Another new adventure. The eighth adventure for our group. In search of glory, fame, and justice, the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name both feared (by evil) and revered by the (good) citizens of these realms. Training has been completed, and the party has decided on a course of action - They've selected an adventure to embark upon. The party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. The Adventurers departed Whillip on the 1st of Mavis. Setting sail for Westgate, the party is committed to their course. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Real-world date: 12 Nov 2011
Game-world date: 23 - 26 Jul 1004
Written by: Lee playing Mortimer

Where we left off last session
Whillip's bravest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have just completed another adventure. They journeyed outward from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice. They seek to right the wrongs of this land; to defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In their latest adventure, the party completed a long and deadly adventure that led to the defeat of an undead Dragon, a deadly Bodak, a powerful vampire and an evil werewolf. Our Heroes defeated the forces of evil and restored order to the village of Deepwood. On the 17th of Jularva, the party's transport (A flying ship (The Artarius) leased from J.F.K. Enterprises in Whillip) arrived in Deepwood, and the party finally departed that accursed village. They thought their troubles were behind them, until they flew through an anti-magic zone, and crashed their flying ship! As the crew effected repairs, the party searched for a 'man overboard'. They tracked the fallen crewman through a monster infested mountain valley, and finally found him inside a red stained pyramid. After a short battle with an insanely powerful demon, the party managed to escape that trapped temple with the missing crewman. Resting after their retreat, the party's desire for a quick and easy return to the flying ship is quickly dashed; as the fighting continues through a series of dangerous riverbank and swamp encounters. Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

"Are we there yet?"

23 Jularva
Onward

[Mort] The double croc attacks continue, ultimately destroying the raft and causing all of us to fall into the water.  Some of us swim, others like Solmar sink to the river floor.  Allurean casts multiple sonic lance attacks and Zealot seems to turn invisible and swim away from the combat.  The rest of us attack as best as possible while in the water.  I see a croc bite Enola and her body go limp at the water’s surface.  I immediately cast Close Wounds but she remains unconscious.  Fortunately a Cure Serious Wounds spell awakens her.  One croc swims away, while we as a group kill the remaining croc.  [/Mort]

[Mort] Afterwards, Azura heals the most injured with his vitality aura, while I use Tempus’ sacred healing to succor the rest of the group; at least all but Zealot, who is a coward.  We take the time to rebuild the raft and continue down the river.  [/Mort]

[Mort] Once again, we are attacked by Green Spawn Leapers but this time in a coordinated attack with a Razor Fiend Dragon-kin.  This battle is the first time I see Enola leap in battle apparently empty-handed!  Tempus’ spirit can influence even the ranger!  Turns out she wields an invisible two-handed sword.  Allurean casts orbs of sonic energy at the dragon. We eventually kill the Green Spawn Lizards and Razor-Fiend, with Allurean finishing them off with a scorching ray spell. We decide to save the Razor-Fiend body by shrinking it and storing in Skif’s sack.  Finally we reach the airship! [/Mort]

24 Jularva
Forens

[Mort] The flight back to Whillip is uneventful except for a group of Pegasi flying near the airship. [/Mort] 

26 Jularva
Hafn'mor

[Mort] We land at the pier, and I look forward to reporting to by Tempus brethren again.  [/Mort]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's bravest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have just completed another adventure. They journeyed outward from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice. They seek to right the wrongs of this land; to defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In their latest adventure, the party completed a long and deadly adventure that led to the defeat of an undead Dragon, a deadly Bodak, a powerful vampire and an evil werewolf. Our Heroes defeated the forces of evil and restored order to the village of Deepwood. On the 17th of Jularva, the party's transport (A flying ship (The Artarius) leased from J.F.K. Enterprises in Whillip) arrived in Deepwood, and the party finally departed that accursed village. They thought their troubles were behind them, until they flew through an anti-magic zone, and crashed their flying ship! As the crew effected repairs, the party searched for a 'man overboard'. They tracked the fallen crewman through a monster infested mountain valley, and finally found him inside a red stained pyramid. After a short battle with an insanely powerful demon, the party managed to escape that trapped temple with the missing crewman. After a dangerous journey back to the flying ship, the party left the hidden vale and headed off on their return to Whillip. Arriving back in town on the 26th of Jularva, the party is ready for a well earned rest, some recreation, training for the next adventure and then... Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Real-world date: 29 Oct 2011
Game-world date: 22-23 Jul 1004
Written by: Lee playing Mortimer

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights recently completed their latest adventure. They journeyed outward from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice. They seek to right the wrongs of this land; to defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In their latest adventure, the party completed a long and deadly adventure that led to the defeat of an undead Dragon, a deadly Bodak, a powerful vampire and an evil werewolf. Our Heroes defeated the forces of evil and restored order to the village of Deepwood. On the 17th of Jularva, the party's transport (A flying ship (The Artarius) leased from J.F.K. Enterprises in Whillip) arrived in Deepwood, and the party finally departed that accursed village. They thought their troubles were behind them, until they flew through an anti-magic zone, and crashed their flying ship! As the crew effected repairs, the party searched for a 'man overboard'. They tracked the fallen crewman through a monster infested mountain valley, and finally found him inside a red stained pyramid. After a short battle with an insanely powerful demon, the party managed to escape that trapped temple with the missing crewman. Resting after their retreat, the party hopes that their return to the flying ship will be less dangerous. Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

"Back to the Flying Ship"

22 Jularva
Nexsta'

[Mort] We are all resting outside the temple, fortunately the demon is limited to the interior of the pyramid has converted back to statue format.  Zealot, the missing crew member remains unconscious, clutching a magical amulet and wearing a ring. The Captain indicates Zealot looks like he always did.   After healing the group, including Zealot, he indicates a feather fall spell was activated when he fell out of the ship.  Once on land, he headed to high ground, the pyramid, to try to spot the ship’s location.  He succumbed to the snake poisons just past the entry of the pyramid.  [/Mort]

[Mort] Solmar’s analysis is that our party is under-powered to defeat the demon alone.  I reluctantly agree with his assessment.  He suggests we return to the Kuo-Toa to ask if any increase in activities in the area have been noted.  Perhaps we can alert our Helm and Tempus Church superiors of the threat, and be part of a stronger task force that defeats the demon.  “Tempus allows us to learn from defeat to grow into the heroes we each strive to be!”  Solmar also observes the anti-magic field seems to be directly above the pyramid; the Captain concurs.  (I guess Tymora didn’t cause the anti-magic field, she just insured our ship’s path headed towards it…) [/Mort]

[Mort] Mage Ripper swarms approach and begin to attack the camp.  Solmar awakens me, and find the party already in battle stance.  The adjacent steam river and cliffs inhibit the two swarms approach.  It looks like the Captain and Allurean will readily defeat the two swarms, with sonic (fire)ball spells and his attacks.  I return to camp when the second two swarms approach.  Ultimately these swarms are more annoyance than threat for a party of our abilities.  I do get to use by Ring of Blades spell; and Zealot proves he is cowardly, running to any corner in which he thinks a swarm won’t attack him, although he did strike out at least once.  Allurean after the battle indicates she tried to swap my and Zealot’s position with a spell.  I had thought her spell was specific to herself and her familiar.  We agreed in the future that she would announce her attentions clearly immediately before casting the spell. [/Mort]

[Mort] We continue hacking through the forest and in a few hours come to a bare opening adjacent to the river.  Once we step into the clearing, we are attacked by some draconic creature.  Azura and Enola identify it as a Greenspawn Razorfiend, some evil spawn of Tiamat herself! It’s tactic seems to be hit-and-run attacks from the cover of a swiftly flowing river.  Enola hits it with arrows while in the stream.  I attempt to cast Enlarge Person on Solmar but it is ineffectual due to his Warforged nature.  All but Zealot (the coward turns invisible and hides somewhere) engage in battle.  (“Tempus favors the audacious!”).  We kill the beast before it can escape.  Azura uses his magical dragon claw to clamp onto the body, then magically anchors himself mid stream in the river as the beast appears to exceed 6000 pounds!  We drag it ashore and Allurean casts a spell to shrink it to a small size.  We plan to place the entire body in Skif’s magical backpack, but before then show the Kuo-Toa that we’ve killed the beast which constantly threatened their community.  (“A well fought battle shows Tempus has favored us.”)  [/Mort]

[Mort] Solmar suggests we spend the time building a raft as it’ll be faster than hacking through the forest.  We do so, and after a few hours on the river floating we arrive at the Kuo-Toa fishing campsite around 6pm.  Glib (one of the Kuo-Toa fishermen we met earlier) eventually shows up later in the evening, and we show them the body of the dead beast.  They rejoice in our battle prowess and ultimately the Chieftain hosts a feast in our honor, as well as giving us a chest full of gifts.  During the feast, the Chieftain tells us all has been quiet since his grandfather’s time (approximately 100 years ago).  With this knowledge, Solmar suggests in our return to Whillip we report the pyramid’s existence to our superiors.  The concern is this could be a strong sphere of influence for Tiamat; one that should be known and perhaps destroyed.  [/Mort]

23 Jularva
Onward

[Mort] On the morning of the 23rd I cast Gentle Repose on the dragon body and Allurean again shrinks it to pocket size.  We begin continuing to raft to our ship.  Around 9am we enter a swampy area and four swarms of Swamp-Striders surround and attack us.  Three of the four swarms are quickly dispatched (like mosquitoes to ordinary folk), but suddenly Zealot cries out in pain and the raft begins to break apart.  Turns out the coward, Zealot, jumped into the water to avoid the swarms.  To his dismay, there is at least one giant crocodile than almost ate him before he jumped back onboard.  I am sure we will make little work of the last swarm and crocodile(s). (Zealot better hope other true warriors like Solmar or Azura are hurt as he will get no healing attentions from me!)  [/Mort]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights recently completed their latest adventure. They journeyed outward from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice. They seek to right the wrongs of this land; to defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In their latest adventure, the party completed a long and deadly adventure that led to the defeat of an undead Dragon, a deadly Bodak, a powerful vampire and an evil werewolf. Our Heroes defeated the forces of evil and restored order to the village of Deepwood. On the 17th of Jularva, the party's transport (A flying ship (The Artarius) leased from J.F.K. Enterprises in Whillip) arrived in Deepwood, and the party finally departed that accursed village. They thought their troubles were behind them, until they flew through an anti-magic zone, and crashed their flying ship! As the crew effected repairs, the party searched for a 'man overboard'. They tracked the fallen crewman through a monster infested mountain valley, and finally found him inside a red stained pyramid. After a short battle with an insanely powerful demon, the party managed to escape that trapped temple with the missing crewman. Resting after their retreat, the party's desire for a quick and easy return to the flying ship is quickly dashed; as the fighting continues through a series of dangerous riverbank and swamp encounters. Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Real-world date: 15 Oct 2011
Game-world date: 20-22 Jul 1004
Written by: The Dungeon Master

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights recently completed their latest adventure. They journeyed outward from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice. They seek to right the wrongs of this land; to defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In their latest adventure, the party helped the citizens of Deepwood in a quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal grew and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered additional sources of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. A long and deadly adventure led to the defeat of an undead Dragon, a deadly Bodak, a powerful vampire and an evil werewolf. Our Heroes defeated the forces of evil and restored order to the village of Deepwood. On the 17th of Jularva, the party's transport (A flying ship (The Artarius) leased from J.F.K. Enterprises in Whillip) arrived in Deepwood, and the party finally departed this accursed village. They thought their troubles were behind them, until they flew through an anti-magic zone, and crashed their flying ship! As the crew effects repairs, the party is looking for a lost crew member. Their search continues in this session. Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

"The Missing Man"

20 Jularva
Godsday

Note from the DM: With no journal entries from the players, I will do my best to record some notes during the game, and provide a brief recap afterwards (here). I realize they're quite brief, but I don't want to slow down the game too much, and writing these journal entries does take considerable time. Hopefully, in the future one (or more) of our players will volunteer to help out by providing some journal entries. During this session, we were missing two players Todd and Lee. We also had one extra guest. Erik is a candidate player, and he sat in our session. He contributed by adding some role-play to Todd's character (Allurean). Sean 'O' played Lee's character (Mortimer), as his character was back aboard the Artarius (a flying ship).

What happened during the meeting?: The party left off in a secluded mountain valley. Isolated inside a sheltered vale, they found the environment sheltered, warmer than normal, protected from severe weather. With a volcano at one end, and a lake at the other, the party discovered a hidden valley containing all manner of curiosity. One can only wonder what secrets that pyramid contains, or speculate on the dangers of that deep dark forest.

The party is currently searching that mountain valley for a missing crew member. The poor fool fell overboard during a recent crash landing, and the crew won't leave without the body of their missing man. During the last session, the party discovered that this missing man isn't dead! He had survived the fall from the Artarius and set off in the direction of that mysterious pyramid. As it's one of the highest points around, our party assumes that he's headed there in order to signal the crew, or get a better view of the valley.

The party left off at the foot of the smoldering volcano and ancient pyramid. Amazed that the wounded crew member made it this far, the party stands ready to once again delve into the unknown. Climbing up another tier of volcanic plateaus, the party found the pyramid nestled towards the back of a smaller valley. Surrounded by a heavily forested growth of undergrowth and semi-tropical trees, the pyramid is approximately one mile away. Following the trail of the missing man, the party began hacking their way through this dense forest.

After a short period of time, the party was attacked by swarms of tiny vipers. Poisonous snakes began swarming around their feet, falling from branches and attacking en masse. These poisonous snakes began biting the party members as they attempted to cut a path towards the pyramid. The danger soon became overwhelming and the party had to retreat back to the edge of the forest. There they found a hardened lava flow stretching around to the backside of the pyramid. The path was fringed by a plant that repelled the snakes. Captain Veyatar even found it to be an effective snake-bite remedy. A couple party members collected some of the lichen and the journey continued.

21 Jularva
Newday

The new route would take the party around to the back side of the pyramid. It took a lot longer, but the few snakes encountered were easily dispatched. No other monsters menaced the party as they followed the hardened lava flow. Along the way the party engaged in a spirited discussion regarding why they were there at all. There was some debate and proposals to turn around and head back for the Artarius - Crewman be dammed! Veyatar ignored this prattle and led the group to the far side of the pyramid. Once there, he leapt up to the first tier of the pyramid. By ascending the pyramid (without entering one of the four ordinal entrances) the party was able to make their way around to the side where the missing man might have entered.

Searching the steps and entry portal, the party found many signs of the missing man. Here were more signs of injury and an ingenious coat of lichen which likely kept the vipers at bay. This crew man made it this far, but now the tracks led into the pyramid. Still reluctant to follow, the party hesitantly made their way up the steps. Peering into the dark confines of the pyramid, they spied the collapsed form of the crewman, some skeletal remains, and a statue...

The statue was menacing indeed, Allurean recognized it as that of a Demonic creature known as a 'Deathdrinker'. She also indicated that the statue and floor of this temple were detecting as magical. While she was detecting magic, Solmar focused his abilities on the demonic statue. This large demon like statue was perched upon a 10' high pedestal, commanding a strategic view of the pyramid's interior. After two rounds, Solmar was stricken by an overpowering aura of evil. The statue not only detected as magical, it was also a source of great evil. Solmar notified the rest of the party that this statue was emitting a very powerful evil aura.

Not wanting to walk on the floor of the temple, Azura used his magical grapple to grab the unconscious crew member. The expert throw landed the black dragon's talon upon the crew members chest. It grabbed on, and the party pulled the crew member to them. They revived the stricken man, and he whispered to the party about a 'secret door' and 'treasure' down below.

Allurean cast a magic hand and attempted to retrieve some treasure laying near another desiccated body. When the magical hand came into contact with the floor it was dispelled. Allurean then attempted to attack the statue. Casting a sonic lance at the statue, the party was surprised when the bolts bounced back towards the party. One headed straight for Enola, but she was able to dodge out of the way. That's when the statue transformed!

It took a full round to transform from stone to flesh. As it transformed it grew in size, nearly doubling. The statue transformed into a flesh and blood version of the deathdrinker mentioned earlier by Allurean. While it was transforming, some party members moved into the room, preparing for a pitched battle. Solmar quickly retreated from the room, announcing that 'Magic is somehow suppressed in this room'. Veyatar picked up the wounded crew member and headed outside to jump up onto the pyramid.

Now fully formed as a living demon, the creature teleported adjacent to the party. Still standing at the entrance to the temple, the party took their attacks of opportunity. With an obscenely high armor class, the creature was not affected by their attacks. The party then absorbed an attack sequence that left them reeling. Solmar was reduced by nearly a third of his vitality after a single sword strike! The party attacked back, but their attacks were ineffective. The demon had a high spell resistance rating, seemed impossible to hit, and reduced all damage dealt to a minimal level. Clearly out matched, the party withstood one more round of attacks while Allurean searched for and discovered the secret door whispered of by the crew member. She noted a spiral staircase leading down into an underground complex.

The party withdrew out of the Demons range, and attempted one more round of combat. Spells were ineffective, physical attacks seemed to only scratch the demon, and the gleam in it's eye spoke of a deadly plan developing. As Allurean attempted to convince the party to explore the subterranean complex, Solmar decreed that the party should retreat and, as Mortimer might say; 'Live to fight another day'.

22 Jularva
Nexsta'

The party retreated around to the side of the pyramid's entrance. Doing their best to avoid the swarms of poisonous snakes, they made their way around to the backside of the pyramid. There they discussed the wisdom of camping on the tiered pyramid. Ultimately the proximity of a powerful demon convinced them to hike back down to the lower plateau where they discovered the crewman's campfire. A couple hours later, the party was fast asleep at 0200 in the morning. Hopefully tomorrow will be less dangerous...

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights recently completed their latest adventure. They journeyed outward from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice. They seek to right the wrongs of this land; to defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In their latest adventure, the party completed a long and deadly adventure that led to the defeat of an undead Dragon, a deadly Bodak, a powerful vampire and an evil werewolf. Our Heroes defeated the forces of evil and restored order to the village of Deepwood. On the 17th of Jularva, the party's transport (A flying ship (The Artarius) leased from J.F.K. Enterprises in Whillip) arrived in Deepwood, and the party finally departed that accursed village. They thought their troubles were behind them, until they flew through an anti-magic zone, and crashed their flying ship! As the crew effected repairs, the party searched for a 'man overboard'. They tracked the fallen crewman through a monster infested mountain valley, and finally found him inside a red stained pyramid. After a short battle with an insanely powerful demon, the party managed to escape that trapped temple with the missing crewman. Resting after their retreat, the party hopes that their return to the flying ship will be less dangerous. Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Real-world date: 01 Oct 2011
Game-world date: 19-20 Jul 1004
Written by: Players - Lee playing Mortimer and a synapsis by the Dungeonmaster

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights recently completed their latest adventure. They journeyed outward from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice. They seek to right the wrongs of this land; to defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In their latest adventure, the party helped the citizens of Deepwood in a quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal grew and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered additional sources of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. A long and deadly adventure led to the defeat of an undead Dragon, a deadly Bodak, a powerful vampire and an evil werewolf. Our Heroes defeated the forces of evil and restored order to the village of Deepwood. On the 17th of Jularva, the party's transport (A flying ship (The Artarius) leased from J.F.K. Enterprises in Whillip) arrived in Deepwood, and the party finally departed this accursed village. They thought their troubles were behind them, until they flew through an anti-magic zone, and crashed their flying ship! As the crew effects repairs, the party is looking for a lost crew member. Their search was interrupted by an unfriendly monster, and now they're back aboard the Artarius. Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Note from the Campaign Master
On the 20th of February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) took over the duties of DM. Mark and I planned this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark wrote most of the 'Deepwood' adventures that the characters engaged in, and I relinquished DM duties while Mark made all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I' did my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I switched places. He ran the show, and I played Solmar. Loads of fun! As of 20 August, 2011, I've resumed DM duties. The adventure took more than two years to complete (Mark DM'd for more than a year), and I'm ready to get back behind the podium.

"Back into the Frying Pan"

19 Jularva
Endsnear

Note from the DM: Mortimer's journal submission was submitted by Lee on the 28th of Oct, 2011. Below his submission, you will find an earlier synapsis submitted by the DM.

[Mort] The Captain and the crew spend all day readying his ship to take off.  After an early dinner, the Captain comes out dressed for combat, including talon decorated armor and glowing red amulet on his chest.  He announces his experience as a past adventurer, and that his crew demands the return of their fallen comrade’s remains. He even offers to pay the ship rental costs for any delays.  Ultimately Solmar agrees to assist the Captain while the crew and Skif remain at the ship.  [/Mort]

[Mort] (I’m incredulous of this about face by the Captain.  Just the other day he seemed indifferent to the crewmen’s death.  And he awaits until pending darkness to initiate the trip?  I think he’s found something here, perhaps he knows of the Red Pyramid?  I wonder now if the ‘crash’ landing was truly Tymora’s displeasure or the Captain’s doing as an excuse to land?  No self-respecting Captain would allow his crew to dictate when and where the ship takes off, especially after hearing about the dangers we just faced.  And agreeing to pay of the ship rental; he must be anticipating greater gains somewhere in this forest! He will have to be watched for treachery. ) [/Mort]

[Mort] Safe passage appears via row boat across the lake and into connecting river.  We continue even as darkness presses in upon us.  Most in the boat have some night vision, but I quickly can only see about 100ft or less surrounding us.  Allurean yells "Gain cover, we are under attack" and jumps out of the boat.  We all hear a guttural voice speaking Abyssal, yelling from both banks "Kill them all". [/Mort]

[Mort] All but Solmar and Enola jump out of the boat into the river.  Carnage Demons erupt from both sides of the river bank.  All prepare or engage in battle but Solmar wisely takes the time to anchor the boat to some adjacent trees (he seems to be a thoughtful leader).  The Captain roars out a morale boosting war cry and jumps clear across the river to the far bank.  (I note that the Captain seems more skilled at combat, at least in regards to weapon strikes, than any of us in the party.)  I cast divine vigor on myself and wade into battle, attempting to protect Allurean when more than one Carnage Demon approached her.  The Carnage Demons are little challenge to our group and each of us kill some off until all are dead or run away. [/Mort]

[Mort]  We continue within the boat for a few more hours then land in the area where we believe the body might be located.  Allurean casts a spell which provides her wings and scans the nearby area without luck.  The Captain suggests following a nearby trail, by I recommend a search line through the area, each of us about 15ft apart.  (Seems strange he wants to explore a trail, when a body falling from the sky could land anywhere.)   After a few more hours, and morning has arrived, we find an apparent crash site but no body.  Footprints indicate movement towards the trail, leading to the pyramid.  There’s some confusion as to whether the crew member survived the fall and moved towards the pyramid perhaps for assistance!  (Impossible!) [/Mort]

20 Jularva
Godsday

[Mort] We come upon a small fishing village near the trail, used by some Kuo-Toa.  We are greeted by the head fisherman, Glib, and told Zealot, the crew member, walked into the village, received some healing, and headed towards the pyramid.  (Perhaps Zealot and the Captain are involved in some plot?)  They allow us to rest in their huts as they swim off to their secure island home deeper into the lake.  Before leaving, they mention some a large green flying lizard beast which preys upon them.  We see no evidence of such a creature.  [/Mort]

[Mort]  We rest during most of the late morning, early afternoon, of the 20th, and then proceed down the trail towards the pyramid.  We hear some rustling in the heavy side brush and Greenspawn Leaper lizards jump out at us.  They have a defense mechanism of releasing poisonous gas when hit, and their bites are corrosive.  Allurean initially tried an orb of acid spell which the creature was immune to; her next attack with an orb of sonic energy hit true and with substantial damage.  I heal those injured via sacred healings of Tempus, and we proceed. [/Mort]

[Mort] We arrive at the pyramid site, and see it surrounded by heavy lava ash and a hardened molten lava field.  The pyramid is on a ledge or platform beyond the fields.  Enola passes through each area safely, but Solmar falls into a lava pit.  I cast air walk and hover above Solmar to pull him out.  Solmar grabs a hold of me, and I start walking him up from the tunnel to the ledge.  Some type of Burrowing Root monster attacks Enola and the Captain as they stand in the ash field.  I had planned to shuttle the remainder of the party to the ledge prior to the attack.  Allurean has her familiar approach the ledge, then casts a spell which swaps their positions.  The attacks of Enola and the Captain split the Burrowing Root monster into two creatures.  They eventually kill one while the other burrows a retreat. [/Mort]

[Mort] I complete the shuttling of the remaining party members, and while in the air see a hidden cave behind the steaming waterfall from the ledge.  Behind the waterfall is a cave with Kuo-Toa bodies and some treasure.  I return to the group with the treasure in hand.  Otherwise I use the sacred healing of Tempus to heal myself, Solmar, and the remaining party members. [/Mort]

19 Jularva
Endsnear

Note from the DM: No journal entries from the players (yet), so I'll do my best to provide some recap. Everyone but Sean O. was present (Sean B. left our campaign a couple sessions back).

What happened during the meeting?: The party left off in a secluded mountain valley. Isolated inside a sheltered vale, they found the environment sheltered, warmer than normal, protected from severe weather. With a volcano at one end, and a lake at the other, the party discovered a hidden valley containing all manner of curiosity. One can only wonder what secrets that pyramid contains, or speculate on the dangers of that deep dark forest.

After retreating back to the stranded Artarius, the party waited for the crew to finish their repairs. Around 7pm, the captain approached the party and informed them that he and the crew were going to head off into the forest in order to recover the body of their lost crew mate. The captain explained to the party that he has a reputation to uphold. He must not return to Whillip without the body of the lost sailor. If he does, he'll never be able to attract another crew. His career as a flying ship captain would be over.

The party understood the Veyatar's dilemma and agreed to help him. The crew would stay aboard the ship with Skif, just in case there was some sort of problem while they were away. The party took the lifeboat and headed upstream in search of the missing crew member. Fighting various monsters along the way, noting too strenuous, the party eventually made it to the spot where the body was supposed to be. There were signs of some injury, and tracks leading away from the site. Enola followed the tracks, and the party resumed it's journey upstream.

20 Jularva
Godsday

Eventually the boat could go no further and the party made their way to shore. They spent the night in the company of a friendly tribe of Kuo-Toa. In the morning, Enola indicated that the trail continued up the valley and the party continued their journey. Fighting their way through the heavily vegetated forest, the sun set and darkness moved in. As the party approached the narrow defile at the end of this canyon walled vale. They spotted a burned out lava field, littered with some dead trees. As they attempted to cross the lava field, the crust broke and a couple of party members nearly met their demise in a bubbling pit of molten lava. Beyond the lava field was a plain of ash. Crossing that triggered an encounter with an unusual worm like monster which attacked Enola. After defeating the beast, the party made it's way up the cliff face at the far end of the vale. Still following the tracks of the missing crew member, the party is now at the foot of the smoldering volcano and ancient pyramid. Amazed that the wounded crew member had made it this far, the party stands ready to once again delve into the unknown.

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights recently completed their latest adventure. They journeyed outward from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice. They seek to right the wrongs of this land; to defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In their latest adventure, the party helped the citizens of Deepwood in a quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal grew and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered additional sources of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. A long and deadly adventure led to the defeat of an undead Dragon, a deadly Bodak, a powerful vampire and an evil werewolf. Our Heroes defeated the forces of evil and restored order to the village of Deepwood. On the 17th of Jularva, the party's transport (A flying ship (The Artarius) leased from J.F.K. Enterprises in Whillip) arrived in Deepwood, and the party finally departed that accursed village. They thought their troubles were behind them, until they flew through an anti-magic zone, and crashed their flying ship! As the crew effects repairs, the party is looking for a lost crew member. Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Real-world date: 17 Sep 2011
Game-world date: 18-19 Jul 1004
Written by: Players - Lee playing Mortimer

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights recently completed their latest adventure. They journeyed outward from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In their latest adventure, the party helped the citizens of Deepwood in a quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal grew and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered additional sources of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. A long and deadly adventure led to the defeat of an undead Dragon, a deadly Bodak, a powerful vampire and an evil werewolf. Our Heroes defeated the forces of evil and restored order to the village of Deepwood. On the 17th of Jularva, the party's transport arrived and they finally departed this accursed village. They thought their troubles were behind them... Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Note from the Campaign Master
On the 20th of February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) took over the duties of DM. Mark and I planned this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark wrote most of the 'Deepwood' adventures that the characters engaged in, and I relinquished DM duties while Mark made all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I' did my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I switched places. He ran the show, and I played Solmar. Loads of fun! As of 20 August, 2011, I've resumed DM duties. The adventure took more than two years to complete (Mark DM'd for more than a year), and I'm ready to get back behind the podium.

"Ambush and Retreat"

18 Jularva
Longday

[Mort] The lake where the airship landed is in a sheltered valley between mountains with peaks of 10,000 and 15,000 feet.  Skif notices a red glow at the end of the valley and the smell of sulfur suggesting volcanic activities.  Enola pulls out some form of spyglass and finds a red pyramid structure adjacent to the flowing lava. [/Mort]

[Mort] In reviewing the ship's damage a crew member is found missing and assumed dead.  The captain has his remaining crew repairing the ship, so a crew member asks if we would attempt to retrieve the body.  Allurean agrees to remain with the ship to defend it and assist with repairs while the rest of us row to shore. [/Mort]

[Mort] During the crash landing Kyrin had changed to bird form.  She flies off into the nearby forest and believes she’s found the spot where the crew member fell.   We find a cliff trail that seems to head the direction we need to attend to.  A cave is noted on the side of the trail and suddenly a Chraal (ice elemental creature) erupts from the entrance.  The Chraal breathes a cold cone at us which envelopes the whole group [/Mort]

[Mort]  By the Blessing of Tempus, battle has begun!  Skif provides support by summoning creatures to fight his battles, and then surprisingly walks up the cliff wall to cast healing spells or fire the occasional crossbow bolt.  Enola appears to be the archer extraordinaire she proclaims to be.  Kyrin casts supporting and magical attack spells from her bird form.  Solmar charges forth to battle as I would expect a guardian of Helm would perform.  Azura similarly charges in as I expected of a barbarian warrior. He also invokes his draconic aura to protect himself and those near him from the cold. I invoke Tempus’s spirit and feel his divine blessing (vigor) energize me.  I yell “Be fierce and take up joyful arms in the name of Tempus” and charge forth.  [/Mort] 

[Mort]  The creature, in addition to it’s breathe attack, has a deadly claw, bite, and rend attack cycle.  Solmar, Azura, and I take the brunt of the creature’s attacks.    Additional it is extremely resistance to damage from our attacks, significantly blunting their effectiveness.  Kyrin and Skif cast healing spells on Solmar, Azura, and me while we try to cut it down.  I step back to allow Azura to attack, and cast Doom on the creature.  I also cast Close Wounds when Azura almost drops in battle and Bull Strength on Solmar.  Kyrin’s summoned fire elemental seems to attract the Chraal's attention to the exclusion of the rest of us until it dies.  The battle continues but the Chraal breathes out another cold blast and I fall. [/Mort]

[Mort] I awake to find Solmar and Skif tending to me and the Chraal dead.  Tempus has granted me continued life to learn and battle on.  Solmar and Azura have shown their worthiness of Tempus grace and I grant Tempus’ divine healing to them and any of the others.  [/Mort]

[Mort] Solmar deems the risks in this area great and unknown to us.  We’ve attempted to recover the crew member and placed half the party at dire risk; he recommends we return to the ship.  I agree.  On our safe return to the ship, Kyrin announces her plans to depart back to the woods.  Her desire towards adventure has been sated after the defeat of the dragon.  She is not prepared to risk herself further.  One of Tempus’ proverbs comes to my mind, “It is better to live one day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep.”  Of course Kyrin likely has actually shape changed into both creatures; I for one will continue to be the lion. [/Mort]

19 Jularva
Endsnear

[Mort]  By 6pm the next day, 19th of Jularva, the ship repairs have been completed. [/Mort]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights recently completed their latest adventure. They journeyed outward from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice. They seek to right the wrongs of this land; to defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In their latest adventure, the party helped the citizens of Deepwood in a quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal grew and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered additional sources of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. A long and deadly adventure led to the defeat of an undead Dragon, a deadly Bodak, a powerful vampire and an evil werewolf. Our Heroes defeated the forces of evil and restored order to the village of Deepwood. On the 17th of Jularva, the party's transport (A flying ship (The Artarius) leased from J.F.K. Enterprises in Whillip) arrived in Deepwood, and the party finally departed this accursed village. They thought their troubles were behind them, until they flew through an anti-magic zone, and crashed their flying ship! Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Real-world date: 20 Aug 2011
Game-world date: 13-18 Jul 1004
Written by: Players - Robert, playing Solmar and Mortimer, played by Lee

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal has grown and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered an additional source of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. One of them managed to slay two party members. After defeating the deadly Bodak, and resting for some time, the party continued its quest. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. Eventually, the party managed to catch up with and defeat the vampire and it's allies. After returning to the village, the party discovered yet another mystery plaguing the small village of Deepwood. A murder mystery awaited our adventurers. Someone or some thing, slew the priestess Ishtal. Someone or something is menacing the citizens of Deepwood. With no end in sight, the party continues their quest to 'solve all of Deepwood's dilemmas'. The party spent a couple of days poking there noses around, and finally reincarnated Ishtal the priestess of Deepwood. Before they could get some answers from the recently reincarnated priestess, a giant 'Wolf Man' appeared. He stole a ledger from the temple and ran into the woods. When the party caught up with the werewolf, it was under attack by a pack of wolves. The party joined the fray and slew the werewolf. It was Armon Bistle! The other wolves were werewolves too, but they're good. They've been protecting the town from all threats for several decades. After the battle, Solmar agreed to discuss possible negotiations with the townsfolk. Can the werewolves and townfolk live in peace? Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Note from the Campaign Master
On the 20th of February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) took over the duties of DM. Mark and I planned this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark wrote most of the 'Deepwood' adventures that the characters engaged in, and I relinquished DM duties while Mark made all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I' did my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I switched places. He ran the show, and I played Solmar. Loads of fun! As of 20 August, 2011, I've resumed DM duties. The adventure took more than two years to complete (Mark DM'd for more than a year), and I'm ready to get back behind the podium.

