[Spoilers] Return to Greyhawk

[Koram]

Session 49 - 7/30/2023 - Final Showdown Against Sethucea - Special Sunday Session for Roxy's Birthday


DM : Lasarian
Party: Baiz - Dour Warmfury - Mountain Dwarf Fighter/Champion - Mason's and Smith's Tools
Talo - Easeis - Human - Sorcerer/Spell Void - Dice Set and Thieves' Tools
Stel - Eilo - Fairy - Warlock/Celestial - Flute
Rox - Kismet of the Woods - Wood Elf Druid/Circle of the Land (Forest) - Herbalism Kit
Khaie - Magar - Grey Elf Wizard/School of Evocation - Herbalism Kit
Kor - Koram Orchammer - Hill Dwarf Cleric/Life Domain - Mason's, Cartographer's and Smith's Tools - Herbalism Kit

606 CY - 21st of Coldeven, 10:15 AM

Quite a bit of back and forth in Discord as well, some private conversations with Sethucea that cannot be added to notes unless individuals reveal what was discussed telepathically.

Start session at top of round 9, and as far as the party knows, only Sethucea remaining. Unfortunately, the group thinks something bad has happened to Eilo since Sethucea is attacking and the fairy has not returned from their "talk".

Koram channels holy energy from Moradin, healing Kismet and himself. Kismet, back in her regular form with darkvision, creeps up the stairs and peeks around, also seeing nothing. Magar follows the druid up the stairs and Dour downs a potion of necrotic resistance and also follows. Koram looks at Easeis and Eilo, who both appear to be as ready, and all three advance up the stairs. Dour, Magar, Easeis and Koram are grouped up near the top of the stairs, looking around, while Kismet has moved a bit off to the east. Magar, being fairly certain Sethucea has hidden behind the twists and turns of the walls on this level, blindly unleashes a chill touch, and luckily it finds a gap in the walls to the north and the party hears a surprised gasp of pain. Immediately after the sound, the party turns north in time to see a partially open secret door, where the skeletal hand from chill touch went, open fully as two more crossbow bolts fly out, one striking Magar, who feels the burn of toxin, but the second missing the clustered companions. Dour immediately charges the now open door, throwing two hand axes, both clanging of the walls near the door. Koram moves north just outside the secret door and casts bless on Dour, Easeis and himself. Kismet, hearing the sounds of combat, heads back to the west and runs up behind the two dwarves, holding faerie fire in the hopes Sethucea will appear. Magar, still not seeing a target, again blindly casts chill touch and the skeletal hand beelines just around the corner, again striking the medusa. Easeis heads through the secret door and turns east catching sight of Sethucea, and in defiance, looks directly at her while casting chromatic orb, landing a wicked hit with a sphere of acid, but also catching her gaze. Easeis is restrained as his joints stiffen up. Sethucea fires her crossbow twice at Dour, both poisoned bolts shattering against the wall, and then vanishes around a corner.

Sethucea loudly states back towards the group as she departs, "Poor Eilo has become one of my permanent companions, two of you are gravely wounded. Nevertheless, I fear I am overmatched. You can remain and pursue me, but some of you will not return even should you prevail. I cannot surrender the Aspect, Sister would most surely destroy me ... or worse. But you can abandoned your quest in exchange for you lives... I can restore Eilo and you can go home through the crossover, just one floor above me. Take it from me, you do not want Sister as an enemy, she is quite fearsome even as an ally."

Dour heads north in pursuit, momentarily losing sight of the medusa and, as he stops to get his bearings, sees her robe trailing around a corner to the NE. He moves up to the corner and blindly swings twice, but only manages to smash his maul into the stone walls. Koram runs up behind Dour and, keeping his eyes lowered, catches sight of Sethucea's form just past Dour. Averting his eyes, the cleric casts spiritual weapon, the ghostly hammer appearing behind the robed enemy and smacking her. Kismet loses her faerie fire spell since she never caught sight of the medusa, then moves up closer to the sounds of combat. Magar follows the dwarves as well and blindly sends another chill touch around the corner at Sethucea, but misses. Easeis feeling his skin solidifying, takes on a heroic pose, and then turns to stone. Sethucea stows her crossbow, pulls out an evil looking rapier, stabbing at Dour twice, but neither getting past the dwarf's defenses. The writhing serpents covering her head are another matter though, biting Dour with venomous fangs. Dour, using his impressive strength, shoves the medusa to the floor and then follows up with an overhand swing with his maul, smashing into his prone enemy. Koram will his spiritual hammer to strike the prone medusa as well, battering her further, then calls up necrotic energy around his hand and casts inflict wounds. The attack initially seems to fail, but a whispered prayer to Moradin inspires the cleric and the necrotic energy eats into Sethucea's body. Kismet moves in just behind the dwarves, using her druidic magic to summon a wall of water that crashes over the prone enemy, smashing her against the floor again. Magar sees where the water from the tidal wave is spreading out and moves up by Kismet, another chill touch just missing Sethucea. The medusa struggles to her feet, stabbing at Dour cleanly missing with the first strike, but the second lands and tears a painful hole in Dour's shoulder.

She hisses in Dour's face, "Tell sister I will see her in Hell."

Dour again shoves the medusa to the floor and then caves her chest in with his maul.

Dour and Koram carefully scan the area, picking up Sethucea's vicious looking rapier, a small silver hand mirror and also finding not just the Aspect of Pelor, but a second lower section of the Saragon. They remove Sethucea's head and place it along with the other items in Koram's bag of holding. While the dwarves are occupied, Magar carefully begins searching the maze of halls for Eilo. Koram and Kismet both cast weakened cure wounds on Dour, healing him just a bit. The party searches this maze of a level, locating several stone statues in addition to the petrified Easeis. Dour and Kismet take a short rest near his statue while Magar and Koram complete the search of this level. The party, looking back at Easeis, knowing they cannot do anything at this time for him, heads up the next set of stairs. Following the passage around to the south, the group sees a green glowing light orb set in the south wall, an opening to the north and the passage continuing off to the east. The orb is magical but nothing happens as the group passes by it. The opening to the north opens into a large central chamber with some kind of swirling portal of glowing magic energy at its center. The party can also see another glowing red orb north past the portal through another opening. The party assumes they have found the crossover back to the Prime Material plane. In the passage east past the green orb, the group enters chamber set up like a sitting room with a small table and chairs. On the table is a silver place setting with what appear to be tea and pastries set out. At the edge of the table sits the petrified form of Eilo. since her statue is under 100 pounds as small as a garden gnome, the companions see no harm in placing her in the bag of holding for safekeeping. The chamber where Eilo is found continues around east then north where another opening into the central portal room lies, this one flanked by a glowing purple orb.

Through the northern opening from the portal chamber, the group finds what must have been Sethucea's private chambers. The party searches everything, finding several shredded paintings along with the following:

-Large well made tapestry- unknown value?
-Silver necklace with gem pendant- unknown value?
-Gold birdcage with silver filigree- unknown value?
-Box of turquoise animal figurines- unknown value?
-Large gold bracelet- unknown value?
-Silk robe with gold embroidery- unknown value?
-Potion of growth
-3rd level animate dead scroll
-Potion of greater healing
-Potion of animal friendship
-5 landscape paintings worth about 125gp each
-Portrait of Sethucea- Masterwork - unknown value?
-Silver serving set - worth about 100gp
-Six books - see below
-110pp 2,600gp, 4000sp, 500cp - (about 142 lbs)

1) A Genealogy of the Nobility and Houses of Veluna, roughly 100 years old, is a large, handwritten tome with illustration, written in common.

2) A Scholarly Examination of Curses, written by Mordenkainen, is about 50 years old, written in common, it is over 400 pages long and spends a great deal of time and space devoted to the author describing how great and powerful he is.

3) Subtitled "The Psalms of Shadowfell", anonymous, the script is unfamiliar to you, the contents are unknown to you, only the sub-title is in common.

4) Beyond the Looking Glass, written in common, roughly 130 pages, only about 10 years old, appears to be a fluffy romance novel.

5) Into the Feywild, anonymous, 300 pages, written in Sylvan, this book may be more than 500 years old from the look of it.

6) Book of Questions, no author, is only about 50 pages long, it is leatherbound but quite light, looks old but appears well-kept. All of the pages are blank. * This books glows when Magar casts Detect Magic, Divination.

The group realizes that even with Dour and Koram working together, they cannot move the statue of Easeis or any of the others except for Eilo's, which is in Koram's bag of holding.

End Session 49

Finish off Sethucea and search the last upper parts of her tower. See In-Character Discord for further discussions 7/30/23 to 8/4/23. One more session to clean up loose ends on 8/4/23 before ending Chapter 1 of Greyhawk by Lasarian.

1,130 XP to everyone except Eilo who gets 630 XP

New XP Totals: Easeis and Kismet : 9,913 - Magar : 9,676 - Dour : 9,696 - Eilo : 9,496 - Koram : 10,131

[Koram]

Session 50 - 8/4/2023 - Tying up Loose Ends - Chapter 1


DM : Lasarian
Party: Baiz - Dour Warmfury - Mountain Dwarf Fighter/Champion - Mason's and Smith's Tools
Talo - Easeis - Human - Sorcerer/Spell Void - Dice Set and Thieves' Tools
Stel - Eilo - Fairy - Warlock/Celestial - Flute
Rox - Kismet of the Woods - Wood Elf Druid/Circle of the Land (Forest) - Herbalism Kit
Khaie - Magar - Grey Elf Wizard/School of Evocation - Herbalism Kit
Kor - Koram Orchammer - Hill Dwarf Cleric/Life Domain - Mason's, Cartographer's and Smith's Tools - Herbalism Kit

606 CY - 21st of Coldeven, 1:20 PM

Quite a bit of back and forth in Discord 7/30/23 to 8/4/23. Chapter 1 final clean up session.

Start session with final discussion regarding taking the portal back to the prime material plane.

Magar and Kismet think the party should stay and try to rest in the tower, while Koram and Dour think it is safer to exit with the group exhausted of resources and down two members. After a bit of further discussion, the party enters the portal back to the material plane.

The group exits the portal on a hill top at the base of a ruined tower overlooking the sea, immediately struck by the brightness they hadn't realized they had become accustomed to missing in the Shadowfell. Looking around, it is evident that the portal does not exist on this side to return to the plane of shadow. The party can see distant hills across the water to the NE, and realize they are on a small island. Exploring the island, the party comes across a keelboat in a sheltered inlet. Looking at the distance, the companions estimate it will take them about an hour to row to the distant hills visible to the NE.

After an uneventful time spent rowing, the party comes to a beach just under 2 hours later and sees higher lands to the NW. There is a figure on the beach, and as the boat get nearer, it appears the figure is a goblin fisherman. The goblin looks nervous and shies away, looking like he might depart before the boat can reach the shoreline. Koram calls out in orcish and the goblin stops to respond. After some initial shouted conversation, the party manages to land the boat and talk to the fisherman. He tells the group the they have landed on the Dragonnel's Tail to the NE of Fax. The goblin is from a village along the Dragonelle's Tail River to the north and tells the party that the river is navigable for many miles to the north, although heading that way is slower because of running against the current. The companions thank the goblin for the information and give him the keelboat for his use until the party might return to claim it. The group decides to just follow the road that leads north from Fax to New Temple and then to Cantona. Three and a half days of basically uneventful travel later, and the party arrives in Cantona.

After some time spent getting a feel for the city and how it operates, the party decides on best course to continue north to safer lands. Dour manages to link up with some merchant contacts taking a caravan north. The party hires on as guards and with the caravan set to leave in a couple of days, the party spends some time, and gold, trying to track down information on Devolder, Carse and the ties to Easeis. Eventually, the group arrives in Safeton and things continue to get a bit safer the closer they get to Greyhawk City. Dour, Kismet and Magar are afflicted by some influence from the Shadowfell causing them to become similar to the hollow ones and are unable to assist with the party's further goals. Koram sets them up in Safeton until he can hopefully restore Eilo and Easeis so they can return for the rest of the group.

End Session 50 and Chapter 1 of Greyhawk by Lasarian.

See In-Character Discord for further discussions 8/4/23 to restart on Friday 11/17/23. Highlights include Koram adventuring further north eventually ending up in Hardby, where Eilo is restored. Many contacts are made including Fernis, a Fire Genasi Artificer, who joins the party in their trials to find out more about Sethucea, Sister and the Saragon. Most importantly the group, who also hire on a half-orc mercenary, named Zura, return to the Shadowfell to recover Easeis. The only problem is that his statue is no longer there. The party recovers 10 other statues of those trapped and returns again to the material plane, without their friend. Freeing some of the statues gains the party more information and also more questions. Returning to Hardby, additional adventures occur with the eventual recovery of Easeis by the group, but only after heading to Greyhawk City and back to Hardby. Approached by the Circle of Eight, the betrayers of the Circle Robilar, Rary and Terik, along with Sister, the group eventually decides to trade the second piece of the Saragon, the Voice of Rao, taken from Sethucea when the group killed her in the Shadowfell. Dour, Kismet and Magar are brought from Safeton to Hardby where the Temple of Moradin keeps watch over them. Magar eventually recovers from the malady that afflicted him and rejoins the party, but Dour and Kismet are still affected and under care in Hardby.

