his way up to Alexander. A fiendish ape was summoned, and once the web burned away it charged forward into battle. Then Theldrick (the main priest of Hextor) called an additional squad of zombies out from behind a pile of stacked boxes. They had been made from the corpses of cult fanatics, and they still wore their studded leather armor. Thorash tried to turn them, and he was successful. 4 of the 5 new zombies bowed down before Thorash, and the fifth one attacked the Fiendish Ape at Thorash's command! However, it was quickly ripped to pieces by the Fiendish Ape who promptly disappeared back to his plane of origin. Then Alexander cast Scare and caused the two lesser clerics of Hextor to run away.

For this one bright moment, it looked as though the party might be gaining the upper hand. But then a series of events occurred in rapid succession that heralded the winds of fortune turning against the party. First, Theldrick retook control of the remaining cultist zombies and called the tiefling archers down from the landing to join the melee. Second, Tarric succumbed to a Cause Fear spell and was compelled to cower in fear inside the elevator. Third, Alees was dropped by an attack by the troglodyte zombie. The party quickly realized that they would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers unless they withdrew. Alexander signaled the retreat.

After staying to help Alexander escape, Killick was surrounded by enemies. He tried to tumble out and failed, landing prone with enemies all around him. But miraculously, the Hextorites were unable to take full advantage of Killick's moment of weakness; although they wounded him, he remained conscious and active. He tried again to tumble out, and this time he was successful! His enemies flailed about angrily as he tumbled by, but none could land a blow. Thorash and Alexander blocked the entrance of the elevator while others tried to turn the wheel that moved the device. During this time Thorash delivered a vicious magical touch attack to the main Hextor priest who tried to press the attack.

Finally, the elevator car began moving and the party headed back up to the mine tunnel to safety. On the way up, Alees revealed that she too now has healing power (granted by the god Fharlangn)! She cast 2 Cure Light spells and some Cure Minors on those who needed them the most.

Although some were dejected by another forced withdrawal from the temple of Hextor, others began thinking of ways to make subsequent raids more successful. The party decided to make lots of buff and healing scrolls and try again. While Alexander and Thorash collaborated on making these scrolls, Killick applied his healing skills to the party members while they rested.

2nd of Flocktime. After another full day's rest, Thorash and Alees cast additional healing spells to bring the party to full strength. With a ream of scrolls in hand, they have to decide whether to descend into the temple again tonight using the scrolls for spells, or wait another day to have full spell casting power in addition to the scrolls. Meanwhile, Katawan is Smenk's hostage, and his time is running out...

[Only after this session did I realize that making scrolls requires casting the spell. So they should not have been able to make so many scrolls so quickly. Oops! -DM]

 

[Menexenus]

Session 9: Assault on the Ebon Triad, takes 3 and 4

3rd of Flocktime. After spending a second full day healing after the previous incursion into the dark cathedral, the party decided to wait a few additional hours and descend again after midnight (guessing that that's when the evil clerics would pray for spells).

4th of Flocktime (early in the morning, just after midnight). With 5 party-members in the elevator car, even Tarric with 2 helpers strained to lower the elevator car safely to the bottom (without losing control and just plummeting in free fall for 400 feet). But the car makes it down safely. Again, the cultists seemed to be ready for them. The 3 tiefling guards with bows were once again perched on the platform over the black pool. A line of 7 zombies stretched across the middle of the cathedral area behind the elevator shaft. The 3 spell-casting priests of Hextor stood behind the line of zombies along with the Killian zombie (wielding Killian's greatsword) as well as the last remaining cult fanatic (affectionately named "Joe Commoner" by the party) who still wears Killian's banded mail.