"Farewell to Deepwood - We'll miss this quiet little village"

13 Jularva
Onward

[Solmar] Skif wants to search the ruins of Armon's manor for any valuables. Kyrin is praying for a new animal companion. Her wolf companion was killed recently. Skif receives a message by way of a 'sending' spell. Apparently, the previous charter (for the skyship Artarius) ended early. The administrator at JFK Enterprises would like to know if we would like them to send the skyship immediately? Skif's answer is - Yes. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] It's getting late, eventually the town goes back to sleep. Skif starts searching the ruins. He finds Nothing of value. [/Solmar]

[Mort] I had been resting in Whillip for three days after having been gone for the past ten months.  I scheduled my next training and meditation sessions for next week and purchased or reserved all materials needed for my sessions.  A young acolyte approaches me and says that I’ve been requested to present myself before the Shield of the God Conrad Heider, a leader within Tempus’ Whillip church as well as my mentor.  [/Mort]

[Mort]  Conrad accepts my obeisance and listens to my report on my travels.   We have a light lunch together and he tells me of current events in Whillip and with the Temple.   He then informs me that my training must be delayed, that Tempus has put forth another assignment before me.  The assignment is unclear, just that it would be auspicious for a representative of Tempus to be on board the Artarius airship.  Conrad has purchased an open ended round-trip ticket and expects me to be on board the vessel tomorrow.  My audience ends, and I prepare for my trip.  May my battles bring honor and pleasure to Tempus!  [/Mort]

14 Jularva
Forens

[Solmar] Morning comes. I heal myself. Repairing some minor damage inflicted in combat with the werewolf. I take to watching the villagers, their behavior is most interesting. Around mid morning Ishtal (the priestess of the temple) goes over to Edvard's house. She returns to the temple. Then Edvard goes door to door throughout the village. [/Solmar]

[Mort]  I board the Artarius by way of row boat out into the harbor - A flying ship!  I make the acquaintance of a beautiful Star Elf sorceress named Allurean.  Allurean is an exhibitionist and fortunately has the perfect body for it!  She has taken over a divine quest first assigned to her brother, Crucifer.  He failed in the quest and died, and his last known associates were the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights adventuring group.  She also describes herself as a war captain, with detailed description of past battles and war strategies.  Tempus would be proud of these exploits!  Does Tempus wish me to assist her in the quest, or perhaps fight in her continued battles?  For now, I will observe her conduct.  [/Mort]

[Solmar] Around noon, I attempt to take down the dead body (of Trammil); Edvard stops me. He indicates that taking the body down could make matters worse in the town. I relent, leaving the ripening body dangling in the sun. Just after dinner time the townsfolk gather at the temple. They go in and there's a spirited discussion going on. I stand watch outside. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] During the watch (Skif and I are on watch), one of the wolf man hybrid creatures and a wolf approach the camp (appx 3:15 am). The werewolf is carrying a sack over it's shoulder. I indicate that they should stop and identify themselves. The werewolf speaks. He say: "It's just us. You spoke to us at the vale of the silvery moon. We promised a reward for helping us negotiate with the townsfolk." I indicate that I will not accept payment for that. Skif says "I will!" They leave two sacks of gold for arranging the meeting with Ishtal. [/Solmar]

15 Jularva
Freeday

[Solmar] Morning of the 15th. Skif receives another sending. Captain Veyatar has just departed Whillip on the Artarius. He should be here in two to three days. A large (dire) wolf approaches Kyrin in the morning. Kyrin approaches and makes friends with the wolf. The Druid now has a new animal companion. Around mid morning the townsfolk gather. They take the body down out of the tree. They take it into the temple to prepare it for a funeral. Afterwards, most of the townsfolk go about their business. Ishtal finishes funerary preparation. She casts some spells on the body. Skif appraises the gold in the sacks. Thirty pounds of ore in each sack. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] During the evening of the 15th there's another town meeting. Not as spirited as the previous meetings. [/Solmar]

16 Jularva
Hafn'mor

[Solmar] Morning of the 16th. It's cloudy and the weather looks ominous. I sharpen my weapons, clean the exterior of my frame, and perform some minor maintenance. Nothing happens during the day. The townsfolk have another meeting in the evening. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Kyrin's new animal companion is named 'Sliver'. The townsfolk have another meeting after dinner. Skif sits in on the meeting. They're discussing whether or not they should allow the werewolves to continue living in the village. Some villagers are still holding out. They're convinced that the werewolves must be evil. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] I decide to practice stealth against the camp watch. I attempt to move silently and hide as Skif stands watch. Unfortunately, I don't do very well. [/Solmar]

17 Jularva
Aprochen

[Solmar] Morning of the 17th. I practice my swordsmanship. I'm much better at that. Around noon, we see a flying ship slide into view. Moving very slowly, it glides over the glade where we've set up camp. Finally, we can get out of Deepwood! [/Solmar]

[Mort]  Captain Veyatar informs me that we will be stopping over a woodland village called Deepwood, to pick up his charter sponsor.  I go above board to observe, and I must say the docking/boarding is a fiasco.  The ship missed its mark in the open clearing; instead of looping around and trying again the group seems to have insisted in pulling the ship to the proper spot.  What should have taken 10 minutes seems to drag on for hours.  Within the first 10 minutes a Gnome in armor shimmies up the rope ladder and introduces himself as Skif of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights, a cleric of the Wild Wanderer. I invite him for drinks and exchange stories while the rest of his group mettles with the ship handling. [/Mort]

[Mort]  Skif’s stories of undead, dragons, and abominations have the ring of truth to them.  The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights certainly seem to have been blessed by Tempus!  Perhaps they and not Allurean are the reason I am on this ship?  Skif’s remaining companions are finally onboard, and the ship turns towards Whillip.  Solmar is a dour paladin-knight of Helm.  Unsurprisingly he seems cautious of me upon introduction.  Perhaps he has fought against Tempus’ priesthood in the past?  I look forward to seeing his exploits based on Skif’s descriptions.  Kyrin is a druid recently allied with the group.  Azura is a Goliath dragon shaman who carries a huge great hammer.  Finally Enola is another beautiful elf, who confidently pronounces herself as the world’s greatest ranger.  May Tempus provide her a chance to validate her bravado! [/Mort]

Note from the DM: It was at this point (the morning of the 17th) when Robert and Mark switched roles. Robert returns to the role of DM, and Mark returns to player status, playing Solmar the Warforged paladin.

18 Jularva
Longday

[Mort]  On the second day of our return trip a crate on the ship is seeping out with a congealing, blood color, moving blob.  Skif yells out that it is Bloodrot; an evil undead creature that divides into multiple creatures on piercing or slashing attacks.  The creature is quickly divided by some arrow attacks by Enola, while Solmar and I confront the creature with our respective shield bashes!  Skif casts searing light and Kyrin multiple flame strikes at the creature(s).  I quickly cast create water to ensure the ship’s burning boards are extinguished. The creature(s) is quickly defeated.  The group investigates the crate and finds a number of others marked with similar shipping information but no name.  The decision, as this was a charter ship, is to dump over the ship edge the remaining unopened crates. [/Mort]

[Mort]  Later that day the ship suddenly descends downward rapidly.  The Captain is screaming out commands and the crew running frantically around the ship.  We end up crash landing in a mountain lake.  The Captain informs us that ship lost its magical energies (a dead magic area) and that we were “lucky” to land after the crew deployed sails manually.  While the ship’s magic seems to have been restored, the Captain informs us that at least two days of repairs will be necessary.  Did my being here cause this?  Has Tymora’s ire of my family caught up to me again?  [Mort]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights recently completed their latest adventure. They journeyed outward from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party helped the citizens of Deepwood in a quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal grew and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered an additional sources of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took sought out the Dragon's treasure. While doing so, they encountered several monsters. One of them managed to slay two party members. After defeating the deadly Bodak, and resting for some time, the party continued its quest. Heading back into the Dragon's underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil in Deepwood. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. Eventually, the party managed to catch up with and defeat a powerful vampire and it's allies. After returning to the village, the party discovered yet another mystery plaguing the small village of Deepwood. Someone or some thing held the village in thrall - Slaying the town's priestess and another resident, this threat was deadly serious. Someone or something was menacing the citizens of Deepwood. With no end in sight, the party continued their quest to 'solve all of Deepwood's dilemmas'. A pack of werewolves were behind the latest murders. Or so it seemed. After a thorough investigation, the party unravelled the clues and learned the truth about the werewolves of Deepwood. The pack had been taken over by an evil werewolf. This evil beast forced the pack to do it's bidding, and slew those who tried to interfere with it's nefarious plans. In the end, the party discovered the shocking truth - The same patron who'd sponsored their quest to slay the Dragon was actually the evil werewolf responsible for two deaths in Deepwood. After a protracted battle, the party (with the help of the good werewolves!) slew Armon Bistle - The evil werewolf, and restored order by helping the good werewolves negotiate a truce with the rest of the village. On the 17th of Jularva, the party's transport arrived. Departing on the 17th, the party thought there troubles were behind them... Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Real-world date: 06 Aug 2011
Game-world date: 13 Jul 1004
Written by: Player - Robert, playing Solmar

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal has grown and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered an additional source of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. One of them managed to slay two party members. After defeating the deadly Bodak, and resting for some time, the party continued its quest. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. Eventually, the party managed to catch up with and defeat the vampire and it's allies. After returning to the village, the party discovered yet another mystery plaguing the small village of Deepwood. A murder mystery awaited our adventurers. Someone or some thing, slew the priestess Ishtal. Someone or something is menacing the citizens of Deepwood. With no end in sight, the party continues their quest to 'solve all of Deepwood's dilemmas'. The party spent a couple of days poking there noses around, and finally reincarnated Ishtal the priestess of Deepwood. Before they could get some answers from the recently reincarnated priestess, a giant 'Wolf Man' appeared. Locked in battle with two party members, the odds don't look good... Can the rest of our heroes get back before tragedy strikes? Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"Werewolves of Deepwood in Danger"

13 Jularva
Onward

[Solmar] As the battle commences, we hear Azura's shout for help. We head back towards the temple, but it'll be a couple rounds before we can assist. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Enola and Azura have already attacked. Here's round 2 of combat with the 'Wolf Man'.

• Azura - Moves to block the exit and door to the room where Ishtal is resting.
• The werewolf - Grabs the book off the lecturn, and heads for the window... The large creature is squeezed between the stage and the front row pews.
• Enola - Fires here bow at the werewolf. It seems to have no effect. The creature must have some form of damage resistance. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 3 of combat with the 'Wolf Man'.

• Other party members (Solmar, Kyrin, Skif) show up. They move into the room.
• The werewolf bashes a hole in the wall. It's trying to escape with the book. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 4 of combat with the werewolf.

• Solmar - Moves into position in order to charge the werewolf.
• Enola - Fires three arrows at the werewolf. She hits three times, but doesn't do much damage.
• Other characters move into the room.
• Kyrin - Casts a 'flame strike' on the werewolf. That does a good amount of damage.
• The werewolf is squeezed between dais and pews, but it continues to smash the wall. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 5 of combat with the werewolf. We should prepare to cut it off or move to intercept it...

• werewolf - Slams it's shoulder against the wall again. The wall breaks away, leaving a large gap. The werewolf moves through the hole.
• Enola - Attacks the werewolf by firing arrows through one of the temple's open windows. She hits the werewolf, but this time her attacks cause no damage at all.
• Azura - Stands up (the werewolf had knocked him prone earlier) and moves through the hole that the werewolf made.
• Kyrin - Casts another flame strike on the werewolf. She's using her big spells and they're having a noticeable impact.
• Skif - Summons a Rhek, which immediately appears and attacks the werewolf. He loads his crossbow and fires a bolt. A circling acid bolt strikes, doing one point of acid damage. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 6 of combat with the werewolf. It's outside now, and our odds of stopping it are dropping rapidly

• Enola - Fires arrows at the beast. 1, 2, 3 - Two hits and one miss. Only one of the arrows seems to do any damage.
• werewolf - Moves rapidly through the hole and away from the party. Solmar and one of Skif's Rhek's take attacks of opportunity. They both hit but the damage is very minor.
• Kyrin - Fast wild shapes into a hawk and flies after the werewolf, maintaining a discrete distance.
• Skif - Dismisses the Rhek, saying: "He's out of here guys".
• Solmar - Runs after the werewolf.
• werewolf - Trips Solmar, knocking him prone.
• Azura - Moves out of the temple, draws his bow from over his shoulder, then fires an arrow. He hits but the damage is minor. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 7 of combat with the werewolf. He's headed for the treeline at a far faster rate of movement than we can muster.

• Enola - Fires a sheaf arrow. She hits three times and does a fair amount of damage.
• Skif - Fires an acid arrow but it misses and begins circling.
• Kyrin - (as a hawk) Moves to the treeline and prepares to follow the werewolf.
• werewolf - Moves into the dense forest and quickly dissapears.
• Azura - Curses
• Solmar - Gets up, exclaiming: "I can't see it anymore. It moved into the woods."
• Enola - Can still see the beast dodging and weaving as it moves through the trees. She lets loose three arrows, hitting all three times. Once again the damage is minimal. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 8 of combat with the werewolf. I can't see the werewolf any longer.

• werewolf - Continues it's retreat unhindered by the dense forest.
• Enola - Fires into the air, apparently aiming at the werewolf. We hear a howl of pain as one of her arrows finds it's mark.
• Skif - Unable to see the beast, his acid arrow nonetheless finds it's mark and strikes the beast causing minor damage. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 9 of combat with the werewolf. It's amazing, but Enola claims that she can still see the beast.

• werewolf - Retreating rapidly into the woods.
• Enola - Once again she points the bow towards the sky and with a sly smile, looses two more arrows. As they streak towards some unseen target I begin counting, One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four, one thousand five, surely she's missed this - Howwwll! [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 10 of combat with the werewolf. Surely no one can spot the werewolf now. It's dark, the beast is well away into the heart of the forest.

• The werewolf - Moves even further into the forest. At this rate the beast must easily be more than 1,000 feet away from the treeline.
• Enola - Cocks her head, points in the direction of a slight and distant twig snapping deep in the woods. Then raises her bow and looses three more arrows. This time the look of confidence shines brightly on her face. We wait for a long time, then hear a mighty howl of agony as Enola's arrows find their mark. Amazing! [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 11 of watching Enola kill an invisible, quickly retreating werewolf.

• Enola - Exclaims: "There, do you see it? It's near that slight ridge. It just jumped over that fallen tree." Once again she aims her bow into the sky and launches three deadly shafts of oaken death into the night's sky. The wait is unsufferable. This time she sighs, looks a bit downcast, and exclaims: "Damn, I missed."
• The werewolf - Continues moving at full speed into the darkness beyond.
• Kyrin - Is still missing, presumably following the werewolf further into the woods. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] After the battle and retreat, we speak with the acolytes at the temple. We believe the werewolf may be headed for the 'Vale of the Silvery Moon'. One of the acolytes tells us that she can lead us to the clearing. We gather up our gear and head off into the woods. It's soon apparent that we're following the werewolf's path. As we travel through the dense and dark forest, Enola points out a few places where her arrows found their mark. In one spot there's a large spattering of blood, and it looks like the werewolf was wounded significantly. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] After nearly an hour Kyrin appears. She tells us that there's a group of wolves confronting the werewolf in a clearing up ahead. We make haste and proceed to the Vale of the Silvery Moon. As we arrive on the edge of the clearing, we see a pack of five large wolves attacking the huge wolf man. We're not sure whether we should interfere. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 1 of combat between the wolves and the werewolf.

• One of the werewolf's (I'll call him Blacky) - Attacks the werewolf but misses.
• Another werewolf (I'll call this one Blondy) - Attacks the werewolf but misses.
• The werewolf - Attacks a wolf (I'll call this werewolf Lucky) but misses.
• Enola - Makes her decision. She attacks the werewolf with her bow. Her arrows strike the wounded werewolf three times, but they cause no damage. This beast is powerful indeed.
• Another wolf - (I'll call this one Spartacus) Attacks the werewolf and hits, causing minimal damage.
• Lucky - Gets his chance. Attacks the werewolf but misses.
• Azura - Runs up to the wolves.
• Kyrin - Still in Hawk shape, flys up to the wolves. Even in hawk form, she's able to cast a spell on the werewolf. Nothing seems to happen.
• Solmar - Finally, I move forward, approaching the wolves.[/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 2 of wolves and werewolf.

• Enola - Attacks once again. Three arrows streak towards the werewolf. Two hit for no damage. The third misses.
• The fifth wolf - (I'll call him slow-poke) Attacks the werewolf but misses.
• Lucky - Attacks the werewolf but misses.
• Spartacus - Attacks the werewolf, hits, but fails to cause any damage.
• Blacky - Attacks the werewolf. I can't tell if it's caused any damage.
• Skif - Decides to entery the fray. He loads his crossbow and fires an acid bolt at the werewolf. It hits and causes very slight damage.
• Solmar - I move closer to the combat. Maneuvering to a specific vantage point. Once I'm in position I begin to detect evil. One of the wolves - or the werewolf, is evil.
• Blondy - Attacks the werewolf, and misses.
• werewolf - Attacks Spartacus. Hits and causes significant damage. It attacks a second time, taking a swipe at Blacky. Then it attacks Slow-poke. It strikes all three wolves, causing significant damage to all.
• Kyrin - Casts a spell on the werewolf. The spell must have caused significant damage... The wolf creature changes into Armon Bistle! The werewolf is Armon Bistle.
• Azura - Steps forward. The wolves don't attack him. He attacks Armon with a subduing attack. Hopefully we can take him alive so that there's proof of his crimes. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 3 of combat between the wolves and Armon Bistle - the werewolf!

• Enola - The bloodthirsty ranger; lets fly three arrows at Armon. Hit, Hit, Hit! All three hit causing massive damage. Armon falls to the ground, unmoving, unbreathing, probably dead.
• Lucky - Lunges forward and rips out Armon's throat. O.k. He's dead now.
• Blacky - Does nothing.
• Another wolf enters the clearing.
• Skif - Delays.
• Blondy - Moves away from Armon's body and becomes a werewolf. It speaks: "What are your intentions towards us?"
• Azura - Speaks up, saying: "Peacful, for now."
• Solmar - I speak, saying: "As long as you don't attack or slay the innocent, we have no reason to wage war against you". [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The party talks with one of the remaining werewolf. These werewolf have been protecting the town for decades. The members of the pack live in and amongst the village folk of Deepwood. Two months ago they were hunting a buck in the forest when a very large wolf killed the deer with a single bite. It claimed leadership by right of might. Trammil, our pack leader challenged it. This new beast easily defeated Trammil; leaving him severely wounded but still alive. It took over the pack and began making odd demands. It led the pack to a cave, and forced the group to begin mining gold from a vein inside the cave. The pack mined the gold as instructed, but they hid the gold from the new pack leader. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Now they've figured out who this new wolf was. The strange thing was that his scent didn't correspond to that of anyone in the town. It was Armon who framed Trammil and slew priestess Ishtal (By now I've completed my detection of evil. None of these wolves / werewolf are evil). According to this werewolf (we still don't know who it is), werewolf are usually evil creatures who enjoy tormenting and torturing others. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We take Armon's body back to town (Skif has already removed all his items). We've agreed to speak to the priestess on behalf of the werewolf. The pack wishes to remain in Deepwood. They wish to remain here and continue protecting the village and its residents - their kin - from any and all threats. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] As we travel back to the village we see the glow of a large fire. As we get closer, we realize it's Armon's manor! News sure does travel fast in this town. There are townsfolk about, keeping the fire under control. They're not trying to put out the fire. They're just making sure it doesn't spread to other structures or the forest. We meet Ishtal and speak with her at the temple. With Armon's body in tow, we cast another speak with dead. We ask the recently departed: "Did you kill Ishtal?" The answer: "She was alive when I left the temple." Another question: "Did you attack Ishtal?" This time the answer is clear: "Yes, and I would have killed her if Trammil hadn't shown up. It didn't take long to finish him off before I had to leave". [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We conclude our discussion by revealing the presence of the pack in the town of Deepwood. We explain that they're not evil. That they've been protecting the town for decades. That they live in and amongst the village. We explain that they wish to discuss the future of the pack with her and the mayor. If the priestess will afix a symbol of parlay on the temple's steeple, the pack will send an envoy to initiate talks. We head back to the clearing. It's been a long day. We cast healing spells and identify some magic on Armon's items. The amulet that Armon was wearing detects as powerful evil. Perhaps this was the source of evil that corrupted his soul and filled him with greed and murderous thoughts... [/Solmar]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal has grown and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered an additional source of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. One of them managed to slay two party members. After defeating the deadly Bodak, and resting for some time, the party continued its quest. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. Eventually, the party managed to catch up with and defeat the vampire and it's allies. After returning to the village, the party discovered yet another mystery plaguing the small village of Deepwood. A murder mystery awaited our adventurers. Someone or some thing, slew the priestess Ishtal. Someone or something is menacing the citizens of Deepwood. With no end in sight, the party continues their quest to 'solve all of Deepwood's dilemmas'. The party spent a couple of days poking there noses around, and finally reincarnated Ishtal the priestess of Deepwood. Before they could get some answers from the recently reincarnated priestess, a giant 'Wolf Man' appeared. He stole a ledger from the temple and ran into the woods. When the party caught up with the werewolf, it was under attack by a pack of wolves. The party joined the fray and slew the werewolf. It was Armon Bistle! The other wolves were werewolves too, but they're good. They've been protecting the town from all threats for several decades. After the battle, Solmar agreed to discuss possible negotiations with the townsfolk. Can the werewolves and townfolk live in peace? Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Real-world date: 9 Jul 2011
Game-world date: 11-13 Jul 1004
Written by: Player - Robert, playing Solmar

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal has grown and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered an additional source of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. One of them - a 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party members. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights were vanquished in a matter of minutes. After defeating the Bodak our party continued its quest, we rested for a while, then we went right back into the dungeon. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. Eventually, the party managed to catch up with and defeat the vampire and it's allies. During the long and protracted battle, Enola was charmed. Thankfully, her compulsion to 'kill Solmar' didn't last long after the vampire was slain. After returning to the village, the party discovered yet another mystery plaguing the small village of Deepwood. A murder mystery awaited our adventurers. Someone or some thing, has slain the priestess Ishtal. Someone or something is menacing the citizens of Deepwood. With no end in sight, the party continues their quest to 'solve all of Deepwood's dilemmas'. Will the party be able to find and slay the creature or creatures responsible for the recent murders in Deepwood? Or will this mystery lead to yet another protracted quest? Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"Where wolf? What wolf? What's a werewolf?"

11 Jularva
Newday

[Solmar] The party is in Deepwood. It is dinner time. The party has decided to summon the Artarius (the flying ship chartered for our return trip), captained by Huzzach'ta Veyatar and his crew. Skif casts the 'sending' spell in order to contact Torik the administrator at J.F.K. Enterprises. The response received is "The Artarius will depart Whillip" in 5 days." [/Solmar]

[Solmar] I suggest that we should ask Armon Bistle about local folklore, tales of 'wolf men'. I ask Skif to check the gold to see if it's real. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Enola must feel guilty about attacking me. She 'gives' me a +2 long sword. I say 'Thanks Enola' [/Solmar]

[Solmar] After arriving at Armon Bistle's manor, Darby (the houseman) says that Armon has retired for the evening and wishes not to be disturbed. We question Darby. Skif has cast a 'zone of truth spell', so if Darby lies, we'll know it. We ask Darby about local rumors regarding 'wolf men'. He claims that he's from the city, and doesn't know anything about local folkstories. He recommends that we speak with Kititch, the Jyles, Bastone, and Hearth families in the village. We thank him and leave without any satisfactory answers. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] When we get to our camp, I inform Kyrin about the results of our visit to Armon's manor. I suggest that Kyrin transform into an owl in order to watch the manor and it's goings-on. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We (Azura, Skif, Solmar and Enola) head over to the Hearth's. We knock on the door and a young woman answers the door. I introduce ourselves, and indicate that we're investigating the recent incident involving a 'wolf like' monster. We ask if she knew Trammil Nimman? She indicates that she knew he was one of the many hunters in the village. Apparently, he lived by himself, and seldom had visitors. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We leave the Hearth's and head over to the Jyle's. This small farm seems to be abandoned. No one is home. There are no animals. Nothing else seems unusual or out of place. We return to our camp for the evening. I set up a perimeter and begin the watch. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Kyrin returns from the Manor. She indicates that she didn't notice anything unusual. I'm very suspicious of this town. I get the feeling that they're covering up; not telling us everything. We're having a hard time getting any answers. Usually the soft skins are all too willing to share gossip and rumors about their neighbors. In this town they're very reluctant to talk about their neighbors. Not willing to repeat gossip or provide information without a lot of direct questions and insistent probing. It's abnormal. Too private for such a small town. This is the sort of behavior associated with a town with a secret. Kyrin changes into a dog, and visits the Jyle's farm. When she returns, she tells me how she went around the farm seeking out various scents and trails. She detected the scents of some wolves but didn't think that was too unusual. We are in heavily wooded area. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] I stand watch alone for the rest of the night. The soft skins are tired. They sleep late into the morning hours. [/Solmar]

12 Jularva
Nexsta'

[Solmar] In the morning, Enola casts her 'lay of the land' spell in order to get a better feel for the local topography. She discovers some caves in the local vicinity. Not the ones we previously explored. These are to the south of the town. These might turn out to be important, but it's too early to tell right now. Skif informs me that the trade bars are 'legit'. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] After morning activities, we prepare to cast 'speak with dead' on the body of Trammil Nimman. Skif has prepared the spell, and we've spent some time discussing the questions we'd like to ask. We stop at Edvard Kititch's place. We ask him about the Jyle's farmstead. He indicates that he doesn't know why it might be vacant, but he'll ask his wife about it. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] With a slight change of plans, we decide to return to the Jyle's farmstead and do a little more investigating. We go to the house and try the door. It's not locked. We go inside and search about. There's no one home, no signs of a struggle and no sign's of a hasty departure. At the same time, it doesn't appear as if they went on any sort of extended trip. They didn't clean up before they left, and the plants need some watering. They're missing for no known reason. Enola's snake catches a scent and we decide to investigate. According to Enola, it's a wolf scent. The scent is strongest outside, but there's some scent inside? We lose the trail near the forrest's edge, and nothing comes of our investigating. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We head back to the town's main entrance and the 'hanging tree'. Trammil's body is still dangling on display as some sort of gruesome warning to those who may think they can slay the townsfolk with impunity. It seems a wasted message as whoever killed Trammil did so without consequence. Skif casts his 'speak with dead' spell and we interrogate the corpse. "Who or what killed Ishtal?" It's a rather direct question, but it's also the best question we could come up with. The answer comes out of the slack jaw of Trammil's corpse. "The pack leader usurper". We've got a couple more questions left. "What is the name of the pack leader usurper?" The answer is "I don't know, that's what we were attempting to determine." Our last question is a bit more insistent. "Who else in town is a member of this pack?" The answer; "I will not expose my pack mates". At this the mayor exclaims: "So there is a pack in my town!" [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We return to our camp area to talk about the 'Pack'. There's a group of people who can change into wolves living in this town. They've organized themselves into a 'Pack', and the leadership of this pack has been subverted by an 'Usurper'. The usurper has slain Ishtal and disrupted the normal balance of power and harmony in the town. We decide to split up the party into two groups. One group will consist of: Solmar, Enola (and her companion snake) and Skif. The second group consists of Azura and Kyrin (in dog form). We're going to go all around the town looking for wolf scents. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We spend the day sniffing the outhouses, crotches and picket fences of this seemingly tranquil little town. When we get to Edvard Kititch's house, his wife Lilly explains that the Jyle family (her parents farmstead) went on a hunting trip deep into the woods, and she's been watching the home. Together we spend half the day scouring the town's back doors, garden paths and back streets. Unfortunately, we come up empty handed. With all these scents (and there's plenty), we're unable to correlate any sort of causal or connecting schemes. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Around noon it starts to get really hot. Most of the soft skins decide to take shelter from the heat. It doesn't seem all that hot to me. I decide to continue investigating. Kyrin (as a dog) seems unaffected by the heat. She comes with me. We do some more scenting. Following scent trails and her keen sense of smell, we discover very little in the way of useful information. The pack obviously lives in and among the town folk. From the crisscrossing and interwoven scents it's quite apparent that everyone in this 'pack' must know each other. It's hard to imagine that they don't know who the 'usurper' is. It must be a stranger or someone from outside the village. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] As we go door to door, I introduce myself as Solmar of the 'H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights' of Whillip. I explain how we've been given leave by the mayor to conduct an investigation. As I'm talking with the townsfolk, Kyrin (as a dog) is sniffing crotches, corners and linen closets. We discover a few empty cabins and a lead on some marital infidelity, but no signs pointing to the outsider or usurper. No one seems to be hiding an outsider in their closet. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] When we return to camp, Edvard Kititch is there. He wants to know whether we've learned anything. I answer in the negative. Nothing of value to report. He suggests we check out the claw marks on Trammil's corpse. A short trip to the hanging tree reveals claw marks of unusual proportions. Whatever attacked Trammil was much larger than any man sized 'wolf man'. All indications so far have shown standard sized wolf tracks. Only a couple of stories about an immense wolf man. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The night passes uneventfully. There are no wolves howling tonight. No signs of trouble. The night is peaceful and the soft skins sleep deeply while I knit. I wonder if the monastery has installed that new wood burning furnace? [/Solmar]

13 Jularva
Onward

[Solmar] On the morning of the 13th we head over to the temple. We're going to reincarnate Ishtal, the priestess of Mielikki. Her death was unjust, and a speak with dead (by the temple's acolytes) has determined that she wishes to be reincarnated. When we get to the temple, the acolytes have prepared her body for the ceremony. Various prayers are said, ceremonies completed, and Skif casts his spell. Ishtal is reincarnated as an Elf (the same race she was previously). [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Ishtal is surprised that Trammil is dead. She indicates that he was trying to protect her. She isn't feeling well, and wishes to rest and pray. I don't like the idea of leaving her alone. She excuses herself, retires to a private chamber, and locks the door... I persist in asking her questions. Despite the fact that she's locked herself into an antechamber; "Are you the leader of the Pack?" She doesn't answer immediately. Seconds later she responds (through the door); "What pack?" She sounds sleepy. With no further answers or conversation, some party members decide to do a little investigating. Azura and Enola decide to stay at the temple. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Skif, Kyrin and Solmar leave to check out some of the buildings that we haven't investigated. Finding nothing unusual there, we decide to head to the 'Vale of the Silvery Moon'. Maybe we'll find some answers there. One of the acolytes agrees to show us to the vale. We start heading for the trail that leads to the Vale. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Moments after we start down the trail (as related later), A very large wolf man comes bounding out of the woods and into the temple. Enola and Azura are taken by surprise. The creature charges into the temple. It rushes towards the back of the temple, towards the room where Ishtal is resting. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Enola and Azura are finally able to react. Round 1 of combat with the 'Wolf Man'.

