Session #39: The Darkness in their Minds

The party set about to explore the conquered fortress. They were relived to learn that there were no other traps or monsters hiding about. The main and upper levels were pretty boring - they found some loot, but there wasn't much else to see.

When they ventured down into the dungeon, however, it was a much different story. Here, tucked away in one of the dank cells was a human man. He emaciated, filthy, and clearly tramautized. The party tried to coax him out and speak to him, but if they so much as came near him he began to scream and flail. He also kept chanting, "Blackwater, Blackwater, Blackwater..."

The party decided they couldn't just leave him there, so Taumir used a knock-out potion he had to put the man out, at which point Edge flung him over his shoulder and carried him out. Having seen and found all there was to see, the party left the fortress behind.

They debated whether to return to Breland, and if so, how. But the poor wretch's chants of "Blackwater" had made them think of Blackwater Lake, a wicked place ever deeper inside Droaam. Perhaps there there was some connection to the illithids and other monsters that were threatening Breland. After some debate, they decided to go to the lake. This raised the question of whether to go through The Watching Wood, or around. Either way was risky, so they decided to just go through.

About an hour after they started their journey, the former prisoner woke up. He began having another fit, and threw himself off of Edge. He then screamed, "They come from Blackwater!" and tore off into the forest. The party sighed, and felt bad for him, but figured there was nothing more they could do for him, and moved on.

Three days later, late in the day on 21 Lhavrion, the party entered the Watching Wood. Naturally, there were immediately attacked. A swarm of ten ghouls, flesh-eating zombie-like creatures, came at them in the dim light of the dense forest. The party sprang into action, and scoured their enemies before them, slaying all ten!

Rewards

• 5,000 XP each!
• By my count, this means Azeri and Taumir should level up to 18, but the rest of the party stays at level 17.
• 33,000 GP total
• You find a Fire Horn (Player's Handbook 2, p. 210)

Session #36: Wearied, Worried, and Warry

The party looked around at the goblins surrounding them. As the goblins began to move towards them, Taumir notched an arrow in his bow, Edge put his sword out, and Azeri tried to reason with them. The goblins were intimidated enough by the sight of these warriors putting down two illithids and their hired muscle, and charmed enough by Azeri, that they stopped coming forward and gave the party their inaction. Taumir had the pluck to ask them questions about the illithids, which they mainly answered with half-hearted grunts and pointed looks. From this the party was still able to learn that the illithids commands the goblins and their ilk, and that they came came from a spot further up the Scar River.

Edge stuffed Tselem's corpse in the bag of holding, and the three survivors hurried north along the riverbank. After about an hour's journey, they came to a copse of trees with a clearing in the middle that they felt they could hole up in for the evening (by now it was dusk). Azeri set to work casting Raise Dead on Tselem (the components for which cost every party member 1,250 GP). She did not finish till it was already the wee hours of the morning, and Taumir had long since fallen asleep. When Tselem finally rose, Azeri welcomed him back and then fell dead asleep in her bedroll. Edge also said hi from where he stood watch, then roused Taumir for him to keep watch for the next several hours. Tselem said little and lay down until morning, keeping a small magical light burning over his head the whole time.

Around mid-morning (16 Lharvion), Azeri awoke, and the party discussed what to do next. They agreed they should continue to head north, following the river - as much as Tselem was not keen on running into the illithids again, they had after all been hired to discover what they were up to.

About this time, a boat came sailing past on the river. The party tried to make themselves hidden, but the crew could clearly see them. The party changed tactics and shouted out, would they be willing to take them along as passengers, and the captain shouted back that it would be 100 GP each. The party decided that was too steep and let the ship pass on by.

For the next two days, the party followed the river going north. Around noon on 18 Lharvion, they began to feel psychic pressure yet again. They looked around and saw a building about 1,000 yards further inland. As much as they dreaded another illithid encounter, they began to make their way towards it, trying to be sneaky. They were not very successful at this however, and when they were about halfway there, they were set upon by two drow. The drow were able to web their opponents in place several times, but the party still dispatched of them easily.

Rewards

• 2,400 XP each. Time to level up!

Session #35: The City of Death

The battle in the docks raged on. In time, the trolls also fell, but the last illithid refused to expire. Again and again he dominated Edge and cut the knees out from under the rest of the party. His blows fell especially hard on Tselem, and in the end, the shapeshifter was unable to withstand them. In a final horrible move, the illithid knocked Tselem unconscious and split open his skull, killing him instantly.

The horrified party rallied the last of the their strength and finally tore the illithid apart. Exhausted and stricken with grief, they looked around and realized they were in the midst of a goblin city, surrounded by enemies, with not much left in the tank to face what comes next.

Rewards

• 10,114 XP each.
• Elven Cloak +4 (Player's Handbook, p. 250).
• Everyone has gained 1 action point.

Session #34: The City of Fear

Baron von Mucharsen turned out to be a very amiable individual who was more than happy to hire them. He said he was very impressed by how easily they dispatched those ogres, and was open to their desire to take on special assignments. He said that Breland had already sent two different forces to try and seize the city of Vralkek. Due to it's position on the central Scar River, taking the city would be a big strategic advantage, but both forces had been completely annihilated, and the Baron didn't know why. Would the party be willing to go and see what they could find, and report back (either in person or via sending a message)? The party agreed, to the tune of 100 GP per month (per member).

The party didn't have much to do in town, so they pretty much went straight to the boat the Baron had chartered for them. Their journey to Vralkek took three days, taking them down Wroat Creek, into the Dagger River, out into the Thunder Sea, and north to Manta Bay.

Around noon on 15 Lharvion, the captain of the ship landed on a cape about an hour's walk southeast of the city. The party made their way towards it, debating their course of action. When they arrived there, they found it had high stone walls with guards atop them. Tselem decided to disguise himself as a goblin and go look around inside the city. Taumir decided to sneak along the walls themselves and see what he could find. Edge and Azeri felt these course of action were not particularly wise, but they decided to try and sneak in themselves. They were seen almost immediately, but they managed to avoid the 'citizen' that had spotted them and start making their way down the coast towards the docks.

Inside the city, Tselem-goblin initially didn't find much of interest, so he headed down to the docks. Taumir utterly failed to find anything of note on or around the walls, but he remained unseen as he too made his way around the walls to the docks. Edge and Azeri were able to sneak onto the piers as well.

Down at the docks, Tselem was still loitering about when he noticed a strange figure in a dark cloak. This figure was giving orders to some trolls, and the goblins of the city were treating it with great deference. As Tselem watched, he noticed that he was having trouble concentrating, almost as if there was a psychic field present. Then the figure turned and Tselem saw the squid-like face of the creature. He wondered - could this be one of the feared illithids he'd heard such dark tales about?

Tselem decided to put some distance between him and figure. At that moment, he noticed Edge and Azeri staying out of sight behind some boxes, and started moving towards them. At this, the illithid began coming towards them. He apparently saw through Tselem's disguise, for he summoned another one of his kind, two trolls and three grimlocks, and they attacked the party!

At the sound of the commotion, Taumir finally located his fellows, but he had a lot of ground to cover before he could reach them. A close-quarters battle formed between the other three party members and the creatures. Azeri was in rare form - she used several well-placed divine attacks, and the party quickly dispatched the grimlocks and the second illithid. The trolls and the first illithid did not retire so easily, though, and by the time Taumir joined the fray, the outcome of the fight was by no means certain...

Rewards

• 1,000 XP each for Azeri, Taumir, and Tselem (I'm treating the repeated skill checks you did as a skill encounter)
• 1,000 GP total (this is found treasure - the Baron has not paid you yet).