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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7788763" data-attributes="member: 16069">We D&D.Session #37 Hoard of the Dragon Queen #23 The Hunger of Hadar.Brothers of the First Light.Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 6Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 6Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 6Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 6Secondary PCs.Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 6Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 6Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 6Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 6Note, this is session #37 of our game but only session #23 of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario.The Brothers of the First Light et al are through the rabbit hole- or else through a magical portal and to Lathander knows where; they’re in the hills (probably), in a temperate zone- so still not too far north on the Sword Coast (probably), and at present located in a Cult held hunting lodge of sorts. The hunting lodge is owned/managed/run (whatever) by a (very?) senior Dragon Cultist called Talis. As it turns out Talis and the PCs have something in common- neither of them like Rezmir (the Half-Black Dragon Cult boss) that passed through here yesterday.Oh, and Talis thinks that the PCs are a bunch of Dragon Cultists, recently in the employ of Rezmir, led by Frulam Mondath (part played by Lux (Human Warlock)). The PCs are very convincing Dragon Cultists- the roleplay, and their dice rolls say so, and that’s good enough for me.[ATTACH=full]113181[/ATTACH]There’s a lot of chatter at the start of this session, I’d worked up a little script- or else made a bunch of notes ahead of time, here’s how it goes down…So, Talis has a deal to offer, or else she’s happy to help Frulam (Lux) and her companions in their efforts to catch up with the Half-Black Dragon- Rezmir. She would prefer it if Rezmir’s scheme involving the transportation of large quantities of gold (the stolen loot) heading to Tiamat knows where, was to fail. In fact, anything that makes Rezmir look bad would be good for Talis. In actual fact, now she thinks about it, if Rezmir were to meet with a fatal accident, well… that would be tragic, but Talis would learn to live with it. Obviously, Talis will deny ever meeting Frulam (Lux) and her friends, and if in the future it came out that they (Frulam and friends = the PCs) were responsible for Rezmir’s fatal ‘accident’ then she (Talis) would be the first to call for their deaths.Which is nice to know.Talis adds a little incentive to the deal, if the PCs fail to stop Rezmir’s plan (the transportation of the loot) then she will tell her superiors that Frulam (Lux) and friends, she has come to learn, have been plotting to kill Rezmir. She further guarantees that her superiors will believe her.And several Insight checks later the PCs (most of them) also believe this to be true.This is just how Lux, Lummins (Half-Elf Cleric) and Watt (Human Bard) remember the Dragon Cult to be- a bunch of backstabbing nasty bastards.Particularly the management (ain’t it always the way).So, last bit- Talis will supply the means and the method for Frulam (still Lux) and company to get very close to Rezmir, to walk right in through the front door of the Half-Black Dragon’s present abode- which is, she explains, the flying castle of a Cloud Giant.This last nugget of information- ‘the flying castle of a Cloud Giant’ sends several of the PCs frantically searching through their notes (including Pete- Sgt Bobby, which is amusing because Pete doesn’t make any notes). Sandy (Lux) reminds the other Players that the Golden Stag they encountered on the caravan journey to Waterdeep said something about a flying castle (to Derek (Human Druid)).Here’s the actual quote from the previous session (#15 of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen)-The Golden Stag assures Derek that he and his companions are on the right track, and that they must continue to follow the river of gold (translated later: the Cult loot) until they reach the castle in the sky (Oh!). The PCs can’t remember exactly what the Golden Stag said however, only that there was a flying castle somewhere in their future… perhaps that’s all the Stag said (correct).So, the PCs (actually just Frulam = Lux) take exactly 0.372 seconds to accept the deal, Lux even fishes about a bit for a reward- yes, they’ll stop Rezmir’s plan, but if Talis wants them to kill the Half-Black Dragon then there’s got to be something in it for Frulam.The two feisty ladies exchange barbed comments, veiled threats, and wry smiles for a short while.Or else I bark at Sandy and she barks back at me for a bit, mostly it’s trying to make each other crack up, or