• Enola - Draws her bow and fires two arrows at the beast. It takes no damage.
• The creature - Charges towards Enola. She steps out of the way, and takes an attack of opportunity as the creature rushes past her. She misses, and the creature moves up onto the stage/dais.
• Azura - Calls out in the hopes that we'll hear him; "The Wolf Creature is attacking us!" Changes his 'dragon shaman' aura to assist in combat, throws his hammer, hits the creature and does a fair amount of damage. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] As the battle commences, we hear Azura's shout for help. We head back towards the temple, but it'll be a couple rounds before we can assist. [/Solmar]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal has grown and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered an additional source of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. One of them managed to slay two party members. After defeating the deadly Bodak, and resting for some time, the party continued its quest. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. Eventually, the party managed to catch up with and defeat the vampire and it's allies. After returning to the village, the party discovered yet another mystery plaguing the small village of Deepwood. A murder mystery awaited our adventurers. Someone or some thing, slew the priestess Ishtal. Someone or something is menacing the citizens of Deepwood. With no end in sight, the party continues their quest to 'solve all of Deepwood's dilemmas'. The party spent a couple of days poking there noses around, and finally reincarnated Ishtal the priestess of Deepwood. Before they could get some answers from the recently reincarnated priestess, a giant 'Wolf Man' appeared. Locked in battle with two party members, the odds don't look good... Can the rest of our heroes get back before tragedy strikes? Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Real-world date: 25 Jun 2011
Game-world date: 10-11 Jul 1004
Written by: Player - Todd, playing Skiff and Enola (kind of)

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal has grown and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered an additional source of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. One of them - a 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party members. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights were vanquished in a matter of minutes. After defeating the Bodak our party continued its quest, we rested for a while, then we went right back into the dungeon. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. The vampire initially fled towards the entrance and freedom. Finding the sun rising, it stopped near the entrance, and the party caught up with it. Taking a stand in a large antechamber, the vampire enlisted the aid of two salt mummies in it's defense. After defeating the mummy minions, the party attempted to focus on the vampire. Unfortunately, one of the party members fell under the vampire's thrall and the party had to fight the vampire while Enola attempted to kill Solmar. After a long grueling battle, the party eventually persevered. Knocking Enola unconscious, the party was able to focus it's attack on the vampire. Forcing it to take gaseous form it fled to a stone sarcophagus. The party (minus Enola) carried the sarcophagus out into the dawn's light and opened the cover - Finally destroying the vampire! Unfortunately, as they were cataloging the treasure found in the vampire's coffin, Enola came a calling. With blood in her eyes and a gleam of dedication, she's still intent on killing Solmar. Now that the greater threat of a vampire has been vanquished, we seem almost resigned to the attacks of a possessed Enola. Will we have to kill Enola, or will she slay Solmar? Stay tuned for the conclusion of this final confrontation.

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"It's Always the Quiet Ones"

10 Jularva
Godsday

[Enola] Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin [/Enola]

[Skifander] We finally killed the bloody vampire for good, exposing it to sunlight and destroying it completely. We had just finished up with finding some items it had left in the sarcophagus when it disintegrated into dust, then arrows start zinging out of the cave entrance! It’s Enola and she’s still trying to kill Solmar – which means that she’s still somehow possessed by the dead vampire! This is really, really bad… none of us have had a chance to rest up and heal yet, and she’s poking him full of holes again! Maybe it was the confined room we were in before, because she had a rough time hitting Solmar before… but not now! Her arrows are striking him with deadly accuracy and effect, and our leader is about to die! [/Skifander]

[Enola] Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin [/Enola]

[Skifander] All of us spring into action, but it’s really obvious that we’re all hurt and have barely enough strength to attack – although if we don’t bring Enola down fast, Solmar isn’t going to make it. Two arrows are already sticking out of him and before we can get to her, she unleashes another volley. Her first arrow strikes Solmar, who had been charging her for some reason instead of TAKING COVER, in the neck area and he topples over with a loud, hollow thud right outside the cave entrance. Enola shows no mercy and continues to fire away at him… but luckily her next two shots miss Solmar completely. [/Skifander]

[Enola] Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin Kill the paladin [/Enola]

[Skifander] Azura, Kyrin and me get to Enola just as she’s drawing another handful of arrows. Kyrin is still a big ape, so she grabs Solmar and drags him out of harm’s way (I hope!). I swing at Enola, trying to break her concentration or something to draw her attention away from Solmar, but it’s no good… she’s totally focused on him. Azura swings and misses as she ducks under his hammer and moves out of the cave entrance to get a clear shot at Solmar again. I grab up my sling and load it quickly, then whirl it as fast as I can before letting the rock fly. Baervan must have been looking down on me, because I popped her a good one right in the back of the head and she went down like a sack of potatoes. [/Skifander]

[Enola] Kill the paladin Kill the pal... (Thud!) [/Enola]

[Skifander] Azura activates his healing aura and Solmar is able to move and talk again after a few minutes. While he’s healing up, we tie up Enola and throw all her stuff except for her basic clothes in my bag. I don’t think I can do anything to break the enchantment on her from the vampire… I just hope it wears off soon. We start to make plans to head back into town to rest and recover, but then Solmar decides that the vampire spawn that’s still in the cave needs to be dealt with… right NOW! He starts spouting some claptrap about how we’re “putting the world in danger” by going back to town… and yes, most of the time I’m on his side 100%, but there’s no way we can deal with that creature right now – we’re out of spells completely and at less than half-strength. [/Skifander]

[Skifander] Solmar keeps pushing it, and now he’s saying that there’s other undead we also need to kill in the cave… namely the two other wights that ran away when we turned them. I think I’m angry at him for the first time. Finally, I have to make him understand that we’re in NO shape to stay, and if we encounter the vampire spawn we’re probably going to all die. He argues that he’ll stay and stand guard, attacking the vampire spawn (or whatever else crawls out of there) when it comes out of the cave. I have to break it to him that he’s about as mobile as a tree stump… and if he stays on his own, the vampire spawn could get past him with no effort at all. Solmar finally relents, but only after making us all promise that we’ll come back to clean out the cave after we’re all rested and whole again. [/Skifander]

[Skifander] We finally head back into town. [/Skifander]

[Skifander] And find a murder mystery waiting for us [/Skifander].

[Skifander] The first thing we see is a dead man hanging by his neck from a tree right outside of town. None of us recognize him, but we’re soon told by the town “mayor” Edvard Kititch that his name is Trammill, one of the local woodsmen.  Edvard says that Trammill had turned into a huge wolf and murdered Ishtal, the priestess of Nature! And then he was run down, beaten and hung by the townspeople while proclaiming his innocence the entire time! This is all way too much… do the crazies just decide to come crawling out of the walls when we get to a place?! We’re all exhausted and threadbare, and now Edvard is looking at us to solve yet another of his “sleepy little town’s” problems! For the first time since we left Whillip to go find the Dragon, I can truly say that I’m ready to get back to the city for awhile. [/Skifander]

[Skifander] We all discuss the possibility of Trammill being some kind of shape shifter or having an item of magic that would allow him to take wolf form. We don’t have any evidence to support either theory, so we decide to go check out the nature temple and maybe find some clues. Also, some of us are still inflicted with the vampire’s curses and need to be cleansed. For the first time in a great while, we run into some good luck… Ishtal had the sense to keep her temple stocked with potions and scrolls of healing and the like. She was a smart girl… she knew they were an isolated village, so she made sure to have plenty of extra supplies around.  It’s too bad she’s dead… I was hoping that she’d maybe join us on our way back to Whillip. Since Mutt and Crucifer are dead and we lost most of our firepower, we could really use someone else in case we get into any more scrapes. [/Skifander]

[Skifander] We only wind up using what potions and scrolls we need to heal us up, and leave the rest. Since Ishtal’s dead, they’ll need the healing magic more than ever.  It feels great to be back to full health, but I’ll still feel a little vulnerable until I get my spells back. While we’re healing up, Edvard tells us what happened with Trammill and Ishtal… at least, as much as he knows and can figure out. He admits that no one really knows the exact events except for the two dead people. There’s also a book in the temple written in some strange writing that no one can decipher. So it looks like I’ll be praying for some “Speak With Dead” and “Comprehend Languages” spells in the morning. [/Skifander]

11 Jularva
Newday

[Skifander] After a night’s rest, we’re back up to snuff… spells and all. And praise be to Baervan, Enola is no longer under the influence of the damned vampire! She says that she remembers everything in perfect detail, but she simply didn’t have the ability to stop herself while she was being dominated. Looking back, I guess we were really lucky that the vampire told her to keep attacking Solmar rather than just pick us all off – because in that room, with everyone running around like crazy, Enola would’ve probably been able to kill at least one or two of us before we could take her down. I hate to think if Crucifer or Mutt were with us and got dominated like that – we’d probably all be dead right now. Or undead! [/Skifander]

[Skifander] Going over to Armon Bistle’s place, we finally get paid for slaying the Dragon – he pays us in gold trade bars, which is a little strange… well, at least I think so anyway. Why would he have all that material wealth out here in this little isolated town? Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. But then again, this entire place is dripping with crazy, so I guess he’s just normal around here. We tell him about the fight with the Dragon and with all the undead, and he seems shocked that there was so much evil down there. I don’t know… there’s something about this guy that I simply just don’t like. Crucifer was wrong about Bistle actually being the Dragon and luring adventurers here to kill them and take their loot, but I think he was right to suspect him of being crooked. [/Skifander]

[Skifander] We go back to the temple and the dead priestess tells us that Trammill did indeed turn into a huge wolf – but he wasn’t the one who killed her, he was trying to protect her. She didn’t know the identity of the person who killed her (dangit!), but they were in wolf form like Trammill and much larger – almost the size of a horse, she says. For the last question, I ask her if she’d like to return to life if possible, and she surprisingly says yes. Solmar says that he’s going to go to the villagers and let them know that we’re going to help them find the true murderer and keep them safe. It’s a good idea, as they’re all running scared and the last thing we all need is another lynch mob stringing up innocent people. [/Skifander]

[Skifander] The book is a kind of ledger, showing some sort of schedule for gold mining in the nearby caves. I read out the names that are listed in the book, and find a place called “The Vale Of The Silvery Moon” where all the gold is being brought and buried. Edvard recognizes the names from the book and says this bears investigating, as he is aware of the Vale’s location. We tell him that we’ll help him investigate, but we first need to honor our promise to Solmar by finishing up killing all the undead back in the Dragon cave. [/Skifander]

[Skifander] Heading back to the cave, we’re much more confident about the layout and contents so we plan to move through at a much quicker pace. However, after getting to the cave and discussing the plan further, we decide to move through slowly and check for traps, secret doors, etc.  Going slowly pays off though, as we find a secret room that holds the dracolich’s phylactery! We eagerly destroy it, celebrating the true eradication of powerful evil from our world. We begin making our way back to the main room where we encountered the vampire spawn and their master, and soon find a misty cloud hanging limply in the air… no movement, no sense of life at all. We recognize it as the type of gaseous cloud that the vampire and its spawn would transform into, but this one had lost all its luster. After checking it out thoroughly, we were satisfied that it was dead… somehow. [/Skifander]

[Skifander] We finally make it back to the main bad guy room, and the vampire spawn is there waiting for us. Fortunately, we’re prepared for its tactics and it soon flees… turning into mist and streaking out of the room. We give chase and eventually overcome it, using our superior numbers and recently gained knowledge of these creatures to destroy it. We leave it hanging loosely in the air, inert… just like its former companion. We go back to the main room and find some old and probably very valuable spell books lining the shelves of the old vampire master’s room. Feeling confident with our job well done, we head back into town… [/Skifander]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal has grown and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered an additional source of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. One of them - a 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party members. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights were vanquished in a matter of minutes. After defeating the Bodak our party continued its quest, we rested for a while, then we went right back into the dungeon. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. Eventually, the party managed to catch up with and defeat the vampire and it's allies. During the long and protracted battle, Enola was charmed. Thankfully, her compulsion to 'kill Solmar' didn't last long after the vampire was slain. After returning to the village, the party discovered yet another mystery plaguing the small village of Deepwood. A murder mystery awaited our adventurers. Someone or some thing, has slain the priestess Ishtal. Someone or something is menacing the citizens of Deepwood. With no end in sight, the party continues their quest to 'solve all of Deepwood's dilemmas'. Will the party be able to find and slay the creature or creatures responsible for the recent murders in Deepwood? Or will this mystery lead to yet another protracted quest? Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

Real-world date: 11 Jun 2011
Game-world date: 10 Jul 1004
Written by: Player - Robert, playing Solmar

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal has grown and morphed into something much larger as our heros discovered an additional source of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. An elusive Xorn, the withering attacks of two Wraith, and the deadly attack of an undead creature called the Bodak. The attack of this 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party member. Two spell casters. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights were vanquished in a matter of minutes. After defeating the Bodak our party fought their way past a group of level draining Wight, rested for eight hours and went right back into the dungeon. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. The vampire initially fled towards the entrance and freedom. Finding the sun rising, it stopped near the entrance, and the party caught up with it. Taking a stand in a large antechamber, the vampire enlisted the aid of two salt mummies in it's defense. After defeating the mummy minions, the party attempted to focus on the vampire. Unfortunately, one of the party members fell under the vampire's thrall and the party now has to neutralize that threat before it can turn it's attention to this true source of evil. Engaged in combat with a powerful vampire and Enola, the party struggles to press their attack on the vampire. The battle is far from over - or is it? Can we defeat this menace, or is Enola simply the first to fall under the vampire's thrall? Who knows how much longer this can go on - the vampire is regenerating, casting spells, turning allies into opponents and continuing to resist our every effort. The battle continues. We must destroy this monster before it escapes to wreak havoc on the innocent. We are responsible for releasing it from it's ancient prison.

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"The Battle Continues"

10 Jularva
Godsday

[Solmar] The battle is far from over - or is it? Who knows how much longer this can go on. This vampire is regenerating, casting spells, turning allies into opponents and continuing to resist our every effort. The battle continues. We must destroy this monster before it escapes to wreck havoc on the innocent. We are responsible for releasing it from it's ancient prison. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 17th round of combat with the vampire and Enola!

• Vampire: Casts a spell defensively at Solmar (I make my save). He visibly regenerates. This foul creature must be utterly destroyed. No more images appear. Perhaps he has no more spells to cast? Attrition may be working both ways. If he is a spell caster, he will eventually run out of spells. The green sword attacks Solmar, but it misses all three times. I give thanks to Helm for all my protective magic and armor.
• Skif: Shouts; "Solmar - You only have about 10 seconds of flying left"
• Azura: Changes his Dragon Shaman aura to a fast healing aura. He's severely injured. He pulls out an amulet, throws his hammer at the vampire. It hits, then falls to the ground. The vampire can't have an infinite amount of stamina. When will it fall?
• Enola: Attempts to move adjacent to Azura. As she moves, Kyrin takes an attack of opportunity. She hits Enola and causes considerable damage. Enola completes her move, and picks up her bow, which is laying near Azura's feet.
• Kyrin: Continues her attack on Enola. Sensing Enola's poor state of health, she switches to non-lethal attack forms. Kyrin misses badly, actually hits herself and does a fair amount of damage. Kyrin's owls attack Enola. The vampire takes an attack of opportunity against one of the owls. It his and destroys one of the owls. Thanks to these small creatures, we were able to dissipate all the mirror images. The two remaining owls attack Enola, but they miss.
• Skif: Throws three of the boulder gravel at the vampire. These magic items will do us no good at all if we die before we get to use them. All three attacks miss. Skif moves behind Enola to a flanking position.
• Solmar: I attack the vampire with sword and shield, but all three attacks miss. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 18th round of combat. I start to notice signs of fatigue among the soft skins.

• Enola: She has her bow now. Her preferred method of attack. She takes a step away from Kyrin, Skif and Azura. One of the owls takes an attack of opportunity. It misses. She fires her bow at Solmar. Three times the arrows streak from her bow towards Solmar. All three arrows are ineffective, bouncing off his well armored form.
• Solmar: I shout out; "Enola - Stop attacking me!"
• Skif: Shouts, "Solmar - You only have about ten seconds of flying left!"
• Azura: Puts on an amulet, summons his hammer, takes a free 5' step and activates his healing aura.
• Skif: Throws three more stones. Once again he misses the mark. He takes a 5' step into the corner.
• Solmar: Drops his sword, attempts to grapple the vampire. He succeeds; Solmar is now grappling the vampire.
• Vampire: Attempts to break free of Solmar's grapple. He fails, but has the strength to try a second time. On the second attempt he succeeds. The vampire speaks; "You are a pesky group of no good nicks". His green sword attacks Solmar and hits causing minor damage.
• Kyrin: The Druid moves, fast wild shapes back into Elven form and closes the door on Enola. Enola is now cut off from the rest of the party, unable to attack Solmar. Finally, Kyrin's owls attacks Enola and the vampire. They both miss. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 19th round of combat. We need to stop Enola from attacking me.

• Enola: Attempts to open the door. She fails but tries a second time and succeeds. The door is now half way open.
• Kyrin: Is indecisive; she delays for the moment.
• Vampire: The green sword attacks Solmar but misses. The vampire casts a spell at Azura. Nothing appears to happen. The vampire takes a free 5' step away from Solmar.
• Azura: Throws his hammer at the vampire. It's a good hit and the vampire staggers.
• Skif: Throws three more stones. He misses again. The acid bolt he fired earlier is still circling. It swoops in and hits the vampire, causing some acid damage.
• Kyrin: Shouts out; "Everyone step back, I'm about to get really large!"
• Solmar: Attempts to grapple the vampire again. The vampire takes an attack of opportunity and misses. Solmar says; "Skif, either run up there and attack the vampire, or give me your shoes." [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 20 of combat. Enola is still attempting to kill me, and the vampire doesn't seem ready to drop.

• Vampire: The green sword swings at Solmar and misses all three times. He steps away from Solmar and casts another spell. He makes a punching motion in the direction of Azura. An invisible force strikes Azura causing significant damage. He looks like he's had his life force depleted. Azura looks like he's on the verge of death.
• Enola: Attempts to shoot at Solmar. Kyrin uses the opportunity to attack Enola with a non-lethal attack. Kyrin knocks Enola unconscious.
• Kyrin: The owls attack the vampire. The vampire kills one of them, the other misses. She picks up Enola's bow and arrows and steps away from Enola.
• Solmar: Speaks; "Someone bind Enola's wounds so she doesn't bleed to death, and stop having the owls attack the vampire, they can't hurt it. Skif, can I get those slippers please?"
• Kyrin: Speaks; "I just knocked her out, she's not dead".
• Skif: Speaks; "I'll lay down on the ground and you can take them off my feet"
• Skif: Moves to the stairs, falls down and removes the wish ring from Enola's finger.
• Azura: Heals himself. Throws his hammer but misses. He calls his hammer back and prepares for the next attack.
• Fang: Enola's companion snake slithers loose from inside Enola's clothing. It moves adjacent to Kyrin.
• Solmar: Picks up his sword and moves over next to Skif. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Finally we have some reprieve. With Enola out of the picture, we can concentrate all our attacks on the vampire. Round 21 of combat.

• Enola: Does nothing, she's unconscious.
• Vampire: Heals itself. The green enchanted sword attacks Solmar but misses three times. It takes a free 5' step (away from Solmar) and casts a spell. It makes a punching motion towards Kyrin. Once again the phantom punch hits; this time Kyrin suffers the ill effects. She looks extremely drained, weakened and injured.
• Skif: Puts on the 'wish ring' he removed from Enola's unconscious form. He says; "I wish the vampire would turn to dust permanently." Followed by ;"Hey Solmar are ever going to come and get these shoes?" Finally, he loads his crossbow. Nothing happens to the vampire.
• Kyrin: Casts a spell on Solmar. I feel somewhat revitalized. She moves over to Enola. Enola's snake (Fang) takes an attack of opportunity against Kyrin but misses.
• Azura: Heals himself, then throws his hammer at the vampire. He misses and recalls his hammer.
• Fang: Is defending the unconscious Enola. It attacks Kyrin and hits. I hope it's poison doesn't affect Kyrin.
• Solmar: I move over to Skif, remove his slippers and put them on. My spiked boots are left behind. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 22. With Enola out of the picture, I now have free reign, and the slippers of spider climb. I will now take the fight directly to the vampire.

• Fang: Continues attacking Kyrin in defense of Enola's unconscious form. It strikes out at Kyrin, but misses.
• Vampire: The green sword attacks Solmar. Swinging three times, one of the attacks hits for a very small amount of damage. The vampire casts a spell at/on Solmar's sword.
• Azura: Attacks with his hammer. He misses and recalls the hammer.
• Solmar: I move across the floor, pick up my sword along the way and move up the wall. These slippers allow me to actually close with the vampire. Let's see his mettle up close in face to face combat. I move adjacent to the vampire. It strikes out with an attack of opportunity but misses.
• Skif: Casts a 'cats grace' spell on himself.
• Kyrin: Drops her bow & quiver adjacent to Enola. She throws a bead at the vampire but misses. The bead strikes the ceiling instead. It doesn't break, bounces off the ceiling and heads back towards the floor. It still doesn't break. I wonder what it's made out of? She moves off the stairs (near Enola's body) and into a corner; away from Fang. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 23rd round of combat. I am now in melee with the vampire.

• Vampire: The displacement spell wears off and the shimmering image of the vampire stabilizes. This is good news. The vampire is running out of spells and his protective spells are expiring. The green sword swings at Solmar. All three attacks miss. Thankfully the sword/vampire isn't very good at the martial arts. He takes a free 5' step away from Solmar and casts a spell towards Solmar. Thankfully, Helm protects me and I make my save.
• Kyrin: Says; "I think we should grab Enola and get the hell out of here." Then she throws a magical stone into the air. It begins orbiting around her head as she runs towards the exit.
• Enola & Fang: Enola is still unconscious. Fang continues to guard Enola's body.
• Azura: Throws his hammer at the vampire. This time he hits the vampire. It's slightly damaged. The hammer returns to Azura's hand.
• Skif: Grabs the bead off the floor (yes it landed adjacent to him - good thing it didn't break!), stands up. Then throws the bead at the vampire. This time it hits the vampire, breaks and explodes in a consuming gout of magical flames.
• Solmar: I attack the vampire with sword and shield - The sword actually deviates in it's course and swings at me. Connecting with a vicious blow, it causes a significant amount of damage. I miss with my shield and second sword attack. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 24th round of combat. We are badly beaten, but not defeated yet. This vampire must be destroyed!

• Enola & Fang: Enola is still unconscious. Fang continues to guard Enola's body.
• Vampire: Takes a free 5' step - Still avoiding direct combat with Solmar - and casts a spell. Casting a spell at all the party members on the floor below (Solmar and the vampire are on the ceiling). Kyrin, Fang and Skif are sickened with 'Filth Fever', a mass contagion spell.
• Skif: Throws three more stones (that magical boulder gravel he's been using). This time he hits. All three stones impact the vampire, but they do very little damage. He moves across the floor and retrieves his Leprechaun bag.
• Azura: Throws his hammer and hits for a good amount of damage, and the vampire is knocked prone. Falling down, towards the floor, he speeds away from Solmar. I take a free attack of opportunity as he plummets to the floor below. I hit, causing a small amount of damage. Unfortunately, now he's on the floor, twenty feet below. Azura recalls his hammer, and takes a free 5' step towards the prone vampire.
• Kyrin: Fast wild shapes into dire ape shape, moves over to the prone vampire and attacks. Two attacks and two misses.
• Solmar: I execute a 'Death from above' maneuver. Stepping over the spot where the vampire fell, I drop straight down, with sword extended. The fall causes some damage to my frame, but the vampire is undamaged by my attack. Now I'm back on the floor, adjacent to the vampire. Unfortunately, I'm prone, but I don't let that stop me. From the prone position, I attack the vampire. Unfortunately all three attacks miss! [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 25th round of combat. With the vampire prone on the floor, everyone should be able to attack the vile monster.

• Skif: Delays his action.
• Enola & Fang: Enola is still unconscious. Fang continues to guard Enola's body.
• Azura: Takes a 5' step towards the vampire. Now flanking the vampire (with Kyrin (as a Dire Ape)), Azura attack. Striking with his hammer, he shouts; "Die Fiend, Die!".
• Vampire: Finding humor in Azura's declaration, responds with:;"I did that once already. Now it's your turn". The vampire casts a spell at Azura, reaches out and touches Azura. Azura recoils, slapping away the vampire's hand.
• Solmar: I stand up. The vampire takes an attack of opportunity but misses. I take a free 5' step in order to position myself better. I am now flanking the vampire (with Azura). I attack the vampire, striking with my sword, I actually cause a significant amount of damage.
• Kyrin: As a dire ape she takes a free 5' step, attacks an hits, but causes no damage. The vampire's damage resistance is quite effective. She swings again but fumbles. She spends the remainder of the round recovering.
• Skif: Casts a spell, then moves 5' closer to the vampire. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] In the 26th round of combat. Now we have the vampire surrounded. If it attempts to flee again, we will pursue it to the ends of the world.

• Skif: Takes a 5' step forward to touch the vampire. With positive energy crackling in his hands, Skif touches the vampire on it's forehead. It immediately dissolves into a gaseous form! We've done it, we've defeated the vampire!
• Solmar: Exclaims to the rest of the party; "We've defeated it's physical form, now it must return to it's coffin. We must follow it and destroy it's coffin." [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The gaseous cloud coalesces and begins to move away from the party. Although it's moving quite slowly, it eventually outpaces us, as Skif takes the time to check for tracks. The gaseous cloud proceeds down a hallway we haven't explored. It moves into one of the rooms we've avoided. Once again, Skif takes the time to check for traps. He's been here before. He disarmed this trap on the way in, but we never entered the room. We enter the room. As the door cracks open, a stale waft of decay sweeps over us. This room has been sealed for some time. We immediately spot a large sarcophagus. Surely this must be the vampires coffin! [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Skif confirms that the room isn't trapped and we all enter the room. Without opening the sarcophagus, we gather around it. I stand ready to attack anything that emerges. I take the time to detect evil. After a couple of minutes there's no doubt. The aura of evil emanating from within this sarcophagus is the same one that enshrouded the vampire. Kyrin and Azura lift the sarcophagus. I have a plan. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] It's heavy but they're strong. Still ready to attack anything that might emerge, I direct the pair to carry the sarcophagus outside. By now the sun has risen. We carry the stone coffin away from the entrance, to a spot well away. Far enough away that the entrance to this cave complex cannot be seen. Kyrin and Azura set down the sarcophagus. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] I hastily prepare a wooden stake from a torch. Handing the stake to Azura, we stand ready to attack the vampire if it should show any resistance. As dawn's light shines brightly all around us, I open the sarcophagus. Before we or it can act, the vampires reconstituted form crumples to dust, completely destroyed. The purifying rays of the sun have utterly destroyed it. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] I take the time to do another detect evil. No trace of the corruption remains. Deepwood, the area of the Giant's Run mountains, the whole world is rid of this menace once and for all. Skif spots a pile of treasure inside the sarcophagus... Before we can recover all the treasure, a threat emerges from the cave entrance. We'd completely forgotten about Enola! Looking quite haggard, and still posse sed, she has sought us out. Still intent on slaying Solmar, she approaches the party. [/Solmar]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal has grown and morphed into something much larger as our heroes discovered an additional source of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. One of them - a 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party members. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights were vanquished in a matter of minutes. After defeating the Bodak our party continued its quest, we rested for a while, then we went right back into the dungeon. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. The vampire initially fled towards the entrance and freedom. Finding the sun rising, it stopped near the entrance, and the party caught up with it. Taking a stand in a large antechamber, the vampire enlisted the aid of two salt mummies in it's defense. After defeating the mummy minions, the party attempted to focus on the vampire. Unfortunately, one of the party members fell under the vampire's thrall and the party had to fight the vampire while Enola attempted to kill Solmar. After a long grueling battle, the party eventually persevered. Knocking Enola unconscious, the party was able to focus it's attack on the vampire. Forcing it to take gaseous form it fled to a stone sarcophagus. The party (minus Enola) carried the sarcophagus out into the dawn's light and opened the cover - Finally destroying the vampire! Unfortunately, as they were cataloging the treasure found in the vampire's coffin, Enola came a calling. With blood in her eyes and a gleam of dedication, she's still intent on killing Solmar. Now that the greater threat of a vampire has been vanquished, we seem almost resigned to the attacks of a posse sed Enola. Will we have to kill Enola, or will she slay Solmar? Stay tuned for the conclusion of this final confrontation.

Real-world date: 28 May 2011
Game-world date: 10 Jul 1004
Written by: Player - Robert, playing Solmar

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal has grown and morphed into something much larger as our heros discovered an additional source of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. An elusive Xorn, the withering attacks of two Wraith, and the deadly attack of an undead creature called the Bodak. The attack of this 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party member. Two spell casters. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights were vanquished in a matter of minutes. After defeating the Bodak our party fought their way past a group of level draining Wight, rested for eight hours and went right back into the dungeon. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. The party was momentarily delayed by a magical barrier, allowing the vampire to flee towards the entrance and freedom. Eventually, the party caught up with the vampire, but it wasn't alone. Taking a stand in a large antechamber, the vampire enlisted the aid of two salt mummies in it's defense. After defeating the mummy minions, the party attempted to focus on the vampire. Unfortunately, one of the party members fell under the vampire's thrall and the party now has to neutralize that threat before it can turn it's attention to this true source of evil. Engaged in combat with a powerful vampire and Enola, the party struggles to press their attack on the vampire. For some reason it has decided to make a stand in this antechamber. Is there some reason why it doesn't simply flee the scene? Can we defeat this menace, or is Enola simply the first to fall under the vampire's thrall? Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"The Last Stand?"

10 Jularva
Godsday

[Solmar] Our battle with the powerful, evil, servant of Velsharoon continues. This despicable, incarnation of evil was sealed into a tomb by a former priest of Torm, but we foolishly opened the crypt, allowing it to escape! [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 9th round of combat with the vampire.

• Skif - shouts out "Solmar, do you wanna take my boots so you can climb up the wall?"
• Solmar - I reply "Not right now"
• Kyrin - draws her bow, and fires at one of the vampire images. She hits the image and it disappears. We must keep up the pressure.
• Enola - still under the control of the vampire, now being grappled by Azura; drops her bow, and draws her invisible sword.
• Solmar - I attack a vampire image. I strike it, but it's only an image. It vanishes.
• vampire - summons another mirror image. We can't beat it if we only hit it once every ten times we swing. Then the foul beast speaks Draconian. I have no idea what it said, but it can't be good. The infernal beast is probably casting another spell. I shout out, "What did he say?!"
• Azura - responds; "He's calling for more help". Azura ends his grapple with Enola, and picks up her bow. She ignores him. Azura moves to a corner outside the influence of the red mist.
• Solmar - I shout out "Someone close those double doors so his allies can't reach us!" [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 10th round of combat with the vampire. Enola is still under it's control.

