28th of Marpenoth, 1371 DR
We headed to Diamond Lake today, tyrin’ to get there quick because Allustan’s note sounded pretty bad. After a brief stop at some tiny tradin’ post, we started passin’ Diamond Lake refugees – people fleein’ the town for greener pastures – on the road. Everythin’ they told us confirmed what Allustan had sent.
We all grew more anxious. I would imagine all of us had different pictures of calamity and disaster in our minds. The first two things that popped into my head – I suppose the two things I care most about – was the Three Hills Guildhall in flames with Jasper either dead or missin’ and the thought of Marcella killed (or worse yet) transformed into a worm-ridden Zombie!
Not pleasant images at all. So, I was in quite a hurry to get back.
Just about half way to Diamond Lake, we came upon a refugee wagon belongin’ to someone who waited to long to leave. They’d been attacked by Zombies, and the foul creatures were still there pickin’ over the remains! I think Tyree was over confident. We’d dealt with several of these worm Zombies, but usually in singles or maybe a pair. Tyree didn’t really stop to consider that this time there were six of ‘em we could see and he charged right into all of ‘em!
I tried to help by knockin’ one down with a Blast of Force, but that didn’t stop the others from maulin’ Tyree. Next thing we know, Tyree’s covered in little green worms all preparin’ to burrow into his flesh! Thanks to her connection to Kelemvor, Egwaine was able to send most of the Zombies fleein’ down the road so we could kill ‘em at our leisure, but that didn’t prevent one of the worms from getting’ inside Tyree. It took me, Tyree, and Egwaine (all diggin’ into poor Tyree) with silver knives to get the worm as it tunneled its way towards Tyree’s brain. Egwaine got it just as it reached his neck!
That was really close. The last thing we wanted was one of our own turnin’ into a worm Zombie.
We did manage to destroy and burn all the zombies and the bodies nearby to make sure they wouldn’t be a threat to anyone else.
We were nearly to Diamond Lake when we came upon an old man leading a stubborn donkey up the road. He didn’t have all his worldly possessions strapped to the beast, which made him stand out from the other refugees. As it turns out, he was going to trade his meager livestock for the lives of his wife and child, both of whom had been kidnapped by none other than Nerjul the Black! The old man said that Nerjul himself (along with his bandits) was waitin’ to make the trade at the Maglar ruins nearby.
Most of us had just about had it with Nerjul’s continued attempts on our lives. And now, when Diamond Lake was in the grip of an Undead plague, he chose to prey upon the weak, poor, and helpless. We’d had it with this so called “bandit king” and told the old man we’d get his family back if we could.
What happened next is perhaps the proudest moment of the Three Hills Adventurin’ Company. It’s certainly my proudest moment. We really came together as a team. We used my Invisibility magic and Egwaine’s Fly spell to allow her to scout out Nerjul’s base on the hill top. Then we came up with a plan (quickly, I might add) and put it into motion.
I think what pleases me most about the plan, which I was primarily responsible for, is that it was able to adopt so well to changes during the fight – for example, when a pair of Smenk’s albino Dire Apes turned out to be on loan to Nerjul!
I used up a large portion of my energy to make all of us Invisible, but this allowed us to sneak right into the midst of Nerjul’s camp. Within seconds, Nerjul and his cadre of mages were all dead. I wish I could have made a paintin’ of Nerjul’s face when Alabron appeared next to him swingin’ that falchion!
Just after we had annihilated the command element, and a huge number of angry bandits were turnin’ their attention to us, Egwaine touched the amulet she had recovered from the Lizardfolk to one of the Maglar standin’ stones. She must have thought she’d be able to use it to call down lightnin’ like the Lizarfolk shaman did. Instead, the entire hilltop exploded in an expandin’ ring of fire!
The fire wiped out huge numbers of Nerjul’s bandits. Those not killed outright were soon finished off by us or fled for the lives into the hills. We were only able to survive the blast ourselves by taking shelter behind Nerjul’s men! Unfortunately, the blast also killed the old woman Nerjul had kidnapped, but the farmer’s daughter survived long enough for Egwaine to heal her.
Now that I write it down, I don’t feel as proud. I mean, that old woman lost her life. I don’t think anyone could have done better, though. We succeeded against overwhelmin’ odds (at least 11 to 1) and saved the little girl. In addition, we dealt with a threat (Nerjul) that had been troublin’ the region for a long time. Nerjul would never again kidnap and murder anyone. His bandits would not rob or kill any longer.