Tarric was the first one out of the elevator car, and as before, as soon as a party-member emerged from the elevator, a Silence spell was cast on a nearby pillar, and a volley of arrows were loosed. Tarric was quickly surrounded by zombies. Alees found a safe place near the door to the Vecna temple at the north end of the cathedral where she was out of the zone of Silence and could cast her scrolls of Cure Light Wounds. Alexander got hit with arrows a couple of times before he could get his Shield up. Thorash tried to hit a zombie and quickly discovered that his morningstar was virtually ineffective. Killick tumbled behind enemy lines, going straight for Garras, the half-orc priest of Hextor with the heavy flail and Improved Trip. Killick was quickly surrounded by Garras, Kendra (the human female cleric of Hextor with a Wand of Cure Light Wounds), a Tiefling zombie, Joe Commoner, and a Tiefling guard who had stowed his bow and drawn his battleaxe.

Due to some extraordinary luck, the Killian zombie got in a couple hits against Tarric with the greatsword and Tarric fell unconscious. Just at that moment, when things looked the bleakest, Alees saw Katawan jump down from the top of the elevator car! Somehow he had freed himself from Smenk's captors and had climbed down the elevator chains to help them in their hour of need! Katawan did his best to tumble behind the line of zombies that were getting ready to surround Thorash, but due to some more bad luck, he ended up on the ground in front of them. Then Theldrick (the main Hextor priest) cast Spiritual Weapon against Katawan. Katawan was pummeled on the ground by the zombies standing over him and took additional damage from the Spiritual Weapon. He was already in need of healing only moments after entering the battle! He dropped back to Alees. In the mean time, Thorash was able to kill a Tiefling guard and picked up the guard's battleaxe so that he would have a Slashing weapon to use against the zombies. He moved to Tarric's body, but was soon surrounded by zombies and unable to heal Tarric. Katawan used the opportunity to run up to Tarric, and pulled his body back to safety.

Meanwhile, Killick was leading the Hextor priests on a merry chase around the black pool, and Alexander was in a death struggle with a zombie. Alexander was beginning to call the retreat when he was felled by an arrow. Alees healed Tarric and Alexander, and then Killick and Katawan got them to the elevator. Hearing the retreat being called, Thorash made a mad dash for the elevator. Unfortunately, he was dropped by a zombie's slam on the way there. He was too far behind enemy lines to save. The party had to withdraw without him, not knowing whether he was alive or dead. As the elevator car began slowly moving up towards the ceiling away from danger, Theldrick's silent form gesticulated wildly as he mutely shouted profanity and curses at them impotently from below.

During the long, arduous journey back up the elevator shaft, Katawan had time to relate the story of what had happened to him and how he was able to rejoin the group. He was captured in the basement of the abandoned mine office by Kullen's gang while he was sick from the effects of the Corpse Bloat disease. He was tied up and interrogated by Smenk who told him that he would be insurance against the party's good behavior. A day or so later, Smenk hired a cleric to cure his disease. Smenk told him that the rest of the party was cooperating, and that as long as they continued to do so, Katawan had nothing to fear. A day or so later, one of his jailors quietly admitted to him that he was really a spy for Luzane Parrin. As soon as this individual was alone with Katawan, he helped Katawan to escape. After he was freed, Katawan went to Parrin's to find out where the rest of the party was. She told him that the party had gone down an elevator in an abandoned shaft of Dourstone's Mine to combat (what she thought was a) Vecna cult that had been extorting Smenk. After hearing Katawan's tale of being kidnapped by Smenk, she decided that they now had enough evidence against him to go to the authorities.

Parrin, Katawan, and Parrin's spy all went to the Sheriff and provided sworn testimony about Smenk's kidnapping of Katawan. It just so happened that the Sheriff had an official visitor representing the ruling Oligarchy of Greyhawk in the office, a priest of Pelor named Krastor. When this priest heard about an evil Vecna cult operating below the town, he demanded that the Sheriff investigate. Krastor ordered Sheriff Cubbin to arrest Smenk while he led a small group consisting of 2 constables and Katawan to the Dourstone mine with a warrant allowing them to investigate all portions of the mine for outlawed cult activity.

