Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wulf Ratbane" data-source="post: 228841" data-attributes="member: 94">SESSION TWENTY-FOUR: smiting bugbearsKELLAN’s TWENTY-FOURTH SESSION JOURNALWe decided to leave the yuan-ti alone, and instead concentrate our force on the bugbears. We rested until evening, when we expected a rendezvous with Stirling Dale's minions; two of them, the yuan-ti- and mongrelman spawn, arrived as promised with his message to you, wrapped in leather and sealed. With the advice that we "shouldn't overstay our welcome", they departed, giving us some time to deal with the bugbears and (hopefully) reclaim our wand of restoration before fighting Dale.The next day, Nik flew invisibly up to the bugbear watch-post we had previously detected, and while he killed one bugbear, another escaped to warn the others. Since the jig was up, Nik flew back with the body, but his attempt to speak with the dead bugbear proved a failure. With all five of us at full power, we resolved to weaken their resolve; Jorie summoned lightning from the sky, impressively destroying the outer gate and the inner doorway, frightening off the outdoor bugbear sentries in the process. We moved into what we thought of as the main complex, moving down a hallway to two door doors across from each other. Suspecting a trap, we were pretty much ready when Jaag booted the one door and took several javelins right to the chest; we battled a dozen and a half bugbears of varying power, defeating them at the cost of considerable resources. We moved further down the passageway, fighting several more who triggered a log trap that further damaged our stout dwarven friend. More of the bugbear compound lies before us to explore; more evil creatures to defeat in pursuit of our greater goal.JAAG’s TWENTY-FOURTH SESSION JOURNALWho knew the wee little one had such powers? Jorie always was a strange one, talking to animals and convincing them to charge valorously like a crazy paladin into the fray of battle. With a wave of his hand did he call down a stroke of lightning precisely upon the outer doors of the bugbears' keep! We all waited for signs of activity from inside the walls...but, nothing. Jorie called down another bolt to strike the doors again, which he had now transformed into a melted mass of metal and rubble. (Jorie never showed us that trick before. I shall have to remind him of our good friendship and remember to not tease his "pets" from now on.)We encountered little resistance outside as Jorie proceeded to strike down the carved copper doors to their temple as well. Ahhh! The cowards wouldn't even show their faces to us! It didn't take us long to find a pair of doors to either side of the main passage. As I prepared myself and faced one of the doors, it swung open and several bugbears with javelins were upon me before I had time to react. I cried out in severe pain, as my companions rallied to my aid. So much blood! Grrrr! Now it was my turn! Kellan and I held off one flank of bugbears at their doorway, while Rodrigo was unleashing his familiar flaming death sentence upon those trying to exit the opposite doors. Nik used his cure wand to stop my bleeding as I carried out my mad cleaving ritual upon the enemy.  Meanwhile, Kellan was unleashing his warcry...a truly unexpected and unnerving sound; I thought maybe he was losing his honorable composure and had finally lost his mind. Nevertheless, the bugbears fell under Kellan's fury, some of them with quite a confused and disturbed expression as they listened to Kellan just before they greeted death.  [note: Kellan's warcry, apparently, is "Wheeeeee!"]We thought we had vanquished all the bugbears in the immediate vicinity, but we had little time to rest ourselves. Rodrigo had pulled one of his usual disappearing acts and strayed from the group--but this time he wasn't in the back. We heard the familiar sound of his fireball spell further down the passage in front of us, so we all rushed ahead to see that our friend was well...and that's when it hit me. I was struck by a heavy log that swung out from an intersecting passageway. Darn that Rodrigo! Grrrrrrr! Without my rage to carry me forward I think I would have passed out.Our group destroyed the last two bugbears at the steps just ahead of the trap. Finally, we were able to briefly rest. My heart was still racing, but I managed to summon Nik before I passed out from my wounds.  It took a great deal of Nik's resources, but he managed to bring my wounds under control, and make me battle worthy before any more bugbears arrived. For now, we wait.JORIE's TWENTY-FOURTH SESSION JOURNALI hate bugbears.  Nothing but overgrown goblins that haven't been to the groomers.  It was good, then, that we decided to take our fight to them.  Politically in the valley it should set the vampires and the Yuan-ti into a more antagonistic position.  I have a feeling before we leave this valley, we'll be destroying both of the abominations once we take care of the vermin on steroids here.As for cleaning out the vermin, we seemed to make some headway.  I came prepared, now that I can call on Ehlonna's purifying flames, and helped strike a blow for the cause of harmony with nature that the bugbears refuse to understand.  The first step was to call down the powers of the lady in the form of lightning strikes against their hold in the city.  With bolts coming down on them every ten minutes, it was only a matter of time before their outer gates fell, and then the doors to the inside of their home.  We waited a few minutes longer until I felt that the storm had built up to where I could call on another bolt for help if we needed to cover our retreat.True to their goblinoid natures, we were met with ambush.  A number of them, skilled in finding vital areas to strike were in two opposite rooms.  When those in one room chose to ambush Jaag, wounding him badly with javelins, I responded immediately by calling on Ehlonna to strike down the foul ones in the opposite room, badly injuring most of them with a strong column of purifying fire.  Obviously Ehlonna was smiling down on us this day.  Rod responded with a fireball into the room with Jaag's ambushers.It took a while, and we took a lot of damage, but we were able to overcome our adversaries and prepare to move on.I'm glad I left Polly, the parrot, my sole remaining animal companion, with the Sphinx outside.  I doubt she would survive battle down here.  I think when we're done here I'll scout above and see if I can find a leopard or three in the jungle above the valley walls.</blockquote>

Verification