else giggle.The deal eventually negotiated is- Talis will owe Frulam a favour, or else she will give Frulam a leg-up- ensure that good things are said about her and her colleagues in all of the right places. Obviously Frulam and company must continue to be loyal to Talis, and to stay silent, any whisper of disloyalty and Talis will send Trepsin (and plenty of others) to sort them.So that’s the conspiracy sorted, and just to say I probably could have a done a lot of this chatter (we took over thirty minutes to get this far) via e-mail with Sandy between sessions. I didn’t do it that way because I wanted everybody to hear the deal, and although Sandy did a good 90% of the talking, I wanted to give the other Players the opportunity to react to the situation and/or get involved- and potentially to say, or do, the wrong thing.Talis hands over a Dragon Cult banner, actually just a piece of cloth with five different coloured stripes- black, blue, red, green and white; it should be displayed by the PCs to demonstrate their Cult credentials. She also provides a pass-phrase “Tiamat, our Mother and Strength”, which needs to be said when the PCs enter the main gate of the Cloud Giant flying castle. Finally, Talis provides directions to Parnast, a village about three or so hours up the trail, the present location (parked) of the Cloud Giant flying castle- which is scheduled to depart this evening.It’s early-afternoon now, and so there’s no time like the present- Frulam (Lux, still), and her companions, offer their thanks, and then depart- at speed.The Brothers of the First Light are semi-overjoyed, and still the most remarkable thing is that Sgt Bobby (Human Fighter played by Pete) didn’t say a word- best behaviour throughout.My spy in the group has told me that there have been lots of e-mails between players in the last few weeks or so, basically Pete has agreed to fall in line, or else to play nicely more often. Yes, Sgt Bobby (& Sgt Harald (Dwarf Fighter)) are going to be rough, tough, and nasty- but only when it needs to happen. When there’s roleplaying to be done then Pete’s going to mostly leave it to Sandy, Rob and Jackie- it’s the part of the game he least enjoys. Actually, that’s not quite true- Pete loves (in character) shouting (and swearing) making threats and the like, he’s just less happy when he’s trying to be nice and/or negotiate with people (NPCs), particularly those NPCs that his PCs hate i.e. Dragon Cultists. Sgt Bobby, remember, is the only member of the Brothers of the First Light that isn’t an ex-Dragon Cultist, his motivation is he hates the bastards for what they did to Greenest (and for Cyanwrath humiliating him). He wants all of the Cultists to die, by his hand- if he had the choice.The Brothers of the First Light therefore head to Parnast, following Talis’ directions, an easy journey through pleasant countryside- they are definitely in the hills however. Note none of the PCs, or the Players for that matter, know where Parnast is on the Sword Coast map.En route, and during a short refuelling break in play, the Players wonder what info Talis possessed that they could use, or that could be of use to them in the future- after a while they’re starting to question their choice of roleplaying (deceiving) their way through the previous encounter. If they’d have attacked the bad guys could they have won? Taken Talis prisoner and discovered lots more useful info?It’s not even Sgt Bobby (Pete) doing the doubting- it’s Lux (Sandy) and Watt (Jackie).The other topic of conversation for their journey is- Cloud Giants and their flying castles. Sgt Bobby (actually very much Pete, out of character) is about 90% certain that Cloud Giant flying castles are linked to a specific Cloud Giant- killing the Cloud Giant in charge of the place could cause the castle to… Pete, isn’t so sure of the next bit- cease to exist, fall apart, break-up?Also, Sgt Bobby thinks, although he’s only ‘50% certain’- his words, and yes- I know you can’t be 50% certain; certain = 100%. Anyway, he thinks that Cloud Giants, in general, are vaguely Good, as in not Evil, or maybe they’re Neutral in their outlook. He’s less sure of this ‘fact’.Lastly, and this is the truly insightful bit- Sgt Bobby (again, Pete) is 75% certain that Giants and Dragons don’t actually get on- again, this is in general, which makes a Cloud Giant working for Dragon Cultists a bit odd. But no odder than some of the other stuff that Pete has read in WotC modules over the years, and he’s read, played (and DMed) several editions worth. Then, then comes my surprise- the PCs are travelling along a cart path, through dappled woods- with the sound of birdsong and the susurrus wind shaking the trees and bushes. An idyll.Even the glistening, pulsing, ball of light that hovers a little way above and ahead of the PCs is soothing… hang