And we even have more evidence that Smenk is a bad, bad man. We are brinin’ back the body of his Dire Ape to show the garrison. Although the garrison’s not allowed to intervene in town matters (like what was goin’ on in the mine), they sure as hell will want to get involved now. Nerjul was a garrison matter and once we demonstrate that Smenk was assistin’ the most wanted outlaw in the region, I’m sure they’ll have a few questions for ol’ Balabar.
I hope I get to be there when the drag his sorry ass to the stockade.
We’re back in the guildhall now. I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed and get some good rest. A friend of Jasper’s is stayin’ here, too. Sounds like a merchant of some kind. Maybe he’ll have some things we can use for sale. That’s gonna have to wait til mornin’, though. I’m goin’ to sleep now.
Session 20 - Cleaning up After Corporal Green
27th of Marpenoth, 1371 DR 
Exhausted, we headed down to the basement of Blackwall Keep. Corporal Green had been makin’ us more anxious with each passin’ minute, tellin’ us how this creature had been down there for more than two years! Tyree didn’t make matters any better, hollerin’ at the basement door as if the Zombie would understand anything he had to say. And people call me a comedian.
We cast some spells, but really, we had very few left. Before we could start to tear down the boards securin’ the basement door, however, two clawed hands covered in dull withered scales punched straight through the wooden boards. As if that weren’t bad enough, the fists opened up and dropped swarms of those green worms all over the floor in front of us!
I pulled out a flask of alchemist’s fire and doused one pile of worms. Tyree tried to smash the worms with his sword, but his weapon had no visible effect on the swarm as a whole (although there was one worm that would cause us no trouble again). Valcrist fired his crossbow through the whole in the door and was rewarded with a low moan from his hit. The burnin’ worms started crawlin’ toward Valcrist while the other group started crawlin’ up Alabron’s legs! Egwaine immediately ran up and used her silver holy symbol (as the worms are vulnerable to silver for some reason even though they aren’t Undead themselves) to burn off one of the worms crawlin’ on Alabron. Alabron managed to pluck off the other worm, but barely avoided the things spiral teeth!
I hit the initial pile of worms with more alchemist’s fire and they finally died and disbursed. Valcrist managed to fire another absurdly precise shot through the hole in the door and hit the Zombie on the other side. That’s when the worms got on Egwaine and started crawlin’ up her legs! Storn, who was momentarily stunned by the appearance of all the worms, bolted towards the exit as fast as his stumpy legs would carry him. Egwaine retreated out of the worm swarm, but wasn’t able to kill any of the three worms that were on her. That’s when Alabron did somethin’ crazy! He doused Egwaine in alchemist’s fire! At first, I thought the Half-Orc had lost his mind, but then I saw that he had killed all the worms – of course, Egwaine was on fire. Suddenly, the door exploded into the room and a trio of worm infested, Lizardfolk Zombies started to come in the room. Tyree charged into the lead Zombie and hit it hard with his Bastard Sword, bottling the rest in the short hallway. One of the Zombies did get by him (despite a vicious slash deliver by his sword) and slammed into Valcrist, depositin’ a tiny green worm on his neck!
I was still tossin’ alchemist’s fire at worm swarms as Tyree finished off the Zombie he was fightin’ and then slashed into a second one. Valcrist ginergy flicked away the worm on his neck and moved away from the flamin’, clawlin’ worm swarm. Egwaine started rollin’ on the ground to extinguish the flames that were just startin’ consume her clothes and Alabron charged past her to kill a Zombie and cleave into another one with his follow through. The remainin’ Zombie hammered Tyree to one knee with a solid blow and dropped a worm on his arm.
More worm swarms started showing up, but we used a combination of torches (wielded by my Unseen Servant) and lines of silver coins to control the worms and kill them. It took some time, but using this method, no one was even in any danger of being turned into an Undead abomination.
After takin’ up a collection from the soldiers in the keep, we set off down the stairs armed with more torches and a bag full of silver coins. More worms were dealt with and then we entered the basement proper. It once served as a barracks, but now it was inhabited by a trio of worm Zombies Alabron and Tyree killed two Zombies (includin’ the man who was the origin of the infestation) while Valcrist, Storn, and I killed the third one.