When presented with the warrant, the mine guards reluctantly let the group in. When they found the elevator shaft, Katawan asked permission to climb down the chain and join his friends who he guessed might need his help. Krastor told one constable to stay at the top of the shaft until Katawan returned. Then Krastor and the other constable returned to the Sheriff's office. Before he left, though, he instructed Katawan to bring himself and his friends to the Sheriff's office as soon as he could to report what they had found down below.

Learning that they could now exit the mine complex without having to fight their way through Dourstone's guards, the party decided to get some healing from the town's clerics and head immediately back down the elevator to try to save their new friend Thorash and to try to hit the Hextorites while they were depleted of spells. The party members spread out across town looking for healing from the churches of Heironeous, St. Cuthbert, and Wee Jas. Through the combined efforts of these three churches, the party was healed to full. The church of Wee Jas contributed a scroll of Shield and a scroll of Magic Missile to the endeavor, while the church of Heironeous, upon learning of a cult of Hextor under the town, ponied up 5 potions of Cure Light Wounds.

After the party was healed, Katawan convinced them to go to the Sheriff's office to talk to Krastor. Even though it was now shortly before dawn, Krastor was there waiting for them. When the party told them what they had seen and that they had had to leave a man behind, Krastor volunteered to use his clerical powers to aid the party in battle.

The party returned to the elevator shaft and lowered themselves down once again. This time they found the Hextorites in complete disarray. Only Joe Commoner had been left behind to guard the cathedral area. (Apparently the Hextorites had not expected another incursion so quickly.) For many rounds, the battle raged in single-file conga-line fashion. But when Krastor turned the Hextorites' zombies and Garras (the half-orc Trip specialist) was killed, it became clear to the Hextorites that they needed to fall back to a larger room. One of the remaining Tiefling Guards put up an area of Darkness to cover the Hextorites retreat. Alees quickly came up with the Everburning Torch to counter the Darkness, but the tactic still gave Theldrick the time he needed to marshall his forces into defensive positions.

Alexander quickly put an end to those plans by casting Web in the room where they were lined up, incapacitating half of them. Kendra lit the web to allow her comrades to escape, then she drew her Wand of Cure Light Wounds and prepared to assist her comrades in the double doorway. Killick managed to tumble behind enemy lines when a bad guy in the doorway dropped. For some reason, Killick was bound and determined to see Joe Commoner dead! And although Joe Commoner dropped many times, Kendra brought him back to fighting shape repeatedly with her wand of healing. Eventually the Tiefling Guards were burned out of the web and joined the fight, one chasing Killick and the other taking up the open spot in the doorway vacated by the turned zombie. Kendra kept healing her comrades again and again and again, and the party was able to make little progress for a while. Things looked dire for a moment. So dire, in fact, that Alexander risked himself by tumbling into the room with the Hextorites to help provide flanks. Alexander even stooped to stabbing at unconscious bad guys, an act that he had chided Killian for once upon a time.

Theldrick did a lot of damage with his heavy flail, seeming to prefer targeting the cleric of Pelor whenever possible. But when Joe Commoner and the 2 Tieflings were all killed outright in a very short span of time, Theldrick and Kendra found themselves alone. Still, they asked for no mercy. They spit curses at the party and prayed that Hextor might welcome their souls to his eternal service. They told the party that the Ebon Triad was invincible and that the party's victory would be short lived. Finally, at long last, they died. And just when the party thought it was all over, a previously turned zombie returned to the room. However, by itself it provided little challenge. Tarric destroyed it with a single blow.