[Koram]

Session 51 - 11/17/2023 - Chapter 2 - The Return of Easeis - The Comet, Ybarra and Sister - Introducing Quiropsius


DM : Lasarian
Party: Baiz - Dour Warmfury - Mountain Dwarf Fighter/Champion - Mason's and Smith's Tools - Hollow Person Hiatus
Talo - Easeis - Human - Sorcerer/Spell Void - Dice Set and Thieves' Tools
Stel - Eilo - Fairy - Warlock/Celestial - Flute
Rox - Kismet of the Woods - Wood Elf Druid/Circle of the Land (Forest) - Herbalism Kit - Hollow Person Hiatus
Khaie - Magar - Grey Elf Wizard/School of Evocation - Herbalism Kit
Ojike - Quiropsius - Amethyst Gem Dragonborn Fighter/Psi Warrior - Bagpipes
Kor - Koram Orchammer - Hill Dwarf Cleric/Life Domain - Mason's, Cartographer's and Smith's Tools - Herbalism Kit

606 CY - Flocktime 15th

Start Chapter 2 first session as the group meets with Sister's ship, The Medusa, obviously a raiding ship poorly disguised as a merchant vessel. The captain of the ship is Martigam, from Sethucea's journal notes, apparently back in service to Sister. A few berths down is the ship, Glory, that Silee has arranged for the party's use for a tenday, and is captained by Bryce Candor. Silee is the sister of Tenser, who left the Circle of Eight after the assassination attempts by Rary, Robilar and Terik.

Easeis appears garbed in a different robe than before but otherwise carrying all his equipment and appearing unharmed, and possibly a bit more at ease. The party hands over Sethucea's head and the Voice of Rao as agreed. The party also receives a Sending Stone from Sister to allow further communication about the Saragon fragments. Eilo takes the stone, because she definitely wants words with our new enigmatic ally/enemy.

Eilo Sending to Sister: “Thank you for Easeis’ safe return. His hair looks better. Beor kept all terms of agreement. I hope you get eaten by wolves. Love, Eilo”

Response: “This is Beor, but I will pass along your message. She is grateful for the return of Sethucea’s remains.”

Day Two: “Beor are you still on a ship? We are on a ship too. I hope we are sailing away from you. Love, Eilo”

Beor: “I am on a ship! I am headed for Safeton to confirm we have found Periwinkle. Any message for her?”

Day Three: “Tell Periwinkle I kept her fingers. I hope she is safe.”


On the way down to the Glory at the docks, a couple of people in the party notice a little girl. Koram does a double take since it is the exact little girl, Ybarra, from his holy day visions. As the crowd passes in between the party and the little girl, she vanishes.

The reunited companions settle in on the Glory so they can catch up with Easeis, and setting out to recover the remaining statues left on the island NE of Fax where the portal from Sethucea's tower in the Shadowfell exits. Ybarra also reappears and tells the group she is would like to be our friends, that she is lost, and that the party needs to find her. The comet Swift is now fully visibly as a smudge in the nighttime sky. Easeis tells the party about the events that happened with him while he was gone. He also says that Lucretia told him that Eilo's patron, Rainbow Unicorn, is not what it seems. Sister must be extremely powerful to have followers such as Sethucea, Lucretia and Zinny.

The following are excerpts from the DISCORD IN-CHARACTER conversations with Easeis


"I don't really know how long I stayed stone and how long I was in the dark room after they un-unpetrified me.
Lucretia asked me questions, mostly about the rest of you. How you got the Aspect of Pelor, how you lost the Aspect of Pelor, how you got it back. I told the truth, mostly.
She asked me if I would help her with hunting down the slaver Anslem Devolder, and if I agreed, she would give me some of the information about my past.
I agreed, and she told me that the body I inhabit was Kalifan Huldane of noble from Nyrond. Which lead me to believe they put me in Kalifan's body. I later learned that was incorrect.
After that meeting and some traveling, we settled in Highport for a while (pretty much the whole time after Koram started Sending me, and then you stopped doing that every day to check in, which wasn't very nice).
In Highport, I felt an urgent need to kill Devolder, and knew his direction and distance instantly. Which made me understand that I am some kind of rogue, human revenant, who isn't undead, but isn't entirely alive. Lucretia told me that Easeis's mind/spirit was occupying Kalifan's body BEFORE Zinny and Sethucea's experimented on me.
It triggered a memory of the day his slaving ship sailed into Carse and took me and my family members working the docks.
We tracked down Martigam, who was also one of Zinny and Sethucea's experiments. He remembered me, but I didn't remember him. He set fire to the place we were being held by Zinny and escaped. I assume that is when I got out, though I have no memory of it.
I don't know what Zinny is, but she's some kind of terrible monstrous being. Based on my conversation with Lucretia, I had guessed Beholder, or some Beholder-like thing?
Lucretia convinced Martigam to return to their employ (I don't think he had much choice in the matter). He is tasked with hunting down the slaver Blain and his associates Shitrock and Bulge.
After that the three of us stalked through the night, which is when she gave me the robe because my torch was a "liability." We tracked down Devolder and his slaver crew and killed them. After the fight I bleached his skull with Chromatic Orb.
I think Lucretia wanted me to join Martigam to hunt down Blain, but when they got your offer to trade the Voice of Rao for me they decided that to make the deal.
After I killed Devolder, I learned two new spells that I knew before the slavery and dying and revenant'ing: Mending, and Shape Water.
Then I hung out on the ship with Martigam."

"Lucretia is terrifying. Based on her fighting, I think she's a cleric, but not like Koram. She serves something evil."

Easeis is obviously slightly more 'chipper' than he used to be.

Easeis OOC: Oh oh oh, I remembered another thing.

"I also talked to Kalifan. After I learned about the body stealing, and Revenant powers, I cast Detect Thoughts on myself, like we did on the hollow people, Eilo."

"He's still in there. There isn't much of him, but there are bits. I had a conversation with he and Zeligar, all in my head."

"I don't like that I'm inhabiting somebody else's body, and I would like to free him. I don't know how to do that, or if it's even possible, or what it would do to me. But I feel guilty with him in there."

“What lies did you tell to Lucretia? I want to be sure we’re telling the same story.”

"I didn't tell her any lies. I just didn't always tell her the whole truth. I didn't tell her about Rohgan and Zeligar's secret tomb, or any of the other magic stuff we found there. I didn't name a single one of the people that helped us along the way. I didn't tell her anything that would put anybody outside of our immediate group in danger."

"I definitely didn't tell her Zeligar makes occasional visits to my skull as if it is some kind of summer home."

"I believe I called Dour a self-righteous ass, and said both the Elves were boring. You serve some fey being and Koram is a Hammer of Moradin. We came together because we were all looking for work after the Red Death."

“What was fighting alongside Lucretia like?”

"I don't think she needed me to defeat Devolder and his men. She only needed me to find them. It is like fighting alongside a Vampire who is empowered by a god."

Easeis OOC: She makes Sethucea look like a tier 1 problem, while she looks like a tier 3 problem.

Koram OOC: Great...

"When she told me that you agreed to the trade, Lucretia told me that Sister has been searching for the mask pieces for 30 years."

"So Easeis, ta clarify fer me thick dwarven head, ye inhabit th' body o' Kalifan Huldane, noble o' Nyrond. Part o' him is still in there too. Zelligar is also in there, an' we're plannin' ta bring him back. Guessin' yer body is gone, but if'n we found th' coin an' someone powerful enough ta true resurrect ye, do ye think Kalifan might recover as well?"

"I believe I'm in Kalifan because my revenant spirit could no longer inhabit my own body. To me that means it was destroyed. As for the other question, I don't know. That kind of magic is foreign to me."

Koram OOC: The part about no more sendings to Easeis. This is maybe not worth a retcon, but since I was late, missed an opportunity. Koram would have have contacted him at least once or twice on the riverboat trip to try and get info on the movements and composure of the group he was travelling with. I was really thinking trick or ambush, so definitely wanted to contact Easeis.

Easeis OOC: Easeis was in the hold of the ship by the point and wouldn't have had much for you. But he'd have said that it seemed like his captors were very fair with the deal and probably didn't want to jeopardize it.

Koram shows Easeis the really bad sketch in Groz art style of the black orb monster with the red eye and tentacles and asks, "Do ye think that this here might be a fair sketch o' Zinny?"

"I don't think so."

"I don't really have a good idea of what she is though. So don't take that as definitive."

"Understood."

Koram to the group, "So th' last visions I had during me last holy night prayers were in a particular order. Th' comet, th' child Ybarra, th' full Saragon mask (dwarven style) wreathed in flames, th' white flower that Easeis said is Lucretia's symbol, th' glowing skull scepter/mace, and then th' black tentacled orb with th' red eye. Th' comet Swift appeared just a couple o' days ago, we then see Ybarra fer th' first time. Think she is tied in some way ta th' comet, or are things just happenin' in the order o' th' visions in some way? That would put th' mask next...Just thinkin' out loud."

DM: Interesting…

Easeis, "Wreathed in flames? That doesn't strike you as a bit ominous?"

"Well, it's not like th' whole world were burnin' around it. More like a frame o' fire around th' upper part, almost like a mane or crown."

DM: many of Koram’s visions involve smoke, fire, flames, glowing hot metal- Koram would interpret this element of his vision as “creation” rather than a negative connotation

Koram to Easeis, "So ye remembered a couple o' spells after killin' Devolder, like a part o' you came back. Ye also seem more chipper than before, though that may just be from not bein' captive anymore. I'm not fer unwarranted killin', but seems like maybe we need ta help ye find closure by findin' more about yer past."

"Finding more about my past isn't closure. It's beginning."

OOC: The chipper attitude may be residual Fernis.

The Glory, a very fast ship, arrives at the portal island with the 3 remaining statues in the evening of Flocktime 18th after 3 uneventful days of sailing. The group decides to wait until dawn to venture onto the island, and so at dawn on Flocktime 19th, the party takes a launch from the Glory to a sheltered inlet on the rocky island where they can land. The group begins to head towards the ruined tower on the eastern part of the island where the statues were left.

Arriving at the large central part of the island, a water elemental appears to the NE, advancing towards the party. Easeis throws an acidic chromatic orb, tearing into the watery form. Magar casts mage armor, preparing for the worst. Eilo hexes the enemy and eldritch blasts it twice, the beams of force splashing through the elemental. Koram casts guiding bolt, the radiant energy outlining the elemental. The water elemental heads directly at Koram and hammers him with a wave of water, and engulfing the dwarf inside it's watery body. Easeis throws another chromatic orb, this time cold energy, damaging and slowing the opponent. A sudden electrical storm engulfs the battlefield, lightning striking the ground everywhere, but not hitting anyone. In the center of the island a sparking portal of electrical energy appears, and when it and the other lightning stops a moment later, a strange purple dragon-like humanoid is revealed. He looks about, sprouts spectral dragon wings from his back and flies straight up into the air above the battle. His deep voice resonates from his large frame, "Compassion or corruption?". Magar yells up the the strange being, "Assit us against this hostile water!." Eilo again eldritch blasts at the elemental, one beam smashing more water from its wavelike form, and the Grasp of Hadar stretches the elemental upwards and then rapidly drops it, more water splashing away. Koram holds up his shield and necrotic vibration echoes out into the elemental from within, and then he quickly thrashes out of the watery entrapment, moving just south of the enemy. The water elemental immediately swings to watery "arms" at Koram, trying to smash him to the ground.

End Session 51 - Greyhawk is back!!! Chapter 2 underway and welcome Oj!

[Koram]

Session 52 - 11/23/2023 - Chapter 2 - Happy Thanksgiving Session


DM : Lasarian
Party: Baiz - Dour Warmfury - Mountain Dwarf Fighter/Champion - Mason's and Smith's Tools - Hollow Person Hiatus
Talo - Easeis - Human - Sorcerer/Spell Void - Dice Set and Thieves' Tools
Stel - Eilo - Fairy - Warlock/Celestial - Flute
Rox - Kismet of the Woods - Wood Elf Druid/Circle of the Land (Forest) - Herbalism Kit - Hollow Person Hiatus
Khaie - Magar - Grey Elf Wizard/School of Evocation - Herbalism Kit --------- Piloted by Talo
Ojike - Quiropsius - Amethyst Gem Dragonborn Fighter/Psi Warrior - Bagpipes
Kor - Koram Orchammer - Hill Dwarf Cleric/Life Domain - Mason's, Cartographer's and Smith's Tools - Herbalism Kit

606 CY - Flocktime 15th - 06:00

Start session as the group continues their combat against the water elementals.