A sweep of the area revealed no further threats. We did find, however, a crude tunnel that led to the outside. We informed the soldiers of all this as well as made sure to tell them about the tiny Lizardfolk Zombies in the mangaroo swamp. I went so far as to advice addin’ a silver inlay in the floor of each doorway to help protect against further worm problems.
Then we went to sleep. We had to rest up for our trip back to Diamond Lake. Hopefully the town will still be there when we return.
28th Marpenoth, 1371
Exhausted, we headed down to the basement of Blackwall Keep. Corporal Green had been makin’ us more anxious with each passin’ minute, tellin’ us how this creature had been down there for more than two years! Tyree didn’t make matters any better, hollerin’ at the basement door as if the Zombie would understand anything he had to say. And people call me a comedian.
We cast some spells, but really, we had very few left. Before we could start to tear down the boards securin’ the basement door, however, two clawed hands covered in dull withered scales punched straight through the wooden boards. As if that weren’t bad enough, the fists opened up and dropped swarms of those green worms all over the floor in front of us!
I pulled out a flask of alchemist’s fire and doused one pile of worms. Tyree tried to smash the worms with his sword, but his weapon had no visible effect on the swarm as a whole (although there was one worm that would cause us no trouble again). Valcrist fired his crossbow through the whole in the door and was rewarded with a low moan from his hit. The burnin’ worms started crawlin’ toward Valcrist while the other group started crawlin’ up Alabron’s legs! Egwaine immediately ran up and used her silver holy symbol (as the worms are vulnerable to silver for some reason even though they aren’t Undead themselves) to burn off one of the worms crawlin’ on Alabron. Alabron managed to pluck off the other worm, but barely avoided the things spiral teeth!
I hit the initial pile of worms with more alchemist’s fire and they finally died and disbursed. Valcrist managed to fire another absurdly precise shot through the hole in the door and hit the Zombie on the other side. That’s when the worms got on Egwaine and started crawlin’ up her legs! Storn, who was momentarily stunned by the appearance of all the worms, bolted towards the exit as fast as his stumpy legs would carry him. Egwaine retreated out of the worm swarm, but wasn’t able to kill any of the three worms that were on her. That’s when Alabron did somethin’ crazy! He doused Egwaine in alchemist’s fire! At first, I thought the Half-Orc had lost his mind, but then I saw that he had killed all the worms – of course, Egwaine was on fire. Suddenly, the door exploded into the room and a trio of worm infested, Lizardfolk Zombies started to come in the room. Tyree charged into the lead Zombie and hit it hard with his Bastard Sword, bottling the rest in the short hallway. One of the Zombies did get by him (despite a vicious slash deliver by his sword) and slammed into Valcrist, depositin’ a tiny green worm on his neck!
I was still tossin’ alchemist’s fire at worm swarms as Tyree finished off the Zombie he was fightin’ and then slashed into a second one. Valcrist ginergy flicked away the worm on his neck and moved away from the flamin’, clawlin’ worm swarm. Egwaine started rollin’ on the ground to extinguish the flames that were just startin’ consume her clothes and Alabron charged past her to kill a Zombie and cleave into another one with his follow through. The remainin’ Zombie hammered Tyree to one knee with a solid blow and dropped a worm on his arm.
More worm swarms started showing up, but we used a combination of torches (wielded by my Unseen Servant) and lines of silver coins to control the worms and kill them. It took some time, but using this method, no one was even in any danger of being turned into an Undead abomination.
After takin’ up a collection from the soldiers in the keep, we set off down the stairs armed with more torches and a bag full of silver coins. More worms were dealt with and then we entered the basement proper. It once served as a barracks, but now it was inhabited by a trio of worm Zombies Alabron and Tyree killed two Zombies (includin’ the man who was the origin of the infestation) while Valcrist, Storn, and I killed the third one.
A sweep of the area revealed no further threats. We did find, however, a crude tunnel that led to the outside. We informed the soldiers of all this as well as made sure to tell them about the tiny Lizardfolk Zombies in the mangaroo swamp. I went so far as to advice addin’ a silver inlay in the floor of each doorway to help protect against further worm problems.
Then we went to sleep. We had to rest up for our trip back to Diamond Lake. Hopefully the town will still be there when we return.