• vampire - another image appears. There are now eight images of the vampire. We have no idea which one is the real vampire, so we must continue attacking every visible image. The vampire seems to cast another spell, but there's no visible effect.
• Enola - with her invisible sword in hand charges at Solmar (she hops over Azura's extended foot - avoiding a trip attack). She manages to strike for a fair amount of damage. This is no good. When she was firing at me with her bow, she wasn't causing much damage. Now I have to deal with her; instead of the vampire!
• Kyrin's - elemental stands there and does nothing. Sometimes those spell casters forget that they have to command their summoned allies. I can only hope the vampire will forget to control the allies he just summoned. Kyrin fires her bow at another vampire image. This time she misses, but she moves toward that bag of boulders laying on the floor.
• Skif - summons two celestial owls. If only we had more allies. Keep it up Skif. Two owls appear near the ceiling. One of them attacks and dissipates a vampire image. The second attacks but misses.
• Skif - isn't done yet. He moves across the room and closes one of the double doors. He's trying to prevent the vampire's allies from reaching us.
• Azura - drops Enola's bow, then he throws his hammer at a vampire image. Unfortunately, he misses. Thankfully, he's able to call the hammer back to his hand. He looks extremely haggard. I believe the effects of his rage have caught up with him.
• Solmar - I stay where I am, ignoring Enola, I throw my grapple at a vampire image, but I miss. Enola takes an attack of opportunity and gets a good hit it. I may not be able to ignore her for much longer. I recover the grapple. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 11th round of combat with the vampire and Enola!

• Enola - Continues to attack Solmar. This time she misses.
• vampire - summons another image of himself. Then he casts some kind of spell. Skif's owls take their attacks of opportunity. One of them causes an image to disappear. A green glowing sword appears in the square above Enola's head. This can't be good. It swings at me, and misses.
• Skif - steps into the corner and quicken casts another summoning spell. This time three owls appear. All five owls attack vampire images. Two of the images are dismissed as the owls land blows on the illusions. Skif loads his cross bow and fires at a vampire image. He misses. We start to hear a scurrying, scratching squeaking sound from outside the room. The other door is still open, and I'm outside the room.
• Solmar - I bull rush Enola. As I manage to push her back five feet, I create enough room to step forward into the room. I manage to close the door as I spot a swarm of rats entering the outer chamber. I shout out to Skif, "I could use those slippers now!"
• Kyrin - fast wild shapes into a dire lion and moves forward to attack Enola. Hitting with a 'claw, claw, bite' combination, Kyrin causes considerable damage, but she's inflicting lethal damage. This could result in Enola's demise. Enola's not attacking me intentionally. I'll have to have a talk with Kyrin after we (if we) defeat this vampire. Kyrin's fire elemental attacks Enola but misses.
• Azura - throws his hammer at a vampire image. It strikes something solid! It's the real vampire. His attack causes a great amount of damage. Now we have an opportunity to deal more damage, if we can strike before the vampire moves again. Azura recalls the hammer to his hand. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 12th round of combat with the vampire and Enola! I can't recall ever having been engaged in combat for this long before. This vampire is a mighty opponent. I pray to Helm that we defeat this scourge of evil.

• The rat swarm - can be heard scratching and gnawing on the doors. It's a good thing we closed those double doors.
• Skif's - owls attack the vampire images... It's a tactical move. They can't cause much damage against the real vampire, but eliminating the images is very important if we want to destroy this fiend. The owls manage to dismiss one image, but the vampire swipes at them as they fly past. One of the owls is destroyed by the vampire's attack of opportunity.
• Skif - attacks one of the vampire images - He must not realize which one is the actual vampire. He fires an acid bolt at one of the images. It misses, but continues to circle the images.
• Azura - throws his hammer at the real vampire. He strikes it soundly, and inflicts a fair amount of damage. If only we could cause more damage.
• More rats swarm - against the double doors. Are they trying to gnaw through the doors?
• The vampire - acts. All the images scramble and another image appears! There are now five images. One of them is the vampire. The vampire moves across the ceiling. to the double doors. He somehow manages to open the double doors from his position on the ceiling.
• Solmar - shouts out, "Someone close this door - and Kill the vampire!"
• Enola - is still under the control of the vampire. Now she activates a magic item; wounds on her arms and back seem to heal themselves. She moves into the corner near Solmar.
• Skif - shouts out, "Stop attacking Enola, the vampire wants us to attack each other"
• Kyrin - ignores Skif's comments and attacks Enola. Still in dire lion shape, she unleashes another 'claw, claw, bite' attack. This time the damage is minimal. Kyrin's fire elemental moves past Solmar, into the outer chamber, it prepares to attack the swarm of rats.
• Solmar - closes the double doors - again! Then I attack one of the images. I ignore Enola and she takes an attack of opportunity with her invisible sword. Thankfully, she misses. My grapple manages to grab onto the vampire. Unfortunately, it isn't powerful enough to cause any damage. I've struck the real vampire, and the grapple (made out of a black dragons claw) has a good grip on the vampire. I shout out, "I've got you now vampire!" [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 13th round of combat with the vampire and Enola!

• The vampire - summons another image (there are now seven images). The glowing green sword swings three times at Solmar. It hits him once. The vampire is clearly regenerating every round, and it's no small amount. No wonder we haven't destroyed it. We've easily done enough damage to slay most opponents. This vampire is extremely powerful. The vampire transforms into a gaseous form. The grapple falls back to the ground. Clattering onto the stones near my feet, this is a bad sign. Our attacks on the vampire spawn had no effect. I can only assume that attacking this gaseous form will have no effect on the vampire.
• The rat swarm - must be occupied by the fire elemental, because the intensity of it's gnawing has decreased.
• Skif - steps forward and casts a fly spell on Solmar. He says, "You can't have my shoes, but why don't you just fly up there and attack it?" Then he fires his crossbow at one of the images, but misses. The owls attack, but they all miss. We see the acid bolt dive into a gaseous vampire image. It must have hit the real vampire, because none of the images disappeared.
• Enola - is still controlled by the vampire. She attacks Solmar with her invisible sword but misses.
• The swarm - can be heard gnawing on the doors.
• Solmar - I fly up to the ceiling. Enola swings at me as I leave. Thankfully she misses. I attack one of the gaseous form images but miss. I yell out, "I'm not done with you yet!"
• Azura - Throws his hammer at a gaseous image. He hits one of them. The image disappears, and he recalls the hammer to his hand.
• Kyrin - is still in dire lion form. She summons two owls to join the growing crowd of owls attacking the vampire images. An excellent strategy. We need to reduce the number of vampire images so we can attack the actual vampire. The owls attack images but miss. Kyrin steps away from Enola. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 14th round of combat with the vampire and Enola! A swarm of rats can still be heard outside the doors.

• Solmar - attacks first! Attacking three different images, I manage to dispel two of them.
• vampire - commands his green sword to attack Solmar. It misses all three times. Thankfully the vampire's martial prowess isn't on par with Solmar's ability to resist the attacks of his opponents. Another image appears and the vampire is surely regenerating. There are now five images. The vampire changes shape. It changes back into solid form. Good - I can't damage it in gaseous form.
• Kyrin's owls - attack vampire images but miss.
• Kyrin - summons more owls! Three more owls appear and attack the vampire images. One of the images is eliminated. Kyrin moves back to the stairs at the back of the room.
• Enola - retrieves a potion from her belt and drinks the contents.
• Skif's owls - attack vampire images but miss.
• Skif - steps away from Enola and retrieves a stowed item. It's a blast disc. He throws it up towards the ceiling. It strikes the ceiling. (behind the vampire) with a dull thud and a thunderous Boom! The disc explodes causing damage to the vampire and all his images. A sound strategy. While he didn't dismiss any images, this attack caused significant damage to the vampire. Unfortunately, it also damaged the doors keeping the rat swarm at bay. There is a large hole in one of the doors.
• Azura - attacks one of the vampire images. He hurls his hammer but misses. He retrieves his hammer and gets ready for the next attack.
• The rat swarm - moves into the room, covering a large swath of the room. It causes damage to Enola and Skif. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 15th round of combat with the vampire, Enola, and the swarm of rats (which entered the room last round).

• The swarm - crawls over Skif's body. He becomes nauseous and takes some damage.
• Skif - walks up the wall (using his spider climb slippers) in order to avoid the swarm.
• Skif's owls - attack some of the vampire images. One of the owls is destroyed, but they reduce the number of images to three.
• The rat swarm - moves further into the room. This time they move towards Azura and Kyrin. Azura strikes out with an attack of opportunity and smashes part of the swarm.
• The vampire - commands that green sword to attack Solmar. Once again it fails to connect; missing all three times. The vampire is seen to visibly regenerate, and now there's four images to contend with. Then the vampire casts a spell. We see no noticeable effect.
• The rat swarm - continues to surge about the room. This time it causes damage to Enola. The swarm doesn't care if she's an ally to the vampire. It attacks anything it comes in contact with.
• Kyrin's owls - attack a series of vampires. After attacking numerous images, there are only two images left. The owls are also reduced in number.
• Kyrin - moves five feet forward and attacks the rat swarm. He smashes the remaining rats and eliminates that threat.
• Enola - opens her mouth, and exhales a huge gout of flame directly towards Solmar. Despite the immense conflagration, Solmar appears to have taken very little damage. Enola retrieves another item.
• Solmar - I move forward to attack one of the vampire images - I think I know which one is the real vampire. I swing the sword and feel it twist in my hand, as my attack is somehow redirected at me! It strikes me causing some damage. With my second attack, I swing my shield. I connect solidly, but the vampire takes no damage whatsoever. Damage reduction is keeping my attacks from hurting this creature. Despite the possible danger, I swing my sword again. This time I miss, but the sword's attack is not redirected at me.
• Azura - now knows which image is the real vampire. He throws his hammer, but misses. Azura's aura continues to heal party members. It's our own form of 'Regeneration'. Unfortunately, it doesn't work as well as the vampire's. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 16th round of combat with the vampire and Enola!

• The vampire - summons another image. There are now four identical images of the vampire. The green sword attacks Solmar, but it misses all three times. The vampire seems to heal before my eyes. The vampire casts another spell. I feel that I have failed my save. My will is sapped. I certainly hope I haven't fallen victim to the vampire's charm ability.
• Enola - throws a glass bead towards Solmar. The bead strikes the ceiling. but fails to break. It fall to the floor, and still doesn't break! She moves across the room to retrieve the bead. While she's moving, Kyrin (still in dire lion form) takes a swipe at her. Kyrin hits, causing some damage. Enola picks up the bead.
• Skif's owls - attack some vampire images, but they miss.
• Skif - moves across the room to pick up that bag of boulder gravel. Then he fires his crossbow at one of the vampire images. He misses.
• Azura - throws his hammer at one of the images. He misses! The hammer falls to the ground and Azura recalls it to his hand.
• Kyrin's owls - attempt to attack the vampire images. The large number of owls manages to attack and dispel all but one of the vampire images! One of the owls is destroyed in the attack.
• Solmar - prepares to swing at the vampire. The vampire stares intently at Solmar, and I feel my less powerful. As if my ability to resist the vampire's attacks has somehow been lessened. Pressing on with my attack, I swing three times. I hit with my sword, but the vampire's damage resistance prevents it from taking any damage! [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The battle is far from over - or is it? Who knows how much longer this can go on. This vampire is regenerating, casting spells, turning allies into opponents and continuing to resist our every effort. The battle continues. We must destroy this monster before it escapes to wreck havoc on the innocent. We are responsible for releasing it from it's ancient prison. [/Solmar]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. In this latest adventure, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. That simple goal has grown and morphed into something much larger as our heros discovered an additional source of evil in the vicinity of Deepwood. After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. An elusive Xorn, the withering attacks of two Wraith, and the deadly attack of an undead creature called the Bodak. The attack of this 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party member. Two spell casters. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights were vanquished in a matter of minutes. After defeating the Bodak our party fought their way past a group of level draining Wight, rested for eight hours and went right back into the dungeon. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. The vampire initially fled towards the entrance and freedom. Finding the sun rising, it stopped near the entrance, and the party caught up with it. Taking a stand in a large antechamber, the vampire enlisted the aid of two salt mummies in it's defense. After defeating the mummy minions, the party attempted to focus on the vampire. Unfortunately, one of the party members fell under the vampire's thrall and the party now has to neutralize that threat before it can turn it's attention to this true source of evil. Engaged in combat with a powerful vampire and Enola, the party struggles to press their attack on the vampire. The battle is far from over - or is it? Can we defeat this menace, or is Enola simply the first to fall under the vampire's thrall? Who knows how much longer this can go on - the vampire is regenerating, casting spells, turning allies into opponents and continuing to resist our every effort. The battle continues. We must destroy this monster before it escapes to wreak havoc on the innocent. We are responsible for releasing it from it's ancient prison.

Real-world date: 14 May 2011
Game-world date: 10 Jul 1004
Written by: Player - Robert, playing Solmar

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. They discovered the Dragon, slumbering on it's pile of treasure. They fought and defeated the Dragon - Not once, but twice! After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. An elusive Xorn, the withering attacks of two Wraith, and the deadly attack of an undead creature called the Bodak. The attack of this 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party member. Two spell casters. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights. With no time to mourn their passing, the party found themselves trapped in an airtight chamber. After thinking their way out of that trap, they fought a group of level draining Wight and finally took some time to mourn their dead, bind their wounds, and rest a bit. After a slight recovery, the party is back at it. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and battle enjoined. The creatures entombed within are powerful indeed. As evil as the day is long. The party has miscalculated. Engaged in battle with lesser minions, the party has inadvertently loosed a powerful vampire upon the world. As this vile creature flees towards the exit, the party is trapped behind a wall of force. Can they escape in time to pursue and defeat this paragon of evil? Is the town of Deepwood the first casualty in this evil creature's path? Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"Don't let that Vampire get away!"

10 Jularva
Godsday

[Solmar] Our battle with a group of vampire continues. These despicable, evil creatures were sealed into a tomb by a former priest of Torm, but we foolishly opened the crypt, allowing them to escape! [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 4 of combat with the vampire and his spawn.

• Kyrin - Still in the shape of a dire lion, attacks a vampire spawn (in mist form) with a fierce onslaught. She hits with all five attacks, but the mist seems unaffected.
• Azura - Attacks vampire spawn #5. He hits, but once again the mist seems unaffected.
• Enola - decides to delay.
• Solmar - I continue attacking the stone wall, where the wall of force touches the worked stone of the crypt. I cause some minor damage to the rock wall. I yell out "Azura, come up here and help me bash a hole through this stone so we can get around this wall of force!"
• Vampire spawn #15 (in mist form) - moves across the room towards the door.
• Skif - spots vampire spawn #5 (still in mist form), but he delays. (The other party members are uncertain; they don't know what to do). [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 5 of combat with the vampire spawn. The vampire has fled down the corridor, while the party remains trapped behind a wall of force.

• Skif - continues to delay.
• Vampire spawn #5 - seems to delay.
• Enola - takes a 5' step and fires her bow at vampire spawn #15. She hits it with all four arrows, doing a massive amount of damage - Or, what should have been a massive amount of damage. The red mist is completely unaffected.
• Vampire spawn #15 - moves adjacent to Solmar.
• Azura - moves forward and attacks the wall. He knocks a big chunk of stone out of the wall, but the hole is way to small for any of us to get through.
• Solmar - I attack again. Thanks to the haste spell, I am able to attack four times. I hit all four times, causing additional damage to the stone wall. I shout out; "Someone slam that door shut and seal that vampire spawn in the room."
• Skif - hears Solmar, steps out of the room, and pulls the door shut behind him. The door seals shut with an audible 'Thud', and vampire spawn #5 is now trapped in the crypt. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round six of combat with the vampire spawn. (The DM has taken us out of initiative order, and we proceed without individual initiatives. Apparently the vampire spawn is unable to harm us, and we can't damage it, while it's in mist form). The party takes turns attacking the stone wall. It resists the damage, but it's slowly giving way. Eventually the wall of force dissipates. We rush down the hall, searching for the vampire. Desperate to prevent it's escape into the countryside. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We charge down the halls, looking for the vampire we've released. We must capture or destroy the vampire. Failing that, we must return to Deepwood, seek assistance, warn the townsfolk, and prepare some sort of defence. A vampire is on the loose, and we are responsible! We dash around the nearest corner. We're back at the trapped globe room. The door to the room is closed - This means the vampire went through here. I instruct Skif; "Skif, pull the lever!" Hustling now, I provide additional guidance. "I'll wait here until everyone has crossed the room." We don't want to trigger the trap which held us for hours. The party crosses the room without incident, and I follow. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We make our way towards the entrance as quickly as possible. Skif tries to check the path as we proceed, but our pace is quickened, the danger of delay more pressing than the danger of traps we've already trod over. As we emerge from one particular chamber, and begin to descend a set of stairs, we encounter two salt mummies and an unknown creature. I have surprised the creatures. Moving forward I strain against the darkness to make out these servants of darkness. As I get closer to the creatures, I realize the one further away is actually the vampire. I shout; "It's the vampire!" [/Solmar]

[Solmar] With little rest or time for healing, combat begins again. Round 1 of combat with the vampire and his allies.

• Vampire - casts mirror image and suddenly there are six images of the vampire.
• Skif - moves to the bottom of the stairs and summons a celestial dog. It's a minor ally, but it's presence may buy us some time. The dog attacks vampire image #23.
• Salt mummy #15 - attacks the celestial dog. Hitting the dog, it causes more than enough damage to vanquish the summoned ally. It vanishes in a flourish of magical energy.
• Solmar - moving forward, trying to get to the vampire, I attack salt mummy #15. I do a good deal of damage and knock the salt mummy prone. I continue the attack, striking with my shield and again with my sword. It's a good start, but these creatures look tough. This may take some time.
• Kyrin - moves forward and begins to summon a water elemental.
• Azura - moves forward, enters a barbarian rage and storms forward to attack salt mummy #5. Striking the creature with his massive hammer, he does a good amount of damage. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 2 of combat with the vampire and his allies.

• Vampire - observing the fact that our party has bunched up in a group, this prince of darkness casts a powerful and deadly fireball spell! Thankfully, the gods must be on our side, as most of us manage to duck, dodge and dive behind cover. Unfortunately, the fireball seems to have exploded directly over the head of Kyrin. She staggers, looks as if she's about to collapse - Then something miraculous happens. A holy light surrounds her body and she seems revived, as if an agent of divine will has interceded on her behalf! She must be very devout. I will do my best to honor Helm by defeating this agent of evil. We must slay the vampire before it has a chance to plague the town of Deepwood and beyond.
• Enola - pulls out her bow and begins to peck away at the vampire images. Image #4 is hit and disappears. Image #21 vanishes. Image #15 winks out of existence. The deadly accuracy of Enola's aim has reduced the vampire's powerful defense to a mere nuisance in a single round.
• Kyrin - still smoking from the fireball, hastily retreats. Disappearing around the corner, she'll probably need some serious medical attention.
• Solmar - I move into the midst of the images. Maneuvering towards an image I suspect, all the images swing at me and miss. I press my attack, swinging my sword, I score a direct hit on image #9 and it disappears. There are only three left, and one of them is the vampire!
• Skif - quicken casts another summoning spell. This time he summons a Rhek. A creature with a bit more fortitude than a celestial dog.
• The Rhek - attacks image #13. The flanked image is struck and vanishes. Only two now.
• Skif - casts another spell. A healing spell that restores himself and Enola.
• Salt mummy #5 - heals itself! Right before our eyes, we see wounds close and crushed limbs regain their unliving strength. These creatures seem just as tough as the tales foretold. Now healed, it attacks Azura. A solid blow causes a good amount of damage, and then the creature takes one step back to avoid Azura's full fury.
• The wolf Zareb - (Kyrin's animal companion) bounds forward and attacks salt mummy #5. It misses.
• Azura - moves forward and attacks salt mummy #15 (the one that I knocked down). He strikes it soundly and causes a good amount of damage.
• Salt mummy #15 - attacks Azura from the prone position but misses. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 3 of combat with the vampire and his allies.

• Vampire - All the vampire images lift their hand as if to cast a spell, but somehow this creature is casting spells without using all the proper protocols. It seems as if it has some sort of spell like ability. I notice a mark upon it's palm. The symbol of Velsharoon - A floating skull surrounded by flames. Velsharoon is an evil deity. It's the same symbol we saw on the statues hand in the 'globe room'. The vampire is obviously a follower of Velsharoon. Perhaps this undead minion has been granted powers by his unholy patron. After raising his hand, another image appears. There are now three images of the vampire. All three images move toward the wall; as they move the Rhek takes an attack of opportunity against image #15 but misses. I think image #9 is the real vampire...
• Solmar - taking an attack of opportunity, I swing towards vampire image #9. I hit it - a solid blow. I've found the real vampire. Unfortunately, my attack only deals a small amount of damage, and all the images merge as the vampire scurries up the wall! I can't reach him on the ceiling.
• Vampire - now on the ceiling, the undead monster casts another spell. It's an area effect spell, and some sort of red mist covers most of our party. The effects are not immediately obvious.
• The Rhek moves into the mist, pauses briefly (I suspect that it may have been affected by the mist), then attacks salt mummy #15 (which is still prone). The Rhek hits, but the damage is minimal.
• Skif - shoots his crossbow at salt mummy #15. The damage is minimal, but the acid adds to the damage. Skif reloads his crossbow.
• Enola - takes a five foot step into the mist. She pauses momentarily (I suspect she may have been affected by the mist, but so far we've seen no outward affects from the mist). She fires her bow, attacking vampire image #15. She hits it and the image vanishes. She fires at image #23 and hits it but it doesn't disappear. She's struck the real vampire. Fortunately, Enola's damage is significant enough to make it past the creatures resistance.
• Azura - steps into the corner (away from the mist) and heals himself.
• Kyrin - is still missing in action. Then we see her appear. She steps into the room and casts a healing spell of some sort. She must be healing herself.
• Salt mummy #5 - regenerates. This strange ability to continuously heal its own wounds is prolonging this battle. After healing itself, it attacks Kyrin's wolf. It hits and causes a considerable amount of damage.
• Solmar - I attempt to turn undead, but my efforts fail.
• Zareb - the wolf attacks salt mummy #15. The wolf's fangs cause some damage, but the creature is still moving.
• Salt mummy #15 - recovers from the wolf's bite and stands up. While it's standing up, the wolf attacks again! Skif yells out (presumably to me). "Attack the mummies 'cause you can't hit the vampire!". If only I had those slippers that Skif is wearing. We must attack the vampire, it's spell casting ability is far more dangerous than the mummies. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 4 of combat with the vampire and his allies.

• Zareb - the wolf attacks salt mummy #15. Unfortunately it misses.
• Kyrin - delays. She's waiting for something?
• Solmar - I attempt to turn undead again. If I can turn away one of the mummies our odds will be much better. We don't see any noticeable effect.
• The vampire - moves across the ceiling. There are still two images, so we don't know which one is really the vampire. The vampire moves towards Enola. It's still on the ceiling. It glares down at Enola and says "Destroy the Golem with the symbol of Helm on it's chest!". I hope Enola can withstand it's domination ability.
• Enola - ignores the vampire's commands and shoots at the images. She shoots image #9 and hits, but her attack doesn't do enough damage to bypass the creatures damage resistance. She fires again, this time she misses.
• Kyrin - seems somewhat stronger now. She begins to cast a summoning spell.
• Salt mummy #15 - is standing now. It heals itself, then attacks Zareb. It misses the wolf.
• Skif - walks through some of the mist, and uses his boots of spider climb to walk up the wall. Now outside the mist, he moves within melee range of the vampire. I'm not so sure that's wise. Skif doesn't have a lot of constitution. Thankfully Enola's last attack allowed us to determine which image is actually the vampire and Skif's attack won't be wasted on an illusion. Just as Skif is about to touch the vampire, it looks at him. Skif casts a spell. It's a healing spell. Skif is trying to damage the vampire with positive energy. Unfortunately, Skif misses the mark. Thankfully, the spell is still active. Casting a spell provokes the vampire, and it takes an attack of opportunity. The vampire strikes Skif - The results aren't entirely visible. We see a cut appear on Skif's face, but another affect seems more damaging. Skif looks drained, weakened and reduced in vigor.
• Salt mummy #5 - swings at the wolf. It hits, causing massive damage. The wolf shrieks out in pain as we watch it's body shrivel up and collapse on the cold stone floor. The salt mummy steps over the dead wolf's body as it moves towards the rest of the party. As a reminder, I shout out "Attack the mummies with water, they're susceptible to water based attacks".
• Azura - opens his mouth and breaths a cone of dragon's breath towards both mummies and the vampire. A brilliant strategic move I wouldn't have expected from this raging barbarian. The frost envelopes the mummies, causing a good amount of damage. Unfortunately, the frost seems to cause no damage at all to the vampire. The vampire must have some form of cold resistance. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 5th round of combat with the vampire and his allies.

• Enola - fires her bow at one of the vampire images. She hits the image and it disappears. The vampire stands alone on the ceiling. of this vaulted room. No more images surround it. Her second arrow strikes the actual vampire and causes a small amount of damage. Every bit counts. This creature may be regenerating in the same way that the mummies do. It seems to me that this creature has absorbed a lot of damage; yet it still stands. For her third attack, she changes her aim and fires at salt mummy #15 (it's getting close to her). Unfortunately, she misses.
• Azura - throws his hammer at the vampire. Thankfully this magic weapon is easy to recover. He hits the undead spell caster and deals a good amount of damage. The hammer falls back to the floor.
• Kyrin - summons a fire elemental. It appears adjacent to salt mummy #5 and attacks, but it misses. Why didn't see summon a water elemental?
• Kyrin - moves towards a salt mummy; swings at salt mummy #5 with her magical staff. She strikes and causes a large amount of magically augmented damage. Thanks to the haste spell, she attacks a second time. She hits again and causes a normal amount of damage. The mummy looks extremely damaged.
• The vampire - heals itself. I was right, it has some sort of regeneration. This means we must continue to press the attack. We can't allow it to regenerate. We can't relent. It glares at Enola. Once again it appears as if it's trying to turn our archer against us. It moves into the corner and then it invokes that ability to create mirror images. (Is it casting a spell or some sort of innate ability?) Suddenly there are nine images of the vampire!
• Salt mummy #15 - attacks Skif's Rhek. It hits and causes a good amount of damage but the Rhek remains standing.
• Salt mummy #5 - moves adjacent to Kyrin. It strikes Kyrin and she takes a large amount of damage. Thankfully she resists the greater damage caused by the water draining ability.
• Solmar - I move adjacent to salt mummy #15, flanking it between myself and Kyrin. I attack once with my sword (the haste spell has worn off). I hit and cause average damage.
• The Rhek - moves into a flanking position with Azura. It attacks salt mummy #15 and causes minor damage.
• Skif - moves away from the vampire images. Two of them swing at him as he moves away. Thankfully, they both miss. As he moves, he reloads his crossbow. Once he's moved away from the images, he turns and fires his an acid bolt at salt mummy #15. The acid bolt hits and causes some damage. These things seem indestructible. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Our 6th round of combat with the vampire and it's allies.

• Enola - fires her bow at salt mummy #15. She hits and does a good amount of damage. It looks severely damaged. She fires again. Her second arrow strikes true, causes average damage - and, destroys the salt mummy. It collapses onto the ground and falls apart. A pile of putrefied bandages, bones and desiccated flesh. Finally, we've destroyed one of the vampire's allies!
• The vampire - stares intently at Enola. It's trying to dominate her again! If the vampire succeeds in this strategy we may have traded one opponent for a far more powerful one. The vampire moves across the ceiling and the images scramble. Once again the vampire regenerates.
• Kyrin - attacks salt mummy #5, and destroys it! All the charges in her magical staff are used up, but it was worth it. Finally, we can concentrate on the vampire.
• Azura - recalls his hammer. It flies across the room and lands in his hand with an audible 'smack'. He attacks one of the vampire images; hurling his hammer towards the ceiling. It strikes the image and there's one less image to confuse us (eight images remain).
• Solmar - I drink my potion of jumping. Maybe I can jump up and hit the vampire? I shout out a plea, "Someone give me a missile weapon so I can attack the vampire!" I detest the idea of attacking with a ranged weapon, but this opponent has no honor. It attacks from afar, forces allies to fight on it's behalf and attempts to turn our own party against us. It must die.
• Skif - drops his cross bow and retrieves the magical grappling hook from his backpack. He throws it towards me and it lands within reach.
• The Rhek - does nothing? Has it been dominated? Perhaps the vampire couldn't command it. It must take some effort to control a dominated victim. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 7th round of combat with the vampire and it's allies.

• Vampire - casts a spell at Solmar, but I resist it's effects (whatever it was). Then it invokes a spell like ability and restores one of the mirror images. Once again there are 9 images!
• Enola - draws back her bowstring and lets loose an arrow at - Me! The vampire has succeeded in turning Enola against us. She attacks three times, but misses with all her attacks. Thankfully, I'm a tough target to hit. If that's all she's planning to do, I can hold out for a very long time.
• Kyrin - moves over to Skif and hands him a bag full of boulder gravel. Skif's a pretty good aim, maybe he can put these magic stones to good use.
• Skif - instructs the Rhek to attack Enola. It bullrushes her, trying to push her out of the red mist. I think the mist is affecting her willpower. The Rhek hits Enola but she stands her ground and isn't pushed out of the mist.
• Skif - takes the boulder gravel from Kyrin with a puzzled look on his face. He bends over and picks up his crossbow.
• Azura - recalls the hammer from it's spot on the floor. It zips over and lands in his hand. This time he throws it at Enola. I don't like this. If Enola continues to fire arrows at me, we shouldn't have much to worry about. Now we have three allies engaged in 'not attacking the vampire'.
• Enola - uses a charge from her magical tiara to deflect the incoming hammer. It glances away and lands on the other side of the room. Now we're expending magic items fighting each other.
• Solmar - I put my sword away, pick up the magic grappling hook (with magic rope attached), and yell "Someone kill the vampire!" [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The 8th round of combat with the vampire and it's allies.

• Vampire - casts a spell at Solmar, once again I resist it's effects (I pray to Helm that I can continue to resist this vile creatures intentions).
• Kyrin - casts a healing spell on herself.
• Skif - instructs the Rhek to grapple Enola. If she's grappled, she can't use her bow. The Rhek attempts to grapple Enola but it can't get a grip on Enola. Then it disappears. I think Skif's summoned creatures only last a set amount of time, and the attack of the vampire may have reduced the spell duration. Skif can't fire his crossbow (with magical bolts) while he's holding the bag of boulder gravel. With a pained look on his face, he drops the bag on the floor, loads his crossbow and fires it at vampire image #9. Finally, we need to pour it on. If we continue to ignore the vampire, we will surely lose. Hopefully the vampire doesn't know about Enola's wish ring. If it can use that against us, we're doomed. If only Enola could regain her will and use the ring against the vampire. I must be careful not to call too much attention to the ring. The vampire might figure out what the ring is.
• Enola - is still under the thrall of the vampire. She fires her bow at me. Three times she fires, and three times she misses. I'm a very hard target. Hopefully the rest of the party will realize that Enola's continued attacks on me constitute a minor threat. We need to focus our efforts on the vampire.
• Solmar - I attack one of the vampire images (image #9) with the grappling hook. I swing it up towards the ceiling, intending to grapple the vampire. If I can get this grapple to latch on, then the images won't make any difference. I'll have a leash attached to the vampire. Maybe I can pull him off the ceiling? Or, climb up to him? I think I'm strong enough to yank him off the ceiling... The grapple strikes image #9. It vanishes. Seven more to go.
• Azura - moves over and grapples with Enola. The big man attempts to pin Enola. His damage is non-lethal, but it's still one less attack on the vampire. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The battle is far from over. This vampire is regenerating, casting spells, turning allies into opponents and continuing to resist our every effort. The battle continues. We must destroy this monster before it escapes to wreck havoc on the innocent. We are responsible for releasing it from it's ancient prison. [/Solmar]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. They discovered the Dragon, slumbering on it's pile of treasure. They fought and defeated the Dragon - Not once, but twice! After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. An elusive Xorn, the withering attacks of two Wraith, and the deadly attack of an undead creature called the Bodak. The attack of this 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party member. Two spell casters. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights were vanquished in a matter of minutes. After defeating the Bodak our party fought their way past a group of level draining Wight, rested for eight hours and went right back into the dungeon. Heading back into the underground complex, the party proceeded directly to the root of evil. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and the creatures entombed within attacked. During that battle, a powerful vampire managed to escape. The party was momentarily delayed by a magical barrier, allowing the vampire to flee towards the entrance and freedom. Eventually, the party caught up with the vampire, but it wasn't alone. Taking a stand in a large antechamber, the vampire enlisted the aid of two salt mummies in it's defense. After defeating the mummy minions, the party attempted to focus on the vampire. Unfortunately, one of the party members fell under the vampire's thrall and the party now has to neutralize that threat before it can turn it's attention to this true source of evil. Engaged in combat with a powerful vampire and Enola, the party struggles to press their attack on the vampire. For some reason it has decided to make a stand in this antechamber. Is there some reason why it doesn't simply flee the scene? Can we defeat this menace, or is Enola simply the first to fall under the vampire's thrall? Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Real-world date: 30 Apr 2011
Game-world date: 10 Jul 1004
Written by: Player - Robert, playing Solmar

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. They discovered the Dragon, slumbering on it's pile of treasure. They fought and defeated the Dragon - Not once, but twice! After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. An elusive Xorn, the withering attacks of two Wraith, and the deadly attack of an undead creature called the Bodak. The attack of this 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party members. Two spell casters. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights! With no time to mourn their passing, the party found themselves trapped in an airtight chamber. After thinking their way out of that trap, they fought a group of level draining Wight and finally took some time to mourn their dead, bind their wounds, and rest a bit. After a slight recovery, the party is back at it. Trying to find a shortcut through the tomb complex. Some way to travel straight on into the heart of darkness that holds this tomb in thrall. So, sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"No way through and Another Trap!"