The companions new dragon humanoid, apparently deciding to side with the party, swoops down and attacks the water elemental with a crystalline longsword. The strange purple reptilian then breathes a cone of pure magical force, disrupting the elemental enemy into a cloud of watery mist. A second elemental appears almost on top of Magar, the wizard quickly misty steps away from the threat. The new elemental immediately flows across the ground towards the as yet unnamed amethyst dragonborn and Koram, the former managing to step away, but Koram is slammed again, knocked out and engulfed. It almost seems the water elementals are targeting the dwarf. Eilo wraps Koram in a quick healing light, waking the unconscious dwarf, then casts bless on herself, Koram and their new ally. Koram struggles free of the water elemental's form, staggers a step away, calling a spiritual weapon to hammer at the enemy, but misses. Easeis vortex warps the obviously battered Koram away to the south away from the elemental. The party's new ally slashes his crystal blade twice into the water elemental tearing away at its watery shape. He then roars, swinging a third time, his blade sparking with some form of energy, and again breathes magical force point blank into the elemental's greatly damaged form. The elemental moves SW and attacks the dragonborn, but misses with both of its wavering fluid limbs. Eilo flies into a slightly better position, both beams from her eldritch blast slam into the elemental and Grasp of Hadar stretches it up before slamming back down with a splash. Koram presents the holy symbol on his shield and tolls the dead, but the elemental appears unaffected. His spiritual warhammer spins around to the side of the opponent, crashing through it, and turning it into a harmless puddle. A third water elemental appears right next to Koram and immediately swings twice at the cleric. One swing is deflected by his armor, the second landing, but there is a momentary shimmer in the air, emanating the dragonborn, and part of the watery attack appears to deflect away from Koram. Easeis spins and throws a chromatic orb at the new threat, but it flies just wide of its mark. The dragonborn advances, swinging twice and landing one solid hit on the elemental. Magar points and a skeletal hand from his chill touch narrowly misses the enemy. Eilo eldritch blast beams streak towards the third enemy, one beam tearing into it, the other missing. Koram casts guiding bolt, the radiant energy blasting a large hole in the enemy and outlining it in bright light, the cleric's spiritual weapon flying in from the NE also slamming into the elemental. The watery opponent immediately swings pseudopod-like arms at Koram, knocking him senseless once again. Then the elemental crashes like a wave over the group's new purple friend, but he manages to step out of the way. Easeis again vortex warps Koram away from the enemy that seems determined to take the cleric out. The dragonborn slashes through the elemental twice with his blade, water splashing from its weakened form. Magar grabs a rock and catapults it towards the enemy, but the rolling wavelike enemy swirls away from the flying stone. Eilo again punches two beams of eldritch blast into the enemy, water ripping away from its outline and then sends more healing light towards Koram, waking the irritated dwarf. Koram staggers to his feet, gets his bearings and casts toll the dead, the dark necrotic energy creeping into the water before the last elemental sloshes to the ground, defeated.

The group surveys the area to make sure there are no more enemies and then turns to face their new ally. The amethyst colored dragon humanoid, introduces himself as Quiopsius (pronounced Ki-ro-si-us) and tells the party that he is a dragonborn, a race unknown to the natives of Greyhawk. He is here at the behest of his master, the ancient amethyst gem dragon, Vendramara from their fortress in the Astral Sea. Quiro's mission is to scout and study this plane before others from his come to visit. Eilo immediately does the 1,000 question Eilo thing. Quiro has a definite interest in studying the comet Swift and, after hearing it is of interest to the companions as well, offers to join forces with the group.

There is further high level back and forth of information regarding the goals and interests of both Quiro and the party as everyone continues towards the stone ring near the ruined eastern tower. The three remaining statues are all human and all appear that they were petrified in a state of fear.

The group uses three of their six oils of softening to remove the petrification from the statues one at a time.

Once restored, the first introduces himself as Fendrel Covington, a noble and distant relative of Sethucea. He states he believes it is the year 531 CY and that he was last in the Gnatmarsh region.

The second tell the group his name is Gavin Carew, a mercenary fighter that was tasked with finding and killing Sethucea in the year 533 CY. He is originally from Greyhawk City and would be happy to accompany the party if they are headed back that way.

The last statue reveals a human monk, perhaps 50 years old, that bears the scars that tell the party he was once a prisoner. He only reveals his name is Marek Ashglen, he believes it is 587 CY, and he is thankful for being saved. He doesn't want to speak about anything else right now.

The party continues the conversation with Quiro and the newly restored people as they head back to the Glory. Eilo tells the group she has further news for the companions once everyone is safely aboard the ship. After getting the restored statues settled in and asking the captain to embark towards Carse, the party sits together to hear Eilo's news. She tells everyone that Sister has contacted he with the Sending Stone and told her that Periwinkle is alive and in Safeton. It is agreed that once Easeis is done with his investigations in Carse, the party will sail for Safeton.

As the group arrives off the shore of Carse and takes one of the Glory's skiffs to shore, Easesi tells everyone to call him Kalifan for this excursion. The group wanders Carse, Easeis by himself, and the group scattered 50'-100' behind him, keeping watch. Easeis looks for people he might recognize, and eventually heads north out of of the village towards where his house was located. It is about mid-afternoon on the 19th of Flocktime when Easeis sees familiar ground and locates the overgrown ruined foundation of his old home. Spotting some newer homes built within view, but not on the same spot as the former settlement, Easeis makes for the closest residence. He finds an older woman working outside the home and heads over to speak to her. She tells him that she knows very little about the tragedy that happened. There are some graves on an old hill near a tree, and Easeis remembers the location. She says that some folks were rumored to have survived and headed north after the massacre to New Temple Parish, Cantona or Safeton. The party heads back to the village proper and Easeis seeks out some of the town elders, One of them is almost certain that some survived the attack and headed to Cantona and some were also taken prisoner. Easeis opens up a bit more than ever and tells the group about his past here in Carse. He is hoping to find his wife Fiona. He recounts the day of the attack. Easeis, his brothers, and brothers-in-law were all working the fishing nets when Devolder's raid happened. Everyone was either killed or taken into slavery, maybe a few escaped. Eventually, after years of slavery, Easeis died, maybe more than once. Eventually his body was lost or damaged beyond repair and he came back in someone else's body, the noble Kalifan. Originally he thought this was due to Sethucea and Zinny experimenting, but that turned out to be incorrect. Easeis had already taken Kalifan's body, before the experiments. Easeis tells Koram that he wants to begin stockpiling diamonds, not to raise his lost family members, but to raise Devolder from the skull on his belt, so that he can kill him again, probably several times at least. Koram nods in understanding.

Easeis tells the party there is nothing more for him here and the group heads back to the Glory. The ask Captain Candor to set sail for Safeton. The trip is uneventful and the ship makes port. Before disembarking, the group scans the docks from the deck of the Glory, looking for Periwinkle, since Sister told Eilo that the halfling was working on the docks. The group spots her near a pile of fish where she is apparently now employed. She looks tattered and is missing her pinky and ring finger on her left hand and has a patch covering her left eye. Eilo casts message and tells Periwinkle not to be afraid and that the group is here to help her. The halfling stiffens in fear seeing the party, but realizes she really has nowhere to go. Eilo reassures her that she has nothing to fear and that the companions are really here to help. Periwinkle breaks down in tears and Eilo gives her a hug. Eilo also gives Periwinkle back her teeth, desiccated fingers and her daggers recovered from the sewers. Easeis seems, not forgiving, but just done with the Periwinkle incident, more important things on his mind. Koram and Magar appear more contemplating of the whole thing, but supportive of Eilo. Quiro looks on with interest, trying to figure out his new companions.

Eilo asks if Periwinkle would like to accompany us back to Hardby, where the group has friends and might be able to set her up in a better job. Once the halfling realizes the party is truly not there for vengeance, she explains that she was hired by Barilor, who had a green dragon crest, to simply steal something. The group immediately thinks Barilor is probably just a pseudonym of Robilar, who also uses a green dragon for his crest. Periwinkle tells the party that she is really very sorry about everything that happened. Easeis suddenly speak up, startling Periwinkle, asking her exactly how competent she is at finding people. He clarifies, not tracking them in the wilds, finding those from years ago that may have moved multiple times to new places. Periwinkle says she is very good at that type of thing. Easeis explains about his and his wfie Fiona's families and the Carse massacre. He then hand Periwinke 250gp in a pouch and tells her to find any survivors. He says that Koram will contact he about once a week to check in on progress, and the dwarf nods in response. Easeis also tells her that although her past indiscretions are not worth dwelling on, if she cheats him in this new endeavor, he will hunt her down and kill her. Eilo isn't happy about this at all, but Easeis simply turns and heads back to the Glory. After a bit more discussion between Eilo and Periwinkle the group returns to the Glory.

The ship heads back to Hardby so the three restored humans can make their way after the party makes sure they have some funds to cover them for a bit until they can figure things out. They are also told that they can ask for assistance or information at the Temple of Moradin if they explain their situation. Koram sends word to the temple with the details of the last of the rescued people. The last statue that was left in Hardby is also restored.

The party has a couple of days left to utilize the Glory, so it is decided that the party will head SE to Zarak on the first leg of the journey to Zelligar's next cache of wealth. Zelligar explains the next bit of wealth is not so much a hidden cache as much as a ruin that he and Roghan explored when they were alive. They were driven out before they could explore it all, and he is sure there is more of value in the ruins. This is where they found the sarcophagus that contained the Aspect of Pelor. The ruins are located in a valley north of Karastyne Castle, and then west past the Oasis of Marstefel in a small valley.


See below for a Discord timeline of Easeis events and other In-Character stuff:

595-596 or there abouts:
1) Easeis lived in the fishing village of Carse with his wife and their families. He had no children. He was beginning to manifest some magical powers, including the ability to cast Mending and Shape Water.
2) Anslem Devolver, pirate slaver and all around asshole, sailed in and wiped the place off the map, capturing and killing.
3) Easeis can confirm he was taken, along with his brother Odhran and his brothers-in-law, Senan and Eoin. He knows his sister-in-law Elena died. The slaves were separated after a few weeks.

Sometime between 596 and 605:
4) Easeis died, and his very angry avenging spirit occupied the body of Kalifan.
5) Easeis/Kalifan became the subject of experimentation by Zinny and Sethucea.
6) Martigam burned down the place where the test subjects were being held. Easeis/Kalifan escaped in the fray.

605, month of Coldeven (March):
7) Easeis/Kalifan woke up in a red death burn pit despite not having the red death and not being dead.

605 - continuing:
8) Easeis/Kalifan wandered the wilderness for a long time, before pulling his shit together and looking for work in Greyhawk.

606:
9) On the 11th of Readying (February) Easeis/Kalifan joined you idiots.

What Easeis learned in Cantona
Easeis: "My mother-in-law Tess was away with my nieces Sadhbh (Saev or Sive) and Esme during the attack. She ended up relocating to Cantona. She died of old age, and the kids are currently 13 and 11, and they went to live with Tess's sister May and relocated, possibly to Pelgaryn."

Pelgaryn is one of the cities between Safeton and Hardby on the coast, but Easeis wouldn't have pushed to stop there.

End Session 52 as the party is finalizing gear and supplies in Hardby before heading to Zarak.

[Koram]

Session 53 - 11/24/2023 - Chapter 2 - Headed to the Abbor-Alz to Recover More Wealth for Zelligar's Resurrection


DM : Lasarian
Party: Baiz - Dour Warmfury - Mountain Dwarf Fighter/Champion - Mason's and Smith's Tools - Hollow Person Hiatus
Talo - Easeis - Human - Sorcerer/Spell Void - Dice Set and Thieves' Tools
Stel - Eilo - Fairy - Warlock/Celestial - Flute
Rox - Kismet of the Woods - Wood Elf Druid/Circle of the Land (Forest) - Herbalism Kit - Hollow Person Hiatus
Khaie - Magar - Grey Elf Wizard/School of Evocation - Herbalism Kit
Ojike - Quiropsius - Amethyst Gem Dragonborn Fighter/Psi Warrior - Bagpipes
Kor - Koram Orchammer - Hill Dwarf Cleric/Life Domain - Mason's, Cartographer's and Smith's Tools - Herbalism Kit

606 CY - Flocktime 22nd - 3:00 PM

Start session as the party finalizes logistics and then heads to Zarak on the Glory.

Fernis remained in Greyhawk City to continue his studies and told the group to reach out if they needed any further information from the Great Library or any other assistance. Fernis also passed along a magical Instant Tent that he received from Master Wiltix Sparklekind to Koram for his friends to use.

After discussing the water elemental fight, it is agreed that Koram appeared to be directly targeted in the attack. The companions agree that to test if this is directly related to the Aspect of Pelor, Easeis will take the lead-lined lockbox and put it in his bag of holding to see if anything changes. The new robe that Easesis returned with is a magical Robe of Eyes, giving him greater perception and allowing him to see in the dark. Since he no longer needs the Torch of M to see, the group agrees that since it was created by the wizard, Malfon, it should go to Magar. The party arranges to leave the remaining 3 donkeys, riding goat and cart at the Temple of Moradin stables. Provisions are checked and then the group sails to Zarak on the Glory.