Krastor gave the party permission to loot the temple (as a reward for their public service) until noon, at which time they would need to report to the Sheriff's office to provide depositions. Realizing that there was a time limit, the party went into high-efficiency looting mode! Alees and a "bodyguard" explored the remainder of the Hextor temple complex looking for secret doors and opening locks while the other members of the party stripped the dead and filled empty crates with valuables. Thorash was found beaten and naked but alive in a holding cell. He had apparently been rougly interrogated by the Hextorites, and was understandably reluctant to go into details about what had happened to him. Being the strongest in the party, Tarric was on elevator duty, lifting the crates filled with swag up into the mine complex. After 8 hours of hard labor and a long night of fighting before that, the temple was as looted as it could possibly be, and the party-members were physically exhausted. But the party still needs to head to the Sheriff's office...

Two important items that the party found during its looting were a letter written by Theldrick and Theldrick's journal. The crumpled letter seemed hastily written. In a blocky script, it read, "Dear Faceless One. Praise be to the Unholy Trinity. The cathedral area has been breached via the elevator for the past 2 nights by a group of adventuring do-gooders. Either Smenk or Dourstone must have betrayed us! We have slain one of their number and captured another, but they are making steady progress against us. At this rate, my temple will be wiped out within the week. Surely, you would agree that our efforts here will be undone without a temple of Hextor to defend the faithful! How can the Overgod be born without our contribution? And surely your own temple will not survive without my temple's military protection. Accordingly, it is in your interest to transfer as many reinforcements to my command as can be spared. Please reply at once. Sincerely, Theldrick."

At the bottom of the same page in a different, more wispy hand-writing was written the reply, "Request denied. If you are worthy, you will succeed with the forces you have." This reply bore no signature.

Some excerpts from Theldrick's journal that seem noteworthy are the following:

"Praise Be to the Scourge of Battle. The Faceless One grows increasingly concerned. That addled beast Grallak Kur has yet to provide new insights into the Overgod's nature. The crude missives he sends speak of the worms, of a slumbering power that must be awakened, but nothing more. I wish he would go back to the black pit that spawned him if he has nothing more to offer! The Faceless One tells me these ramblings refer to an ancient figure, a being of great power. Of course, he tells me little else. He enjoys keeping his secrets, but he forgets that they flourish only behind the protection of Hextor! Were it not for the dictates of the Ebon Triad, I would lead my troops into the Faceless One's damnable labyrinth and kill every last bird and wizard within it! Grallak is the key. Thank the Scourge that he trusts me and not the Faceless One. Otherwise, I doubt the Faceless One would bother imparting anything to us at all. We cannot trust these mages. When the Overgod arises, I think it will be time to settle some old scores..."

"Under the Herald's Watchful Eye We Conquer! Grallak Kur has finally yielded a useful clue. I personally delivered it to the labyrinth, and the Faceless one giggled like a blood-addled berserker when he saw the message. Grallak spoke of the worms again, of course. He says that even now they stir and writhe. The world is like an apple infested with them. All seems well for now, but soon they burst through the skin and swarm across the land. Still, part of this vision troubles me. Grallak spoke of a great power behind them, but the Ebon Triad teaches that these worms will awaken the Overgod. Is there some other power at hand here that we cannot see? Is it friend or foe? The Faceless One knows more, but he of course has little to say. Perhaps Grallak has invented everything. His monstrous kin are few in number and battered after their pilgrimage through the Underdark. If he is an imposter or trickster, we may need to root him out of this place. In that case, our agents must make another supply run. Six coils of rope, and perhaps bows and more arrows, should do the trick. With the petitioners leading the way, we can uncover any ambushes they may have within the cliffs."

 

[Menexenus]

Session 10: Burying Killian

4th of Flocktime. The party emerged from the temple of Hextor laden with swag. They brought it all (including Killian's dead body) to Lady Parrin's residence. Killian's father was there when the party arrived, and he took the news of his son's death very hard. He was consoled by the fact that Killian died protecting his comrades and the town as a whole. He gratefully accepted Killian's effects and the party promised him a full share of all of the loot they sell from the Hextor temple. Killick promises to give Killian's father his share as well, in exchange for Killian's Circlet of Wisdom. Killian's father gratefully accepted the party's offer of a full share and also consented to Killick's trade. He told Killick that he hoped the circlet would help the party carry on the fight against evil Killian's name.