10 Jularva
Godsday

[Solmar]After some discussion, exploration, experimentation and consideration, I bow to the unexplained, inexplicable pressure (Why do the softskins so frequently put themselves in situations of high risk?). We will continue. Despite the fact that I am convinced it is unwise; we will go on, we will continue towards the final chamber. Kyrin has explored this subterranean area as a small earth elemental. She is unable to pass through sections of the earth. The stone is quite dense, and no amount of burrowing would allow us to pass. Even as an elemental, she isn't powerful enough to pass through the solid stone which seals off the final chamber. If only we had some form of teleport... We have already lost several companions on this quest, and the most recent included two of our spell casters (Are we doomed to repeat our past mistakes? What odd sense of fate compels us to risk our lives for the sake of expediency? Will this be the last critical decision I make?) [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We head towards the 'globe room'. That trapped room, where we fought the bodak, and lost two of our party. We bring rocks with us. The largest we can find. We hope to build up a barrier to block the trap doors from sealing us in. We don't want to be trapped again in this room. Trapped in a room that nearly saw the demise of all in our party. While Azura and I are piling up rocks, Skif announces that he has found something - "Hey guys, I found this lever." Thinking that it might have something to do with the trap door, Skif manipulates it. The secret door on the opposite side of the room opens. So do the secret rooms that held the wights. No wights appear, and we've found a lever which opens the secret door. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We stop piling up rocks and decide to check out some of the globes. We didn't smash all of them on our last pass through this room. I instruct Skif to climb atop Azura and attempt to saw through the cable holding the globe to the ceiling. We select the globe that contains mundane objects (a key and a potion flask); just in case our plan goes awry and the globe breaks anyway. Skif saws through the cable and the globe is released and unbroken. Azura unexpectedly smashes the globe and we recover the potion and key. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Skif and Azura move to the remaining globes. Skif cuts down each globe, hands them to Azura, and I set them on the ground. The remaining globes contain dangerous or unknown contents. While we feel that we can defeat the creatures trapped inside (some contain shadows), but we don't wish to waste our time fighting such monsters at this time. Once all the globes have been cut free, Skif climbs down and he stores the globes in his leprechaun bag. (Why does this creature serve Skif so willingly? It seems that he is imprisoned within the bag. Forced to serve as Skif's servant. Will he ever has his freedom? How long has he been imprisoned within the bag?) [/Solmar]

[Solmar] As we prepare to cross the globe room, I take up a position as the rear guard. If someone is going to end up trapped in this room it may as well be me. I don't need air like the softskins. I wait as they all cross the room. Nothing unusual happens. The lever Skif manipulated must have disabled the trap. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We continue down the corridor. With Skif in the front, he's checking for traps every ten feet. As he reaches the nearest corner I cross the room and join the party in the far corridor. Skif looks down the corridor. Finding no danger, he proceeds. According to the softskins, it's getting really hot in the corridor. I also feel the heat, but it doesn't make me uncomfortable.. The heat is probably due to volcanic activity and the bubbling mud pits that Mutteran told us about. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Skif continues searching and we continue to move forward. With no apparent traps, we are nonetheless cautious. Everyone has weapons at the ready, and as we approach the next turn in the corridor, some of the party complain about a lack of light. As they are groping about, Skif decides to cast a light spell on Kyrin's headband. The headband begins to shed light in a large radius and those who previously complained are no longer concerned. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] It is now much hotter. So hot in fact, that we are becoming concerned. Exertion or an extended stay in these conditions may exhaust some party members. I am so far unaffected by the heat, but the others are beginning to show some signs of heat stress. Azura breathes a cone of cold into the air and against the wall. Unfortunately, it dissipates quite rapidly and offers no noticeable relief. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Skif spots a xorn crossing the corridor ahead. As it moves out of view, he notifies us that the xorn are up ahead. The xorn is visible ahead of Skif. At the other end of a stone bridge. The bridge crosses a natural cavern filled with boiling mud. The bridge looks unsafe, and the mud would most certainly cause great damage if anyone fell into it. Skif proceeds cautiously across the stone bridge. Checking intently for traps, he spots a pit trap in the middle of the stone bridge. He indicates where it is and decides to disable it. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Kyrin moves forward slightly and we notice the light on the headband go out. At first we think the spell has expired, but Skif says it shouldn't have. Azura tosses his magical grapple towards Skif. It strikes Skif with a dull thud, but doesn't grab onto his back pack. Azura meant to anchor the grapple to Skif, but the rope and grapple lay slack on the stone bridge. Something odd is going on... As Kyrin moves back into our midst, the light from her headband comes back on. We now realize that an anti-magic field stretches across this chamber. Surely there must be some sort of trap ahead. Something dangerous. Skif returns to our group before proceeding any further. We tie a rope to his waist and he advances to cross the bridge. Once again he points out the location of the pit trap. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] As Skif reaches the other side of the stone bridge, he spots two xorn eating coins, precious metals and various treasure objects. He alerts us to the xorn, and we quietly cross the stone bridge. We untie the rope from Skif's waist and make ready to attack. Enola moves forward to attack, but I wish to offer the xorn a chance to leave peacefully. I grasp her shoulder and whisper the word "Wait". Unable to read my intentions, she fires her bow but misses? Perhaps she missed intentionally. Perhaps she meant the shot to be a warning. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 1 of combat with the xorn:

• Enola - attacks with her rapid shot ability. She hits xorn #10.
• xorn #10 - retreats into the wall.
• Kyrin - moves forward and attacks a xorn with her 'long reach' staff. She misses.
• A new xorn - appears and grabs a pile of treasure in it's arms (it has three arms).
• Another xorn - appears and grabs a big pile of treasure.
• Azura - moves forward and attacks and hits xorn #15.
• Solmar - moves forward and says "Leave this food here, it is ours. We won it in fair combat with the dracolich." He makes ready an attack. If the xorn attacks or attempts to take treasure and leave.
• Skif - fires his crossbow at xorn #15, but misses.
• xorn #15 - bites Azura. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 2 of combat with the xorn. So much for my idea. I wanted to offer the xorn a way out of combat, but everyone else attacked. What they see as food the party covets as treasure.

• Skif - attacks xorn #17 with his crossbow, but he misses again. The bolt from his last attack is still circling about looking for the target it attacked earlier.
• Enola - fires her bow and gets a critical hit on xorn #17.
• Kyrin - attacks with her staff of striking. Energizing it with three charges, she misses again.
• xorn #17 - attacks Solmar but misses. This triggers his readied action.
• Solmar - attacks xorn #17. He hits but does minimal damage.
• Azura - swings his giant hammer. He misses and fumbles. Nearly crushing his own foot, he spends the rest of the round recovering.
• xorn #15 - reappears and attacks Enola. The creature hits Enola. Her missile weapons can't protect her against an enemy that can move through the ground.
• xorn #10 - reappears and attacks Enola. It also hits. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 3 of combat with the xorn.

• xorn #5 - attacks Solmar but misses. It takes some treasure with it as it sinks into the floor!
• Enola - withdraws back onto the bridge in order to get away from the xorn.
• xorn #10 - takes an attack of opportunity against Enola, but it misses.
• xorn #15 - attacks and hits Skif.
• Azura - attacks xorn #10. He hits the creature and knocks it prone.
• Kyrin - attacks xorn #10. Finally she hits. All three charges are expended. This xorn is heavily damaged.
• xorn #10 - retreats into the floor.
• Solmar - attacks xorn #15 but misses. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 4 of combat with the xorn.

• Enola - activates here healing arm band and cures some damage.
• Skif - casts a spell which heals himself and Azura.
• Kyrin - attacks xorn #15 with her staff of striking. She misses.
• Azura - attacks corn #15 with his hammer. He hits and causes considerable damage.
• xorn #5 - reappears and attacks Azura. It misses.
• xorn #15 - attacks Azura and hits.
• Solmar - attacks xorn #5 but misses. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 5 of combat with the xorn.

• Kyrin - casts a lesser mass vigor spell. Azura and some other party members receive extra hit points.
• xorn #15 - attacks Azura and hits. Afterwards it retreats into the floor before Azura can attack it.
• Skif - casts a healing spell on Azura. He's been taking a beating.
• xorn #10 - attacks Azura but misses. It also retreats by sinking into the floor.
• Azura - readies an action. If any xorn appear to attack him, he will strike first.
• Solmar - gathers up some of the treasure before the xorn can reappear to steal it away. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 6 of combat with the xorn.

• Enola - readies an action. If any xorn appear she will attack with her bow.
• Skif - changes weapons. He once again gets out his cross-bow.
• Kyrin - activates a magic item. An ioun stone begins to buzz about in the air.
• Azura - continues his readied action.
• Solmar - gathers up some more treasure.
• Combat ends [/Solmar]

[Solmar] After the combat ends, we gather up the remainder of the treasure. This is the last of the treasure remaining from our combat with the pseudo-dracolich. When we beat the pseudo-dracolich, the xorn swooped in and carried off the treasure. Here is the last of that treasure. We take some time to detect magic, catalog the items and store them in Skif's bag. (What will happen if Skif dies? Will we be able to recover items from within the bag? Will the leprechaun be free?) [/Solmar]

[Solmar] In front of us is the large metal door described by Mutteran. It seems that was so long ago. In truth it was but a few days ago. The large metal door radiates powerful magic. I attempt to detect evil, but nothing is detected beyond the door. There is a large symbol of Torm on the door. (The symbolism is powerful. Some powerful servant of evil resides within. Dare we disturb it? If we do, we risk defeat and the evil within may escape). Kyrin and Skif cast a few preparatory spells, including haste. These should help us with any battles to come. I attempt to open the door by channeling positive energy into the symbol. The door cracks open ever so slightly. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Along with an audible release of stale air, some sort of noxious gas vents out at the top of the door. Skif opens the door and we see a woman seated at a desk. This doesn't seem to be the being described by Mutteran, but he's not around to confirm or deny our suspicions. The woman at the desk says "It's been such a long time since I've had visitors. Please come in." Skif hesitates slightly, while I complete a round of detection. I shout out - "She's Evil Skif!" [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 1 of combat with the evil creature.

• Azura - delays waiting to find out what's going on.
• Kyrin - casts a spell to enhance Solmar's physical abilities.
• Enola - fires arrows at the evil creature. She hits three times, damaging the creature, but she's resisted some of the damage.
• Solmar - moves forward and attacks with the magical weapon from Crucifer. He hits but doesn't cause much damage.
• The creature - stands up (from the desk), moves back into the corner.
• Solmar - takes an attack of opportunity and hits, but she's got some sort of damage resistance. She says "How rude, what have I ever done to you?!"
• Azura - moves to attack. He attacks and hits, but her damage resistance reduces the damage again.
• Skif - quicken casts a spell to summon a celestial owl. It appears over her head, attacks, but causes no damage. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 2 of combat with the evil creature.

• Kyrin - casts a 'salt ray' spell. Unfortunately she hits Azura! The spell causes dehydration damage to Azura.
• Enola - fires her bow and hits twice. Unfortunately, the critical hits don't seem to have any effect on this creature. It must be undead, as we suspected.
• Skif - recalls his owl to protect him. As it moves away from the undead creature it is attacked.
• The undead creature - attacks the owl and destroys it with an attack of opportunity.
• Skif - continues his attack. Casting another spell, he summons a celestial giant bee! The giant bee appears above her head, attacks, misses and fumbles!
• Skif - casts another spell. This time he summons a spiritual weapon. A short spear appears above the undead creature and it attacks. Unfortunately, it misses.
• Kyrin - asks if this creature is spell stitched. We don't see the tatoos usually associated with spell stitched creatures.
• Azura - says "It's a vampire spawn!" Then he attacks and hits twice. It looks heavily wounded and turns into a red cloudy mist. This is bad, if we're fighting vampire spawn, there's a good chance that there's a vampire around here somewhere. vampire spawn are not so powerful. No one would need these elaborate safeguards to keep them trapped in this vault. They're not that difficult to defeat.
• A new creature - appears. It's outside the room! How did it get past us? Of course - It was the noxious vapors that came out when we opened the door. This creature is very pale skinned, tall, and looks much older than any softskin I've ever seen. It shouts out "Now!" and casts some spell.
• Another vampire spawn - appears. It's standing on the ceiling (upside down!) inside the room. It slams the door shut. Skif is knocked out of the room. The party is now separated. Enola and Skif are outside, while Solmar and the rest are trapped in the room. The door seals shut with an audible click and a hissing noise.
• vampire spawn #15 - in vapor form moves towards the door.
• Solmar - moves towards the door. Once he reaches the door, he channels more positive energy into the door. This causes the door to crack open. Solmar shouts "Someone open the door!". [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 3 of combat with the vampire and his spawn.

• Enola - shoots three arrows at the vampire (based on what we know, we assume this creature is a vampire). Each arrow strikes some sort of invisible barrier. None of the arrows hit the vampire, which now glares at Enola and Skif with an evil gleam in its eyes.
• Skif - pushes the door open again. Hopefully we can get out, trap the vampire spawn and deal with this more powerful creature (which we assume to be a vampire).
• Skif's spiritual weapon moves and attacks vampire spawn #15 (in mist form). It hits and appears to cause some damage as the mist appears to have less cohesion than before.
• Skif's celestial bee - attacks the mist form of vampire spawn #15. Unfortunately it misses.
• The vampire - turns and runs away from the party. Crossing the stone bridge, it disappears around the corner! We must not let this evil creature escape.
• Solmar - runs from the room, heading directly towards the retreating vampire. He runs directly into a wall of force. With fierce determination, he bashes the nearby stone wall with his shield. Unfortunately, he doesn't do enough damage to break the stone.
• Azura - moves back towards the door. Before blocking the door, he manages to attack and damage vampire spawn #5. He is now interposing his body between the door and the opening, he blocks the door from closing again. vampire spawn #5 is now trapped behind the door.
• Kyrin - casts a sheltered vitality spell and changes shape into a large dire lion. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The battle is far from over. With a vampire on the run, and vampire spawn at our backs, can we escape from this invisible barrier, defeat the vampire spawn, and catch up with the vampire before it's too late? [/Solmar]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. They discovered the Dragon, slumbering on it's pile of treasure. They fought and defeated the Dragon - Not once, but twice! After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. An elusive Xorn, the withering attacks of two Wraith, and the deadly attack of an undead creature called the Bodak. The attack of this 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party member. Two spell casters. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights. With no time to mourn their passing, the party found themselves trapped in an airtight chamber. After thinking their way out of that trap, they fought a group of level draining Wight and finally took some time to mourn their dead, bind their wounds, and rest a bit. After a slight recovery, the party is back at it. The tomb of a powerful undead menace was opened and battle enjoined. The creatures entombed within are powerful indeed. As evil as the day is long. The party has miscalculated. Engaged in battle with lesser minions, the party has inadvertently loosed a powerful vampire upon the world. As this vile creature flees towards the exit, the party is trapped behind a wall of force. Can they escape in time to pursue and defeat this paragon of evil? Is the town of Deepwood the first casualty in this evil creature's path? Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Real-world date: 16 Apr 2011
Game-world date: 9 - 10 Jul 1004
Written by: Player - Robert, playing Solmar

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. They discovered the Dragon, slumbering on it's pile of treasure. Quickly and quietly, they entered the lair, fought two guardian snakes, and finally fought the Dragon - Twice! After defeating it once, it's body animated, the flesh rotted away, and it became a powerful undead beast. After defeating the beast twice, the party set off in pursuit of a group of Xorn. They made off with the Dragon's treasure. Hot in pursuit of the Xorn, the party stumbled upon the lair of a Bodak, who killed two party members! After defeating the Bodak, the party finds themselves trapped in a room, with a strange puzzle, magical walls, and a statue of a evil god! As the air runs out, the party ponders their predicament - Will wits or brawn win this day? Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"Puzzled Party Ponders Predicament"

9 Jularva
Endsnear

[Solmar] Time to make a decision - I indicate that we must smash a globe to retrieve a key. Perhaps that will lead to an exit. Walk over to globe containing key and ring. Draw sword. Globe smashed. Contents spill out. As the ring and key are released, I hear a voice in my head. The ring is speaking to me? "I am a ring of invisibility, but I also grant the wearer one wish per year, in exchange for one hit point. You may never remove me, and you must decide who will wear me before you leave this room." I don't know whether I trust this ring. We're in a trapped room, the air is running out, and there is a statue of Erythnul ten feet away. Before I can say anything, Enola" target="_blank">Enola reaches down, picks up the ring, and puts it on. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] I indicate to others that the ring spoke in my head. I tell them that it said it was a ring of invisibility that grants a wish in exchange for a hit point. I also indicate that I don't trust it, and it may be a trap. We suggest that Enola use wish in order to get us out of this room. She asks why. This is puzzling. When softskins are given a wish they hesitate to use it, even when their own lives are at risk. I pick up the key and proceed over to the area where Mutteran indicated there was a secret door. I ask Skif to help me look for a key hole. Skif's search reveals a slight indentation. He points it out to me. I touch the key to the indicated area and the door opens. Both doors open and the room is filled with fresh air. The softskins all breath oddly. Making gasping and sighing sounds. I calculate that there was still several hours worth of air in the room. Why do they seem so relieved? [/Solmar]

[Solmar] As the doors open, we are surprised to see eight wights. We've fought these creatures before. They're evil undead remnants of slain Humans. There touch is quite dangerous to softskins. It drains away some sort of vitality or life giving essence. Oddly, the wights have no such affect on me. Does that mean that I'm not really 'alive'? Before we can act, the wights attack. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Surprise round. I have numerically designated the wights in order to more accurately calculate combat odds and strategy during the coming melee:

• Wight #5 - Moves into room, adjacent to Azura.
• Wight #12 - Summons a cloud of thick obscuring vapors (These wights have markings similar to the bodak - Mutteran and Skif indicated that this means the creatures are 'Spell-Stitched'. They can cast arcane spells without expending material components or memorizing the spells the way most softskins do). I recognize the cloud to be a 'Stinking Cloud'. This cloud is composed of poisonous gasses which affect softskins, but not me. Once again, I am puzzled by the vulnerabilities of softskins. Why are they vulnerable to so many simple attack forms? My form is far superior to their decay prone fleshy construction.
• Wight #13 - Moves into room, adjacent to Enola.
• Wight #9 - Swings at me but misses.
• Wight #17 - Moves into room, adjacent to Enola.
• Wight #6 - Attacks Skif but misses.
• Wight #11 - Fires a been into the stinking cloud. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 2. Unfortunately, the wights were able to surprise us. We must be more vigilant to surprise attacks in the future.

• Kyrin - Becomes a dire lion and attacks wight #17. Her ability to change into other creatures is quite interesting and useful.
• Skif - Turns undead. The results are not immediately obvious. Then he summons a Rhek, which attacks wight #11 and misses.
• Enola - Takes a step back from the wights adjacent to her, fires her bow at one of the wights, and misses completely?
• Solmar - I draw my sword, then turn undead. As with Skif, the results are not immediately apparent.
• Wight #13 - Steps forward and attacks Enola but misses.
• Wight #7 - Fires a gray rat at Kyrin (in Dire lion form). The beam seems to have no effect.
• Azura - Attacks wight #5 but misses.
• Wight #9 - Runs away, obviously affected by Skif or myself. The Rhek attacks it as it passes.
• Wight #6 - Steps forward and swings at Skif. It misses.
• Wight #5 - Attacks Azura but misses.
• Wight #17 - Steps forward five feet. Attempts to touch Kyrin, but misses. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 3 - Our turn undead attempts are working, but it isn't affecting as many wights as we would expect.

• Wight #9 - Continues to run away. It was definitely turned.
• Wight #17 - Attacks Enola but misses.
• Wight #5 - Attacks Azura but misses. These creatures are not very effective with their physical attacks. The odds are definitely in our favor.
• Enola - Steps back and fires arrows at #13. She hits the creature and it is damaged.
• Wight #7 - Summons some sort of protective field around itself. It moves towards Enola and Kyrin.
• Kyrin - Pounces forward, clawing and biting it damages the wight, but fails to destroy it. Kyrin grabs the creature with her great maw and wrestles it to the ground. The two are grappling. Kyrin continues attacking, this time she rakes the creature with her hind claws. The wight survives the attack. It seems as if these creatures are able to resist the damage our weapons are causing.
• Rhek - Skif's summoned creature attacks a wight. It hits but causes only minor damage.
• Skif - Turns undead again. Once again the results are unknown.
• Rhek - Moves forward and wight #12. It causes some damage. The previous attack must have been an attack of opportunity.
• Wight #13 - Shoots a gray ray at Enola. A gem on Enola's tiara cracks and turns black. The beam seems to have no effect. Perhaps Enola's adornment serves some purpose other than self satisfying vanity. The wight steps forward.
• Wight #11 - Swings at me but misses.
• Azura - Attacks wight #5 with his giant hammer. He strikes the creature so hard that it is thrown prone.
• Wight #6 - Attacks Skif but misses. I must protect Skif from this creatures life draining touch.
• Wight #12 - Runs away. One of us has turned it. As it runs away, the Rhek and I attack. The Rhek misses, but I strike it and succeed. The damage is reduced, but I have knocked the creature prone.
• Solmar - I attempt to turn undead, but sense that I have failed. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 4 - While Skif and I continue to turn the undead, the rest of the party has some success in attacking the undead creatures.

• Enola - Steps back and fires three arrows at wight #13. Three hits and good damage. The wight is destroyed.
• Wight #11 - Attempts to attack me but misses.
• Wight #5 - Attacks Azura from the prone position. It misses, and then attempts to stand up. Azura attacks it as it stands up. He does good damage, but the wight is now standing.
• Wight #7 - Engaged in a grapple with Kyrin's dire lion form. It attacks Kyrin, but misses.
• Wight #17 - Attacks into the grapple. It hits Kyrin but she does not succumb to its life draining ability.
• Wight #12 - Attempts to stand up. The Rhek attacks it and hits, but I miss in my attack of opportunity. The wight continues to run away.
• Azura - Attacks wight #5. He hit's it so hard that there is a pronounced squishing noise and pieces spatter everywhere. It is destroyed. Azura moves towards Enola and Kyrin.
• Kyrin - Continues to attack the grappled wight #7. She strikes several times, but it is still struggling.
• Wight #9 - Continues running. This wight is no longer a threat.
• Wight #6 - Attempts to hit me again. Not only does it fail, it fumbles; smashing its scrawny fists against the wall beside me.
• Skif - Attacks wight #6. He hits but only causes minimal damage. I believe my ability to turn the undead is actually more powerful than his. Either that or he has exhausted all his attempts by casting spells.
• Rhek - Attacks wight #6 but misses.
• Solmar - Once again I call upon the might of Helm to vanquish our foes. I feel as if I have succeeded, and thank Helm for helping to quash these undead creatures. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 5 - Our attacks are causing damage, and the turning is reducing their numbers. I calculate continued success.

• Enola - Fires three more arrows at wight #17. She only hits with one of her attacks. The wight is damaged.
• Wight #7 - Is still grappled by Kyrin's lion form. It attempts to attack Kyrin, but misses.
• Wight #17 - Fires a gray ray at Enola but misses. It moves closer to Enola. If Enola continues to back up, she may find herself in a corner. As the undead thing moves toward Enola, it failed to guard against Azura. He strikes out with a mighty blow.
• Wight #12 - Continues running away. Another foe who does not constitute a threat.
• Skif - Readies his grappling hook and attacks wight #6. He hits the thing but only causes minor damage.
• Rhek - Attacks wight #6 but misses. The wights seem to ignore the Rhek.
• Wight #6 - Attacks Skif. Misses.
• Kyrin - Continues to attack wight #7. It is heavily damaged, but continues to struggle against the lion's grip.
• Wight #11 - Attempts to run away. My turn undead has affected it. As it runs, the Rhek takes a swipe at it. His attack is successful, and the wight is actually thrown prone by the attack.
• Azura - Attacks wight #17. It's been threatening Enola for several rounds. Azura hits with a might blow and the undead creature is destroyed.
• Solmar - I attempt to turn the undead but fail. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 6 - The wights are on the run and nearing defeat. Our success is all but certain at this point.

• Wight #6 - Attacks Skif but misses. Its time to destroy this creature.
• Wight #7 - Is still caught in the grip of Kyrin, but it manages to strike the Druid. Her fortitude is strong, and she resists the energy draining attack of the dark creature.
• Solmar - I use my last undead turning attempt. The results are not immediately obvious, but I sense that I may have failed.
• Azura - Swings into the grapple and squashes wight #7 with a mighty swing of his huge hammer.
• Skif - Attacks wight #6 with his grappling hook. He hits, but the damage is minimal.
• Rhek - Follows Skif's lead and continues to attack wight #6. This time it hits. The undead fiend looks extremely weakened.
• Enola - Fires three arrows at wight #6. All three arrows hit. The creature is actually knocked prone, but damage resistance allows it to survive. What master do these undead wretches serve? Surely there must be a powerful agent of evil lurking further down the corridors of this dank crypt.
• Kyrin - Strides across the room and attacks wight #6. With two successful attacks, the undead minion is finally dispatched. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Round 7 - The final round of combat.

• Kyrin - Transforms back into her normal humanoid form, attacks wight #11 with her staff and hits twice. She must not have used any charges from the magical staff. The creature seems to have resisted the attacks quite easily.
• Solmar - I attack the last wight. I attempt three strikes but only succeed once. The damage is minimal, but the creature seems heavily damaged.
• Rhek - Skif's summoned companion attacks the wight and hits. It is clearly about to fall.
• Skif - Changes weapons to ready his crossbow.
• Enola - Takes a five foot step to line up her attack. Fires three arrows. All three strike true and the foul thing is destroyed. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We discuss options for moving forward in our quest. I suggest we leave, regroup, rest, and look for reinforcements, possibly in the town of Deepwood. There were former adventurers living in town. Perhaps we can find some reinforcements there. I believe the evil trapped in this hillside tomb is more powerful than the bodak, and that guardian killed two of our party members. I point to the statue, and indicate that this omen of evil resembles the creature spied by Mutteran. Others agree that it seems to match the description provided by Mutteran. Mutteran told us that an animate creature with a humanoid form, was walled away at the end of this tunnel complex. Hidden behind great doors and a sealed with symbol of Torm, this thing must surely be the great evil that the Deepwood priestess spoke of. I indicate that this thing is likely more powerful than any creature we have so far encountered during this adventure. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Arguing against my recommendations are Skif and Kyrin. They seem to think that leaving the tunnel complex at this point would expose the town of Deepwood to greater danger. They seem to imply that anything inside might be able to escape. I ask if they're talking about the undead thing at the end of the complex? It's still sealed behind the symbol of Torm and the powerful double doors of the final chamber. Skif also believes that a stronger evil remains in town. Oddly, he argues that a stronger danger to Deepwood remains in town, but he wishes to stay here. He seems insistent that we conclude this phase of the adventure before returning to the town. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] I recommend that we stop our forward progress, now that the doors to this trap are open, we should at least take the time to recover. Most agree, as I move to return to the outer chamber, Skif insists that we shatter the remaining globes to recover treasure. What is is with these softskins? Some would risk their lives for the sake of a shiny bauble when all evidence indicates that the efforts might result in death. These globes contain unknown danger, and this room is a known trap. The globes have been here for countless years. Skif insists that we retrieve their contents before we take the time to rest or recover. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] I move out of the room. Azura and Kyrin follow. As we stand before a previously undetected chamber, Skif and Enola remain behind in the bodak room. I am concerned that they might end up trapped in the bodak room. As I contemplate a way for them to safely leave the chamber, Skif starts attacking the remaining globes. He smashes all but four of the globes. He recovers the following treasure: A wand and key; 11 gems and key; 7 gems and key; potion (in a metal vial) and key. While this treasure may be valuable, recovering it at this time was an immense risk. Considering how vulnerable to damage these softskins are, it amazes me that they take such inordinate risks. As Skif scrambles to collect the loot, Enola leers greedily at the gems on the floor of the chamber. In the mean time, Azura and Kyrin have examined the small secret room. It seems to be a dead end. A small cul-de-sac designed to hold the wights which attacked us. I believe these undead were actually placed here to kill anyone who might attempt to free the evil trapped at the end of this dungeon complex. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Skif finally relents. He stows away the gems, coins, and sundry items recovered. Hastily they leave the bodak chamber. Thankfully, the doors to the bodak chamber remain open and no additional party members are trapped in the bodak room. Gathered just outside the deadly chamber, we discuss a rather gruesome detail. I recall that the victims of a bodak become bodak within twenty four hours. Others remember the information as well. We then discuss the fate of our deceased companions. It is most unfortunate that they will become undead. They will seek to kill others. We cannot allow this to happen. The softskins seem visibly agitated at this discussion. I suggest we burn their bodies. Both Mutteran and Crucifer had written wills. Skif retrieves his dimensional portal. He calls down to the Leprechaun trapped inside. He demands that it retrieve the stored documents. Moments pass as we read through the last wishes of Mutteran and Crucifer. After confirming the desires indicated by their wills (Neither wished to be returned to life in any way), we agree that their bodies must be destroyed. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We strip their bodies of all remaining items and move numerous items to storage on the Astral plane. As a final preventative measure. I separate their heads from their bodies. I ask Skif to store these items in his bag. He stares at me with a look of 'horror' on his face. I look about but see no indication of attack. Skif fails to reopen the dimensional portal, and I am forced to hold the cranial units. Other party members carry the lifeless bodies of Crucifer and Mutteran. Mutteran looks so different now. In death the form has reverted to its true shape. Mutteran's secret is revealed to all. He, she, it, is not a Human, Elve, Dwarve or Kobold. A creature with a grayish tint and slightly wrinkled flesh. Mutteran was a true shapechanger. Dynnera revealed this fact to me long ago, but swore me to secrecy. I never revealed the fact to others. Only Enola and I knew the secret. Questions are asked. I offer brief answers, and no one seems too surprised by this revelation. We proceed down the hall. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] As we retreat towards the outer chamber, we stop in the abandoned conference room. Here there is a good supply of combustible supplies. As I gather wood and debris for a funeral pyre, Skif and Kyrin utter prayers and words of condolence in praise of our fallen comrades. This will not help them. They're dead. It seems to have a soothing effect on the other softskins. I see Kyrin and the usual stony Enola leaking saline fluids from around their visual organs. I haven't lit the fire yet, so this display can't be related to the presence of smoke. This ceremony has placed the softskins in a vulnerable state of melancholy. I set fire to the pyre. While the smoke forces the others to withdraw, I remain behind. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Now that the fires are burning, I place the cranial units on the pyre. The flesh turns black and peels away from their calcite framing structures. I wonder... Where is their life now? What has happened to the spark that made them living? What happens to the energy that made them unique? Is it here in the room with me? I look about, but see no evidence of any intelligence or supernatural presence. The smoke is quite thick now, obscuring even my vision. I stomp on glowing embers which threaten to widen the conflagration. My frame is vulnerable to incineration, so I take precautions and move towards the exit. As the last of their remains turns to ash, I exit the room. I move to the outer chamber and rejoin the living softskins. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] Here we have assembled to rest and recover some vitality. The softskins seem recovered from their melancholy mood. Kyrin offers to heal me. I am thankful for the regenerative magics she expends. I feel rejuvenated, and others are likewise healed. I inform them that no bodak will rise from the ashes. We block the doors to the tunnels and inner complex. We have another conversation regarding our next course of action. I still think that we should return to town. Others think we should continue our exploration after resting. I recommend that Skif pray for divine guidance. He agrees to pray for an augury. After he has rested we will call upon the unseen but powerful gods for guidance. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] The softskins settle down on packs and bedrolls. Despite the short amount of time since we entered the inner complex, they all seem physically exhausted. With odd expressions on their faces, they shut down their sensory organs and begin their rejuvenation cycles. They call it 'sleeping'. While the time passes I consider our predicament. To continue our quest we must be at full strength. We must not allow distractions such as the promise of treasure to distract us from the dangers ahead. I remain convinced that the creature spied by Mutteran must be powerful indeed. I knit while I correlate the day's sensory input and tactical decisions. My attempts to form a cogent plan are constantly interrupted by odd and disturbing memories. [/Solmar]

10 Jularva
Hafn'mor

[Solmar] Just after midnight, my companions conclude their rejuvenation cycle. They rouse themselves, stow their gear and make ready to set our course. The party is fully rested and no injuries plague our physical forms. Skif indicates that he is prepared to make a divine inquiry. Casting an augury spell, he asks the question I have formulated (negotiating the exact phrasing took some effort). "Should we return to Deepwood prior to eradicating the evil that remains in this dungeon complex?" The answer imparted to Skif is less than conclusive, and somewhat ambiguous. "Deepwood is in need of your help". Kyrin immediately assumes that this means we should eliminate the evil that remains before returning to Deepwood. Skif agrees; the others say nothing... I reluctantly agree to continue forward - Towards the evil entombed at the end of this complex; if we can find some way to eliminate travel through much of the remaining complex. Perhaps Kyrin can find some way to move us through the earth. Some way to create a short cut into the creature's tomb. Some way to bypass some of the rooms that lay between us and our ultimate goal. [/Solmar]

[Solmar] We unseal the doors leading to the inner chamber and the rooms beyond. Nothing is waiting to attack us. We move forward to the place where the corridor has collapsed. An examination of the collapsed corridor shows the earth composed of much rock, but it isn't solid rock. If it were solid rock, it probably wouldn't have collapsed. Thankfully the conditions of the earth are such that an earth elemental would be able to move through it. It may be possible to summon an earth elemental, or change into earth elementals, or cast a burrowing spell. We continue to discuss the possibilities. We must bypass the trapped corridors and rooms between us and the evil that remains... [/Solmar]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. They discovered the Dragon, slumbering on it's pile of treasure. They fought and defeated the Dragon - Not once, but twice! After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. An elusive Xorn, the withering attacks of two Wraith, and the deadly attack of an undead creature called the Bodak. The attack of this 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party member. Two spell casters. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights. With no time to mourn their passing, the party found themselves trapped in an airtight chamber. After thinking their way out of that trap, they fought a group of level draining Wight and finally took some time to mourn their dead, bind their wounds, and rest a bit. After a slight recovery, the party is back at it. Trying to find a shortcut through the tomb complex. Some way to travel straight on into the heart of darkness that holds this tomb in thrall. So, sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Real-world date: 02 Apr 2011
Game-world date: 9 Jul 1004
Written by: Player - Todd, playing Mutteran, Crucifer and Azura - Read on!

