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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lost_DM_n_paradise" data-source="post: 7397686" data-attributes="member: 36249">Episode 5:  The Gith and Castle RuinsThe party set out from Orred, heading northeast before following the small stream north toward the marshlands.  They wanted to find the purported ruins which allegedly contained another Hextorian Blood Golem.A few hours later, as they neared the southern marshlands, the spotted vultures circling overhead- a sign that something or someone had recently died.  Shard detected psionic energy.  Cautiously, the approached.  They soon came across the body of a Githzeria, a humanoid race that dwell in the Astral Plane.  The female Githzeri had several goblin-made arrows protruding from her body but clearly she had sustained a mortal wound from something other than an arrow in her abdomen.  As Aesun checked on her wounds, she suddenly awakened and grasped Aesun’s arm.  In her death gasp, she sent a psychic message.  Her name was Izilzin and she had been involved in a great battle against the hated Githyanki in the Astral Plane.  She suffered a mortal wound in the battle.  In the middle of the battle, as she was dying, a strange votex opened, which pulled her into the Prime Plane (Oerth).  She carried a powerful magical artifact, which was also pulled through the votex.  As she tried to find her bearings, she was attacked by goblinoids, who took the artifact.  She warned, “others will come to recover it [artifact].”Respectfully, the Party buried her now dead body and set out to track down the goblins.  Aeya quickly picked up their tracks in the muddy edges of the marsh but, as the trail entered the rocky hills a few miles away, she lost them.  The Party’s (newly purchased but yet un-named) guard dog picked up the trail.  The Party followed for a few miles but eventually the dog lost the scent, as well.It was getting late; so the Party set camp and watches for the night.  After an uneventful night, they headed south into the marsh to try to locate the ruins.  With luck, perhaps they might even come across goblins.A few miles into the marsh, they came across fresh human-sized footprints heading east, deeper into the marsh and, in the general direction that Aeya believed the ruins lie.  The Party followed and, after a mile or so, could make out what appeared to be the remains of a castle outer wall.  Stealthily, using the tall grass for concealment, Aeya and Aesun crept forward.  As they neared the ruined wall, they could see a look-out, armed with a bow.  The look-out had apparently not detected the stealthy duo.  The crept back to inform the others.The Party quickly devised a plan.  They did not know who was with the look-out or their intent; so they would not attack.  Shard and Krono, with pack mule and guard dog, would approach, posing as lost merchants.  Aeya and Aesun would sneak along from the right and left flanks.As they approached, the look-out fired an arrow that struck just ahead of Shard and Krono.  The look-out warned the pair to turn back.  Krono tried to bluff (“lost merchant”) but the look-out ordered two hidden Orcs to go check and “relieve the merchants” of any valuables.Combat ensured!  The marsh slowed movement, but the Party quickly dropped the Orcs. Aeya fired a pair of arrows dropping on of the hated creatures.    As the Orcs dropped, the look-out retreated, with Aesun in close pursuit.Aesun pursed the human around the edges of a deeper area of marshy water.  Suddenly a giant frog sprang from the water and attacked Aesun’s quarry.  A second giant frog sprang to attack Aesun.The others arrived and joined in combat against the man and the frogs.  Aesun quickly finished off the frog but the man had not been so lucky.  The frogs long and powerful tongue held him.  The Party finished off the last frog and Aesun knocked the guy out before he could attack or get away.A short time later, when he regained consciousness, the Party began interrogating the human man.  Samran the Archer was a mercenary from Orred.  He had been hired Kyra, a Hextorian priestess, to help locate some relic in the ruins of the castle.   (Shard new from bits an pieces of information he had heard and read that the ruins [Castle Rax] were once the home of the noble family Rax.  House Rax had been killed or died off some 150 years ago. The surrounding lands were said to be cursed- crops could not grow in the areas and, even before the events in Rauxes, there were no known human/demi-human settlements nearby.)Kyra had also hired the Orcs, along with two other mercenaries.  She and the other two Mercenaries, Amiri Skullcrusher, a huge & brutal woman, and Delrian the Half Elf, an insane & masochistic “Half-Breed,” had entered the ruins of a fallen tower.  Samran and the Orcs had been left to watch for and intruders.The Party quickly debated Samran’s fate and decided to relieve him of his valuables, except a dagger and gold coin, and release him.  Samran (regretfully) thanks the Party for their mercy and set off.  Almost immediately a giant frog emerged to attack Samran, who quickly changed direction and ran from the creature before it could bite or catch him with its tongue.  Samran ran and them fell into a pit that opened in the center of the ruined walls.  The Party carefully peered down and saw Samran’s crumpled body some 30 feet below.  Using grappling hook and knotted ropes, the Party climbed down into what appeared to be circular chamber.  Samran was dead, his neck broken in the fall through an old rotted ceiling trap door. The Party seemed to be inside a tower that had sunk below the marsh.  Other than the bits of wood, mud, cobwebs, and Samran’s body, the room was empty, except for a trapdoor in the floor.The Party opened the trap doors and followed a short circular staircase down.  The stairs entered a small cob-web filled room.  The was a door and a single skull on the floor.  As Aeasun stepped down, the skull began rolling toward him.  He stepped back onto the stairs.  The skull rolled to the base of the stairs and rolled over, it’s teeth clacking together as if attempting to bite.   (Krono spoke to the “angry little skull” which responded with clacking teeth.  Krono approached and carefully inserted a dagger into the mouth of the skull.  The teeth clamped down firmly onto the blade, even when Krono lifted up the dagger.  Finding the animated skull interesting, Krono stuck the skull, with dagger in mouth, into a sack and into his backpack.  The Party cautiously opened the door, which led into a semi-circular bedroom.  There was a large rotted bed, writing desk, and wardrobe.  An open window was filled with earth/mud.  The Party opened the wardrobe to inspect inside.  A small doll-like creature, a halfling-sized golem lunged from the wardrobe and, wielding a morning star attached to it’s arm, attacked.  After a few smacks, the Party quickly destroyed the creature, which appeared to be a rudimentary (early??) Blood Golem.The Party explored and found a few salvageable valuables in the desk drawers, which were trapped.  Shard’s hand was pricked by a poisoned needle but fortunately the poison had weakened over the many years.  There was another door.  TBC....</blockquote>

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