After this emotional scene, the party reported to the Sheriff's office to give their depositions. Each character gave a separate deposition, telling the whole truth but omitting any reference to the Whispering Cairn. After being the first member of the party deposed, Killick took his leave of the party, saying that he would return within the next couple days. After giving their depositions, the rest of the party returned to Parrin's for some well-earned sleep.

5th of Flocktime. After a long rest, the party set out bright and early to sell their loot. The party liquidated the mundane equipment collected from the Hextorites for a total of 4900 gp, making each party member's share 700 gp. Tidwoad, the gnome jeweler, seemed to be driving some very hard bargains for the gems and jewelry, though. The party agreed to sell only the evil idols and holy symbols to him. Tidwoad explained that he could only afford to pay 10% of market value for those items, because he is going to have to melt them down for scrap metal. The party agreed to this (with vociferous objections from Alees) because they were happy to see such symbols of evil destroyed. Rather than sell the remaining gems and art object to Tidwoad, the party members purchased many of the remaining valuable pieces from the party out of their own funds and divided the cash value of these sales among the other party members. A few items were still being carried by party members for eventual resale to someone willing to offer more money - a jeweled bracer, a dwarven bust made of gold with a jeweled crown, and a golden chalice.

With this cash in hand, some characters went off to buy items that they wanted, like masterwork weapons and armor. Now that the party was through examining the Whispering Cairn, Alexander felt comfortable confiding its location to Allustan. Allustan was excited by the news of an under-explored cairn so close to Diamond Lake. (He seemed more interested in the potential historical and archeological information that might still be discovered, rather than any material wealth.) He asked Allustan about the adamantine loop that the group found in Zosiel's true sarcophagus (which was immune to an Identify spell). Allustan recognized the object as a legendary item known as a Talisman of the Sphere. It is of ancient construction and allows a person to move a (normally immobile) Sphere of Annihilation. Allustan indicated that this item would be of extraordinary value to any party that knew the location of such a sphere. (Allustan admitted that he did not.) Alexander also showed Allustan the black shards that he found beneath the broken oval "mirror" in the cairn. Based on the magical aura surrounding the shards, Allustan suggested that they had probably been part of some kind of teleportation portal. Alexander also showed Allustan the demon horns that the party had found in Zosiel's true sarcophagus. Allustan said that these horns were probably the remains of a powerful member of the demonic horde that the Wind Dukes had fought so long ago. Allustan offered Alexander some cash for these items (the broken shards and the demon horns), and Alexander accepted.

Alexander returned to Parrin's residence and began crafting a pair of Boots of Striding and Springing. In the mean time, the rest of the party returned to the Whispering Cairn and found that the pedastal of unusual red metal and the brightly colored lanterns had all been removed from the cairn. When the party returns to town, they determined that the other band of adventurers who had been searching the Stirgenest Cairn must have found out about the Whispering Cairn and looted it of its remaining valuables while the party was down fighting the temple of Hextor.

6th of Flocktime. Another day passed while Alexander is crafting his new boots. Tarric made donations to all 3 of the churches that had assisted the party in their time of need. When he spoke with Father Jierian of the Church of St. Cuthbert, the Father seemed to be in a state of shock regarding Killian's death, bordering on disbelief. He is adamant that St. Cuthbert himself had come to him in a vision and had told him that Killian was destined to help save the world. St. Cuthbert could not have been wrong, so it was impossible that Killian was dead! He promised to meditate further on this apparent inconsistency. The church of Wee Jas offered to help Killian's father hire a masterwork stone mason for Killian's monument in the cemetery. The church of Heironeous was still celebrating the fall of the temple of Hextor (Heironeous's archenemy). Tarric was virtually dragged to the Spinning Giant, where he was bought many an ale by his former friends and coworkers and was begged incessantly for accounts of the party's victory over Heironeous's nemesis.