28th Marpenoth, 1371
Session 18 & 19 - Pruning the Twisted Branch
26th and 27th of Marpenoth, 1371 DR
We prepared to rescue the mage and the other captives – plannin’ heavily on what to do if that Black Dragon is workin’ with the Lizardfolk. We also talked to Corporal Green (the highest ranking soldier remaining at the Keep) and learned that there used to be a truce with the Lizardfolk until some new leader showed up. This dangerous Lizardman was the champion of the Waterdeep arena until he escaped to the Stump Bog.
We also discovered, although the Corporal wouldn’t admit it, that they have a worm Zombie penned up somewhere in the keep. I warned him as directly as possible about the dangerous nature of the creature and that a wooden door may not prevent infection by the worms. With that, we headed into the bog.
The going was slow, but thanks to the guides that came with us from the keep we were able to stay on track and make good progress. At one point we were attacked by a gigantic crocodile, but Alobron and Tyree kept it away from the rest of us and Valcrist finished it off with a crossbow bolt to the brain.
A bit later we set upon by a band of Ghouls led by a meaty Ghast. Eqwaine channeled the power of Kelemvor and obliterated the Ghouls and caused the Ghast to flee into the swamp. Alabron and Tryee gave chase, intending to kill the thing so it couldn’t come at us again and I finished it off with a Blast of Force.
Finally we came to a gigantic mound of earth and mangaroo roots. The Rangers told us that this was the lair of the Twisted Branch tribe as evidenced by the numerous patrols of Lizarfolk skulkin’ around the area. We were able to deal with each patrol one at a time. Alabron and Tyree would lie in wait and as soon as a patrol drew near, they spring from hidin’ and cut the Liazradfolk down with hardly a sound. Only one group required assistance from the rest of us as we launched a missile attack on the hill they were occupyin’ killin’ all of them before Alabron and Tyree could even climb the slope.
The Lizardfolk had a Harpy as a sentry at the entrance to their lair. I knocked it out of the sky with a Blast of Force and Alabron finished it off before it could sound an alarm.
Once inside the lair, we proceeded to lay waste to the Lizardfolk soldiers. We were upon them before they were fully awake and managed to clear our way through two barracks without sufferin’ and significant damage. We even ran into the Lizardman called Skaarl (the one we negotiated with in Diamond Lake) and I got my old hat back!
Durin’ the initial stages of the assault, Alabron was amazin’. Everywhere he went, Lizardfolk died in droves. I put his kill total at 11 (not counting the patrols) just in the tight confines of the lair. Storn killed 6 as well as one of the big monitor lizards. Tyree killed 3 of them. Valcrist and Egwaine provided support with crossbow fire and a Spiritual Weapon respectively. I killed 5 (using the last charge in my Wand of Lightnin’ Bolt), but I assisted several kills with my Persistent Blade. Even the Rangers chalked up a couple of kills including the second monitor lizard.
Unfortunately, the alarm had been sounded and things were about to get interestin’. That’s when the worms came.
Several of the dead Lizardfolk burst apart and hundreds of tiny, green, Undead worms began to wriggle toward us! We were able to keep them at bay and destroy them with a combination of Egwaine’s divine presence and a lot of alchemist’s fire. And that’s when we decided to fight on three fronts at once.
Tyree ventured down the eastern tunnel while Alabron positioned himself in the northern tunnel to cut off the stream of Lizardfolk headed our way from that direction while the two Rangers and Valcrist held off an attack by Lizardfolk hurlers from our rear. Egwaine and I stood in the middle of the chamber hoping we could get where we were needed most in short order.
I can’t attest to what happened in the east, but Tyree and Valcrist claim there were two Otayughs in a refuse pit. I didn’t see anythin’ myself, but those festerin’ wounds on Tyree didn’t get there by themselves. I can attest to what happened north and south because I was involved in most of that.
Basically, Alabron went down one branch of a “Y” intersection, slaying Lizardfolk as he went, while a horde of Lizardfolk came down the other branch tryin’ to surround him. I was able to prevent this by thinkin’ quickly and usin’ my Wand of Unseen Servant to pick up a hunk of worm-encrusted Lizardman and carry it down the hall. This stalled the Lizardfolk advance long enough for Storn to get there and lay waste to them. I assisted them with a Fel Drain Persistent Blade (energizin’ this spell with the dark energy I’ve been able to harness turned an annoying spell into a formidable weapon). When it looked like Alabron was about to be overwhelmed by a quartet of Lizardfolk Barbarians, I sent a volley of Fel Drain Magic Missiles into them, killin’ one and weakenin’ the others. This kept him alive long enough for Egwaine to show up and heal him.