Having arrived late in the afternoon on Flocktime 24th, the party agrees the ruins of Zarak look like a good place to set up camp, many of the buildings still at least partially standing. There is evidence that other travelers regularly use this as a relatively safe haven to camp. Zarak is used by travelers and prospectors looking to find wealth in the Abbor-Alz Mountains. Since Easeis has returned, Magar has recovered from the "hollow person" affliction, and Quiropsius has joined the group, there is discussion on marching order and watch assignments. Eilo and Magar also summon their owl familiars for the additional scouting and combat help they provide.

The next day, the party travels east along the old trade road passing the location where Star Cairn lies to the north in an uneventful day of marching. The group camps alongside the road and trying to save rations, the group eats the porridge from Koram's create food and water spell flavored by Easeis's prestidigitation, also refilling their waterskins and barrels in the bag of holding. The night passes uneventfully.

On the second day of travel, about mid-afternoon, the group suddenly hears voices from just over a hill to the north. Thankfully, Koram realizes that the voices are speaking in Dwarven, and gestures to everyone that everything should be ok. There are a dozen dwarves in the group, and after stopping at the top of the hill above the party to get an idea of who they are dealing with, a few of them come down towards the party while the rest begin marching west towards Zarak. The dwarves are prospectors that are returning to Zarak after finding no ore in the the hills north of the road. They warn the party that they have seen a hill giant wandering the foothills and have also seen manticores flying at a distance to the east. They tell the party that the further north and east you go, the more dangerous things get. The party thanks the dwarves for the information and Koram tells them that if he sees any evidence of ore deposits, he will try to let the prospectors know. The two groups part ways, the dwarves heading back to Zarak and the party heading east. The night again passes uneventfully as the party camps in the continually more arid terrain.

On the third day of marching, the group spots a large creature flying above them and manage to make it out as a manticore, before it flies off to the west. Since there is no real cover here, the companions just stay alert and continue to the east. Eilo sends her owl, Sprinkles, ahead to scout while she flies above the party and Magar has his owl flying circles above the party to assist in spotting dangers as well. The party hears the sounds of growling and some large predator or predators feeding ahead in an area of rock outcroppings. Cautiously moving forward, the group spots three manticores tearing apart some kind of prey near the base of a rock pillar and what may have once been a small structure. Easeis knows that manticores understand common and have some intelligence, so he and Eilo try to parley with the creatures. The discussion is fairly short and then, after the fourth manticore flying above the group shows up, they attack.

One manticore on the ground and the leader flying above the party immediately unleash tail spikes, Easeis pierced once and Eilo taking one solid hit and a grazing shot. Eilo hexes the flying opponent and then eldritch blasts, one beam of force zipping by the enemy but the other landing, Grasp of Hadar pulling the leader 10' downwards. Easeis twins vortex warp, sending Quiro ahead right in the front of the closest two manticores on the ground, and portalling the flying manticore leader to the earth right just SE of the others facing Quiro. Another enemy launches its tail spikes, but only one of the three spikes grazes Magar's shoulder as they fly past, and then it takes to the air, flying up about 30'. Quiro swipes his crystal sword at the monster as it flaps upwards, but misses. The dragonborn then swings and misses one of the creatures still grounded in front of him. Wanting to make sure he damages his opponents before they can scatter and fly off, Quiro breathes a cone of magical force, striking the leader and one other still on the ground in front of him. Koram advances to stand next to Quiro and casts spirit guardians, the ghosts of ancient Hammers of Moradin rising and swirling around the cleric. Two of the manticores are caught in the swirl of spirits, slowing their movement. Magar sculpts a fireball around the 2 closest manticores and the leader, wickedly burning all three enemies. Easeis peers into the weave and learns the fireball spell. The manticore leader takes flight, but only gets 15' up as the spirits cling and hammer at it. Quiro also takes the opportunity to slash the leader with his crystal blade. The leader whips three tail spikes down at the amethyst dragonborn in retaliation, two of the spike finding gaps in Quiro's armor. Eilo casts rainbow explosion, multicolored flames erupting around the two flying enemies. The lead manticore drops to the ground, its body burning in an array of colored fire. The other enemy flying to the NE is burned and also blinded by the sudden rainbow flames. The flying enemy heads up further and whips three tail spikes blindly at Easeis, one managing to nick the sorcerer. Quiro slashes at the one remining target in front of him on the ground, landing one perfect hit across the monster's face, lashing additional psychic energy into the strike. His crystal blade glows for a moment closing some of the dragonborn's wounds, the healing giving him a surge of energy, and he slashes his enemy one final time, killing the monster. Quiro then steps east into melee with the last enemy on the ground also landing a brutal slash on that target. Koram casts toll the dead on the flying enemy, but the enemy is not affected. The cleric then summons a spiritual warhammer above the same opponent and smashes it. The manticore flinching from the strike growls and throws three spikes at Koram, two of them getting past the dwarf's defenses and drawing blood. Psychic energy from Quiropsius deflects a bit of the power from one of the spikes. Magar sends a fire bolt at the higher of the flying enemies, scorching a hole into its chest and dropping it to the ground. Magar's owl does a flyby on the last enemy in the air. Eilo moves her hex and eldritch blasts, one force beam striking her target. Easeis uses the fireball he learned from Magar's casting and engulfs the flying opponent in flames. When the fire clears, the burned and battered enemy is still trying to flap upwards. Easeis takes a moment to re-align some of his magical energies. Quiro grows a pair of spectral wings and flies up next to the last enemy, slashing it with an uppercut that kills the monster with a splash of blood. He then lands on the falling corpse, riding it to the ground and swooping off the body a split second before impact, landing next to his kill.

The group quickly scans the surrounding area and skies, but sees no additional threats. Catching their breath, the party moves to the shade of the stone pillar near the apparent ruins of what was once a small structure and takes a short rest.

420 XP to each character. As always, please see Discord In-Character channel for additional between session discussions.

End Session 53 as the party finishes a short rest at the site of the manticore battle.

[Koram]

Session 54 - 12/1/2023 - Chapter 2 - Fulgy, Scorpions, Castle Karastyne and the Barbarians of the Marstefel Oasis


DM : Lasarian
Party: Baiz - Dour Warmfury - Mountain Dwarf Fighter/Champion - Mason's and Smith's Tools - Hollow Person Hiatus
Talo - Easeis - Human - Sorcerer/Spell Void - Dice Set and Thieves' Tools
Stel - Eilo - Fairy - Warlock/Celestial - Flute
Rox - Kismet of the Woods - Wood Elf Druid/Circle of the Land (Forest) - Herbalism Kit - Hollow Person Hiatus
Khaie - Magar - Grey Elf Wizard/School of Evocation - Herbalism Kit
Ojike - Quiropsius - Amethyst Gem Dragonborn Fighter/Psi Warrior - Bagpipes
Kor - Koram Orchammer - Hill Dwarf Cleric/Life Domain - Mason's, Cartographer's and Smith's Tools - Herbalism Kit

606 CY - Flocktime 27th - Noon

Start session as right after combat with the manticores.

Magar carefully appraises the corpses of the fallen monsters for any useful items or body parts. He then harvests one, managing to carefully remove several teeth. The wizard then asks Koram to assist in harvesting the remaining three, garnering the party two spiked tails and another large batch of teeth. Easeis takes the body parts and adds them to his bag of holding. During the harvesting, the group also finds some coin which Koram adds to the party funds.

As the group is preparing to gear up and head out, they hear a booming voice in the distance to the NW. The voice appears to be calling out names, "Razor, Fluffy, Spike and Fang", repeatedly as if yelling for children or pets. The group heads west, taking up hidden positions behind rock outcroppings in the area away from the direction of the voice. A massive female hill giant stomps into view before stopping in shock at the sight of the manticore corpses, and then kneels by the bodies and begins crying. Easeis eventually comes out of hiding and talks to the giantess, who introduces herself as Fulgy. She sobs that her pet babies have been killed, and Easeis, pretending ignorance of what happened, offers to help her bury them. The rest of the group all follow Easeis out of hiding and then spend the next few hours helping Fulgy to dig graves for her pets and bury them. Eilo then casts message and deceives Fulgy into believing her pets are talking in her head, "Mama, thank you for burying us, we are at peace." Fulgy starts crying again and runs off to the north.

After the time spent talking to Fulgy and burying her pets, the sun has crept across the sky, and it is now after 4PM. The party decides to set up the magical instant tent from Fernis to camp for the night. All three watches are uneventful and the party awakens refreshed on the 28th of Flocktime.

The party sets off to the east and the road conditions slightly improve headed up into the foothills of the Abbor-Alz Mountains. As the party continues east and begins turning north, the road they are following begins to get rougher and shows more signs of lack of being maintained. Eilo and Sprinkles, flying above the group, see something ahead in an area of ledges that step up to higher ground.

Eilo sends Sprinkles ahead to scout and the familiar returns reporting that there are giant desert lobsters ahead. Easeis and Magar cast mage armor, while Koram talks to Quiro, asking if the dragonborn is familiar with the Warding Bond spell. After talking briefly, the cleric hands the fighter a platinum ring and casts the spell, granting Quiro increased defenses and linking his life force to the dwarf. The first of the scorpions comes into view, climbing over a ledge to the east. Magar points and a fire bolt streaks out towards the monster, but hits a rock outcropping, deflecting the flames. Eilo flies up over the first ledge above the party and sees a pair of giant scorpions up on an even higher ledge heading towards the group. She casts hex and eldritch blast on the monster furthest to the west, striking with one beam and using Grasp of Hadar to yank the scorpion off the ledge. It falls taking more damage as it lands on the rocky ground. Sprinkles dives past Eilo's target. The second scorpion up on the highest ledge advances and climbs down near where Eilo pulled its companion. Eilo's target regains its feet and scuttles in a half circle in confusion looking for an opponent. Quiro climbs up onto the ledge and moves into melee with the enemy that climbed down to the middle ledge from above. The dragonborn slashes the monster and his crystal blade flashes with radiant light cracking into the scorpion's carapace. Another scorpion from the east advances on Quiro, snapping its claws at him before whipping its tail forward trying to impale the dragonborn. All three attacks fail to effectively strike the psychic warrior. Easeis casts speak with animals from Talitha's Toy Block and tries to talk to the scorpions to end the combat, but from what he can hear, they are all just repeating, "hungry, hungry, hungry". The scorpion to the east, that clambered down to the lowest ground where the party started combat, advances straight for Magar. Koram, spotting the scorpion heading at the wizard, casts guiding bolt, the radiant light burning into the enemy and outlining it with a flickering glow. The cleric then steps away from where he was going to climb the cliff, interposing himself between the scorpion and Magar. The wizard takes advantage of the armored dwarf stepping up, to move closer to Easeis on the first ledge. He gestures and a fireball steaks from his hand, erupting around the three scorpions on the middle ledge, burning them severely, but sculpting itself to avoid hitting Quiro. Easeis peers into the magical weave and learns the pattern for fireball. Eilo casts eldritch blast, striking her previous target, the force damage from the beam and necrotic energy from hex collapsing the arachnid to the ground. The fairy then shifts her hex to the scorpion NE of Quiro and strikes it with her second eldritch blast beam. Sprinkles dives at Eilo's target, distracting it. The scorpion NW of Quiro claws at the him twice, one claw hammering into the warrior, but the damage magically splits between the dragonborn and Koram, and the enemy's tail swipe misses. Quiro then switches focus and focuses his attacks on the same target as Eilo, striking the creature once and then breathing force energy on both scorpions in front of him. The combined attacks downing the second scorpion of the fight. Easeis twin spells vortex warp on the scorpion facing Koram and the one so far not engaged to the east on the middle ledge. The enemy on Koram stubbornly resists the magic, but the one to the east suddenly finds itself still on the middle ledge but far to the NW of the fight. The scorpion facing Koram claws at the dwarf, which are both deflected by the dwarf's shield, but the scorpions tail arches over punching a hole into the cleric's shoulder with an additional slight burn of poison. Koram's shield already in his opponents face rings with a toll the dead, necrotic sound creeping through the scorpion. Magar's owl does a flyby on Quiro's remaining enemy, while Magar fire bolts the scorpion in front of Koram, scorching its exoskeleton. Eilo moves her hex to the remaining monster facing Quiro and strikes it with eldritch blast, dropping the third enemy, clearing the immediate area around Quiro, Easeis and Eilo on the middle ledge. She sends her second eldritch blast beam to the NW, but it misses the vortex warped scorpion. Sprinkles flies NW and dives past Eilo's target. Quiro heads NW to engage that scorpion, striking it with two solid radiant slashes, and adding a spike of psychic energy to the second swing, spiderweb cracks appearing across the enemy's outer carapace. Easeis looks down at the fight below and a streaking ray of frost blasts the scorpion facing Koram, cold eating into it and slowing its movements. The scorpion batters Koram with one of its claws while the second claw is deflected and its tail misses. Quiro is also hit by his opponent, getting hammered by both claws, but the tail missing, but again part of his damage splits away to the cleric. Koram shoves his shield in his opponents face and tolls the dead, but this time it has no effect. Taking part of the dragonborn's hits has beaten up the dwarf a bit, so he also downs a healing potion. Magar's owl swoops down off the middle ledge to dive at Koram's target, and then Magar fire bolts it as well, scorching the enemy a bit more. Eilo flies past the NW scorpion and moves her hex to it. Her first perfectly placed eldritch blast beam striking it and lifting it from the ground before dropping it. The second beam striking the creature as it is lying on the rocky ground, punching a hole into its head, killing the fourth enemy. Sprinkles flies back SE to the remaining fight down below. Quiro move back SE and throws two handaxes from the middle ledge, both twirling past the last scorpion. He then catches his breath, a second wind coming to the dragonborn. Easeis unleashes another ray of frost, but this one flies wide. The scorpion swings both its claws at Koram again, missing, and its tail bangs into the dwarf's shield. Koram again tolls the dead, necrotic sound slightly damaging the monster. Magar's owl flies right past the scorpion's head, the creature rearing up just in time to take Magar's fire bolt square in the head, killing the last enemy.