on! There’s a glistening, ball of light hovering just a little way above and ahead of them… WTF?The PCs come to a halt- the light does the same.The PCs do nothing- the light does the same.The PCs move forward, slowly- the light does the same, maintaining the same distance from the PC’s- about ten meters.Various PCs try various things- Lux asks the light or should that be ‘Light’- with a capital ‘L’ what it wants- the Light makes no reply. Sgt Bobby continues to stand statue- ready to go for his blade, sword hilt in hand, Hotlips (Halfling Rogue) is similarly situated- the pair are ready for any attack. Watt casts a Light cantrip and bobs his Light spell up and down- attempting some form of communication.Lummins however has the answer, “A Blessing of Lathander”, he cries and falls to his knees- and no sooner is the last syllable of his God’s name uttered then the Light bursts and engulfs the Brothers of the First Light.Quick Cut and Jump Cut we tumble through the following scenes-a) A crowded room full of people dressed in their finest regalia- Lords and Ladies no doubt, the sound of chatter, although this is no trifle or dance- the inhabitants of the scene look concerned. Suddenly silence- all of the Lords and Ladies looking upwards- concentrating, seemingly, on the absence of sound, the scene fades- although the last individual seen is Ontharr Frume (the Dwarven Paladin, the PCs patron, and Order of the Gauntlet contact).b) Suddenly running headlong through a hedge maze, darting down passages- dashing past other openings- the sound of heavy breathing. Voices- distorted, that sound like Lux, or Lummins, or Watt, or Sgt Bobby*- “Run!” Gasping- out of breath, sucking in air- desperate.Note *a different voice each time- see below.c) Low light, the crack and crunch of footsteps sinking in to snow- a mirror white cold light- we’re looking straight ahead at a wall of ice, there’s something dark within the ice- step back, step back, the shadow beneath the ice gets bigger… and bigger… and bigger, as the viewer continues to take step after step backwards. The viewer is breathing hard now- clearly agitated- the shadow in the ice is revealed- a galleon, a full rigged sailing ship- main mast perhaps fifty feet tall- with full sail, and crewed- all of it encompassed by the wall of ice. The dead crew frozen to the rail, mouths and eyes wide, they stare out at the living.d) Suddenly running headlong through a hedge maze, darting down passages- dashing past other openings- the sound of heavy breathing. Voices- distorted, that sound like Lux, or Lummins, or Watt, or Sgt Bobby*- “Run!” Gasping- out of breath, sucking in air- desperate.Note *a different voice each time- see below.e) The Sword Coast seen from high above- high, high above- the drift of black smoke, cities and towns burning- Dragons on the wing, made tiny by the distance, at least a dozen of the creatures- suddenly a black wing, accompanied by a deafening roar, and the vision is gone.f) Suddenly running headlong through a hedge maze, darting down passages- dashing past other openings- the sound of heavy breathing. Voices- distorted, that sound like Lux, or Lummins, or Watt, or Sgt Bobby*- “Run!” Gasping- out of breath, sucking in air- desperate.Note *a different voice each time- see below.g) A suitably creepy-looking stone chamber probably deep underground, lit by guttering torches- five red cloaked and robed individuals turn from the stone bier they are gathered around, they turn to face the viewer- all five are clearly Red Wizards of Thay. Behind them on the stone bier can be seen a body, or perhaps a corpse, of a sturdy looking Human- the physique and build a match for Sgt Bobby, although the face of the individual cannot be seen.h) Suddenly running headlong through a hedge maze, darting down passages- dashing past other openings- the sound of heavy breathing. Voices- distorted, that sound like Lux, or Lummins, or Watt, or Sgt Bobby*- “Run!” Gasping- out of breath, sucking in air- desperate.Note *a different voice each time- see below.i) Light! Blinding LIGHT! Or else it should be blinding but it isn’t- the LIGHT! Is warming, healing, soothing- enlightening.The PCs are suddenly back in the here and now, back in the hills and on the trail to Parnast- the glistening, pulsing light (the Blessing of Lathander)- slowly fades, to nothing.No time has passed, the birdsong seems upon reflection to have been constant- uninterrupted, everything is as it is- which is as it was.The next bit comes as a magnificent surprise for the Players- it’s time to level up again, all of the PCs are now level 7, that was a very short episode, and that was Lathander in action again.And so, the break in play extends for a bit, for giggling and buffoonery- and spell selection, the casters have just acquired 4th level spells, and are indulging in