Lady Parrin was also in a celebratory mood. Her archenemy Smenk had been arrested, and it seemed that the kidnapping charges that Parrin and Katawan had leveled against him were just the tip of the iceberg. Once the rest of the town heard that Smenk was under criminal suspicion, more and more accusations kept coming from anyone who had ever been wronged by him. He was officially charged with a list of offenses so long, they had to be written on a scroll rather than a piece of parchment! The offenses included murder, kidnapping, grand theft, extortion, blackmail, arson, and rape. Kullen's gang had also been placed under arrest (for doing most of Smenk's dirty work), as well as Ragnar Dourstone (for aiding and abetting banned cults). Filge is also awaiting trial for graverobbing and unlicensed creation of undead. Generally speaking, the people of Diamond Lake are happy that there is finally going to be some justice.

However, on the flipside, the arrest of 2 of Diamond Lake's most prominent mine managers had sent the economy of the town into a tailspin. All of Smenk's and Dourstone's mines had halted operation until the trials are resolved, so there were lots of miners out of work, desperate for a way to make ends meet while they are layed off. The churches in town are bursting at the seams with people begging for alms and/or free meals.

7th of Flocktime. Killian's funeral took place in the morning. Father Jierian led the service. When speaking in public, Jierian was usually quite inspirational and resolute in his beliefs, but at the funeral he seemed overwhelmed with emotion, confused, and almost defiant. He definitely won no converts that day. And the crowd was quite large. The story of the party's exploits had quickly gotten around town, and many townsfolk attended the funeral to hail a town hero. (Plus, many of them were unable to go to work, so why not show up at the funeral?) At the end of the service, Killian's father announced to the throngs of people in attendance that he had commissioned a monument in Killian's name. He also announced a large donation to the church of St. Cuthbert (including Killians weapons and armor as well as a significant amount of cash) to help the town in its time of need. And he was seen giving silver pieces to the destitute, who thank him profusely. However, he refuses the thanks saying, "This is what Killian would have wanted. Thank him in your prayers."

After the service, Krastor approached the PCs beseeching them to continue their assault on the evil temples beneath Dourstone's mine. When the party agreed, he gave them an official document giving them access to Dourstone's mine and granting them full legal salvage rights to any and all property held by any member of an evil church residing under Dourstone's mine.

After the service, the party retired to the Rusty Bucket for a quality meal. After eating their fill, they headed back down into the Dourstone Mine (which had been closed and placed under armed guard pending Dourstone's trial). The guards allowed the party to enter, after seeing Krastor's seal, and they descended once more into the depths of the earth.

First, they checked the temple of Hextor to ensure that nothing new had taken up residence there. They noticed that some of the bodies had been removed. (Only the tieflings and zombies had been left behind.) They used the Wand of Shatter to destroy the shabby wooden door that guarded the entrance to the Erythnul temple. After going down some roughly hewn winding stairs, the party came to a small room/cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites. Katawan entered first and was quickly surrounded by 3 creatures that seemed to come out of the stone itself. The creatures had rough gray skin (that helped them to blend into their subterranean surroundings). And disturbingly, they had no eyes in their eye sockets. They were wielding crude stone axes. After a few lucky blows, Katawan was knocked unconscious, but the rest of the party soon caught up and dispatched the nasty brutes with relative ease. Thorash shared that these creatures were frequently encountered in the Underdark and were known as "Grimlocks".

Katawan was healed up and the party continued on down another rough-hewn stairway that opened into a larger room with stalactites and stalagmites. An arrow came whizzing past Katawan's head out of the darkness. When Tarric brought the light further forward, two dog-like animals pulled the skin back from their faces, creating a horrific visage. They also emitted a frightening howl. However, Tarric and Katawan stood their ground. The rest of the party entered the room bringing more light, revealing a Grimlock wearing studded leather and carrying a bow standing near a ledge at the far side of the cavern. Katawan moved into melee with one of the dog creatures. It attacked Katawan, biting him, while the other one shrieked again. While most of the party stood firm, Katawan began running away from the dogs in sheer terror. The dogs were quickly dispatched by massive blows from Tarric while Thorash cast a Fear spell on the remaining Grimlock. It cowered in a corner for a few seconds, but then grabbed its battleaxe and returned to the fight. It dropped Thorash before succumbing to more of Tarric's mighty blows.