Eilo flies up to the uppermost ledge and scouts around to make sure no other enemies are nearby. Quiropsius, taking Eilo's earlier desert lobster description literally, rips a leg from one of the dead enemies and starts eating it, commenting that it doesn't taste as good as the Iridescent lobsters from the Astral Sea. Koram casts cure wounds on himself and feels a fair amount better. Quiro, done with his scorpion leg, focuses his mind for a moment and recovers some of his mental strength. Magar investigates the scorpions for anything useful and determines the group can safely harvest 100 pounds of meat total from all five bodies. The group sets to work carving up the meat and places it in Easeis's bag of holding. The party moves on a bit before camping for the night in the foothills, using the instant tent. The night is once again quiet and the party gets in a long rest.

The next day, Weallsun the 1st, sees the party closing on Castle Karastyne just before noon. Challenged by the gate guards, the party introduces themselves and are granted access to the castle to camp. There are no real accommodations or merchants in the castle. The paladin Karastyne is a disciple of Heironeous, the good aligned god of knights. She has only about half of her original contingent of 40 soldiers remaining since the Red Death, so they have pulled back their patrols a bit to cover less area around the castle. She warns the party that the area north of the castle has become much more dangerous with the lowered patrols. A group of the local barbarians has taken up residence in the Marstefel Oasis, and the paladin is concerned they will begin raiding south. There is no indication that they have done so yet, but the concern is there. Their scouting parties report at least six warriors and a shaman of some kind. The party tells of their encounter with Fulgy and that that the companions defeated her manticore pets. Karastyne says that the castle has been attacked by the giant before and that if the group gets the chance, they should kill the giantess if possible. The party also turns over the scorpion meat to the castle in thanks for shelter since the group has no way to preserve it. When the party describes their intent to explore the ruins in the valley beyond the oasis, the knight then relates that there is a lamia that has taken up residence there and that she is a fearsome foe. The group thanks Karastyne and retires within the castle walls for the evening.

The next morning, Wealsun the 2nd, the part sets out just after 6AM heading Ne on the road a short distance before turning overland to the north for the narrow valley to the oasis. Nearing the oasis with the owls and Eilo scouting ahead, the party spies several barbaric looking warriors in a spread out encampment around the water. There are also a couple of sentries up on the ruins of towers built into the natural rock pillars of the area, but they appear to have missed the approaching companions. While Magar contemplates a fireball at the handful of warriors sitting together to the west of the water, Eilo flies into the encampment and yells hello. After a brief exchange, the fairy has convinced the barbarians that we are just passing through and do not intend to interfere with their business. They seem reserved, but almost friendly, towards the group and they also warn the party that the ruins ahead are very dangerous. The party offers to clear the dangers in the ruins and the barbarians seem both impressed that the group is offering to help and amused that the party will probably die. In the end, the native warriors wish the party well and give permission for the group to pass north and east through their camp past the oasis. The party travels north, nearing a set of hidden ruins in the valley.

800 XP to each character for the scorpion combat and RP'ing past Fulgy.

As always, please see Discord In-Character channel for additional between session discussions.

End Session 54 as the party sees the ruins off in the distance and backs off a bit to decide on how to proceed. It is already about dusk.

Easeis - 14,423 - GRATS ON LEVEL 6, Eilo - 13,626, Magar - 12,036, Quiropsius - 8,860, Koram - 13,641

[Koram]

Session 55 - 12/15/2023 - Chapter 2 - The Lamia and Jackalweres Versus the Leucrotta and Gnolls.

DM : Lasarian
Party: Baiz - Dour Warmfury - Mountain Dwarf Fighter/Champion - Mason's and Smith's Tools - Hollow Person Hiatus
Talo - Easeis - Human - Sorcerer/Spell Void - Dice Set and Thieves' Tools
Stel - Eilo - Fairy - Warlock/Celestial - Flute
Rox - Kismet of the Woods - Wood Elf Druid/Circle of the Land (Forest) - Herbalism Kit - Hollow Person Hiatus
Khaie - Magar - Grey Elf Wizard/School of Evocation - Herbalism Kit
Ojike - Quiropsius - Amethyst Gem Dragonborn Fighter/Psi Warrior - Bagpipes
Kor - Koram Orchammer - Hill Dwarf Cleric/Life Domain - Mason's, Cartographer's and Smith's Tools - Herbalism Kit

606 CY - Wealsun 2nd Dusk

Start session as the party is scouting ruins ahead from a narrow canyon approach.

The companions have been traveling though canyons of exposed bedrock with sand and hardpack areas. The group sees that the narrow canyon they are following appears to open up ahead, and slows to allow Eilo to send Sprinkles the owl ahead to scout. Sprinkles returns and Eilo relates that the owl has seen several doglike humanoids accompanied by a few large canines. Easeis casts mage armor. It appears the party might be able to scale the canyon walls to get a better vantage, but as the group talks quietly through their options, Quiro and Koram both spot a small canine form tailing the party. Eilo uses Talitha's Rattle to cast detect thoughts and Quiro carefully dims his crystal blade as he stealthily draws it. Eilo circles up above the party getting just close enough to pick up the thoughts of the jackalwere scout. It seems to be following the instructions of the Mistress and seems twitchy, submissive, hungry and injured. Eilo focuses and uses the Rattle to send a suggestion to the scout to come down and talk to the companions. The jackalwere runt freezes momentarily and then slowly approaches the party. The scouts name is Mard and it relates to the party that his pack works for the Mistress that inhabits the ruins, and the party assumes it must be the Lamia mentioned by the barbarians at the oasis. Mard says that he and his pack were tasked with bringing treasure and victims to her and that she is very powerful. They were recently instructed to kill a group of gnolls that had taken up residence in the canyon to the north past the ruins, but that Mard and his pack had been soundly defeated, losing half their members in the attack. He says that Mistress is named Kalavati and that she is furious with the pack. Eilo convinces Mard that the party can help to kill the gnolls and that the companions should be brought to Kalavati immediately. Mard is nervous but agrees that this might keep the Lamia from killing him and the rest of the pack for failing. Mard moves ahead, yipping to his packmates near the SE corner of the ruins, and then gesturing for the party to come forward. The pack all seem injured and wary of the party, Quiro enhancing the fear by sending telepathic messages to the jackalweres as the the group passes about how powerful the companions are. Mard leads the group through a somewhat intact door in the mostly crumbling ruins that leads through several more interior doors to a large central area. The party can see the Lamia's head rising above the ruined walls even before they enter the central courtyard where Kalavati has her lair. Easeis uses subtle spell to detect thoughts on Kalavati, and her surface thoughts reveal that she is furious with her jackalweres for failing to kill the gnolls and leucrotta. She now hopes she can use the party to complete the task for her instead. She offers to reveal the location of a great tomb buried in the sands of the desert if the group agrees to deal with the gnolls and leucrotta for her. The party asks if they can camp in the ruins, Kalavati grudgingly agreeing that the group can use a spot off on the western edge away from her since she doesn't want to listen to or smell the party any more than she has to. After checking the area a bit, the party settles in. Not trusting the Lamia or jackalweres, Eilo summons a giant weasel, jackal and giant hyena from her bag of tricks as additional watch for the night. Easeis and Magar each take a 4 hour watch, both uneventful, and the party completes a long rest.

It is now Wealsun the 3rd and Mard has been tasked with leading the party NW through more ascending narrow canyons towards the leucrotta and gnoll lair. Several hours later, the party nears a wider area of canyon with 20'to 40' high walls and some open ground, Mard points and says the enemies are just ahead before slinking away back to the SE. The party enters an area with a large rocky ridge to their north about 30' high and the canyon being about 15' to 40' wide. Koram spots some movement up on the ridge to the NW of the party and manages to warn the party just before a horn sounds, and a pair of arrows sails down from above. Easeis is grazed by one of the arrows, but the other just smacks into the hardpacked sand. Quiropsius sprouts spectral wings and flies up to the top of the ledge 30' above the group, spotting two gnoll archers about 40' away to the west. Koram also spots several gnolls off in the distance to the west, and immediately dashes west hugging the base of the rocky ridge to maintain cover from the archers above, and yelling to the party that there are 5 gnoll opponents visible to the west. Two of the gnolls to the west spot the dwarf and fire arrows from longbows, one clattering off the rocks but the other cutting a thin bloody line on the dwarf's leg next to his greave. Easeis steps up just behind the cleric and casts hypnotic pattern over the 5 gnolls to the west and 3 of them freeze in place, entranced by the swirling colors around them. One of the gnolls on the ridge, seeing Easeis cast his spell, fires an arrow grazing the sorcerer's arm but failing to disrupt the concentration on his magic. Magar casts mage armor before moving west a few steps and getting into some cover along the base of the rocky ledges. Sprinkles dives at the gnoll archer closest to Quiro up on the ledge, momentarily distracting the enemy. One of the gnolls to the west that is not staring at magical twisting colors from Easeis's spell, fires a longbow missing both the sorcerer and cleric so badly, neither are sure who the gnoll was aiming at. The gnoll also growls and barks loudly in its language, something equally loud responding from behind the rocky ridge to the north. Magar's owl flies up to the NW and nestles into a safe hollow in the canyon wall. Eilo flies up and hexes the closest archer up on the ridge that Sprinlkes just flew past before hitting it with an eldritch blast beam and using Grasp of Hadar to yank the enemy archer off the ledge. The beam, hex and fall combining to eradicate the gnoll. Eilo's second eldritch blast beam hits the second archer, causing it to yip in pain. Koram focuses on the closest gnoll archer not incapacitated by hypnotic pattern to the west and casts toll the dead, necrotic sound damaging the enemy. The cleric also summons a spiritual weapon, the hammer sweeping at the gnoll, but missing. The other gnoll still active to the west fires its longbow at Koram, the arrow shattering against the cleric's shield. Easeis points and a ray of frost zips towards the remaining archer on the ridge, blasting it with cold. Magar steps away from the cover of the ledge and unleashes a devastating fireball on the 4 closest gnolls grouped up to the west, the fifth being just out of the spell's area. One of the enemies drops to the ground and 3 others are alive but covered in burns. Easeis peers into the weave and learns the pattern for fireball. Sprinkles flies up over the ridge and dives at one of the other gnolls approaching from the north with the leucrotta. The evil quadruped turns the corner and the party gets its first glimpse of the large monster with its badger head, hyena body and deer legs. It immediately bites and hammers its hooves at Koram, all the attacks failing to get through the dwarf's defenses. Magar's owl dives at the leucrotta's head and flies past. Eilo moves her hex to the evil monstrosity and slams it with both beams of her eldritch blast, the enemy growling at the impacts. Quiro flies in and grapples with the second gnoll archer on the ridge, struggling at first but then managing to grab and lift the enemy off the ground. He then flies SW a bit and drops the gnoll, who tries unsuccessfully, to hold onto the dragonborn. Surging with energy, Quiro immediately breathes out a cone of force as the gnoll falls, killing it before its dead body slams into the unsuspecting leucrotta, bludgeoning the monster with its ally's corpse. The amethyst fighter then unslings a trident from his back and hurls it into the lecrotta's back. Koram directs his spirit weapon to hit one of the smoldering gnolls remaining to the west and casts toll the dead which has no effect. Easeis steps back from the melee between Koram, gnolls and leucrotta a bit and casts his stolen fireball spell, scorching the first gnoll from the north and leucrotta. The gnoll from the north advances biting and swinging its sword at Koram, both glancing off the dwarf's armor. Almost simultaneously, one of the gnolls to the west puts on a surprising burst of speed, closing the distance to Koram and launching a bite and sword swing. The cleric manages to deflect the bite with his shield, but the sword strike gets through, slashing into his side. Magar steps out and once again launches a fireball, this time directly over the melee. He sculpts the spell to avoid hitting Koram, the flames engulfing all the enemies, but a small swirl of open air directly surrounding the dwarf. One gnoll drops in flames and the leucrotta and other gnoll look burned and beaten. Sprinkles again swoops in past the leucrotta's head, and the enemy looks about in panic before kicking both hooves into Koram, staggering the dwarf, before using the momentum to bound away from the combat. Magar's owl does a flyby on the remaining gnoll in melee. Eilo flies up over the ridge and gets line of sight on the enemy galloping away to the north before hitting it with the first eldritch blast beam, dropping the opponent face first into the sand. The warlock then shifts her hex to the remaining gnoll, some kind of leader, facing Koram and hits it with her remaining eldritch blast beam. The large gnoll drops its sword, growling and barking loudly, before rushing Koram and slamming its jaws repeatedly into the dwarf's shield and armor, but not getting through. Quiro flies down and being just out of range to attack with his crystal sword, he again breathes force energy slamming the gnoll leader to the hardpacked ground, dead. The group looks around and with no active opponents remaining, Quiro and Koram run up to the NW and tie up the last gnoll, that is still under Easeis's enchantment.