what can only be described as raucous behaviour, some of it unseemly.The Players are very happy indeed, mostly because they weren’t expecting it.Also, because they think it is cool that they are the chosen ones… there’s lots of chatter and speculation about the various visions they have just witnessed, they think that their future holds the following (presented in the same order as the visions)-a) Their patron Ontharr’s going to be in a meeting, they’re probably going to be there too- with lots of Lords and Ladies, then something happens… probably something bad- it usually is.b) They’re going to get lost- possibly in a hedge maze, although that may just be a metaphor.c) They’re going somewhere cold and icy, somewhere with a ship encased in an ice wall- do they have to dig the ship out (that would be cool- they say, and the DM takes note of it)?d) Back in the maze, perhaps they have to get to places through the maze.e) The Dragons are going to start attacking all over the Sword Coast.f) Back in the maze some more.g) They’re going to meet a bunch of Red Wizards of Thay, Sgt Bobby (perhaps) is fated to die (or else be captured)- and then be fiddled with by the aforementioned Red Wizards. Do the rest of the Brothers have to rescue Big Bad Bobby?h) More maze time.i) God is good- specifically Lathander who is very good.Oh, and all of the PCs have taken an Extended Rest, although the encounter with the Light and the visions seems to have taken place in no time at all.DM Interlude- I set this encounter up with Lummins (Rob), actually all I did was e-mail him and tell him he was going to see a Light at some point in this session and he would know it to be a servant of Lathander. I also warned him that I would be asking the other PCs what they were doing before I came to him- basically I wanted the reveal to come at the end, it worked like a dream (although see below). Obviously, I’m just setting up some of the stuff that’s to come in The Rise of Tiamat, I love a good bit of foreshadowing- particularly if I can work a bit of threat in to it- hence the body/corpse of Sgt Bobby on the bier with the Red Wizards. Don’t be afraid to do this- if Sgt Bobby dies then it will be Sgt Bobby on the bier with the Red Wizards, if he doesn’t die then it’ll be someone else- maybe someone the PCs know, maybe not.And let’s face it if one of the PCs is going to fall it’s going to be the mad man Sgt Bobby, oft times he’s the only guy in the fight- the other four PCs preferring mostly to hang way back.Great scene- although, a little confession…Actually Lux (Sandy), and possibly Watt (Jackie), both figured out that the Light was a ‘servant’ or else ‘symbol’ of Lathander- I obviously just left that bit out of the above narrative to make me look good.And so… Parnast.Episode 8: Castle in the Clouds.A small village, a dozen or more houses- neat and well looked after, a few head-down villagers move through the packed-earth square around which the few residences congregate. There’s a tavern, what looks to be a stable, and a shrine dedicated to… Bloody hell, also looming in and out of the cloud and fog is a massive (MASSIVE) ice castle with 40-foot-high walls (sized for Giants), complete with a number of blue-ice towers the tops of which cannot be seen. It’s… wonderous.The PCs skip Parnast completely, and head straight to the castle- no time like the present.Although the DMs not so sure about that- Rezmir (Half-Black Dragon Cult leader) has informed Captain Othelstan (the Cult boss of Parnast, a Dragonsoul) that the PCs could be coming this way. The good Captain has been ordered to detain them- fatally detain them, if necessary.Therefore five (Cult) Guards rush over to the PCs to ask them to state their business- Frulam (Lux) displays the Dragon Cult banner, while the rest of the company make the sign of Tiamat. Frulam (Lux) then barks at the Guards for a while. My bad guys are on the backfoot- surely these can’t be the ones that Captain Othelstan is looking for- how could they have the banner, know the signs, and sound so convincing etc.The (Cult) Guards ask the PCs to wait in the tavern while they get their boss- Captain Othelstan. Frulam (Lux) and her companions however are not missing the boat- if Captain Othelstan wants to come see them then they’ll be in the castle.Last thing- has Rezmir already gone aboard? Lux asks, she’s clever. The out-of-their-depth (Cult) Guards confirm that the Half-Black Dragon entered the castle yesterday. Although the information comes only after an okay Persuasion check by Frulam (Lux), immediately followed by a ‘20’ Intimidate check from Sgt Bobby “Answer the Wearer of Purple you worm!”  