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. They discovered the Dragon, slumbering on it's pile of treasure. Quickly and quietly, they entered the lair, fought two guardian snakes, and finally fought the Dragon - Twice! After defeating it once, it's body animated, the flesh rotted away, and it became a powerful undead beast. After defeating the beast twice, the party now worries about further danger. Setting up a hasty camp, the party tries to get some rest before they pursue a group of Xorn who made off with the Dragon's treasure. There's also the danger of additional undead lurking about, and then there's the lingering question... Is Armon Bistle responsible for any of our woes? Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"Deadly Gaze, Vanquished Bodak, Puzzled Party"

9 Jularva
Endsnear

[Mutteran] The bodak, sensing perhaps a weakness in our defense, begins moving aggressively towards the tunnel opening, crossing through the middle of the room. The fire elemental and fiendish dire bat both strike at the vile creature, but neither are able to penetrate its defenses. It stops approximately halfway through the room, cocking its head to one side and looking as if it’s sizing up our group. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Enola, frustrated by the hallway of webs separating her arrows from the creature, curses under her breath in Elven and draws her invisible blade, hacking at the sticky strands but making little progress. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] The bodak suddenly whips it’s head towards me and glares balefully. The temperature in the room seems to drop sharply, and even though I’m unable to see the dark evil lashing out from the undead thing’s eyes, I can feel it deep in my bones. I feel faint, briefly, but recover… and stare back at the bastard with a sneer on my lips. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] This is the first time I’ve seen Skif’s ability to move through things such as webs, and it’s an amazing sight – it’s as if he’s almost gliding over them, and the webs, in turn, seem to part out of his way.  Even though he’s moving slower than normal due to his eyes being averted from the bodak, he’s at my side in an instant and we pass a brief glance and nod between us. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Solmar, his makeshift blindfold wrapped around his head like an odd tablecloth, calmly but loudly asks, “Where is the creature? Someone guide me to it quickly!” [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] I announce firmly, “11 o’clock… 30 feet straight ahead!” [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Azura lets out a bellow of rage and begins thrashing wildly against the web’s tight embrace. This is one instance where his size is playing against him; as every inch of him is covered by layers and layers of the sticky substance. He makes no progress, and seems to be wrapped even tighter as he slumps against the wall, gathering himself for another attempt. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] The fire elemental slides over the floor and comes into contact with the edge of the web. There is a low *whumf* of expanding air and the elemental’s body flares quickly, igniting the web. It begins burning steadily, but not very quickly. [/Mutteran]

[/Mutteran] The bat pivots in the air and glides around to the back of the bodak, snapping its head forward in an attempt to sink its fangs into the rotting flesh… but is once again unsuccessful. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Crucifer, stuck behind the webs with Enola and Kyrin, eyes me with a sour, exasperated look and, for an instant, it appears as if he’s going to turn on his heel and leave. He then resignedly pulls his Elven thinblade and joins Enola in clearing the webs. With both of them hacking away, they start making some real progress. [Mutteran]

[Mutteran] I turn back to the room and begin chanting, summoning the arcane once again. I feel the heat and flame coursing through me and catch the bodak’s eye as the fiery burs… [/Mutteran]

[Crucifer] The paladin asks “What was that noise?” [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] I think to myself "Certainly not the sound of your plodding backside striking down the stinking pile of evil not five steps before you, tinker-toy.” I watch him struggle uselessly against the webs and consider he’s lucky he can’t see how ridiculous he looks. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] Then, the heretofore useless Half-giant rips free of his bonds and plunges directly into the flames caused by the druid’s fire elemental, letting out what is probably a giantish oath. Of course, if he hadn’t blindfolded himself, he might’ve been able to avoid said flames... but I must say that it’s quite amusing to see he and Solmar groping about like a pair of newborn kittens. The oaf finally stumbles out of the fire and is almost taken out by the bat, which is now banking haphazardly around the room in what seems like a confused state. Then, wonder of wonders, the lump actually collides into the bodak and is able to gain a grip on the creature. His shouts of “I GOT IT! I GOT IT!” are grammatically improper, but true nonetheless. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The Gnome is on his hands and knees in the corner, looking as if he’s attempting to pick the mage’s pockets. He warbles, “I think he’s dead!” Fat little hands fly over the body, and then I realize that he’s actually wasting a healing spell on a dead person! He then pauses and blankly states, “Guys, I think he’s really dead.” As if the mage was faking it? Sehanine save me from these dirt clods. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] There’s a screech of metal and wood against rock as our resident golem takes advantage of the slack in the webs provided by the giant’s escape and slips his bonds. He shouts, “WHERE IS IT NOW?” and gets no reply, since the only ones who could see the vile wretch are either dead or busy slicing through webs. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] Speaking of that, I get an overwhelming and horrid whiff of dirt, reptile shit and sweat as the archer steps past me to attack more stringy magic. It both annoys and amuses me that she actually believes she is a true Eladrin… although as she’s proved to be barely sentient, I doubt she’s even aware of that name. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] There is a sudden rush of air and a popping sound from the main room, and the fire elemental is no more. I’m unsure whether the bodak destroyed it, or it got bored from being useless and decided to kill itself. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The other elf female, who smells even stronger (a feat I believed impossible) of dirt and sweat – with the added pleasure of being mixed with wet animal fur – invokes Corellon’s name as a curse against the bodak for banishing her elemental, then sets about assisting with the clearing of the hallway. Between the fire at the front and our efforts at the rear, the web is quickly disappearing. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] Unfortunately, the bodak agrees. It strikes at the still-smoking half-giant, who pivots out of the way. We see that the strike was but a ruse, however, as it needed the lump out of its way to cast another web spell... this time inside the room and directly between us and it. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The Gnome calls upon his patron for two boons, and receives them. Firstly, he is able to move through the webs as if they don’t exist... and secondly, a bolt of Searing Light erupts from his hands and strikes the bodak squarely in the chest. The undead wretch is staggered for the first time, and is obviously in dire peril. From the looks of it, another bolt would perhaps finish it off. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The ineffectual bat, now back to its senses, proves its ineffectualness once again by being unable to even make a mark on the bodak. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] There is a loud clatter and a thump, and I spy the half-giant wrestling vigorously with the bodak. It seems our resident man-child’s love of sport has come into play, and he’s planning on pinning the bodak when he gets the chance. With a joyful laugh, he cries “I STILL GOT HIM!” I won’t fault the lad for lack of education – I mean, after all, he’s a GIANT – but his continued ignorance of the rules of the every-day spoken word is simply unforgivable. I’ve spoken with newts who’ve had better control of the language. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The webs are nearly cleared, but in my haste to get past them, Top O’ The Mourning slips in my grasp and I nearly drop him. A burning pain throbs at my wrist as I feel a tendon or ligament pop free. I straighten up and begin tending to the injury, ignoring the webs. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] Which, as it turns out, was the proper choice. The flames reach the grease spell that was cast by the bodak, and the hallway is suddenly full of flame rather than web. The rest of the sticky, ropy strands are consumed in the flare-up and we three are now free to enter the main room. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The second web cast by the bodak proves to be much less effective at slowing us down, as there are several paths around it that are easily taken. The Paladin takes advantage of the opening to close in on the still-grappling bodak and giant-oaf, who’s direct contact with the vile creature has begun to sap his vitality. The name of Helm is invoked and golem heals Shaman – not fully, but granting substantial health. Before being sent to this world, I had no idea a construct could serve a deity, much less channel the divine. I’m still not convinced that it’s not a ruse: Either the Paladin has been transformed via magic into this wood & metal shell… or it carries a healing item that’s able to mimic divine energy. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The Gnome, instead of finishing off the bodak with another spell, gropes around the room as if looking for something important. He winds up against the north wall, where it’s obvious he’s pinpointed the grapplers by hearing their struggle. He seems about to launch himself at the pile, but holds back for some reason (As an aside, I truly believe smaller creatures, due to their lack of brain size, are substantially inferior in the mental sense to most humanoids. And no Gnome, Halfling or Dwarf I’ve ever encountered has ever proved me wrong). [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The bat, sensing a large opening, lunges forward and buries it fangs deep into flesh. Unfortunately, the large opening it sensed was the half-giant’s ass, and there’s a sharp cry of pain as blood spatters into the air. I can’t help but smugly point out to myself that the lump is constantly trumpeting his size as an asset… but in this fight, it’s worked against him at every turn, and now his ass is et. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] Swearing fluently in common now, the oaf shifts his solid grip on the bodak in order to retrieve some goodberries that the Druid conjured a few days ago. However, instead of eating them and sealing his wounds, he holds them in reserve to maintain his hold on the bodak. We’ll see if that proves, as I believe it will, to be a very stupid decision. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] With the hallway still engulfed in flame with no indication of how long it will last, I have no choice but to fly through the fire if I’m to engage with the bodak. My armor and cloak protect me well against the fire, and I’m barely singed as I make it through and fly into position. The pressure in my head and chest is blissfully released as I unleash against the evil wretch. However, at the last possible second, the Shaman nearly loses his grip on the bodak and has to spin around to gather himself on top of the creature to re-attain his hold. And it is at this time that my eldritch bolt strikes… where the bodak was not an eyeblink before – a space now occupied by the lump! The Purple rams into his rib cage, causing the Shaman to gasp in unimaginable agony as fey energy flays at his skin and rattles his bones. His pained bellow rebounds off the walls, echoing down the hall. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The archer steps up and, in quick succession, three deadly arrows fly towards their target. Two miss badly and strike wildly off the stone floor, ricocheting dangerously around the room. One strikes home, but the bodak is a very tough creature and it does no damage. She’s visibly upset at her poor showing, and her face sets into a grim smile that promises her next attack will produce a very different outcome. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The bat, apparently feeling shame and remorse over its attack on the Shaman, attempts to immolate itself in the remains of the fire, but unfortunately doesn’t succeed. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] In a surprising show of physical strength, the Druid breaks out of the second web… although it’s obvious to everyone who can see her that it took almost everything she had to do so, and is almost out on her feet. She looks into the center of the room and sees the ongoing grapple, shouting “I see it! I can see it!” after successfully identifying the bodak as the only thing in the room that’s not a member of her party. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The Paladin once again reaches into the grapple and heals the Giant-kin. After taking a large bat bite in the rear and an eldritch bolt in the ribs, the Shaman is severely short on health – which matches his wit and usefulness, indeed. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] Suddenly, the bodak’s head slips free of its confinement and pops up from the grapple, scanning the room for victims. It focuses its evil gaze upon me and I feel nausea churning in my bowels as my mouth goes dry. After an interminable, silent battle of wills, I withstand the barrage and begin preparing for my next attack. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] There is a whizzing sound as another three arrows speed from the ranger’s bow, but again, she is not on her game today. As before, the first two missiles find nothing but stone floor, while the third strikes the creature… but not hard enough to actually cause it concern.  I’ve only been with the party for a short time, but they speak of her prowess in an almost reverential awe. So far I haven’t been that impressed, but then again, I was never one for reverence. [/Crucifer]

[Crucifer] The Gnome pops up out of nowhere in the middle of the grapple, channeling his healing into the undead wretch and disrupting the negative energy flow within its innards.  It is a bold move, and not one I’d expect from such a scraggly mudbug. The bodak writhes in agony and throws its head back in a silent scream. I smile inwardly, take a bead on its pustulant forehead, and… [/Crucifer]

[Azura] This thing is stronger than it looks, and a lot slipperier too. I’ve been able to hold it down pretty good, but every time I try to pin it, it wriggles free. If I didn’t have my eyes covered, I’d have this thing down in about three seconds, but if I did that, I’d wind up just like our two mages. Oh sorry, our two DEAD mages. How stupid do you have to be to not cover your eyes in a battle where the monster only has to look at you to kill you? Well, I may be slow sometimes, but I’m not stupid. [/Azura]

[Azura] I twist the bodak around and let fly an icy blast, coating his head in frost. I can’t really tell if it did much damage, but it’s about all I can do besides hang on to it. At least since Solmar and Skif joined me in the middle here, I don’t feel like I’m the only one fighting this thing. Solmar gets a great grip on the beastie and puts it down hard. He says “Cover it's eyes so it can’t kill any more of us!” [/Azura]

[Azura] Another arrow shoots past, but only one this time? Oh, because it’s Kyrin not Enola. She’s so pretty. Agh wait, concentrate on the bodak! Oh no, not that bat again! I swear, if it bites me again I’m going to shove my fist so far down its throat I’ll be able to tickle its ass. Shouldn’t it be gone anyway? Mutt summoned it and he died, so doesn’t the bat leave then? Shut up, stupid! Keep your focus on the bodak! [/Azura]

[Azura] There’s Enola now, three twangs. She’s so fast that it almost sounds just like one long twang, but then the arrows fly! I love to watch her shoot, and she’s so cool about it – I know some of the party think she’s arrogant, but I just think its confidence. Two of her arrows sink into the bodak’s gray skin and do a little damage, but the third one bounces off. I can’t believe how tough this skinny, frail little stain of an undead is! [/Azura]

[Azura] Skif lunges forward again, his hands glowing with another cure spell. That REALLY hurt the bodak last time, I thought it was going to wriggle free there for a second, but I got it back under control. Skif slips and misses the bodak’s shoulder as he stumbles past our grapple. His hands are still glowing though, I think the spell is still active until he touches somebody…but I’m not sure. [/Azura]

[Azura] The bodak rises a little and tries to spin in my grasp. I flatten my body against it and try to pin it down so we can tie it up or something before we kill it. It manages to just squirt out from under me the second before I pin it down, but lucky us, Solmar is there! He gets the bodak around the neck and drives it down into the stone floor, pinning it solid.  There’s a screech and the bat flies down to snap at the bodak again but misses by a mile. I wish that thing would just go away, it’s just a pain now. [/Azura]

[Azura] Enola shoots again, and one of her arrows plunks deep into the bodak’s side, making some green/gray ooze squirt out. I almost retch because it’s the worst thing I’ve ever smelled in my life. I break free of the grapple and stand up to get out of the stench. Solmar doesn’t have to worry about things like that, but if I stayed down there, I would’ve yakked all over everybody. [/Azura]

[Azura] Kyrin says something in that crazy/beautiful sing-song language she speaks when she’s casting a spell or talking to her wolf. Enola glows with a red haze, and Kyrin says “You’re much stronger now, use it well.” But she doesn’t get any chance to use her magical strength, as Skif places his hands on the bodak and releases the healing spell. The body goes limp, and we all stand up and look at it. Solmar says something about making sure it never kills again, and starts hacking away at its neck. The rest of us go over to Mutt and Crucifer’s bodies, and we start discussing what to do with them – looking at their wills and all that. [/Azura]

[Azura] Enola, who was still standing in the hallway when she was firing her arrows, walks into the room with all of us, and as she does, a huge iron door comes slamming down, cutting us off from the way we came in – and there’s no other way out that anyone can see. I don’t know how they figure this out, really, but they start talking about how the room is “sealed” and we’re going to run out of air eventually. [/Azura]

[Azura] Skif and Kyrin go over the dead bodies again, making sure that they’re really dead, I guess. Or maybe they’re worried that they might come back as undead like the bodak or like the giant snakes did before. I suggest that we stick them in the magic bag until we get back to town, and Skif then discovers that his magic bag isn’t working anymore…and he has no idea why. In fact, nobody does. He also tells us that the bodak was a special kind of undead construct called a “Spell-Stitched” which made it a lot tougher and much more dangerous than a normal bodak. There are runes carved all over its skin and it had spellcasting powers which, while not really powerful spells, did a good job of splitting us up and delaying our attacks until its gaze attack could kill some of us. It was definitely created by someone really powerful, like a dread necromancer or a lich or something like that. I think it was at this time that we started realizing that we were in some real trouble, because if we have something that powerful after us, not everyone is going to make it. [/Azura]

[Azura] Skif also starts searching around the area where Mutt saw the “secret door” when he was looking around with his Wizard Eye yesterday. It just looks like a regular wall to me. Solmar says that everyone should start searching for a way out, so I join in and we all get down on our hands and knees looking for a crack or something. I’d rather just go back open that iron door. I could do it, easy. The statue over against the wall there starts getting a lot of attention, and everyone is talking about how it’s a worshiper of Velsharoon or something like that… some evil god. Shocker! Since we detected both evil and magic in the room, they try to activate the statue by pouring some of Crucifer’s blood on it. I’m a little uncomfortable with cutting up and throwing around his dead body, but at the same time, I don’t want to suffocate in this room, soooo… but it doesn’t work, so we’re back to square one. [/Azura]

[Azura] Kyrin starts casting spells to shape the stone of the walls and let us out, but the walls “heal up” almost as fast as they open up so that’s no good. I could listen to her cast spells all day long, it’s such a beautiful sound. I ask if Crucifer or Mutt had any magic items that could get us out of here, so we go over their inventories. We don’t find too much to help us out of the room, but they have some nice items and we distribute them around to those who don’t have as good of items. We also decide to heal up after the bodak fight, and Kyrin passes out a bunch of goodberries since Skif’s spells are almost gone. She then goes off and sits in one of the corners to meditate. Here’s the stuff we got from the dead guys: [/Azura]

Solmar – Ring of Cure Light Wounds (Crucifer), +2 Cloak of Protection (Mutt), Coin of Darkness (Mutt)
Kyrin – Amulet of Elder Flowers (Crucifer), +2 Ring of Protection (Mutt)
Enola – Explosive Rune Bead (Mutt)
Skif – Slippers of Spider Climbing (Mutt)
As for me, I only switch out my +1 Ring of Protection for Solmar’s +2 one, since Solmar’s new cloak and his old ring won’t work together. Stupid magic.

[Azura] We decide to check out the orbs now, since we can’t figure out what else to do. Oh, we also tried to use some weapons on the iron door and stone walls… but that didn’t work any better than Kyrin’s spells, which is fine since nobody thought they would anyway – but we had to give it a try. *shrug* [/Azura]

[Azura] Skif drinks a Potion of Clairvoyance that Crucifer had and starts looking into the orbs. He also tried to look through the walls and door, but couldn’t see anything. The popular vote now is that we’re cut off from the Prime Material Plane completely somehow, but we don’t really know for sure. All of the orbs have stuff in them, like keys, wands, coins, gems... except for one of them which is heavier than the others and seems to have some sort of mud or something in it. I think we’re going to have to break some of these orbs to figure out this trap we walked into. I also think that everyone knows that too, but no one wants to be the first to say it, I guess. And now we’re just all standing around staring at each other, because no one wants to make things any worse. I just want to break something. Anything. [/Azura]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. They discovered the Dragon, slumbering on it's pile of treasure. They fought and defeated the Dragon - Not once, but twice! After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. An elusive Xorn, the withering attacks of two Wraith, and the deadly attack of an undead creature called the Bodak. The attack of this 'Spell-Stitched' Bodak, proved far deadlier than some had anticipated. With nothing more than a simple glance it struck down two party member. Two spell casters. Two powerful champions of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights. The party is left little time to mourn the passing of Mutteran and Crucifer, as a sealed tomb and puzzle trap may spell doom for more than two. So, sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons! Join us again as our heros struggle to solve the riddle of the nine suspended orbs.

Real-world date: 19 Mar 2011
Game-world date: 8-9 Jul 1004
Written by: Mutteran

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. They discovered the Dragon, slumbering on it's pile of treasure. Quickly and quietly, they entered the lair, fought two guardian snakes, and finally fought the Dragon - Twice! After defeating it once, it's body animated, the flesh rotted away, and it became a powerful undead beast. After defeating the beast twice, the party now worries about further danger. Setting up a hasty camp, the party tries to get some rest before they pursue a group of Xorn who made off with the Dragon's treasure. There's also the danger of additional undead lurking about, and then there's the lingering question... Is Armon Bistle responsible for any of our woes? Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"Elusive Xorn, Withering Wraith and Deadly Bodak"

8 Jularva
Longday

[Mutteran]  We settle our camp into the curved hallway.  I spent a good hour during camp setup investigating the stone corridors with my magical eye.  The stairwell platform leads into three separate sarcophagus rooms; two seemingly destroyed by fire and water.  Smaller corridors extend beyond each sarcophagus and generally loop into each other.  I see three main rooms – A dining room, empty but for chairs and a large table; large room with night globes hanging from ceiling wires, in it is a Bodak!  I recall Bodak are undead with a deadly gaze attack ability.  The final room has bubbling hot mud on each side of a stone walkway, and on the walkway is one of the Xorn munching on some treasure!  I am unable to see past the Xorn as my vision is obscured somehow.  I inform the party, and convince Crucifer and Azura to perform a hit/run action.  I dimension door the three of us into the corridor adjacent to the Xorn with Crucifer and Azura.  Our intent is to hopefully to have Crucifer charm the Xorn and get it to stop eating treasure; otherwise we will exit before risking more injury. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 1:  I’m dazed from casting dimension door but get us to the desired location.  Crucifer tries to charm the Xorn.  Azura readies his weapon if attacked. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Round 2:  Crucifer proclaims, “Hello friend, do you speak Common?” and motions the Xorn over to him.  I tell them I’m ready to cast my spell.  The Xorn instead of approaching us leaves by walking back and sinking into the ground.  I cast a second dimension door and return us to the party. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Having seen physically beyond the Xorn, I attempt the magical eye again.  This time, I determine the passageway continues to the iron door described by Deep Wood’s priest!  The door is closed and a magical seal of Torm seems still intact!  I look behind the door and see a library room with an apparent human sitting at a reading table.  It can’t be human, but I can’t recall any specifics of this creature.  I let the group know my findings.  We camp through the night, and at some point the illusionary wall disappears from the cave's entrance.  [/Mutteran]

9 Jularva
Endsnear

[Mutteran] I double check the iron door and see the treasure on the floor in front of it; as if in offering to the creature beyond the door!  We agree to head toward the treasure going through the East ruined room.  Kyrin casts light on her staff while Crucifer keeps his sword lit.  Azura yanks open the stuck door to the sarcophagus room after Skif and Solmar could not open it.  During this commotion, Solmar is attacked by an arm coming out of the nearby wall (a Wraith!).  A second Wraith attacks and misses Kyrin. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Round 1: The Wraith moves into the ruined sarcophagus room, and hits Azura (Draining a point of Constitution).  Azura rages and swings his hammer, but the Wraith is incorporeal and the hammer passes through it with no effect.  Skif steps forward and quicken casts summon monster to bring forth a Lantern Archon. The creature throws light at the Wraith and casts aid on Azura.  I cast magic missile and damage a Wraith.  Enola hits the Wraith with 2 arrows.  Another Wraith comes out of the wall and hits Kyrin.  Kyrin cast cure serious wounds on the Wraith, inflicting damage from its positive radiance.  Enola’s snake, Fang, freaks out and panics, moving away from the Wraith.  Crucifer invokes an Eldritch Blast on the 2nd Wraith.  Solmar’s shield attack also misses due to the Wraith’s incorporeal being. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Round 2:  The 2nd Wraith moves into the wall and then strikes out at Kyrin.  I cast fiery burst at the 1st Wraith.  Azura hits the 1st Wraith with his hammer.  The same Wraith hits Azura and drains more Con before melding into the wall like the other Wraith.  Kyrin casts lesser restoration on Azura.  Solmar moves into the room with the ruined sarcophagus. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Round 3:  Enola's readied action is triggered when the Wraith reaches out at her; she strikes it with an arrow.  Crucifer triggers his eldritch blast but it fires through the Wraith's incorporeal body.  Skif's readied action is the casting of Searing Light, but it also flows through the Wraith’s body.  The Archon’s readied action misses with its light spell. The 2nd Wraith misses Enola.  Kyrin casts lesser restoration on Azura again. The 1st Wraith hits Azura for more Con damage. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 4: Azura's readied action is triggered and he strikes the 1st Wraith seemingly killing it.  Enola’s readied action hits the 2nd Wraith with her arrow and kills it.  No further Wraith attacks occur. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] We continue following my map. However, we find the corridor leading the iron door, and treasure, totally blocked by collapsed walls and ceilings.  We will be forced to fight the Bodak. In approach to the nearest corridor bend, we strategize our approach.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 1: I start casting summon monster III (Fiendish Dire Bat).  Azura and Solmar blindfold themselves to prevent death by the Bodak's gaze attack.  Skif casts haste on the party and quicken casts a Lantern Archon which immediately succumbs to the Bodak’s gaze attack. Crucifer blindly shoots his eldritch blast down the hall.   Enola presents an arrow to Kyrin and Kyrin casts daylight on it. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 2: Skif quicken casts light on his bolt and readies the bolt.  Enola fires an arrow at the Bodak but misses.  I complete the summoning of a fiendish dire bat and cast a Fireball into the room (it barely affects the Bodak).  Solmar moves forward blindly.  Crucifer invokes an eldritch blast at the Bodak.  The Bodak casts a grease spell on the floor where Solmar stands.  Kyrin starts casting a summoning spell.  [/Mutteran] 

[Mutteran] Round 3: Azura throws his hammer into the room but misses the Bodak.  Enola hits it with 2 arrows.  Crucifer casts an eldritch blast at the Bodak.  Skif shoots it with his acid arrow (no damage).  I rush into the room without averting my gaze, and survive the gaze attack; I maximize an orb of fire at it. The bat moves up misses the Bodak.  Kyrin completes his fire elemental summoning and has it stand near the Bodak.  The Bodak moves to the back corner and casts web impacting Solmar, Azura, Kyrin and Skif.  I yell the Bodak’s location multiple times to the group hoping they can kill it shortly..  Azura rages and moves 10ft closer (but still 5ft in the web).  Solmar tries to move out of the web but remains 5ft inside the web. [/Mutteran]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. They discovered the Dragon, slumbering on it's pile of treasure. They fought and defeated the Dragon - Not once, but twice! After slaying the undead Dragon, the party took a short break to recuperate. Afterwards, they continued their journey. While attempting to recover the Dragon's treasure, they encountered several monsters. An elusive Xorn, the withering attacks of two Wraith, and now the deadly attack of an undead creature called the Bodak. Don't look now, party members are in dire danger. The mere gaze of this creature can kill! Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Real-world date: 05 Mar 2011
Game-world date: 8 Jul 1004
Written by: Mutteran

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. After entering a box canyon, the party spots a concealed cave entrance, confirms the Dragon is inside - and asleep! It's now or never. The final encounter? As the party stalks silently toward the slumbering Dragon, they disturb a pair of huge snakes, and the battle has begun. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons, here is the confrontation you've been waiting for!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"Die Dragon Die - I said Die - Die Already! - Why don't you Die?!"