As always, please see Discord In-Character channel for additional discussion. Search of the defeated enemies and gnoll interrogation to take place In Character Discord.

End Session 55 at the end of combat against the leucrotta and gnolls.

640 XP to each character for the leucrotta and gnolls. Extra XP to Koram for all Journal notes Sessions 1-55.

Easeis - 15,063, Eilo - 14,226 (Grats on level 6!), Magar - 12,676, Quiropsius - 9,500, Koram - 19,281 (Level 6)

[Koram]

Session 56 - 12/22/2023 - Chapter 2 - Leucrotta and Gnolls Defeated -

DM : Lasarian
Party: Baiz - Dour Warmfury - Mountain Dwarf Fighter/Champion - Mason's and Smith's Tools - Hollow Person Hiatus
Talo - Easeis - Human - Sorcerer/Spell Void - Dice Set and Thieves' Tools
Stel - Eilo - Fairy - Warlock/Celestial - Flute
Rox - Kismet of the Woods - Wood Elf Druid/Circle of the Land (Forest) - Herbalism Kit - Hollow Person Hiatus
Khaie - Magar - Grey Elf Wizard/School of Evocation - Herbalism Kit
Ojike - Quiropsius - Amethyst Gem Dragonborn Fighter/Psi Warrior - Bagpipes
Kor - Koram Orchammer - Hill Dwarf Cleric/Life Domain - Mason's, Cartographer's and Smith's Tools - Herbalism Kit

606 CY - Wealsun 3rd - 11:00 AM?

Discord RP:

After tying up the gnoll and making sure there are no other threats, Koram suggests a quick search of the corpses and maybe having the owls scout for wherever the leucrotta and gnolls were holed up.
December 21, 2023

Quiro starts investigating the bodies of the slain.

It was a general suggestion that we all do the search.

While keeping half an eye on the gnoll, Koram will work with Quiro to search the bodies. Every now and then he'll clear his throat loudly at the folks with owls.

Easeis crouches in front of the tied-up gnoll like a baseball catcher and says "Common, do you speak it?"

“Sprinkles, look alive!”

North of your current position is a narrow passage that leads to a shallow cave, protected in part by some rough thatch and leaning timbers. Outside the cave opening are the remains of a campfire and an alarming number of humanoid and animal bones. There is some fetid water in broken crockery and two or three smashed carts pilled into a thicket of brambles to the east of the cave.

The gnolls are sporting a few jackalwere scalps as well as a few ears and teeth. Among them they have 93 cp, 38 sp, 7 gp and 5 pp. No other items of interest.

Easeis crouches in front of the tied-up gnoll like a baseball catcher and says "Common, do you speak it?"

The gnoll responds: "Agnash, nashla."

He shakes his head back and forth, spitting, "N'ash, n'ash."

All around you in this section of the canyon you find the dusty, half buried remains of caravans and commerce. Barrels, wagon wheels, stoneware, some small smashed chests, yokes, bits, bridles, along the scant remnants of their owners. Bits of hair and bones, faded, torn clothing, the odd boot ...

It's like a junk yard.

“Celestial? Sylvan?” (asked in those languages)

"N'ash!" it yells.

Easeis will cast Tongues from the toy block. It lasts 1 hour and doesn't require concentration.

Because I'm not going to touch the gnoll, I cast on myself:
Tongues: This spell grants the creature you touch the ability to understand any spoken language it hears. Moreover, when the target speaks, any creature that knows at least one language and can hear the target understands what it says. (edited)

After casting , ensuring that he can understand me, and I can understand him, Easeis says, "You attacked us without provocation. The magic I just used that allows us to speak to each other lasts one hour. You have until it runs out to convince me why you should be allowed to live."

The gnoll chortles at you: "Clever magic, carcass. My life means nothing. Send me to Yeenoghu and be done with it."

"Well, if that is what you want, I suppose I'll have to prolong your suffering as much as possible."

Gnoll: "No more that me life is wut so far, meatbag."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Start session as the party is wrapping up a quick search of the leucrotta and gnoll cave while questioning the captive gnoll.

Easeis then casts detect thoughts subtly with his sorcerer abilities and reads the surface thoughts of the prisoner which are basic angry, hungry, kill these meatbag type thoughts. Easeis focuses his will and pushes further into the gnoll's primal thoughts. It is thinking how it was just following orders from the leucrotta. When Easeis asks what it will do if released, the captive says he will, "turn over a new leaf and leave the area to do good deeds", while thinking about how he is going to stalk and kill the group. Koram states that since Easeis translated that the gnoll admits to worshipping Yeenoghu, Demon Lord of Gnolls, it simply needs to die. The others want to discuss with Quiro to make sure that he is in agreement to killing a prisoner. The dragonborn remembers reading about the evil of gnolls and their obscene habits and agrees it should die. Koram wastes no time putting a boot to the gnolls throat before quickly and efficiently smashing in its skull with his warhammer as Eilo flies away averting her eyes.

The companions take a short rest in the meager shade of one of the rock ledges near the leurotta/gnoll lair. Easeis converses with Zelligar, who is having a bit of trouble pinpointing the location of the ruins after all the years that have passed. The landscape is changed by the shifting sands and the last of the landmarks, ruined towers, are no where in view. The owls are sent to scout the area north and west, while Koram spreads out some maps and begins measuring with his cartography tools. After some time the owls return with nothing new, but Koram thinks he may have narrowed down the area described by Zelligar on the maps.

The party heads out and in a couple of hours, enters a valley that appears to be the correct location, but no towers or ruins are immediately evident. Easeis casts speak with animals and talks to several birds along the way, but none have seen any manmade structures. As the group exits a narrow defile into the valley, the see a corpse being eaten by several vultures. Easeis speaks to them and one vulture says that no structures are near that they know of, but there have been unknown creatures causing strange winds in this area recently. As if hearing the conversation, the winds suddenly pick up. The vulture tells Easeis that the carrion birds are leaving and quickly depart, struggling against the growing winds. The group sees sands swirling up to the north and are quickly enveloped by the edge of the blinding sand-filled winds. The party has no time to seek shelter, but manages to tie themselves together using several lengths of rope, Koram to Easeis to Quiro to Magar with Eilo on a separate rope flying like a kite above Quiro. Having trouble seeing and hearing anything, Koram just manages to pick out a whirlwind of sand denser than the rest of the surrounding wind an instant before it swirls over the party from the north. The cleric shouts a warning, pointing at the dust devil, a guiding bolt streaking from his outstretched hand, radiant energy slamming into the elemental whirlwind. The dust devil, still glowing from the radiant damage, twists over to engulf Easeis and Koram, battering both with sand and debris. The shorter heavily armored dwarf appears less impacted by the wind, but Easeis is whipped by the wind, flying into Koram's armored back and falling to the ground behind the cleric. Magar, seeing the combat start, quickly unties himself from between Easeis and Quiro, and heads west away from the melee. Easeis grabs regains his feet and casts mind sliver into the swirling sand surrounding him and Koram, feeling it strike the consciousness of the elemental. A second swirling elemental appears from the sandstorm and envelops Quiro and Eilo. This elemental seems to directly hit Quiro with debris filled blasts of air, severely battering the fighter, who barely manages to psychically deflect some of the damage. Both Quiro and Eilo manage to hold their balance in the maelstrom. Quiro shakes his head, recovering a bit from the beating he is taking from the storm, then slashing his crystal blade back and forth into the dust devil surrounding him. He feels the magical blade slow as it bites once into the elemental's form, focusing a quick jab of psychic energy into the strike, but the second swing hits nothing except sand and air. Anger surges through the dragonborn at being beat up by air and dirt, so he strikes twice more, both strikes slowing as they tear into the elemental's swirling body. Quiro's crystal blade flickers momentarily as it heals him. Eilo flies up to the east, feeling a blast of air from the dust devil whip by as it tries to strike her as she escapes. The fairy manages to spin back east, move her hex, and land both beams of her eldritch blast, the force damage tearing swirls of sand away from the enemy and pulling the elemental off Quiro. Eilo then loses control as the winds buffet her around, zig zagging back and forth, until she finally crashes into the ground, prone and slightly grumpy. Koram pushes through the tempest swirling around him and Easeis to get a few feet closer to the other dust devil, then casts spirit guardians. The ancient spirits of his ancestors rise from the sand and their spectral forms begin hammering at the elementals, damaging and slowing them. The enemy enveloping the cleric slams a fist of air and debris into the dwarf, bludgeoning him, but not disrupting his spell. Magar casts shatter and sculpts the thunderous energy to warp away from his companions. As the echoing sound clears, the party can see that the southern dust devil has dissipated. Easeis mind slivers into the opponent still swirling around him, once again feeling the psychic energy find its target. Quiro, no longer surrounded by his enemy, takes a few steps north, slashing his sword through the elemental still around Easeis and Koram. He feels his crystal blade bite into the enemy once, but the wind knocks his other swing wide. Eilo gets up from the ground, shifting her hex and eldritch blasting the remaining enemy. The first beam streaks away into the storm, but the second rips a hole into the dust devil. She also wraps a heling light around Koram, clearing away some of the battering the dwarf has taken. The dust devil swirls apart as the spirit guardians tear into it from all sides. As the second enemy falls, the wind immediately dies down in the area and the sands settle back to the ground.