The (Cult) Guards rush off, the PCs head on to the castle- displaying, again, the banner to the Ogres up high on the towers flanking the main gate, and whispering the pass-phrase- “Tiamat, our Mother and Strength”, as they enter passing between two life-size (25 feet tall) statues of Cloud Giants.Then they’re in…[ATTACH=full]113182[/ATTACH]And bugger me they’re not entirely sure what to do next, beyond the gates is a massive open space- a courtyard of huge dimensions- long buildings nestle beneath the castle walls while across the courtyard is a massive ice structure which seems to support another courtyard above. There are a pair of open archways (giant-sized) there. The PCs, maintaining the pretence- nothing to see here, just a bunch of Dragon Cultists out for a walk, head towards the giant-sized arched doorways. Then away again, when Hotlips gets close enough to spy within- both archways lead in to an equally massive (giant-sized) chamber in which two bald headed Giants (both made of stone- you do the maths) are about their business.The PCs instead make for a pair of giant-sized doors to the north, Hotlips listens at them briefly (nonchalantly) and hears nothing, then a moment while Sgt Bobby manages to lever one of the portals open- he has to strain a bit (bad dice roll) and then they’re in. To an echoey ice corridor nearly forty feet wide and over half that tall, another door to the north, only this time it is sized for humans, that’s good- the same routine- Hotlips listens- nothing, Sgt Bobby wrenches the door open. In to an empty bedroom, uninhabited at the moment- empty drawers and tables. The guys have wandered in to the enemy’s lair and found the nearest uninhabited chamber available- nice work.Time for more chat.There’s an awful lot of chat in this session.You’re probably itching for a fight.I was…So, the PCs huddle in the room and basically go over their strategy, which is- we are Frulam Mondath, Wearer of Purple, and her Cult flunkies. We’ll go room by room through the flying ice castle rooting out the bad guys (Cultists/Everybody) while trying not to alert the rest of the base to our operation.But I (the glorious DM) am keen to get going, alas they (the PCs) are keener to ramble on… the session was beginning to drift.There’s a knock at the door- Sgt Bobby answers it and is confronted by a gang of Cultists- Dragonclaws, best guess- five of them.Actually, they ain’t Dragonclaws- they’re Dragonwings (twice as tough) all five of ‘em.So, here’s what’s been going on- the Cult Guards back in Parnast reported the PCs to Captain Othelstan (the Cult boss of Parnast, remember). He has come aboard the castle with some of his guys and gone to the barracks. Between the Cultists in the barracks and the Ogres up in the towers the bad guys have been directed to the PCs current location, or at least in to the same building. The Cultists are also going door to door- looking for the PCs, who are behind the first door they knock on.They’re polite, the five Dragonwings, but they also immediately call for back-up, which in this instance means Captain Othelstone and his guys who are situated much further up the corridor- they’re on their way to visit with Rezmir. Basically, all of the bad guys are within shouting distance of the PCs.There’s a bit of chat- Lux starts issuing orders, trying to get rid of the Dragonwings at the door, or else convince them they’re bad guys too and that they’re supposed to be here- the rolls are good, but the Cultists are still calling for back-up. The PCs (rightly) figure out that if they don’t start the fight soon, they’re going to be stuck in the room they’re in and facing much greater odds.They know there are other enemies in the corridor- one of the Dragonwings keeps calling out to them, but they don’t know who, or what else- bad-guy-wise is out there.Lux (Sandy) grins at Sgt Bobby (Pete), the pair have reached a new accord, the instruction is- “go get ‘em”, and so they do- without warning the PCs launch their attacks.[ATTACH=full]113183[/ATTACH]Actually, it’s Hotlips that’s first to the kill- rushing the nearest Dragonwing and skewering the guy with her rapier through the heart (a Crit for 49 damage- that’ll do it). Dead. For good measure the Halfling terror Crits a second Dragonwing with her dagger (although much much less painful). Sgt Bobby cuts the same guy twice and it too expires.Seconds later Watt Shatters the three Dragonwings left standing (and I fail three Saves in a row)- they’re all about bloodied in an instant. The spell also rocks the ice corridor and announces the PCs presence loudly. Lux’s Eldritch Blasts leave another Dragonwing badly wounded, while Lummins’ Burning Hands, alas, does little more than make the floor slippery.At which point, and with the three badly wounded Dragonclaws also screaming for help, the PCs realise that there are lots more Cultists in the corridor- lots more.Sgt Bobby rushes out to see, slicing at the badly wounded Dragonwings as he goes- he hits one of the buggers but fails to take it down (damage ‘1’ + bonuses x2)- Hotlips finishes it off, and then slays another with a Sneak Attack- the one Dragonwing still alive is off and running- back to his friends.