8 Jularva
Longday

[Mutteran] Round 2: Enola hits the second snake with three arrows.   As Solmar tries to move past, the snake lunges at him taking a bite and starting to constrict his body.  Solmar slam attacks the snake killing it, then moves forward towards where the Dragon lies.  Skif moves forward and readies an action to cast haste once the party nears him.  I move forward, adjacent to the large doors, but positioned against the wall.  I then throw the silence coin farther down the corridor to allow our spells to be cast. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 3: The Dragon bellows “Get out of my house!” and flings open the double doors, moving into the hall.  Azura had braced himself against the door, so the door didn’t crush him between it and the wall.  Enola hits the Dragon with 2 arrows.  Crucifer activates his phase resistance protection, yells “For Lord Oberon and Lady [garbled]”, and invokes an eldritch frightful blast.  Skif’s readied action triggers, casting haste on Crucifer, Skif, Azura, Solmar, Kyrin’s wolf Zareb, and myself.  Azura steps away from the door and breathes fire on the Dragon (he previously swallowed a fire breath potion).  Azura also initiates his rage mental state.  Zareb flanks the Dragon, but in doing so the Dragon bites the wolf; in return Zareb bites it.  Kyrin casts a flaming sphere spell at the Dragon but to no noticeable effect.  I hit the Dragon with a maximized orb of fire and then move out of its range of breath attack.  Skif quicken summons a Rhek (which misses) and casts searing light at the Dragon.  Solmar moves forward to smite the Dragon, yelling “Kyracolidis, your days are numbered!” [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 4: Skif quicken casts a second Rhek (which hits the Dragon), while his original Rhek misses; he then casts spiritual hammer (which misses).  The Dragon steps toward Solmar and hits him with his full attack sequence – bite, claw, claw, wing buffet, wing buffet, & tail.  Azura hits the Dragon with his great hammer, but in doing so provoked a Dragon bite.  I strike the Dragon with another orb of fire.  Kyrin starts summoning a Dire Ape.  Crucifer does a flying charge with his sword channeling his eldritch blast at the Dragon.  Zareb misses.  Enola hits the Dragon with one arrow.  Solmar hits the Dragon with three attacks yelling “Bow before the might of Helm” and it collapses.  To our collective horror, four Xorn meld out of the stone, grab armfuls of treasure each, and meld back into the back wall.  Crucifer yells “Xorn bastards!” while Solmar proclaims “Earth Elementals came out of the wall, scooped up some treasure, and exited”.  By the end of the round the Xorn have stolen all the treasure! [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Crucifer heads towards the nearest door to chase the Xorn.  Kyrin casts a cure serious wounds spell on Solmar.  Azura carefully removes a scale from the Dragon.  I move into the room and use my magical eye to see behind the door; the Xorn are quickly moving beyond it.  From that 20x20 room with glistening surfaces from water condensation, they move onto stairs leading to a landing with three doors.  They move beyond the doors and I discontinue watching them. Meanwhile Solmar, Skif, Azura, and the others are determining how best to butcher the Dragon to preserve its hide.  Solmar performs a coup de grace to ensure the Dragon is dead. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 1:  Suddenly Enola feels a cold chill run through her body.  One of the killed snakes has had its flesh turn rotten and fall off its skeleton!  It now is moving towards Enola, transformed into an undead creature with glowing red eyes.  Azura charges the snake and hits it with his hammer and begins to rage for a second time.  I throw an orb of lesser fire at the undead snake.  Enola says “It tried to freeze me so it must die” and hits it with 3 arrows.  Skif hits it with an acid arrow.  Solmar moves forward and strikes the snake with his sword. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 2:  The Undead snake bites Azura but fails in its constriction attempt.  Crucifer, back at the door, opens it and confirms the stairway and empty landing with three doors.  Enola hit the snake with all three arrows again.  Kyrin casts a cure moderate wounds on the undead snake, and then gets bitten by it.  Skif attempts another acid arrow but instead accidentally shoots himself.  Azura kills the undead snake with the second strike of his hammer.  We begin to hack and burn the body of the second snake before it also can turn into the undead.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 1: A large bellow erupts and we slowly turn around to see the Dragon’s corpse is now animated as a skeleton, with only rotten flesh remaining on its body (Damn additional ‘loot’ is now lost to us!).  Solmar and I now recognize the undead creature as a Proto-Dracolich a ‘newborn’ dracolich yet to gain all its powers.  I yell “The Dragon is now a proto-dracolich; it now has paralysis abilities.” Enola hits it with two arrows.  I cast a fireball at it.  Crucifer invokes an eldritch blast but the attack dissipates from its body.  The proto-dracolich moves forward and bites Skif, knocking him prone. Azura moves forward and hits it with his hammer, but not before the proto-dracolich bites him.  Solmar moves forward and misses with his shield bash.  Skif starts defensively casting a summoning spell while prone.  Kyrin moves forward.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 2: Solmar yells “Kyracolidis, we are going to destroy you again, then find your phylactery and destroy it too!”  The proto-dracolich ignores Solmar, and does a full attack against Azura (bite, 2 claws, 2 wings, 1 tail).  Fortunately most of the damage is blocked by Azura’s stoneskin protection.  Kyrin hits the proto-dracolich with his staff of striking at maximum effect, but misses with his second blow.  Enola hits it with 1 arrow.  Skif’s dire raccoon is completely summoned, and hits the proto-dracolich.  Skif begins casting another summoning spell.  Solmar hits it with his shield.  Azura this time fumbles his hammer attack but without ill effect.  I hit the Dragon with an orb of lesser fire.  Crucifer invokes a curse of despair spell but fumbles the attack. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 3: Dragon conducts a second full attack against Azura, easily depleting the remaining stoneskin spell.  Skif’s second dire raccoon appears but all his summoned allies miss.  Skif casts cure light wounds on Azura.  Azura fumbles his attack again.  Crucifer invokes a curse of despair (-6 strength) on the proto-dracolich.  I hit it again with an orb of lesser fire.  Kyrin misses with his staff.  Solmar hits with his sword.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 4: My fire spells are depleted except for one remaining fireball (too many people around the proto-dracolich).  I cast magic missile but the spell dissipates on striking the proto-dracolich’s body.  Crucifer invokes a second curse (-4 abilities).  Enola hits with three arrows.  The proto-dracolich makes a third full attack sequence against Azura.  Skif casts cure serious wounds on Azura.  Azura hits the proto-dracolich with his hammer and it collapses. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  We quickly sever the head and place it in Skif’s magical pouch.  I believe once a body is animated, it can not be reanimated, and so far that is true.  Skif, Kyrin, and Solmar begin healing everyone in the party.  We all agree to rest before further investigation, as there is no doubt we will continue on at this point!  Our biggest concern is this phylactery and how close we might be to it.  Skif searches the entire area for traps as well as evil manifestation.  No traps, but a moderate evil aura projects from behind one of the doors.  After some debate we decide its best to camp in the corridor near the illusionary wall entry.  While settling camp, Skif joins in Crucifer’s opining about Armon.  In this case Skif suspects Armon knew about the phylactery and wanted us to kill the Dragon (and be killed in the process) to create a true Dracolich.

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. They discovered the Dragon, slumbering on it's pile of treasure. Quickly and quietly, they entered the lair, fought two guardian snakes, and finally fought the Dragon - Twice! After defeating it once, it's body animated, the flesh rotted away, and it became a powerful undead beast. After defeating the beast twice, the party now worries about further danger. Setting up a hasty camp, the party tries to get some rest before they pursue a group of Xorn who made off with the Dragon's treasure. There's also the danger of additional undead lurking about, and then there's the lingering question... Is Armon Bistle responsible for any of our woes? Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Real-world date: 19 Feb 2011
Game-world date: 7 - 8 Jul 1004
Written by: Mutteran

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem, and it looks like they may have that opportunity sooner than they'd expected - The Dragon stands before them, angered at their impudence, claws unsheathed and fangs bared. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons, here is the confrontation you've been waiting for!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"Dragon! - Intrigue in Deepwood - Dragon!"

7 Jularva 1004
Aprochen

[Mutteran]  Round 1: As the Dragon breaks brush cover, I yell to Solmar, “It’s the Dragon. Are we treating it as the Kobolds or the Stone Giants encounter?” Solmar responds with “Attack it!” (Damn him, nice obfuscation.  Does Helm teach any subtle tactics!  If the Dragon was uncertain of our intentions, now it knows!)  Enola resolves the question by striking the Dragon with 3 dragonsbreath arrows.  Kyrin calls down a pillar of flame (flame strike) at the Dragon.  The Dragon breathes a line of lightning 80ft in length which fortunately only strikes Kyrin.  It then unfurls its wings and flies away.  Skif hits the Dragon with an acid arrow while in flight.  Azura also strikes it with an arrow.  I move near Azura and ready myself to cast stoneskin on him should the Dragon turn towards us in flight. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Round 2: The Dragon continues its flight away from us.  Enola swift casts the guided shot spell and strikes the Dragon with two arrows from at least 600 ft away (her ego from hitting at this range is about 600ft wide! Of course I don’t complain as she consistently remains the most effective and dangerous fighter in our party).  I ask Skif to cast fly on me so I can try to track the Dragon with my magical eye.  Upon casting, I immediate rise 60ft up and see the Dragon.  Azura taunts the Dragon in Draconic, citing it and its ancestors as a line of cowards.  Kyrin switches into eagle form and starts to track the Dragon’s flight path. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Round 3:  This time, Enola misses with her three arrows due to the distance and lack of line of sight.  I start tracking the Dragon with my magical eye, in a leap frog site to site manner.  Solmar investigates the Owlbear area.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Eventually the Dragon folds its wings, dives into the forest, and burrows into the ground without any sign of passage.  I can no longer track the Dragon with the magical eye.  I quickly yell to the group a description of the area, and Kyrin locates it.  She makes sure her scent (as an eagle) is readily apparent in the area and returns to the group.  Nothing of interest was near the Owlbear; I begin butchering it for food and load approximately 20 meals worth onto the wagon. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  We finally arrive at the Village of Deepwood at 5pm.  It’s a small village barely carved out of woods, although with a mixture of architectural housing; from shacks to cabins to a mansion.  We are greeted by Edvard Kititch, the Mayor of the village.  Edvard is pleased we’ve come to deal with the Dragon and encourages us to camp in some designated open areas.  When I balk at said accommodations, he suggests I speak with Armon Bistle, the village benefactor in this matter.  (For a village desperate for a resolution to its Dragon issue, I’m disappointed in his graciousness. The red carpet should be rolled out to us!) [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Armon’s house is the garish mansion out of place in this village.  A formally dressed servant named Darby answers the door, and invites us into the main parlor.   Armon himself joins us shortly and welcomes us to the village.  He offers us dinner and accommodations within the house.  Armon indicates we are the first adventuring group to answer his notice, and that the Dragon has been menacing the nearby area but not the village itself.  No ex-adventurers live in the town, but that Ishtal Gladonia, a Priestess of Mielikki, is the granddaughter of an adventurer who lived in the town and could possibly have additional information.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  I ask about the financial arrangements of our transaction.  Armon indicates he needs proof of the Dragon’s demise or eviction in order for us to receive payment.  He also indicates payment will be in coin! (I wonder where he keeps the money!)  During this conversation Solmar call upon his detect evil and gets two readings – Armon is faintly evil and something near his chest (amulet?) projects a strong aura of evil!  At the same time, Crucifer invokes his detect magic ability and that same area on Armon has the presence of strong transmutation!  We leave Armon to talk with the village priestess and indicate we will return for dinner.  On the way Solmar and Crucifer inform us of their investigations, and Crucifer expresses his suspicions – “Armon is the Dragon luring adventurers here to build his treasure hoard!”  Crucifer states his intention to not accept any food, drink, or shelter from Armon.  Solmar confirms that Edvard did not detect evil. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] We arrive at an ivy covered brick building that is the Village Temple.  Priestess Ishtal Gladonia, an elf, welcomes us to her church.  Skif calls on his detect evil ability to confirm she is not evil.   After verifying our intention to defeat the Dragon, she informs us that she facilitated a higher reward than normal via Armon with the hope that we’d resolve an additional problem.  Ishtal tells us her own tale. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Ishtal’s grandfather (hundreds of years ago) was part of an adventuring group tasked to defeat some creature that was kidnapping villagers, who never were seen again.  The group (a paladin of Helm, a priest of Torm, a druid, and a rogue) tracked the creature into a nearby bluff/canyon that was previously a laboratory and crypt for a mage named Elz (sp?) Branded-Hand.  Ultimately the group failed in destroying the creature, but they successfully trapped it behind a steel door sealed by the divine graces of Torm.  To alleviate any anxiety from the villagers, the group told them that the creature had been killed.  Ishtal’s grandfather was ‘touched in the head’ after the encounter, and never adventured again. With the Dragon encroaching on the village, Ishtal fears the Dragon will release or even band with this creature.  She wishes for us to confirm the creature remains trapped, or if not, to defeat it before villagers begin to disappear again!  Ishtal has adopted the duty from her grandfather to continue to protect the village. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Additional details after questioning from our party:

• Ishtal doesn’t know the nature of the creature encountered.  (Based on the divine, positively charged, barrier on the door, and the passage of time, I suspect an intelligent undead being.)
• Current villagers are unaware of the risk as it is only a vague legend from the past.  No villagers have gone missing yet!
• The bluffs/canyon is approximately five miles out of town towards the southeast direction.
• Armon moved to the village about 2 years prior to the first appearance of the Dragon.  While out of place for the character of the village, he has been quiet and respectful.
• She doubts the Dragon has laired at or near the Monastery, as pilgrims have continued to/from without disruption.  (Deepwood is a week away from the Monastery.)
• The divine seal on the door has the symbol of Torm on it.  Only a devoted follower of a good god who could channel ‘enough’ positive energy may open the door.
• The adventuring group faced this creature “early” in their career.
• The Dragon’s name is “Kyracolidis”  (If she had sufficient divination powers to discover its name, couldn’t she have pinpointed its location?)
• Other key villagers - Trammil Nimman (hunter), Rajel Meni (alchemist), Esther Vidid (famous painter of nobility/royalty who retired to Deepwood five years ago)

Solmar thanks Ishtal and indicates that we will consider her request. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Before returning to Armon’s for dinner, we stop off at the alchemist shop.  We end up buying 12 healing balm poultices for an exorbitant price.  (I think Solmar is trying to foster good will amongst villagers.)  Dinner at Armon’s is excellent, however Armon is very elusive regarding his past (e.g. “from far east & west” versus specific country or town).  Kyrin raises the importance of trust between contracting parties, then asks Armon directly about the strong presence of evil emanating from his chest area! (I almost choked on the wine when I heard her!  She is very direct.)  Armon responds that it has nothing to do with our contract and should not concern us.  He also indicates that a party companion (Me!) is of evil persuasion.   (I doubt any of us trust Armon, but what is his game? It is interesting that a) he or someone else has similar divination abilities and has used them on us, and b) my cloak would set my alignment closest to Armon’s personal tendencies.  If not for the feather bed in the room, I might join Crucifer in sleeping outside…OK, not really, luxuries are worth a little risk!)  Dinner ends shortly thereafter and we all go about setting for sleep. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Skif summons a small Earth Elemental to investigate the ground underneath and adjacent to Armon’s mansion for possible tunnels, but nothing is found.  The party discusses what spells we should take to maximize our chances against the Dragon.  I plan to cast two circle dance spells in the morning to get a sense of the Dragon’s location; otherwise I’m planning on having some defensive spells at hand.  Before sleeping, I sweep Armon’s mansion with my magical eye.  I see nothing out of the ordinary. Spying on Armon, I find him at first reading in his study and eventually retiring to his own room. [/Mutteran]

8 Jularva
Longday

[Mutteran]  In the morning I cast circle dance twice, about 700 yards distant from each other.  Each spell informs me that the Dragon is unharmed (Damn, somehow it’s been healed!) and very tired.  It is also directionally southeast from my current location.  Since Ishtal’s bluff/canyon lair is also southeast, I will recommend to the party that it’s the best place to start looking for the Dragon.  Enola casts her lay of the land spell and has a vision of the major terrain landmarks in the area. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  About mid day we arrive at a dead end box canyon, with the foundations of an old abandoned village crumbing within it.  Kyrin and her totem wolf pick up some unnatural scent.  While investigating the area, Skif yells over that part of the canyon wall is false, hidden by an illusion!  Once he points out the area, we all can see some form of burrow hole in the canyon wall.  Kyrin casts speak with plants on some nearby brush and it tells her that the Dragon is ‘Down that hole’ right now!  I use my magical eye to scout ahead.  Twenty feet beyond the entry the tunnel turns from base rock to constructed flagstone and arches.  The tunnel slopes downward and turns approximately 60 ft in total length, into an open room with a stream of water on one side.  A secondary room exists with open iron-bound doors.  In this smaller room is the Dragon, apparently asleep on a pile of treasure!  Some doors and additional corridors exist, but we need to act NOW to take advantage of the Dragon being asleep!  The entire area is without natural light.  (Hmm… DM encouraged this brevity; not a good sign for the other unsearched areas J…) [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  We quickly develop our plan of action.  Those without dark sight (Crucifer and I) will be in the middle of the party and led by sighted individuals in front and behind.  In fact Azura will carry me so I can focus my magical sight on the Dragon.  I will alert the party should it awaken!  I cast stoneskin and bulls strength on Azura, and mass electrical energy resistance on the whole party.  Kyrin casts bulls strength on Solmar, and aid on Azura.  Skif casts silence and light on separate copper pieces.  I hold the silence coin in one hand, and put the light coin in my mouth (a make shift bullseye lantern effect when I open my mouth).  We head down the tunnel. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Moving is slow due to our huddled party (to stay within the silence radius), lack of sight, and Skif checking for traps.  (I do not like the lack of sight and hearing; fortunately I can feel Azura moving and my focus on the Dragon distracts me from this odd predicament.) We are no longer walking on a decline so we must be in the main room now.  Suddenly I feel something strike my hand but I quickly move it away.  I can barely hold on to Azura as I feel his shoulder and body underneath sway and turn; he is swinging his hammer!  Something is wrong, so I open my mouth for light.  Two Giant Constrictor Snakes must have surfaced from near the stream and approached the party.  Skif is looking angrily at me, so I suspect what struck my hand was actually him reaching out for the silence coin. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Round 1: Enola hits the closest snake with three arrows. Azura has already hit the same snake with his hammer.  I cast fiery burst, no verbal component, killing the closest snake and injuring the second.  Kyrin throws three magical pebbles which in flight enlarge to boulder size.  Unfortunately she misses the surviving snake and the boulders land well beyond it, possibly outside of the silence area!  [/Mutteran]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. After entering a box canyon, the party spots a concealed cave entrance, confirms the Dragon is inside - and asleep! It's now or never. The final encounter? As the party stalks silently toward the slumbering Dragon, they disturb a pair of huge snakes, and the battle has begun. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons, here is the confrontation you've been waiting for!

Real-world date: 05 Feb 2011
Game-world date: 5-7 Jul 1004
Written by: Mutteran

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem, the adventurers have entered a new phase in the adventure. Now arrived in the region of Deepwood; gone is the dusty long road, here is the dark forest and a subterranean aqueduct, here the adventure begins again. After a series of encounters with a deceptive tribe of Kobolds, the party managed to free a Succubus Paladin from an accursed trap. Pyrceval left the party after a disagreement with Solmar, and the party added Kyrin to their roles - Yet another ally in the quest to defeat the Dragon which plagues the town of Deepwood. While resting at the Hostel of the Sacred Stone, the party fought a brief battle with a group of Dretch. With the demoness foe of Eludecia momentarily thwarted, the party has returned to the Kobold lair to investigate the labratory of Yin Yensine. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons, this quest is far from over!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"How Not to meet a Dragon"

5 Jularva 1004
Freeday

[Mutteran] Arriving at the hall adjacent to the laboratory corridor, Skif casts his stone tell granted spell to gain information. Skif learns the following:

• Yin Yensine, or another Kobold, would carry a bag of attuned gems to bypass the corridor traps.
• Yin Yensine created some mechanical creatures to protect himself and would attack all creatures.
• This creature is described as having a horizontal body and tail with two legs and arms. It has trampled other Kobolds in the past.
• The stone in this area is unaware of any other active traps in the area besides this corridor.
• Remaining Kobolds are in warrens south of here.
• There is no other way to disable the traps, and the door mechanism is discernable only from outside the room. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] We decide to attempt dimension door into the lab; everyone jumps into the bag but Skif, Crucifer (flying 5ft upwards) and I. Kyrin raises some concern about breathing in the bag and subsequently exiting it, but eventually jumps in (She's smart too - Some people are just lemmings.) I place us on the raised platform near the sarcophagus, bookshelves, and chests; even in my disorientation the smell in the room is rank and overpowering. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 1: Moments after I teleport in, a Mummy rises from the sarcophagus and screams "You are destroying the clan I put so much effort into building". The mechanical arms/tentacles attached to sarcophagus then begin to flail around, striking anyone within reach. Two of the arms hit Crucifer before he withdraws 15ft in the air and out of reach of the arms. Skif quicken casts light and calls for Solmar to be retrieved from the bag. To avoid the flailing arms, I perform an immediate teleport to stand between a chest and pillar. I then cast an orb of fire against the Mummy. The Mummy's wrapping seem particularly affected by fire (perfect). Solmar attacks the sarcophagus with the arms. Kyrin casts barkskin on herself. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 2: I cast another Orb of Fire but miss the Mummy. I try to duck behind the chest for protection. Skif recalls Kyrin from his bag. He then quicken casts a summoning of a dire raccoon which then succumbs to fear paralysis of the Mummy. Kyrin hits the sarcophagus with her staff of striking (using it as a double weapon). Crucifer strikes at the Mummy with his sword but misses. Arms attack and hit the raccoon and Skif. The Mummy shoots out a ray of light from the purple gem in its crown and it hits me for some damage. The Mummy then drops into the sarcophagus, pulls the shroud around it, and a familiar 'bamf' sound occurs. It has disappeared. Solmar continues to strike the sarcophagus. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 3: Kyrin casts stone shape to tilt the sarcophagus table towards the edge. At the same time Azura and Solmar grab and throw the sarcophagus onto the floor. It shatters on impact and the arms stop moving. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] We start investigating the platform and larger room. Crucifer activates his 'phase resistance' to heal himself. I walk over to Kyrin and Skif and cast obscure undead senses on the three of us just in case the Mummy returns (I should have remembered before we even entered the room!). Skif casts a cure light wounds spell on me. Crucifer invokes detect magic but nothing of interest is found. The bookshelves are lined with books on gears and some makings of undead books which I immediately destroy. The chests are full of mechanical parts. (I hope to study the books and parts during the evenings.) Skif finds some secret compartments in the chests with some mundane valuables in them. Kyrin summons an eagle and has it land on the floor to possibly trigger any traps or reactions in the lower room. I cast web in the lower floor area and cover at least half the area up to the platform. Kyrin throws a glitterdust stone into the web and a large creature shape is glowing within the rubble. We suspect another automaton and choose to avoid it. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Finished with the looting, I use my magical eye to determine that the Mummy is located in the Kobold throne room. Once everyone is in the bag, I cast dimension door to a nearby corridor. The second encounter with the Mummy is anti-climatic. One fireball kills it and a bunch of Kobolds while Kyrin and his totem wolf companion kill two Kobolds. Our preparations proved unnecessary (Skif casting haste, my casting reflective shield on Crucifer to position him above the Kobolds to increase the fire damage, my summoning a Hell Hound for the fight). (Solmar raises a concern about my summoning the fiendish Hell Hound even though he knows it is under my complete control and for what purpose it's been called. In fact I wish to debate with him, but not at this time, the merits of not choosing a celestial creature. The celestial creatures must be annoyed by a summoning and it perhaps impacts their daily lives/goals – isn't it better to inconvenience a fiend? Causing a fiend to defend the innocent or work for a good cause could perhaps provide a conversion opportunity – Eludecia is living proof a fiend can be converted! Even without conversion, shouldn't we force fiends to do good deeds?) [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] We've had enough of exploring these aqueducts! We return to the Hostel to rest before continuing to Deepwood and our true mission here. Madge, brings out a bone relic that heals the wounds of our party. He also doesn't charge us for use, and damage, of his Hostel. Before evening closes, Solmar presents Eludecia with the magical gloves we recovered from the Mummy. She cries in relief for their return and thanks us. That evening I begin studying some of the books from the laboratory (I plan on making this an evening activity until I've gone through them all.) [/Mutteran]

6 Jularva 1004
Hafn'mor

[Mutteran] We start our trek through the forest to Deepwood. By mid-afternoon we pass the fork that would lead us to the ruins of the Dwarven Monastery. We continue and have an uneventful day and night. [/Mutteran]

7 Jularva 1004
Aprochen

[Mutteran] 2:46pm - While on the trail, a large rustling sound and swaying of branches can be heard adjacent to the trail. Enola decides to pull out her bow and shoots blindly into the woods! Of course being the marksperson she is, her arrows strike true. An Owlbear breaks through the brush line. Skif shoots it with his crossbow. Despite the coverage, Enola strikes whatever is out there! Crucifer says it's an Owlbear. Skif shoots it. I cast magic missile at it. Kyrin changes into a wild boar shape and charges it. The Owlbear is killed. (I think Solmar has a double standard in regards to spellcasters and warriors. Perhaps not being a spellcaster himself causes this prejudice. He challenges my planned casting of the Hell Hound; however he raises no alarm at Enola's indiscriminate shooting into the woods? What if it had been a Centaur, Wemic, or some large woodland creature instead of the Owlbear? And she's a Ranger, Protector of Woodland creatures?) [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] My contemplation ends abruptly because something even larger breaks the brush line, its a Blue Dragon! It shouts "That was my Owlbear!" (My immediate thoughts: 1) Damn, look at the size of those claws and fangs!, 2) Too bad, I was starting to like Kyrin, 3) Do we flee or fight since negotiating is likely out of the question,, and 4) if we survive this initial encounter, we might have a better chance of tracking it back to its den.) [/Mutteran]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem, and it looks like they may have that opportunity sooner than they'd expected - The Dragon stands before them, angered at their impudence, claws unsheathed and fangs bared. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons, here is the confrontation you've been waiting for!

Real-world date: 22 Jan 2011
Game-world date: 4 Jul 1004
Written by: Mutteran

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem, the adventurers have entered a new phase in the adventure. Now arrived in the region of Deepwood; gone is the dusty long road, here is the dark forest and a subterranean aqueduct, here the adventure begins again. While negotiating with a group of Kobolds, the party was led into a trapped corridor. After defeating a pair of gelatinous cubes and a deadly trap, the party confronted and slew the Kobold Chief who deceived and hoped to slay them in a watery trap. This dramatic encounter forced a schism within the party. After confronting Solmar over a matter of justice, Pyrceval left the party. Moments later the party was surprised to find a regenerated 'Silver Skeleton' as a fully fleshed Succubus, temporarily imprisoned in their 'bag of holding'. After resolving that particular dilemma, our heroes have returned to the Hostel of the Sacred Stone before continuing their quest. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons, this quest is far from over!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"A 'Hostel' Demon"

4 Jularva 1004
Forens

[Mutteran] Our party relaxes at the Hostel waiting for Aishapra’s return to receive payment for Eludecia’s rescue, and planning our morning assault into the Kobold tunnels.  Solmar is convinced the Beholder door is a puzzle mechanism.  We determine that each eye stalk had a separate gem type for an eye, in the following order: Obsidian, Emerald, Amber, Sapphire, White Opal, Garnet, Moon Stone, Black Pearl, Blood Stone, and some undetermined gem (my magical sight is black/white in the dark so the color remains unknown). Most of the party turns in for the night, although Enola and Kyrin remain on guard with Solmar. [/Mutteran]

5 Jularva 1004
Freeday

[Mutteran]  Just after midnight Aishapra approaches Solmar.  As she approaches, Solmar uses his divine Detect Evil ability to confirm she is not evil.  Aishapra asks for the skeleton to be returned to her and Solmar indicates that Eludecia is alive and recovering.  Solmar inquires why Aishapra has always appeared at night and her response is to avoid people and potential spies employed by angels and demons alike.  Aishapra then asks to see Eludecia prior to providing payment.  When Solmar indicates she’s resting in the Inn's common room, Aishapra walks in.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] When Eludecia sees Aishapra she exclaims in distaste, “Sapharia!”.  Solmar recalls that Sapharia was the name of a lieutenant directly under “Khe’tch” the Balor Demon, and immediately starts blowing his signal whistle.  Sapharia meanwhile responds by stating “The Kobold services have waned greatly since Yin Yensine's death.”   She then tells Eludecia, “Enjoy your freedom for it will be brief.  I need to finish up my end of bargain with the Kobolds.”  Sapharia transforms into a 9ft tall demon with 6 arms and a snake body, and suddenly 24 Dretch are summoned to the common room. At the initial sound of the whistle, Skif is alerted to danger and wakes me up. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Round 1: The Dretch surround Solmar and his initial attempt at a shield bash misses.  Kyrin swings her staff but also misses a Dretch.  Sapharia disappears from the scene with a loud ‘bamf’ and the swirling air distortion familiar to any Teleport or Dimension Door spell.  Enola strikes with 3 arrows at two of the Dretch.  I’m able to get into position behind Enola where I can readily target the Dretch with a Fireball.  I cast a maximized Fireball spell in the middle of the common area and 17 of the Dretch immediately drop! (Finally a really destructive spell, it has been a while!)  While missing the present party members, I unfortunately disintegrate some tables, chairs, and other minutia while significantly damaging the wooden walls and floor of the Hostel.    Fortunately the Fireball is an instant burst of flame and doesn’t cause materials to ignite!  Skif moves up behind me and quicken casts a Summon Raccoon spell. The summoned creature immediately bites a Dretch.  Solmar is hit by a Dretch.  Azura moves from his room towards the battle.  Kyrin casts Barkskin on Solmar and then shifts herself into a tiger shape.  Eludecia proclaims, “For all that is beautiful in this world be banished to the Abyss” as well as “Do not despoil this plane with your ugly mug” then kills two of the Dretch with single strikes from her clawed hands.   Solmar hits with a second shield bash against a Dretch.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 2: Skif moves across the damaged floor but the floor beneath him collapses and he lands on the top of the bar of the basement floor. The top of his head remains level with the ground floor.  Enola continues shooting arrows and kills another Dretch.  Azura attempts to cross the floor and falls through, creating second hole.  He however is tall enough to awkwardly throw his great hammer at a Dretch killing it.  Kyrin, as a tiger, hits a Dretch.  I move myself adjacent to Eludecia and catch another Dretch in my Fiery Burst magic (the floor did not collapse when I walked across it).  Eludecia kills another Dretch.  Solmar kills two Dretch and proclaims, “Thus is the justice of Helm”.  The Dretch have been defeated! [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Eludecia uses her divine healing powers to heal our injuries.  Madge comes up from the basement and asks “What happened?”  Solmar tells Madge a Demon horde attacked us, led by a Marilith.  Madge, being an old adventurer himself, takes the damage in stride and immediately begins repairing the floor.  Solmar assists him throughout the rest of the night.  The rest of us decide to return to our sleep before tackling the Kobold lair.  We invite Eludecia to join us tomorrow, but she states she must continue to recoup for her injuries and meditate on her next efforts.  Before falling asleep, I use my magic sight to confirm the Beholder door and laboratory room remain undisturbed. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] In the morning we regroup before heading to the Kobold tunnels again.  I use my magic sight to check the well entrance, the throne room, and the Beholder door and laboratory room.  The well entry, door, and laboratory are undisturbed, but near the throne I can see a pile of small Kobold heads and a separate bloody message in Draconic, “… And this is what happens when you fail your superiors…”  It looks like six Kobolds now guard the throne entrance. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] We proceed down the well entry and stop to investigate the trap lever used by the Kobold fishermen.  The lever is carved in the shape of an Aboleth.  Skif discovers a trap associated with the lever and disables it.   He also recovers a gemstone that was part of the lever mechanism. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] We investigate the corridor we hadn’t previously explored. Skif finds some journal pages in Draconic.  The journal waxes poetic about the beauty and power of Aboleths, Beholders, and other Aberrations.  There also appears to be a drawing of the Beholder door with words adjacent to each eye stalk.  Solmar has a gleam in his wooden eye regarding an important puzzle piece being found.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] We approach the throne entrance and Solmar takes the lead.  The Kobold guards indicate we are not welcome here and that we’ve caused enough death.  Solmar tells them he remains their de facto leader if none has been chosen, and to step aside to avoid being hurt. He tells them “…Yin Yensine’s treasure is ours by default” (All Right Solmar, you tell them!).  The guards do not move, so we attack. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 1: Enola kills 1 Kobold with her arrows. I kill 2 Kobolds with a Fiery Burst spell.  Skif pulls out and loads his crossbow.  Azura throws his hammer and kills a fourth Kobold.  Kyrin transforms into a large wild boar killing a fifth Kobold.  Solmar charges and attacks the last Kobold.  Meanwhile six more Kobold guards charge into the room. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 2: Crucifer flies forward behind Solmar and targets the Kobold sword shattering it with an Eldritch Blast.   Crucifer says with a mocking laugh, “There you go, Solmar, now it’s an even fight.” Enola kills two Kobolds with her arrows. Kyrin continues her attacks as a boar.  Azura moves forward towards the battle.  Skif fires his crossbow but misses a Kobold.  I cast Fiery Burst and kill a Kobold.  Solmar kills a Kobold.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round 3: Crucifer flies into the throne room and shouts, “Sapharia show yourself, enough of this playing you demon bitch!” Skif hits a Kobold with a crossbow bolt.  I kill one Kobold with another Fiery Burst.  Enola kills the last Kobold in the throne room with her arrow strikes. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] My random thoughts:

• I’m envious of Kyrin’s shapeshifting ability.  I wish my innate abilities included such powerful transformations.  Eventually I will have to compare experiences with her.  I never was able to share such discussions with Ysoac.
• Only an ex-adventurer like Madge could handle the extensive damage to his Hostel in such a nonchalant manner.  He also recognized our assistance and waved any of our Hostel bills to date!  Madge deserves any good will he receives!