Revealed to the companions are some low lying ruins to the west. The party heads west to search the ruins and also finds a large gaping pit in the sand, surrounded by the collapsed stonework of the ruins. The stone blocks making up the ancient structures are obviously old and have been scattered by the elements. There are sets of stone stairs leading up to sand filled entrances flanked by large stone statues, and bowl-like depressions about 10' across in the stone platforms between the stairs. Half buried in the sands nearby are massive stone spheres that appear to be the correct size to have once rested in the stonework bowls on the landings of the steps. No evidence of any towers exists, but Zelligar verifies that the style of the statues and stonework matches what he remembers of the ruins he and Roghan explored. The party finds some shade and rests for an hour or so to recover from the combat and clean the worst of the sand from their gear. Since no other openings present themselves, it is decided to send the Sprinkles and Magar's owl down into the large pit. Sprinkles leads with Magar's familiar following about 60' behind keeping watch, and both casters looking through the eyes of their magical birds. Through Sprinkles, Eilo hears the flapping or buzzing of wings, and a few moments later, she loses the connection with her familiar. Magar's owl flies back up out of the pit as Eilo and Marag look down into the gloom trying to see what destroyed Sprinkles. Eilo casts light on a rock and throws it down into the pit where it lands in the sand and rubble 50' below. Eilo and Magar both spot a large flying insect zip over to investigate the rock before flying out of sight. Eilo casts light on another rock and nods at Magar, both preparing cantrips to attack the insect. The second rock thuds to the bottom of the pit and as before, an insect comes to investigate. Magar points and a fire bolt flares down into the darkness burning the large insect. Eilo unloads and both beams from her eldritch blast hammer into the flying creature. Battered and scorched, but still alive, the insect zips up out of the pit and moves to attack. Magar's owl zips down past the now revealed assassin bug as it clears the top of the pit into the light. The insect bites at Magar twice, but the wizard's mage armor does its job and Magar is not bitten. Then the bug whips its abdomen under its thorax and a dripping stinger like appendage darts out, also narrowly missing Magar. Eilo shifts her hex to the apparently hardy insect and then eldritch blasts, both beams again striking the insect, but even scorched and its exoskeleton cracked, it remains aloft. Magar, seeing the punishment that the insect has already taken and yet is still flying, along with the fact that it attacked him multiple times in a few seconds, quickly feints in one direction and then runs in the opposite. The wizard is well aware that his power comes from remaining distant from his enemies. Easeis, Koram and Quiro sitting to the north on the steps hear noise from the south. Easeis asks Koram if he hears the ruckus, and the cleric responds that it sounds like a fight. Quiro immediately hops to his feet and heads south towards the assassin bug. He mentally grabs a loudly protesting Eilo and psychically moves her 30' back, and then breathes out a cone of force at the insect, knocking it sideways in the air. Koram sighs as he stands up, noticeably not rushing as much as Quiro, and casts toll the dead, the necrotic sound shriveling up the insect as it drops to the ground. A second and third bug zip up from the depths of the pit, both attacking Quiro. The second lands a wicked bite, but its second bite and ovipositor are stopped by Quiro's armor and shield, and the third bug also has no luck getting through the fighter's defenses. Eilo moves her hex to the western of the two bugs buzzing around Quiro and lands two beams of eldritch blast on it, but it keeps zipping around. A fourth assassin bug flies up from the pit and manages to land one of its two bites on Quiro, paralyzing and poisoning the dragonborn, then slides its ovipositor between the plates of Quiro's splint mail, injecting 3 eggs that hatch almost instantly into grubs inside him. A fifth bug also appears near the southern edge of the pit, but is too far away to strike. Easeis shakes his head as he stands up and casts hypnotic pattern, the flashing and swirling colors stopping all 4 of the assassin bugs mid-flight, causing them to hover in place. He tells the group to pick a single target and kill it before waking any others. Quiro, holding his clawed hand over the egg injection site, also stops to stare. Magar casts a fire bolt at the closest enemy, but it is still moving a bit as it hovers and the cantrip streaks past. Magar's owl does a flyby on the same target, and it slowly twists in the air following the owl's movement. The newly hatched maggots in Quiro begin squirming about and feeding off the dragonborn, the pain snapping him out of Easeis's spell. Koram casts toll the dead on the same target as Magar, the necrotic sound causing black cracks to appear in its carapace. The cleric then wills a spiritual hammer into existence and it smacks the now awakened insect as well. The newly awakened bug attempts to fly directly at Eilo to its north, but Quiro takes the opportunity to swing at the departing enemy, his crystal sword cleaving through it and dropping its shattered corpse to the ground. Eilo shifts her hex to the bug furthest to the south and eldritch blasts it, one beam slamming into the insect, the other just missing, waking the creature from its stupor. The warlock then focuses a bit of healing light on Quiro. Easeis points, a ray of frost hitting the southern insect as ice momentarily forms, slowing its wingbeats. Magar immediately follows the frost with a fire bolt scorching the target, steam pouring from where there was just ice. The now awake enemy, even slowed, makes it into range of Eilo landing one of its two bites and also stabs its ovipositor into the fairy's shoulder, injecting 3 eggs. Magar's owl dives at the assassin bug as it withdraws its egg laying stinger from Eilo. Quiro takes a deep breath to shake off a bit of the pain from his wounds, then moves north under Eilo and her attacker smoothly drawing and throwing two handaxes, one cracking into the assassin bug, the other flying past. Koram sees the pain Quiro is in from the injected maggots and hopes they are similar to others the group has encountered. The cleric glances up at his spiritual hammer and causing it to move, strike, and kill the insect that just attacked Eilo, then moves south to cast lesser restoration on Quiro, killing the burrowing maggots. Eilo yelps in pain as the maggots feed on her tiny form, and wanting them gone immediately, she casts lesser restoration on herself. Easeis backs up a bit and casts a chromatic orb that narrowly misses the next charmed insect. Magar runs a bit further north to just behind Easeis and Eilo, then turns and fire bolts the next bug scorching and waking it, then having his familiar do a flyby on it for good measure. Quiro moves south to engage the newly awakened insect twice, landing both slashes with his crystal sword, upgrading the first swing with psychic energy. Using the momentum of his first two well placed hits, he surges forward and again strikes his opponent, chopping another bug into bits. Whirling into his fourth swing, he targets the adjacent final surviving assassin bug, striking it and his crystal sword again healing the dragonborn. Koram moves his spirit weapon down and it smacks the last insect, but his follow-up toll the dead cantrip has no effect. Eilo hexes the last enemy and hits with both beams of her eldritch blast, spiderweb cracks appearing in its exoskeleton. The last insect bites twice at Quiro, missing both times, and then tries to stab the fighter with its ovipositor, but the dragonborn is ready and blocks with his shield. Easeis points, a ray of frost splashing into the last enemy and freezing it, before it falls dead to the sand. The party looks about warily, but no other threats appear.

As always, please see Discord In-Character channel for additional discussion.

End Session 56 in the ruins revealed after the magical winds end with the dissipation of the dust devils and the combat against the assassin bugs at the base of the ruins above the large pit.

1,420 XP to each character for the dust devils and assassin bugs.

Easeis - 16,483, Eilo - 15,686, Magar - 14,096 (Grats on level 6!), Quiropsius - 10,920, Koram - 20,701

[Koram]

Session 57 - 1/12/2023 - Chapter 2 - More Assassin Bugs and the Pit of Spiders

DM : Lasarian
Party: Baiz - Dour Warmfury - Mountain Dwarf Fighter/Champion - Mason's and Smith's Tools - Hollow Person Hiatus
Talo - Easeis - Human - Sorcerer/Spell Void - Dice Set and Thieves' Tools
Stel - Eilo - Fairy - Warlock/Celestial - Flute
Rox - Kismet of the Woods - Wood Elf Druid/Circle of the Land (Forest) - Herbalism Kit - Hollow Person Hiatus
Khaie - Magar - Grey Elf Wizard/School of Evocation - Herbalism Kit
Ojike - Quiropsius - Amethyst Gem Dragonborn Fighter/Psi Warrior - Bagpipes
Kor - Koram Orchammer - Hill Dwarf Cleric/Life Domain - Mason's, Cartographer's and Smith's Tools - Herbalism Kit

606 CY - Wealsun 4th - 06:00

Discord RP:

Watch order.
1) Eilo and Magar.
2) Magar
3) Easeis and Quiro
4) Easeis and Koram

DM: I take it a long rest is in the offing?

Koram: Wouldn’t hurt my feelings.

Eilo: Does Magar have darkvision? Eilo does not, but I can find my familiar again.

Talo: Yes, he's an elf. (edited)
He's the elfiest elf that ever elfed

DM: This

Talo: I have stuff to do on my watch. So I don't want to skip past Eilo and Magar if they have anything.

DM: We’ll wait for @Eilo/Friynaf (Stelmarii), @Khaie doesn’t really do Discord after hours

Eilo: Well, I have three unanswered Sendings to Sister, I might as well Send another.

DM: She answered you

Talo: Perhaps you've worn out your welcome.

Eilo: That’s kind of the point

DM: Nettle nettle nettle

Eilo: Ok done
Sprinkles is back.

Talo: You've sent your message and summoned your owl?

Eilo: Yesh

Talo: At the start of their watch, Easeis will pull Quiro aside and say, "I'll be in here. Tell Koram where I am and nobody else. Please. Koram should retrieve me at the end of his watch. Please move my bag someplace inconspicuous."

Then Easeis will put his bag of holding on the ground and step in.

Quiro will place Easis' bag inside the thorax of one of the assassin bugs, rolling it over to hide the "pocket". Once Koram wakes I will send a message telepathically; "Easeis asked I tell only you that he entered his own personal sack of his own volition, and that you should retrieve him at the end of your watch. He also asked I hide the sack, it is located inside the belly of one of the assassin bugs near some rubble just outside camp."

Koram thanks Quiro and moves over to check on the bag immediately and then takes his watch from a spot where he can watch both the sleeping members of the camp and the bag. Would preferable find a spot on the rubble to sit right by the bag and watch the camp from there.

Talo: Too bad it is Christmas. I'm waiting for Stel/Eilo to yell at me. (edited)

Eilo: Just waiting for you to do what you’re doing

DM: No yelling today, it’s Christmas and I have a nap coming to me.

Eilo has no idea what foolishness you’re up to.

Talo: I did it. It's done. Just waiting for the rest to end.

DM: erm, uh, long rest ended?

Koram will retrieve Easeis from the bag of holding.

Easeis exits wearing the Aspect of Pelor.

He then promptly makes it disappear.

Koram will also remove the Amulet of Proof Against Detection and Location and hand it to Easeis. "Th' whole reason we bought this was ta protect th' bearer o' th' pineapple. Think ye'd be smart ta take this too."

"Ok. But I think that tops me off in terms of magic items."

Easeis will attune to the amulet of proof against detection and location while everybody eats breakfast lobster.

Eilo: Assuming no one except Kor and Quiro saw you exit the bag?

Talo: That's up to the boss man. I was in the bag.

DM: Based on the watch order and no random encounters during the night, it would appear only Koram would have seen the Aspect on Easeis as he emerges from the bag.

Eilo: So we wake up and try to find our way into the doors, or drop down the hole?

Talo: Fly in. Come back. Tell us what you see.

DM: (Eilo investigates the openings that appear to have been entrances to the north.) The "doors" are really just archways, mostly embedded in sand. Zelligar informs Easies that the previous entry of the buried towers was beyond those archways. The tower appears to have collapsed and been buried in the sand. The giant pit at least is headed in the right direction.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Start session as the party begins investigation of the pit.

While Koram looks for a good place to anchor a rope to descend into the pit, Eilo casts light on herself. Eilo and Sprinkles head down into the pit with Magar's owl familiar lagging behind to watch over them about 50' back. The cavern below appears empty of additional enemies, is lit by bioluminescent fungi and has what appears to be an tunnel exiting to the east. Eilo calls for the party to come down. The rope is secured above to an outcropping and the party begins to descend with only a minor mishap as Quiro slips off the fast rope and falls with a dull thud. Standing and dusting himself off, he looks at the rest of the group, shakes his head and checks out his new bruises. The party investigates the cavern and finds the two dead assassin bugs that fell from the fight above along with the remains of many animals and a few humanoids. Magar finds a finely crafted grimoire that appears in perfect condition. He detects magic and identifies it as an Arcane Grimoire +2 and the group agrees to try and wait a bit for him to attune to the magical object. Before completing the attunement, the group hears the fluttering of wings coming from the tunnel to the east. Easeis quickly casts mage armor and the party checks the tunnel to avoid being surprised by whatever might be approaching.

The tunnel opens into another cavern with several ledges stepping down from west to east also lit by more fungi and occupied by another group of assassin bugs. The insects initially do not appear to see the party. Magar takes the opportunity to cast minor illusion trying to distract the bugs with a buzzing sound similar to the sound of their own wings. The closest 2 enemies appear to fall for the trick as the party arranges themselves for a fight. The 2 insects further away catch sight of the group and quickly fly towards the party, one heading for Easeis, and the other, Koram. The assassin bug on Easeis bites at the sorcerer twice and tries to sting with its ovipositor, missing with all three attacks. Magar steps towards the back near the tunnel and casts mage armor on himself. Easeis casts hypnotic pattern, catching three enemies in the area of effect, the insect by Koram and one further to the east freezing in place, distracted by the swirling colors, but the main target right in front of Easeis appears focused on attacking and is unaffected. The final insect furthest east and out of the area of effect flies in and attacks Peaches the bear, landing two solid hits, causing the magical bear to vanish. Sprinkles dives at the insect that just dispatched Peaches. Koram casts spiritual weapon and the hammer appears, immediately striking the bug in front of Easeis, Koram follow with a toll the dead, necrotic magic also striking the injured opponent. Quiro steps in, also striking the insect focused on Easeis with one swing, adding a burst of psychic energy to the hit, but missing with his second swing. Magar's owl does a flyby on the target in front of Easeis, distracting it. Eilo casts sacred flame on the insect confronting Easeis, but it dodges the radiant flame, and then bites at Easeis twice, managing to land one nip, but missing with the second bite and also with its stinger. Magar casts fire bolt on the distracted enemy attacking Easeis and lands a solid burning hit, but the battered insect is still airborne. Easeis twin spells vortex warp catching the bug right in his face and moving it 55' east away from the party, but the second insect that is still awake is unaffected by the warp. Easeis, clear of immediate threats, steps back up onto the ledge by Magar next to the tunnel heading back to the west. The assassin bug that knocked Peaches out of the fight attacks Quiro landing one of two bites and also stinging the dragonborn severely, depositing two maggots. Sprinkles dives at the bug that just attacked Quiro. Koram casts toll the dead on the critically injured insect off to the east, but it is unaffected, The cleric then calls his spirit hammer to strike the enemy facing Quiro and lands a light hit. The maggots begin burrowing through Quiro, and the dragonborn strikes the enemy that deposited the maggots in response. The psychic fighter misses with his first swing, but uses the momentum to spin into his second attack, landing a perfectly placed hit, again adding psychic energy to the strike. The dragonborn's crystal sword healing the fighter, who surges into two more swings, landing another wicked slash. Magar's owl dives by the same battered enemy. Eio takes advantage of the distraction and places her hex on the same enemy before striking it with the first beam of her eldritch blast, the force and necrotic magics destroying the insect. Eilo's second eldritch blast beam strikes the bug that was warped to the east, but it stays aloft. It flutters awkwardly at Koram due to its injuries, both its bites and its stinger attack unable to get past the cleric's armor. Magar lines up a fire bolt on the assassin bug on Koram and blasts it from the air. Easeis holds a ray of frost waiting for the melee attackers to get into position to awaken another enemy from the hypnotic pattern. Sprinkles dives by the already entranced SW bug and it distractedly flits in a circle before Koram whacks it with his spiritual weapon and then tears into it with a blast of necrotic energy from toll the dead. Easeis also unloads his ray of frost, striking the bug with cold energy and slowing the now rough looking opponent. Quiro again feels the maggots tearing into him, but snarls and smashes his crystal blade down on the same insect, cutting it in half, before stepping up next to Koram. Magar's owl dives past the last enchanted bug, and as it slowly spins to watch the departing familiar, Eilo moves her hex and rips into the bug with both beams of her eldritch blast. Magar catapults a rock at the insect, but it is zig zagging in the air, and manages to dodge the incoming projectile. Easeis lines the last assassin bug up and hits it with a ray of frost, the cold damaging ad slowing this one as well. Sprinkles flies through, zipping just past the last enemy, Koram's spiritual weapon smacking the distracted target and then the cleric also lands a toll the dead. Quiro feels the maggots biting under his scales again, the pain taking its toll and causing him to miss with both his swings. Magar's owl flies past the last bug, but it stays focused on attacking Quiro, missing with one bite and its ovipositor attack, but landing a second bite. Quiro uses his psychic abilities to deflect the bite slightly so it doesn't hit quite as hard. Eilo lands a solid hit with her first eldritch blast beam, shattering the insect's chitinous body and splattering it to the ground.