[ATTACH=full]113184[/ATTACH]The PCs move out in to the icy corridor- there are lots more Cultists at present reacting to their presence- and the ongoing slaughter. The PCs slipped the encounter in Parnast so I thought I’d help them out by herding Captain Othelstan and his comrades towards them (the new enemies include- Othelstan (a Dragonsoul), three Dragonclaws, six Guards and a Veteran).The Cultists head towards the PCs, at speed- eager to make their acquaintance.Watt hits the middle of the advancing Cultist crowd with an enhanced Shatter spell- and three of his four damage dice are ‘1’s, it’s happening again (although the last dice roll is an ‘8’). Moments later Lux settles her Hunger of Hadar on top of the whole gang. Save for the lone wounded Dragonwing- who is now the only bad guy still in sight. The Dragonwing attempts to slice the closest adventurer, Watt- but misses twice.Sgt Bobby rushes to Watt’s side and cuts the Dragonwing down, then stomps forward- toward the inky black bubble that is Lux’s spell.A terrified almost broken Dragonclaw stumbles out of the black- Sgt Bobby, with a little help from Hotlips cuts down the Cultist.The pair can hear the screams of the dying.What a bugger- the first time Lux used Hunger of Hadar I improvised a check (DC 10 Wisdom/Perception) for creatures caught within the spell to escape the blinding black (and the cold and acid damage). The first time she used the spell there was a Troll and Ambush Drake caught in its compass- they both escaped in the first Turn.I fail a lot of checks this time- the other two Dragonclaws, and all six Guards are killed by the Warlock’s spell.Note Othelstan also fails to escape the spell for a while.The PCs Ready Actions, and basically exchange shrugs while they wait to see if any more Cultists are going to emerge from the black.And so, when one does… the Cult Veteran in this instance, the bloodied fellow is hit by an arrow (Watt, the Bard has backed up a bit), and then by two Eldritch Blasts (Lux).The Veteran half-heartedly goes for Sgt Bobby, big mistake- he gets cut down.Then, nothing much happens, for quite a while- the spell lasts up to one minute- Lux keeps concentrating, her companions stand ready- ready to attack again.So, here’s what’s actually happening- Othelstan has escaped the Hunger of Hadar spell, although on the opposite side to the PCs, the pocket of corridor he’s in contains a door- which opens to reveal two Red Wizards of Thay, drawn to the sounds of combat- and now confronted by Othelstan and the inky blackness.Rath Modar (Red Wizard of Thay, the guy who fireballed the civilians all the way back in Greenest) orders Azbara Jos (the other Red Wizard of Thay, from the Cult caravan & Castle Naerytar) to Dispel the blackness.Dispel Magic dispels all spells up to third level, but Lux casts the spell enhanced to 4th level- so I rule it’s a DC 14 check to Dispel Hunger of Hadar (is that right?). Obviously, the PCs and the Players, don’t know any of this is going on- this is all stuff I’m doing in my head. Don’t ask why? The illusion is stretched thin enough as it is. Anyway, so Azbara Jos Dispels Lux’s Hunger of Hadar- or else he would do if he didn’t roll a ‘3’, then a ‘1’, then a ‘3’ again- now obviously I could, and should, just wave the roll and have the Dispel Magic automatically succeed, but my OCD will not allow me to do this.So, two high ranking Red Wizards of Thay stand around waiting for the spell to expire, one of the Red Wizard’s (Rath Modar) scowls, tuts and shakes his head at the other Red Wizard (Azbara Jos), who mutters something like “it’s never happened to me before… I must just be nervous.” Captain Othelstan, having already provided a succinct precise of the situation, just keeps his head down- waiting for the next bad thing to happen.What the Red Wizards (and Othelstan, and the PCs) don’t now is that Rezmir (Half-Black Dragon) and his two XXL Guard Drakes are situated just to the south of the inky bubble, also eagerly waiting for the black to depart.[ATTACH=full]113185[/ATTACH]At which point… the spell ends.That however is the end of the session, and the PCs have a queue of readied actions (I wrote them all down) but they’ll happen next session- I get booed by the Players all the way out of the door.Another enforced cliff-hanger.There’s never been as much chatter however, they’re loving seventh level. Oh, and if the fight in the above write up seems very one-sided then be assured the Cultists got some attacks (and hits) in but nothing at all to worry the PCs. It has been a massacre thus far for my bad guys in the ice castle.</blockquote>

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