Wow, that last encounter proved how efficient a group of adventurers can be when acting in unison.  Of course Kobolds, when not ambushing us, don’t pose much of a direct threat.  I only hope we can show similar efficiency as we approach our true mission of defeating the dragon. [/Mutteran]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem, the adventurers have entered a new phase in the adventure. Now arrived in the region of Deepwood; gone is the dusty long road, here is the dark forest and a subterranean aqueduct, here the adventure begins again. After a series of encounters with a deceptive tribe of Kobolds, the party managed to free a Succubus Paladin from an accursed trap. Pyrceval left the party after a disagreement with Solmar, and the party added Kyrin to their roles - Yet another ally in the quest to defeat the Dragon which plagues the town of Deepwood. While resting at the Hostel of the Sacred Stone, the party fought a brief battle with a group of Dretch. With the demoness foe of Eludecia momentarily thwarted, the party has returned to the Kobold lair to investigate the labratory of Yin Yensine. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons, this quest is far from over!

Real-world date: 08 Jan 2011
Game-world date: 4 Jul 1004
Written by: Mutteran

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party has taken to the open road. The road has proven dangerous and long - Very Long! The party has fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion (Belt resigned as a member of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights, and hastily departed after learning of some urgent church business), and recruited three new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem, the adventurers continue in the region of Deepwood. Gone is the dusty long road, here is the dark forest and subterranean aqueduct, here the adventure begins again. While negotiating with a group of Kobolds, the party has been led into a trapped corridor. While a pair of gelatinous cubes failed to slay our heroes, this deadly trap may yet become a watery grave for the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"A Blood Thirsty Paladin"

4 Jularva 1004
Forens

[Mutteran] Having escaped from the watery tunnels into the normally dark tunnels, I grab a scroll I’ve been saving and cast darkvision on myself.  Meanwhile, in the water trapped tunnels, Skif begins searching for the trigger mechanism.   Pyrceval breaks into song to inspire competence.  Azura holds onto the Celestial Porpoise while it swims to the stone blocking the exit (the Porpoise disappears at the end of the spell). Continuing to hold his breathe, Azura starts battering the block with his great hammer.  Crucifer continues his Eldritch blast attacks but through his sword. Solmar walks toward the inner stone blocks. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] I change into Kobold form and walk on the ceiling towards where we first walked into this trap.  I see some Kobold fishermen as I approach and yell to them, “Tell me about the water traps down the corridor or else”.  They cower, and one says, “We’re sorry but we had to do it”.  He then reaches behind him and pulls some lever in the wall.  I hear loud scraping and screeching noises and a whoosh of water rapidly flowing into open tunnels.  I tell the Kobolds, “Stand here or die”, then I yell for the group.  I also change back to Mutteran form in front of the Kobolds (While Solmar, Enola, and Skif are aware of my nature, I haven’t exposed my Changeling abilities to other party members).  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] The group gathers and we further interrogate the fishermen.  They have standing orders to trigger the ceiling traps should any non-Kobolds explore the area.  They usually keep the trap closed for one day then reset it and remove any remains or gear from those trapped. Solmar demands justice from the Chief, but indicates that these fishermen were just following the Chief’s order and should be spared.  He agrees that any Kobold attempting to stop us from reaching the Chief can be killed.  To be certain the fishermen do not interfere further, Pyrceval sings a song of fascination which affects them.   (I’m glad Solmar sees that the Chief has played us false.  I was concerned he’d want further evidence.)  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  The tunnels are empty of Kobolds, and Skif scouts a short distance ahead of the party.  At the curving entry into the king’s chamber, he sees the king sitting alone on his throne.  Before proceeding further, Skif casts haste on the party.  To trigger any ambushes, Pyrceval casts a major image of Solmar walking into the hall towards the Chief, shouting, “Chief Blast, it is time to pay for what you have attempted to do to us.  As the leader of the tribe it is time for you to pay!” Chief Blast looks up and despondently says “I’m dead either way. I have failed.” The party walks forward cautiously and surrounds the Chief.  Chief Blast continues explaining “Our tribe was commanded to always protect the hall when Yin Yensine made the deal with a demon who put the silver skeleton there.”  Deducing we had survived on hearing the stone blocks raised prematurely, he sent the rest of the tribe into the warrens for safety and awaited his fate.  Under additional questioning Chief Blast indicates:

• Yin Yensine was a powerful mage and leader of tribe when they originally settled here
• “The demon said adventurers would periodically come and we should send all adventurers there to be trapped.”
• Yin Yensine died decades ago and they’ve never seen this demon; they have just been faithful to their promise.
• Yin Yensine had a laboratory for his magical experiments; the archway to it is protected against non-Kobolds.  Additionally his lab door has been protected even against Kobolds.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Solmar demands the immediate execution of the Chief for his misdeeds.  I am interested in using him as a live ‘Canary’ to test Yin Yensine’s magical defenses.  Solmar insists, and I defer, saying we should at least use his body for tests (it’ll be dead already anyway).  Pyrceval surprisingly steps in and says we should not kill the Chief, and fascinates the Chief with a song.  Solmar draws his sword anyway, and Pyrceval bodily intercedes between Solmar and the Chief.  Suddenly three arrows plunk into the Kobold’s body and he dies.  Enola lowers her bow and her expression of impatience obviously reads, ‘Discussion Ended, Move On!’  (With her bow in hand, I doubt anyone would 'quarrel' with her!) [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Pyrceval is outraged, but surprisingly channels his ire solely towards Solmar instead of Enola. (I suspect because Enola’s impetuous action is not unusual; Solmar on the other hand atypically disregarded another party members express interests.)  Pyrceval states he is immediately leaving the party, and can not be dissuaded.  He leaves, heading toward the well exit.  As he leaves, we hear him strumming a new ballad, and hearing vague words regarding “…Solmar the Unjust Knight…”.  (Pyrceval must have always had reservations about joining our group, as I can’t imagine the Kobold’s death was the true reason.  He hasn’t seemed that ‘queasy’ about dealing death in the past.  Of course I’m sure he didn’t like Solmar’s total disregard of him.  Regardless, I think it was a convenient excuse.)  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Skif determines the Chief had a magical chain shirt and a mundane gem embedded in his empty eye socket.  Crucifer confirms that the gem encrusted magical throne was in fact a permanent illusion over a base rock formation.  Solmar asks that we leave the Chief's body on the throne before we leave the tunnels. He also asks that we write a message in the Chief’s blood, I write in draconic, “This is the fate of those that consort with Demons.  Let the next leader make better decisions!  Signed Solmar servant of Helm.”  With these acts, Crucifer proclaims his satisfaction with having joined the party.  He states earlier decisions to avoid conflict had raised concerns about this group being ineffective or unwilling to do what is necessary!  (Solmar seems to have taken this quite personally – immediate executions and gory messages.  I guess he feels Helm authorizes him to be sheriff, judge & executioner.  I have no personal qualms regarding the Chief’s death – he should have been concerned about dealing with us and not a so-called demon from decades ago.  Likely Yensin just conjured up an illusion of a demon.  And if not, perhaps Solmar acted impetuously by signing his message!   I only wish Solmar (and Enola’s) actions had not forced Pyrceval to leave our company.) [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Crucifer detects two magical gems (transmutation and abjuration) placed in the archway towards the laboratory.  Skif studies the archway and extracts the magical gems without triggering their effects.  They are safely stored in his bag.  Azura has a magical dragon claw (fancy grappling hook?) and attaches it to a rope and the Chief’s dead body.  Azura tosses the body through the archway without triggering a magical effect.  We proceed and Azura collects the body.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] When Skif opened his bag, the Leprechaun indignantly demanded, “What the hell are you doing; its hard enough to hide all this stuff from the Gith!”  We suspect the influx of flowing water was not appreciated.  He then says, “You deal with the Chick” and adjacent to him is the restored Succubus named Eludecia!  She relates a story of being captured by a demon she had betrayed when becoming a paladin. In its Wraith it killed her, turned her bones to silver, and placed a ring of regeneration on her.  That way she would remain in a dormant life state within the Gelatinous Cube as her flesh would constantly be renewed and destroyed.  She asked us to release her from the bag.  We obviously were concerned about the validity of her story.  She agreed to patiently wait for her release, subject to Madge Madgerson, the Dwarven hostel owner, vouching for her previous actions (she was on pilgrimage to the Dwarven monastery when captured). [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Before Skif closes the bag again, I present to the Leprechaun Madge’s adventuring journal I had purchased.  I tell him while still endeavoring to free him from his enslavement; I hope this book could possibly entertain him.  He thanks me. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] We finally arrive in an antechamber to the end corridor leading to Yin Yensinee’s lab.  The end corridor has a carved wall which looks like a Beholder (central eye is oversized and looks like it might open; 10 eyestalks, each capped with a gem).  The antechamber is filled with trash, and we suspect an Otyugh lives within it.

• Crucifer steps forward into the corridor to cast detect magic and a ray shoots out of an eyestalk gem.  He seems unaffected.  It looks like there is 50ft leading up to the Beholder door and we suspect an eye stalk ray will be triggered with each step of the way!
• Crucifer casts Charm Monster on the Otyugh – it says no one has ever gotten past the door.  A ray has either killed them or they’ve run out of the corridor and survived.  (I’m torn over the potential enslavement of ‘charmed’ creatures; of course my understanding is that they are not completely enslaved but have minimal intelligence to dispute outrageous demands.  I would never cast such a spell myself, but I must acknowledge its effectiveness.  I will have to even more closely monitor Crucifer’s actions to see if he abuses this power.)
• I use my 3rd eye of sight to investigate the room behind the corridor.  It is a 50x50 room with lots of gear/lab debris on the floor.  A platform is suspended above the floor in the middle of the room.  This platform is lined with shelves full of books, chests, trunks, and in the center, an open sarcophagus.  The sarcophagus has a white shroud over it, covering a lump (body?) the size of a large Kobold.  I notice 4 metal arms extending out of sarcophagus, and earthen jars surrounding it.  Undisturbed dust is settled on the platform.  I notice a 'Dust Devil', some form of living gust of wind (ooze), mindlessly floating around the lower debris floor area.  I inform the party of everything I saw.
• Enola hopes to bypass the corridor by exploring some of the nearby small crevasses as a snake.  She discovers the remaining Kobold tribe in its warren, but no easy route to the Lab.
• I suggest I could dimension door into the room, but unfortunately do not have the same spell again to use today.  Solmar accurately states that the lab has not been disturbed for decades, and there's no reason to believe it will be disturbed before we have time to rest and recover some spells; we can return tomorrow better prepared to tackle this trap.  I acquiesce, although it pains me to have potential magical research just outside my reach without first attempting a dispel magic or dimension door.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] We return to the surface and the hostel.  Madge does confirm Eludecia’s story (a memorable one about her body turning purple after drinking some of his special beer).  Upon confirmation, we release Eludecia from the magical knapsack.  Further discussions with Eludecia reveals:

• She knows nothing of the Blue Dragon currently in the area of Deepwood.
• She is in the service of Sune.  Previously she was a servant of a Balor demon (named Khe'tch), but persuaded by Hezrial to convert to good.  She dedicated herself to battling other demons and outsiders as atonement for her past.  Deeming this insufficient penitence, she went into the Abyss to defeat the Balor itself.  She was able to enter its stronghold and gate it to the Prime Material.  She and Hezrial then defeated the Balor, banishing him from the Prime realm for the next 1,000 years.  Unfortunately a general of the Balor took revenge against her, ambushing her during her pilgrimage to the Monastery.
• She retains the ring of regeneration, and asks for the return of some magical gloves which were a personal gift to her from Hezrial.  A surviving Kobold indicated that the Kobold Mage was “paid” with those gloves.
• She greatly appreciates her rescue and will inform Hezrial of our service.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  We asked Madge about Yin Yensinee, but he only recalls what we already knew.  Yin Yensinee was the tribe’s leader upon his arrival in the area. Yin Yensinee was good with setting traps, but died shortly after he (Madge) arrived in the vicinity. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] (Before we attempt the passageway again, Skif should cast his Stone Tell granted ability; perhaps the stones will tell us how to avoid the Beholder trap or what Yin Yensinee did to disarm it.  DAMN, we should have thought of that while we were still there today!) [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  At the inn we observe and overhear a heated debate from another adventuring party.  It seems to be made of a Dwarven fighter or cleric and leader of the group, and Elf in a cloak with creeping movements underneath it, a Halfling, and a Human.  The Elf wants to seek out the Blue Dragon, while the Dwarf decides otherwise and leaves with the rest of the party.  (For our own mission that is good; I’d hate to have spent soooo much time traveling here to find another adventuring group hot on our heels, or even a few days ahead of us!)  Crucifer introduces himself to the Elf, who then introduces herself as Kyrin, a druid seeking to slay the dragon.  On hearing of our own intention to confront and possibly destroy the dragon, she confidently says “Very well then I will accompany you”.  Kyrin wears some type of magical plant armor, carries a long staff and bow.  The others mention she is quite comely so I await the sparks from Enola. Kyrin states that this particular Dragon has yet to encroach upon her home in the Forest of Starmantle.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran]  Most of this discussion occurred in the lower bar; the upper bar was being entertained by Pyrceval in ‘Perl’ form.  Perl was performing an original ditty entitled ‘Solmar the Unjust Knight’ to some applause.  On hearing this, Solmar leaves the lower bar and storms upstairs (at least it looked to me like an emotional rise had been reached).  Shortly thereafter I hear silence, and a few minutes later Perl strikes up another more traditional tune.  Solmar returns without saying anything.  (Azura later confirms that Solmar threatened to ‘out’ Perl as Pyrceval.  I think Pyrceval is lucky given how blood-thirsty Solmar has acted lately that Solmar didn’t just treat him like the Kobold Chief).[/Mutteran]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem, the adventurers have entered a new phase in the adventure. Now arrived in the region of Deepwood; gone is the dusty long road, here is the dark forest and a subterranean aqueduct, here the adventure begins again. While negotiating with a group of Kobolds, the party was led into a trapped corridor. After defeating a pair of gelatinous cubes and a deadly trap, the party confronted and slew the Kobold Chief who deceived and hoped to slay them in a watery trap. This dramatic encounter forced a schism within the party. After confronting Solmar over a matter of justice, Pyrceval left the party. Moments later the party was surprised to find a regenerated 'Silver Skeleton' as a fully fleshed Succubus, temporarily imprisoned in their 'bag of holding'. After resolving that particular dilemma, our heroes have returned to the Hostel of the Sacred Stone before continuing their quest. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons, this quest is far from over!

Real-world date: 11 Dec 2010
Game-world date: 4 Jul 1004
Written by: Mutteran

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party has taken to the open road. The road has proven dangerous and long - Very Long! The party has fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion (Belt resigned as a member of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights, and hastily departed after learning of some urgent church business), and recruited three new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem, the adventurers continue in the region of Deepwood. Gone is the dusty long road, here is the dark forest and subterranean aqueduct, here the adventure begins again. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"Being played like fools... Again!"

4 Jularva 1004
Forens

[Mutteran] After our audience with the Kobold King, Quik lead us to a side corridor where the Skeleton Idol resides.  Quik then says we must proceed on our own, saying “I’m not worthy yet.”  He warns us that traps are in the area but doesn’t identify or disarm them (In hindsight, our confidence overcomes us.  Why should this have been acceptable?  We should have stopped and demanded an appropriate guide aware of traps.)  Crucifer begins to detect magic continuously (damn, wish I could) while Skif slowly starts to search for traps.  Alcove statues do appear to have been moved then affixed to new locations.  Skif discovers a collapsing stone ceiling trap and Pyrceval uses his ‘immovable’ magic dagger to prevent the trap from triggering the collapse.  We enter a 50ft tunnel covered with murals of mind flayers engaged in various types of attacks.  While exploring the tunnel, a trap must have been triggered causing four large stone blocks to fall from the ceiling.  Two prevent a return to the Kobold main chambers, one is blocked by Pyrceval’s dagger, and the other drops down partially blocking the alcove at the start of the tunnel.  Additionally a grinding sound echoes through the tunnel and torrential rush of water flows down the corridor, covering the ground to a depth of one foot in a matter of seconds! [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round3 Note: Round by Round details started at Round 3 (That's when the water started flooding these chambers):
A silver skeleton with wings appears suspended in a 5ft area in an open room at the end of the tunnel.  It appears to encased in a transparent cube (perhaps a cube of force?).   To avoid further traps, I approach the skeleton by walking on the side walls but to no avail.  An arc of lightning strikes me from the other side of the wall; I am stunned.   Solmar continues with his Stone Tell casting.  Azura, while carrying Skif on his shoulders (The water's getting too high for Skif), moves forward to within 10ft of me.  The skeleton remains (encased in its protective cube) move towards me.  Skif notices that the skeleton looks encased in some translucent goo. The water in the passage is now 2ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round4:
Skif  begins to search a 5x5x5 area near me for traps but finds nothing.  Crucifer screams to Quik, “Get something to get rid of this water!” then flies forward toward the skeleton.  Azura sees the translucent goo around the skeleton, and moves forward five feet.  Suddenly a section of the ceiling behind him slides inward and from a chamber above another translucent goo cube falls into the water, separating (and surrounding) Skif, Azura, and Mutt from the rest of the party.  Azura hits this second goo cube with his hammer.  Enola then yells, “It is a corrupted Gelatinous Cube which does vile and acid damage and has a paralyzing touch.”  She fires three arrows into one of the cubes.  The second gelatinous cube engulfs Azura, Skif, and me (Azura cold aura causing it damage).  I am now stunned and paralyzed.  The first gelatinous cube moves closer (both cubes were attacked by lightning trap but without noticeable effect).  The water in the passage is now 3ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round5:
Skif starts to tie himself to Azura in case he were to be paralyzed and fall off Azura's shoulder, and then quicken casts Haste on himself, Azura, and Pyrceval.   Pyrceval moves forward while drawing his rapier, and start his chant of courage.  Crucifer draws his Elven thinblade and attacks (with Eldritch Blast) the second cube.  It loses form and disintegrates into the water!  Azura moves toward the first cube and faces a slam attack which misses, but triggers three lightning traps, and is also stunned.  Enola fires three arrows at the remaining cube.  The 1st cube now engulfs Skif, Azura, and myself (Azura’s aura does cold damage again). Solmar ends the casting of his Stone Tell spell, draws his weapon and moves forward.  (Solmar normally doesn’t cast spells so he expected this spell to be cast quickly.  In fact it would have taken 10 minutes to cast.  Even if we didn’t need the help with the attacking cubes, based on the increasing water levels all the ‘soft-skins’ would be dead before he finished the casting.  Amateurs should leave spell casting to those of us trained in the arts.) I remain stunned and paralyzed.  The water in the passage is now 4ft high (over Skif’s standing height). [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round6:
Skif quicken casts a Summon Water Elemental spell, then finishes binding himself to Azura, and pulls open his pouch.  Pyrceval strikes with his rapier at the cube.  Enola strikes with two arrows killing it.  The cube and Skeleton collapse and fall into the water.  Crucifer flies up into the opening where the 2nd cube dropped from and yells back that a higher passageway exists.  Solmar moves forward and triggers a lightning strike again (which hits both of us).  I remain stunned and paralyzed.  The water in the passage is now 5ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round7:
Enola starts transforming into a snake.  Skif commands his Water Elemental to attack any additional monsters, and opens his magical knapsack commanding water to flow into it (hoping that a sufficient amount of water flows into the Ethereal plane to stop or diminish the water height).  I’m finally able to gather my senses but remain paralyzed.  Fortunately my paralysis doesn’t prevent my use of my immediate teleport ability.  I move 10ft backwards and upwards while remaining on the side wall, partially out of the rising water (my body aches from lack of movement and I can feel a tingling/itchy feeling in my extremities -Shaken Round1).  Solmar moves forward in the water triggering another lightning strike (stunning both Azura and Skif; Skif drops his magical sack).  Crucifer flies forward into a lightning strike, then backs out to hover near Pyrceval.  The water in the passage is now 6ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round8:
Crucifer grabs the struggling Pyrceval and boosting his head out of the water.  Pyrceval puts his rapier away and holds onto Crucifer.  Enola, in snake form, swims forward toward the ceiling opening.  Solmar arrives in the larger room, where the skeleton originally resided, and can see numerous open slots at floor level against the back wall.  I remain paralyzed and immediate teleport another 10ft up and out of the water (the tingling/itchy feeling continues in my extremities -Shaken Round2).  The water in the passage is now 7ft high and above everyone’s standing height but for Azura’s. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round9:
I remain paralyzed and immediate teleport another 10ft towards the ceiling passage Crucifer found (I feel the tingling across my body as if being attacked by tiny gnats - Frighten check DC10).  Everyone is swimming or floating in the water.  Solmar continues to search the end room, but cannot discover a shut off valve.  The water in the passage is now 8ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round10:  Crucifer Detects Magic on the silver skeleton – it is not inherently magical but a ring on its hand is magical.  I remain paralyzed and immediate teleport into the side passage (gnat attack continuing - Frighten check DC12).   Solmar invokes Detect Evil on the Skeleton and knows evil is in the area. The water in the passage is now 9ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round11:
I am at the highest point of the ceiling passage and I'm still paralyzed (gnat attack continuing - Frighten check DC14).  Azura moves back towards the ceiling passage and triggers 2 lightning strikes; Skif and Azura are stunned again with the second attack.  Solmar confirms the Skeleton is of overwhelming evil and has a ring on it.  He moves toward where Skif’s knapsack is floating (Skif having dropped it when he was stunned).  Enola and Fang are searching 5x5x5 areas where they are swimming.  The water in the passage is now 10ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round12:
I remain paralyzed (When will this paralysis end!?  I must break free - Frighten check DC16);   Solmar grabs Azura’s hammer, dropped when Azura was stunned.  The water in the passage is now 11ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round13:
Solmar grabs Skif’s knapsack and places the skeleton into it.  I remain paralyzed (Must break free…must break free - Frighten check DC18).   Crucifer flies around the corner but sees nothing.  The water in the passage is now 12ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round14:
Solmar moves down the passageway back towards the earlier statue. I remain paralyzed (…Break free, Break free, Break Free… - Frighten check DC20).  Pyrceval grabs the ceiling passage ledge and climbs out of the water adjacent to me.  Azura (with Skif) moves closer to the ceiling passage and climbs up as well.  Crucifer flies around toward the original entrance.  The water in the passage is now 13ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round15:
Solmar continues his movement through the water.  I remain paralyzed (…Break free, Break free, Break Free… - Frighten check DC22).  Pyrceval walks down the side passage and yells back that it is a dead-end.  Azura looks and sees a secret door there, but thinks it loops back to the original passage.  Crucifer enters the alcove room at the entry and removes Pyrceval’s dagger.  The last stone wall crashes down sealing him into the alcove, but also preventing further water from entering that room (about a one foot gap of air in the room) allowing it to fall.  (Now we see, save yourself and forget your companions… or is there some convenient rationale?) The water in the passage is now 14ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round16:
Solmar moves down the passage.  I remain paralyzed (…Is this going to last forever; get me out of this now!… - Frighten check DC24).   Enola changes back into her normal form.  Crucifer sends an Eldritch Blasts at the outer block (previously blocking us in).   The water in the passage is now 15ft high. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round17:
Solmar moves down the passage.   I remain paralyzed (…out, out, out, OUT – don’t think about anything else…- Frighten check DC26).  Enola changes back into her normal form.  Skif casts Summon Celestial Porpoise. Crucifer sends a second Eldritch Blasts at the outer block.  The water in the passage appears to level out and remain at 15ft high (the height of the original passage. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round18:
Solmar arrives at the front entry of the passage only to see that both blocks of stone block him from searching the statue for a release mechanism.   I remain paralyzed (…Must Escape, Escape, Escape… …- Frighten check DC28).  Enola searches the corridor where the majority of the party is standing. Skif jumps into the water, grabs the porpoise dorsal fin, and tells it to find Solmar.  Azura jumps down into the flooded corridor to try and bash a hole through the side of a wall.  Crucifer sends his third Eldritch Blasts against the outer block. [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round19:
Solmar decides to return to the party and moves back towards us again.  Skif sees him returning and has the porpoise turn itself around.  Azura treads water while trying to find a weakness in the wall.  Crucifer sends his fourth Eldritch Blasts against the outer block again.  I remain paralyzed and become frightened.  (DC30).  (I am HELPLESS and trapped.  I see Glan Sarin approach me with his knife and specimen tray.  I can feel him peel away skin from parts of my body for his experiments.  His aura or stench of decay and unholy flesh outweighs the normal smells of dismay and hopelessness around me and the other captives.  Was my prior escape and adventures in freedom only a dream?  Another means for him to break my will further? No, it must have been true, it must… it must!  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round20:
Solmar moves back toward us in the passage.   I remain paralyzed and frightened ( I must escape before Glan Sarin returns!).  Azura treads water.  Crucifer Eldritch Blasts the outer block again (5th try). [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round21:
Solmar moves back toward us in the passage.   My paralysis ends and I immediately Dimension Door safely outside the water filled passageway. (I escape you again Glan Sarin!)  Crucifer Eldritch Blasts the outer block again (6th try). [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Round22:
Solmar finally arrives at the ceiling passage/ledge where the rest of the party stands. Solmar recommends to the party, “Get into the pouch and I can bash the wall regardless of how long it takes.” Crucifer Eldritch Blasts the outer block again (7th try).  I curl into almost a fetal crouch position and repeatedly say “It wasn’t Glan Sarin; it was just a trap.  The HALLOWed Knights are real…” [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] (Once my sanity fully returns, I am seething with anger (at the Kobolds and us)!  We have been played the fool again by the Kobolds!  There is no excuse for not either disabling the traps (if under their control), or identifying the location and nature of the traps if not.  Unlike the dangers near the well entrance, their duplicity goes beyond just Quik’s possible stupidity or incompetence!  They planned to have us die by their traps or the Gelatinous Cube, and to benefit from our riches in addition to continuing to annoy the hostel patrons.  They’ve had no attention all along to agreeing to a treaty.  So be it!  I moving forward shall treat them as the vermin they are; they should be exterminated at our earliest convenience!)   [/Mutteran]

Campaign Masters note:
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party has taken to the open road. The road has proven dangerous and long - Very Long! The party has fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion (Belt resigned as a member of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights, and hastily departed after learning of some urgent church business), and recruited three new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem, the adventurers continue in the region of Deepwood. Gone is the dusty long road, here is the dark forest and a subterranean aqueduct, here the adventure begins again. While negotiating with a group of Kobolds, the party has been led into a trapped corridor. While a pair of gelatinous cubes failed to slay our heroes, this deadly trap may yet become a watery grave for the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Real-world date: 27 Nov 2010
Game-world date: 4 Jul 1004
Written by: Mutteran

Where we left off last session
Whillip's newest adventuring group - The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights have struck out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved, and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, the party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party has taken to the open road. The road has proven dangerous and long - Very Long! The party has fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion (Belt resigned as a member of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights, and hastily departed after learning of some urgent church business), and recruited three new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem, the adventurers continue in the region of Deepwood. Gone is the dusty long road, here is the dark forest and subterranean aqueduct, here the adventure begins again. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!

Note from the Campaign Master
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

"Afraid of the Water?"

4 Jularva 1004
Forens

[Mutteran]  The party agrees to go to the Kobold aqueducts since Deepwood has yet to be threatened by the Dragon.  Our intentions regarding retrieval of the ‘Silver Skeleton’ will have to develop as we understand the situation.  Crucifer as an aside, whispers to me that one contingency is his charming of the Kobold chief.  [/Mutteran]

[Mutteran] Quik leads us down the well ladder.  It seems welded to the floor of a large reservoir room with slow flowing water.  Two Kobolds are fishing off a small ledge.   Quik jumps into a raggedy boat built for one and rows to a side wall where the water flows out of the room.  Solmar stands in the water and indicates the water is about 4ft in height.  Suddenly something tries to grab Solmar around the ankle.

• Round 1:  Skif jumps onto Azura’s shoulder since the water would be over his head.  Solmar swings his sword and hits whatever grabbed him. 
• Round 2:  Skif notices tentacles coming out of a deeper hole adjacent to the ladder.  Pyrceval casts light on his lute and moves into the water. At least three tentacles strike at Solmar, two grabbing Solmar and dragging him under the water.  (Fortunately Solmar as a construct need not worry about breathing.)  I walk into the room and almost fall into two additional sinkholes, I end my walk in front of the underwater stream.  I yell at Quik to tell us what the hell these creatures are. Solmar slam attacks the creature holding him.  Crucifer flies in above the 1st hole, and invokes an eldritch blast (enhanced with the frighten template) at a creature but misses.  Enola moves into the room.
• Round 3: Crucifer draws his Elven thin-blade and enters the water striking the top creature (his eldritch blast can also be channeled through melee weapons).  Two creatures are in the 1st hole and it appears the lower creature is the one holding Solmar with its tentacles.  Skif strikes the creature with searing light spell, and casts fly on himself to easily be off Azura’s shoulder.  Pyrceval starts singing his courage inspiring song. I approach the hole Solmar was attacked from, but before reaching it a tentacle strikes me from a seemingly empty hole.  The tentacle can’t grasp me due to my cloak, and I identify it as a mutated choker.  I cast Magic Missile at it.  Solmar slams the choker holding him and it lets go of him, but he maintains his position to continue his attacks.  Enola fires two arrows at the choker attacking me.  Azura drops his hammer and draws his bow hitting a choker with his arrow.  Quik says “Those are the Grabbers that grab the fish and the Kobolds.”
• Round 4: Skif quicken casts a summoning spell having two Celestial Porpoise appear and attack the chokers near Solmar (both now look incapacitated). We hear a strange gurgling voice coming from the water as Solmar confirms the kill of the chokers (Oddly, Solmar finds it normal to speak when underwater - Most of us would drown if we tried that.).  Skif directs the Celestial Porpoises to another sink hole to attack any other chokers.  Azura approaches a 3rd sinkhole and is attacked by a choker.  I jump into the 1st hole to attract Solmar's attention to the rest of the battle, but swimming isn’t my forte to say the least!  I think I did enough waving to at least attract his attention. 
• Round 5: Enola strikes a choker with two arrows; I immediate teleport to the floor out of the sinkhole, and then hit another choker with Magic Missile.  Crucifer approaches Quik, and snarls in Draconic, “Any more surprises and I will wipe everyone of you out!”  Quik responds, “I’m sorry, I forgot about the Grabbers and there are traps down there, but I don’t know where.”  Azura confirms a third choker is dead.  Skif’s remaining Porpoise hits the choker; Skif then pulls out his crossbow and readies a bolt. 
• Round 6: Azura jumps into a hole and attacks a choker with his hammer.  The choker grapples Azura.  Crucifer says to Quik, “Go tell your fishermen friends here to go get someone smarter than you to lead us out of here.”  Quik responds with, “I can take you to Chief, there are no more creatures or traps.”  I walk through the room to the dry embankment, and stand next to Quik.  Azura kills two more chokers.
• Round 7: Solmar comes out of the 1st sinkhole with some gold coins and a statuette.  (I guess he wants to lead the righteous looting instead of the righteous battle; hmm, if his morals are loosening should I really complain?)  Skif is happy to see Solmar come out of the 1st sink-hole relative unscathed, and yells “Save my Porpoise” while pointing to another sink-hole.  As time has passed and we are all impatient to proceed, we forego investigating the remaining sink-holes (Skif’s porpoise would have been dismissed by now.)   Enola falls in the stream of water and yells “It was a trap” but the rest of us are uncertain (I do see Quik look nervously at Crucifer).
• (This whole encounter was frustrating!  First, Quik not alerting us of the possible danger whether accidental or purposeful (is he hoping we’ll clear out all the dangers for his tribe).  Secondly, how easily our party fighting synergies can be disrupted; in this case water readily diminished my and Enola’s ability to impact the battle.  Plus perhaps we were all jaded knowing Solmar could live underwater indefinitely, but what if some other creatures were under the water? Finally, Crucifer has a very volatile temperament; I hope his power quotient matches up.) [/Mutteran]