Alees healed Thorash. The party looked around and saw that the ledge looked over a subterranean cliff face. They noticed that there were iron spikes in the cliff face, allowing one to climb down to the ground about 45 feet below them rather easily. There was another vertical cliff face about 20 feet across from them. There was an opening and a ledge on this opposing cliff face about 20 feet below the ledge they were standing on, as well as another opening on the far wall at the base of the cliff below. The party heard movement from somewhere, and decided to camp for a few hours to allow Thorash to recover his spells. In the mean time, Alees found 4 agates and a ruby near the Grimlocks camp, while Alexander spied 2 potions on the dead Grimlock's belt. He tasted one of them and determined that it was healing of some sort. He was unable to determine the magical effect of the other potion, but he was quite certain that it was not healing.

After about 8 hours of rest, the party decided to descend the cliff face using ropes tied to stalagmites as well as the iron spikes. First Alexander cast Web into the ledge that is midway up the far wall. The party immediately heard plaintive squalling from someone in that tunnel who seemed displeased. With his Boots of Striding and Springing, Alexander made it to the bottom of the cliff in 2 rounds easily. However, when he arrives at the bottom, two Chokers come out from their hiding places. Alexander was able to fire off a Magic Missile spell before the creatures closed with him. They stretched their arms out and attempted to strike him with their tentacled hands. Three of the four attempts were successful. Then each of these hands attempted to grapple his throat, and one hand from each monster was successful. Alees shot at the creatures from the top of the ledge while the rest of the party hurriedly tried to get to the bottom to aid their comrade. Katawan and Thorash both took falling damage when they stumbled while trying to climb down. Tarric made it down without falling. In the mean time, though, Alexander and Thorash were both knocked unconscious by the Chokers' constriction damage. Thorash was given a potion to get him back to consciousness. He then cast his remaining healing spells on himself and Alexander while Katawan and Tarric killed the Chokers. Alees made her way down just as the fighting stopped. Among the debris at the bottom of the shaft, she found a leather necklace with 4 rubies as well as a coldiron longsword.

The party decided that they were too depleted to continue onward. They climbed back up the shaft and camped at the same place they had been camping just a few minutes earlier. They decided to wait a full day to allow both Alees and Thorash to refresh their spells.

 

[Menexenus]

Session 11: Against the Grimlocks

8th of Flocktime. The party chose to rest after its encounter with a pair of Chokers the previous day at the base of a subterranean cliff. Killick returned during the party's downtime. He informed them that he had been inducted into the Druidic order. He also mentions that the High Druid told him to beware of Devil's Night (in 10 days) as that is often an active time for evil.

The party waited until dusk, so that Thorash could pray for spells and the party could receive the benefits of a full day of rest. After a few healing spells were cast, the party ventured down the cliff once more. Again, Alexander placed a Web spell on the ledge on the opposite cliff face. Again, there was noise of humanoids raising an alarm in response. As the party made their way down, they noticed that the web was burning. Almost all of the party made it into the 10 foot-wide tunnel at the bottom of the 45 foot deep crevasse. After the web completely burned through, 2 archers stepped onto the ledge and began shooting at Alees (who was still climbing down). Alees avoided the arrows and joined her comrades in the small tunnel at the bottom of the crevasse. On the far side of the tunnel, the rest of the party had just engaged a small group of Grimlocks on another ledge 30 feet up. They were throwing javelins and seemed to have a virtually endless supply. Alexander cast Scare on them, causing one of the three to run away. Then he cast Spectral Hand and Chill Touch to attack them from within the tunnel.