Koram immediately mutters the prayer for a lesser restoration on Quiro, killing the maggots under his scales. Easeis casts one of his new found healing abilities, prayer of healing, closing up his own wounds and the worst of Quiro's injuries. The group moves east to check the next tunnel heading out of this cavern and two more assassin bugs zip from the mouth of the tunnel, one landing a bit on Quiro but missing with a second bit and stinger. Magar's familiar dives at the bug that just attacked Quiro, just before the second bug gets to Quiro, but misses with all its attacks. Easeis casts another hypnotic pattern, ensnaring one of the two targets so the group can all focus on the one that is still aware. Sprinkles dives by the target that is awake. The party then focuses on the "capacitated" enemy. Magar lands a fire bolt, Eilo hexes and hits with one of her two eldritch blast beams, Koram hits with toll the dead, Quiro does a quick centering to recover some psionic power and then lands one of two swings bolstered with psychic force. The combined attacks batter the insect and send it crashing to the floor. Magar's owl zips past the enchanted bug, and Easeis readies a ray of frost. Sprinkles flies up and prepares to distract the assassin bug as it awakens, then Magar unleashes a fire bolt, scorching and waking the enemy. Sprinkles distracts it, the held ray of frost erupts from Easeis's hand blasting dead center into the insect. Eilo hits with one beam on eldritch blast, then remembers to shift her hex before landing the second beam, Koram tolls the dead and Quiro steps in to deliver the killing blow to the final insect.

The party looks around and listens but no other enemies appear, so they all move back west a bit to a more defensible position near the center of the cavern and Magar ritual casts tiny hut. Eilo casts a cure wounds on Quiro before the party takes a short rest in the safety of the hut. Magar spends the hour attuning to his recently found arcane grimoire now that he can do so undisturbed. Eilo summons a jackal from her bag of tricks and the party agrees to move east through the next tunnel.

The party enters a third cavern, this one lit by glowing crystals. The party sees four more assassin bugs clustered in the center of the room, but they appear to be resting or distracted by something and do not notice the group. After a very brief discussion, Eilo casts rainbow explosion and Magar also drops a fireball, killing two of the four insects. As the insects react to the unprovoked attack, Eilo hexes one of the remaining two and lands one of two eldritch blast beams. Quiro breathes a cone of force damage striking the two bugs. One of the insects flies up and hits Quiro with one of two bites and injects one maggot into the dragonborn. The second assassin bug also tries to strike Quiro three times but both bites and the ovipositor misses. Sprinkles does a fly by on one of the two insects. Easeis twin spells acidic chromatic orbs hitting both remaining assassin bugs, dropping them twitching to the floor.

Koram casts lesser restoration on Quiro, killing off the maggot infestation. The party then proceeds east through another tunnel and enters a large cavern partially filled with spider webs, a column of stone rising from the center of a huge pit with web bridges spanning to it. Easeis looks down the pit and can see what appears to be a finished stone floor about 80' below. Magar sends his familiar down and sees 4 giants spiders and the floor appears to be covered with swarms of tiny spiders scuttling everywhere.

As always, please see Discord In-Character channel for additional discussion.

End Session 57 in the cavern with the pit leading down to the spiders.

1,400 XP to each character for the assassin bugs.

Easeis - 17,883, Eilo - 17,086, Magar - 15,496, Quiropsius - 12,320, Koram - 22,101

[Koram]

Session 58 - 1/19/2023 - Chapter 2 - The Pit of Spiders and Exploring the Ruins

DM : Lasarian
Party: Baiz - Dour Warmfury - Mountain Dwarf Fighter/Champion - Mason's and Smith's Tools - Hollow Person Hiatus
Talo - Easeis - Human - Sorcerer/Spell Void - Dice Set and Thieves' Tools
Stel - Eilo - Fairy - Warlock/Celestial - Flute
Rox - Kismet of the Woods - Wood Elf Druid/Circle of the Land (Forest) - Herbalism Kit - Hollow Person Hiatus
Khaie - Magar - Grey Elf Wizard/School of Evocation - Herbalism Kit
Ojike - Quiropsius - Amethyst Gem Dragonborn Fighter/Psi Warrior - Bagpipes
Kor - Koram Orchammer - Hill Dwarf Cleric/Life Domain - Mason's, Cartographer's and Smith's Tools - Herbalism Kit

606 CY - Wealsun 4th - 06:00


Start session as the party discusses how to handle the descent into the pit of spiders.

Easeis uses Talitha's Toy Block to cast speak with animals in order to try and parley with the spiders. After a few moments Easeis relays that the arachnids agree to let us pass for food. Easeis continues to keep an eye on things and talk with the spiders a bit while the rest of the party heads back to gather up the assassin bug corpses. The remains are all thrown down into the pit and some of the smaller spiders swarm over the insect carcasses. Rather than risk a fall, Quiro and Koram lower Easeis and Magar down on ropes, then Quiro and Koram head down before Eilo flies up to untie and retrieve the rope.

The group gathers at the bottom of the pit surrounded by a a couple of giant spiders and a few spider swarms. Easeis asks if the food is sufficient and the spiders appear pleased with the insect bodies. As the conversation continues, Koram notices that there are additional giant spiders hidden in the shadowy webs on the walls of the chamber. Eilo, curious about the large collapsed alcove in the NE part of the chamber tries to see anything of interest, but the way appears blocked. The spiders have referenced a "mother" that the group has not seen, so Easeis asks which way we should pass from the chamber so as not to disturb her. The spiders respond that "mother" is coming now and that she is VERY hungry, right before they attack the group.

Koram noticed that several of the spiders had begun shifting closer to the party right before the attack and was prepared, whispering a prayer causing ancient dwarven spirits to rise from the floor around him. He moves to the west and the ghostly defenders begin grasping at all the spiders in range causing radiant damage and slowing them. A swarm of small spiders swarms up from the depression in the middle of the floor and tries to overwhelm Magar, but the wizard causes a magical shield to appear in the air sweeping away the spiders that tried to attack him. Another swarm surges up from below, narrowly missing Easeis. A third wave of spiders engulfs the summoned jackal and it pops out of existence as it is overwhelmed. A giant spider from the east scuttles over and tries to bite Magar, but also is deflected by his magical shield. Magar's owl dives at the giant spider in the midst of the party that Easeis had been talking to before the attack. One of the previously hidden spiders in the SW part of the chamber launches a glob of webbing, striking Eilo, fouling her wings, and causing her to plummet from 25' up and crash painfully to the floor. Sprinkles flutters past the giant spider that attacked Magar. Two more giant spiders in the group to the SW launch globs of webbing, targeting Koram and Magar, both webs falling short of their intended victims. Easeis focuses on the Aspect of Pelor, the sorcerers eyes glowing for a moment as he calls a column of dawn to descend from above, the radiant light burning away four of the giant spiders to the SW and two swarms of spiders still down in the lower central portion of the chamber. Quiro moves east on the ledge he is standing on swinging his crystal sword, landing one hit and then a deep slash into the giant spider directly below him. Magar quickly takes in the layout of the battle and unleashes a fireball right at his own feet, sculpting several safe areas around as many companions as possible, only having to leave Easeis out of his protected areas, hoping the sorcerers magical abilities will protect him. The two closest swarms are instantly incinerated and one giant spider is left smoldering but still alive. Magar then tries to make his way to the west amongst the center of the party, the giant spider he just burned landing a painful venomous bite on his back as he flees. Eilo struggles to free herself from the web, but is still caught fast, unable to move. She focuses and places her hex on the giant spider that just bit Magar. The party then sees a huge spider, larger than all the rest emerge from the collapsed portion of the chamber to the NE. "Mother" has arrived and immediately scuttles down to land a deep poisonous bite on Easeis, but missing Quiro with a web from her spinnerets, as she practically ignores the spirits tearing at her. Koram casts a guiding bolt at the huge spider trying to get its attention, but the radiant light misses. The dwarven spirits manage to tear into the swarm and giant spider that had been attacking Magar, the radiant magic killing both enemies. Magar's owl dives past the multiple eyes of the huge spider queen. Easeis tries to vortex war the massive spider to get it away from the middle of the group, but it is unaffected. Quiro slashes his crystal blade twice at "mother", landing one solid strike. Magar casts shatter hitting the huge spider's abdomen, ichor streaming from the cracks, as it collapses onto both Quiro and Easeis.

All the visible threats eliminated, the party takes stock of their injuries and decides to make camp and try to take a short rest. Magar ritual casts tiny hut to provide some protection and the party settles in. The room is searched during the hour or so of rest time, but other that dessiccated remains, there is nothing of interest in the chamber. Doors east and west lead from the room, Zelligar chiming in through Easeis that he believes the group should head west as the area looks familiar. The party follows Zelligar's suggestion and after Easeis picks the locks on the doors, they head west into an empty vestibule and a hallway leading further west. In the hallway is a tunnel heading north and another set of open doors further west. Zelligar relates that the hallway to the north heads to the chamber where he and Roghan found and looted the sarcophagus that contained the Aspect of Pelor, though at the time they did not know what they had recovered. They had suffered losses and were in pretty bad shape, and he tells the party that he and Roghan fell back to the room to the west which has a magical portal that is one way, exiting in the Star Cairn a couple of days to the west. The party enters the portal chamber and sees it is still active, and in addition to the doors they entered from the east, there are also double doors to the north and south. Zelligar states that their expedition came in from the north doors of the portal room from the tower, and a quick investigation reveals that, as expected, the way is now blocked, the tower having collapsed. Their expedition had looked into the spider chamber, but did not explore it or anything beyond to the east, and they also did not attempt to head south after detecting the presence of undead that way. The group checks the door in the southern part of the portal room and Zelligar warns the group to be wary of magical glyphs as his expedition was brutally damaged by one set on the doors to the sarcophagus room. Magar detects magic, finding conjuration magic on the portal, but nothing on the doors, so the party locks the north and south doors to prevent anything from following the companions. The party heads up the northern tunnel, following in the footsteps of Zelligar and Roghan. The north hall remains empty after being cleared by the previous expedition, as does the antechamber to the north and the tomb that held the sarcophagus east of that room. The party learns that from what Zelligar was able to determine, the sarcophagus was brought here by Suel refugees long ago. Magar detects no magic left in the room and Zeilligar describes the exploding glyphs on the door to the sarcophagus chamber and the statues crumbled on the floor as stone guardians his group had to fight. The sarcophagus was originally chained to the floor and a giant stone face below the doors and steps in the west part of the chamber appear to be a representation of Incabulous, evil god of plague. The sarcophagus containing the Aspect of Pelor was apparently kept here watched over by evil to prevent the artifact of good being used in the world. After searching the chamber and talking to Zelligar, the party decides to head back to the portal chamber and check the southern doors where Zelligar relates there are many undead. Eilo summons a giant hyena to join the fun.

Entering the hall, the party heads south slowly, spotting a collapsed section of the eastern wall. The group is not being very quiet, so as Koram points out a zombie though the wall opening, several more come shambling out of the break in the wall. The giant hyena moves in and bits a zombie as Magar's owl dives past another. A couple of the zombies move it and begin battering the hyena. Quiro heads south and moves up alongside the hyena breathing a cone of force damage, striking three of the undead, killing the one bitten by the hyena. He then swings his crystal sword across the face of the zombie distracted by Magar's owl, cleaving its head open and dropping it. Easeis advances and casts a ray of frost, chilling the third zombie as a fourth moves into the hall. Eilo flies forward, targeting the zombie that just appeared with her hex and eldritch blast, force and necrotic damage immediately killing the fourth zombie. Koram heads south and turns east into the gap in the collapsed wall seeing a cavern and many undead beyond. He calls out to the party, letting them know what he sees, and then presents the holy symbol on his shield and channeling a turn undead, several of the zombies immediately turning to dust. Magar targets the battered zombie left in the hallway behind Koram, torching it and clearing the cleric's back. One remaining undead that was unaffected by the turn undead tries to slam its arms into the dwarf, but just bounces off the heavy armor.

As always, please see Discord In-Character channel for additional discussion.

End Session 58 south of the portal chamber in combat with the undead in the tunnel and through the collapsed eastern wall.

450 XP to each character for the spiders.

Easeis - 18,333, Eilo - 17,536, Magar - 15,946, Quiropsius - 12,770, Koram - 22,551