the Kyri Chronicles - last updated 22 Oct

[Plane Sailing]

It doesn’t take them long to reach the small wood where the witch lives. Dismounting and leading their horses through the frosty trees, Darra sends his raven, “Awk”, to circle the cottage they come across. They hear Awk talking to someone behind the cottage, and find an old lady with parcels on her back, trying to head off into the forest and shouting at the familiar.

The company learn that she is the local oracle, but she is on her way off to another town now and if they wouldn’t mind, she would like to be on her way. She repeats the assurance that all the headaches will be gone within a week – but when pressed her voice drops to a hush as she reveals the rest of what she has seen

“Within a week, nobody will notice the headaches - because nobody will have any free will or volition of their own. Doom is coming to Bellhold, and I don’t intend to be here to see it arrive”.

They want to talk to her further, but in the end she bribes them with three magic potions and they let her go.

Obviously there is still a problem with the missing children and local adventurers, but there is now a real sense of urgency about solving the problem facing Bellhold. The answer must lie in the dragons old eyrie, high up on steeple mountain. But those sheer cliffs look virtually unclimbable.

Then M’ir says

“My mind can open the way for us to climb up there. Follow me.”

 

[Darklone]

Hah! Old adventurers virtue: GREED

Nothing like bribing some adventurers with some magic gimmicks to keep them from asking more questions !

 

[Plane Sailing]

You should have seen the sorcerer's drooling when he realised that (among other things) she was offering a potion of charisma!

The jazumai (paladins) were more circumspect but I'm sure that they were equally pleased to get their hands on such bounty

next part coming up soon

 

[Plane Sailing]

They make their way back through the town and to the base of steeple mountain. It is imposing and cold, with a 300 ft scree slope, followed by a near vertical cliff. The plan is that everyone will scramble up the scree slope (once Trajan has blazed a trail), then M’ir will manifest his power to enable everyone to spiderclimb up the sheer wall.

Trajan makes it up the first section without too much difficulty, but to get the attention of the others he ends up shouting out to them and waving his arms up and down. Eventually they get the message and Awk is sent up to communicate with him (but not before the denizens above are thoroughly alerted…). While the rest start on their way up a shower of rocks comes from above, striking Trajan although he maintains his footing.

Darra gets out his precious scroll of “Fly”, and casts it, using Awk as the touchee to impart the spell to Trajan (since he has the greatest carrying capacity of any of them). The others then make their way up the slope, albeit with a few tumbles from Azrin.

Trajan uses his new flying ability to help Azrin and the others up the scree slope, then he zooms up to the top of the mountain to peer into the cave entrance. No sooner does he reach the same altitude as the entrance when two large arrows shoot from the darkness, piercing him badly. He falls from the sky and pulls out of his dive where the rest of the party are at the top of the scree slope. Azrin quickly calls upon Asura to heal him, giving up many of his prayed-for spells in order to help Trajan recover from the vicious wounds.

Once M’ir has manifested his power and they start scampering up the mountain face a barrage of rocks starts in earnest – there is small chance that the rocks will hit, but the icy surface of the mountain is hard for the spiderclimb to adhere to.

They are halfway up the vertical section, an additional 200ft up, when one of the defenders strikes luck – a hurled rock bounces into Syl! – fingers scrabbling for purchase, the young female rogue from Morannon loses her grip on the surface – and tumbles into space!

 

[Darklone]

Huh!

Is it a bird? Nooooooo! Is it a dragon? Nooooooo! It is: SUPERTRAJAN!

Just make sure he won't be wearing underwear.

Straight ahead approach of the group. Some arrows and boulders didn't scare them, eh? And the first lesson: Never climb without ropes attached to each one... was forgotten too?

Well. Heroes are heroes. Why do it the easy way ?

 

[Plane Sailing]

I tried to dissuade them by mentioning (again and again) how steep and treacherous and high steeple mountain is.. The one thing that I forgot to take account of at the time is ice and snow - after all, it is drawing towards the middle of winter now. Doh!

Still, they have some luck, as it happens.

Cheers

 

[Darklone]

Still, they have some luck, as it happens.

Eagerly waiting

Yeah yeah... those players never listen to good advices from your trusted DM...

 

[Plane Sailing]

...and why wouldn't they trust me?

 

[KidCthulhu]

...and why wouldn't they trust me?

Well, you probably shouldn't have mentioned you were working on your next level "Rat Bastard DM" merit badge at DM Scouts.

Keep posting. I can't wait until they get to the [spoiler ommitted]!

 

[Plane Sailing]

As Syl falls, Trajan dives down to attempt to catch her – but misses! with a scant 50 feet to go Syl reacts instinctively with the sorcerous trick she learnt many years ago – and gently floats the remaining distance to the scree slope DMs note: she was the only one who could featherfall, so in that sense it was a "lucky" hit.

Trajan carries Syl back up to the rest of the party, but even though they try to angle their climb sideways around the peak it doesn’t seem to put off the defenders boulders. Eventually K’tan decides that he’s had enough. He says so in no uncertain terms and sets off down the cliff again. Azrin points out that he has used up almost all the divine power vouchsafed to him at the start of the day (2 spells left) and questions what state they are going to be in if they actually reach the top. Furthermore, it is even more icy and slippery up there. After a short discussion Darra decides to retreat down as well, and the rest of the party follow.

The direct assault on Steeple Mountain has come to an end.

With the aid of the spider climbing and the remains of the fly spell, all reach the ground safely again – the barrage from above ceased when they were on the way down. As the sun starts to set on their first day in Bellhold they retreat wearily to the Bell and Clapper. Trajan mentions that up on the mountain he thought he heard a voice whisper to him – it said something like

“I hear you coming. Your thoughts are very tasty. Hurry to me, my little delicacies”

Several of the others also heard whispered threats or promises while on the mountain face, but nobody can say where the voice came from. Worrying.

After an evening meal, a short talk with Mayor Hob and another study of the old diary, they decide that in the morning they need to check out the old mine – it seems likely that the dragon used to have some way of getting from his eyrie down to the mine, and maybe they can use that way to get up to the dragons old hideaway unannounced.

They retire to another unsettled night full of nightmares.