The Grimlock's ledge was connected by a rope bridge to another opening 20 feet above the party. It seemed reasonable to surmise that this opening led to the other ledge on the far side of the crevasse that Alexander had webbed twice. A female Grimlock in studded leather armor stood in this opening 20 feet above the party, drinking a potion. Katawan climbed the wall to face the female warrior. Tarric tossed up a rope with a grappling hook so that he could climb up, too. The female Grimlock went into a rage and delivered 2 vicious hits to Katawan who dropped back down to the ground for healing. The raging female jumped down to pursue Katawan, but she fell prone and was quickly beaten down by Katawan's comrades. (As the life is leaving her, Thorash mysteriously bent down to touch the dying Grimlock, but there was no visible effect.)

Meanwhile, up above, Tarric bull rushed one of the archers back into a twisty passageway. The archers tried to beat Tarric with clubs, but didn't seem to have as much skill with that weapon. After being healed, Katawan went back through the tunnel and climbed up the opposite cliff face, allowing him to join Tarric's melee from the opposite side. Tarric and Katawan quickly dispatched one of the archers. Killick joined his 2 companions on the ledge, but was immediately pushed off by the second archer. The way was now clear for the second Grimlock archer to flee across the rope bridge, but he couldn't keep his balance. He fell off and was surrounded by the party. In the interim, the 2 javelin-throwing Grimlocks that had not run away have also been killed by a combination of Alees's shooting and Alexander's Magic Missiles, Rays of Frost, and Chill Touches.

The previously scared javelin-throwing Grimlock returned and was the only remaining enemy holding the ledge. Katawan crossed the rope bridge to engage it. After suffering some damage, the last remaining Grimlock broke and ran down another twisty passageway at the far side of a small encampment. The party found some cash on 3 of the dead bodies, as well as 2 tanglefoot bags and 4 potions. Plus, the barbarian was wearing magical studded leather, which Alees promptly donned. Killick found a burlap sack full of money and a preserved female drow head. Killick also found some ivory dice on one of the archers.

The party decided to follow the winding passage way. It led to a small room/cavern at the base of a 10 foot tall ledge. Suddenly, Grimlocks appeared at the top of the ledge and begin throwing javelins down on the party. Alexander climbed up the ledge and found many more Grimlocks plus a male commander in better armor. The shock of this sight caused him to fall back down the ledge. Katawan pulled Alexander to safety, while the rest of the party performed a fighting withdrawal. The Grimlocks gave chase and their leader hit Killick twice with his greataxe. Things looked grim for the party, but then Alees hit the Grimlock commander with a tanglefoot bag. Because the leader's movement was hampered by the goo, the party was able to escape back to the ledge with the rope bridge.

After casting a few healing spells and doing a bit of strategizing, the party returned only minutes after the previous fight. They found the Grimlocks waiting for them at the top of the ledge. After expending their javelins, a few Grimlocks jump down to fight Tarric who quickly dispatched 2 of them. Meanwhile, Thorash targeted the commander's greataxe with the Shatter Wand. The great axe survived, but the commander seemed concerned. He fell back and told his men to hold at the top of the ledge. The party moved in and tried to provoke the Grimlocks to jump down. The party made a show of grabbing all the javelins lying on the floor, but still the Grimlocks held and would not come down to face them. Finally the party withdrew into the passage to draw bows. They returned to the cave with the ledge, but as soon as the Grimlocks saw them wielding bows, they withdrew out of sight away from the edge.

Feeling somewhat thwarted, the party decided to give up for the day and return when they were at full spell casting power. They decided that their campsite for the past 2 nights would be the most secure place to retire to. On their way back to it, they cut down the rope bridge and took it with them (so that it could not be repaired). They also recovered Tarric's rope and grappling hook. They climbed back up the cliff face, made camp, and waited for a new day.