All told, Alabron killed five (includin’ two very tough Barbarians). Storn was a juggernaught. He barreled into a room literally filled with Lizardfolk and killed almost all of them in his own (he slew nearly a dozen of them) with barely a scratch on him when all was said and done. Tyree killed two Ogtayughs as well as several hurlers at the rear. The Rangers really held their own durin’ this fight. They killed five of the Lizardfolk and delayed the advance until Valcrist and Tyree could arrive to finish the job. Bron was almost killed, but Egwaine was able to heal him before his life gave out. Egwaine, Valcrist, and I were mostly in support roles as the narrow corridors limited our ability to maneuver around the large clumps of angry Lizardfolk.
Finally, the Lizardfolk shaman (named Hiishaak) came forward to negotiate peace. We were able to convince him that we (and all “fleshlings”) did not bring the horrible green worms upon his tribe. For his part, he was able to explain that the new chief (Shuukaar) was the one stirrin’ up all the anger at the people in Blackwall Keep and suggested that if the chief were killed, Hiishaak could convince the rest of the tribe to cease hostilities. So, we assisted in the Lizardfolk coup.
Prepared with the few defensive spells we had left, we entered the “throne room” with mayhem on our minds. As if expectin’ betrayal, Shuukaar started the battle by hurlin’ a trident across the room and almost impalin’ Alabron. Then the thing vanished an appeared back in Shuukaar’s clawed hand! Alabron started to cut a path to the Lizardfolk chief, killing two of his followers that were in the way. Tyree charged one of the monitor lizards and nearly killed it in one blow. The Lizardfolk swarmed Alabron, Storn, and Tyree, but our protective wards prevented any blows from landin’. Now, Shuukaar’s second in command was the same Ogre-sized Lizardman that led the attack on Blackwall Keep. This beast walked over and nearly crippled Alabron with a mighty overhand swing of his greatclub while monitor lizards missed Storn and Tyree. A group of hurlers in the back tried to pin Alabron down with javelins, but again our protective magic was too powerful for them to defeat. Viewing Kuushaak (the Ogre-sized Lizardman) as the greates threat, I blasted him with a volley of Magic Missiles just as our two brave Rangers killed a Lizardman in a concentrated barrage of arrow fire.
Shuukaar threw his magic trident at Alabron again, but Alabron was too difficult a target surrounded by Lizardfolk and the gigantic bulk of Kuushaak. In response, Alabron killed two more Lizardfolk as he cut a path towards Kuushaak. Tyree finished off the monitor lizard and took the head of a Lizardman. In all the confusion, one of the Lizardfolk struck a lucky blow against Alabron, but it was just a scratch compared to the wound he’d suffered from Kuushaak’s greatclub. Egwaine used her unique powers to heal Alabron from across the room just in time to prevent Kuushaak’s second blow from killin’ the sturdy Half-Orc. Storn killed a Lizradman and a monitor lizard with two strokes of his huge falchion, a stray javelin nicked Alabron, and I blasted Kuushaak with another, even more devastating volley of Magic Missiles.
Alabron mocked Shuukaar and in response, the chief donned his Waterdeep Champion’s belt and stabbed Alabron with his trident. Alabron sliced into Kuushaak with a pair of brutal cuts and Valcrist used the opportunity to put a crossbow bolt through the meat of his left arm. Tyree killed another Lizardfolk and while they were all jockeyin’ for position, Alabron managed to cut clean through one and bury his blade in Kuushaak again! Egwain poured more healin’ energy into Alabron, lamenting the loss of spells she was savin’ to for the fight with the Dragon. And Kuushaak, weakened from all the wounds he’d suffered, missed Alabron with two clumsy swings of his saggin’ club. With the Lizardfolk commoners out of the way, Storn charged into Kuushaak and although the large Lizardman was able to hit Storn with his club, it was not enough to stop the might Dwarf from gettin’ killed by the stornium great falchion. The hurlers in the back managed to kill one of their own with a javelin and I shot one of them with my crossbow.
Alabron and Shuukaar started to duel and exchanged blows with the experienced Lizardfolk getting the best of the initial clash. Tyree charged into the fray as well, but Shuukaar batted aside his powerful attack. With Kuushaak dead, Egwaine moved in and started healin’ Storn (who had suffered numerous minor wounds during the exchange) with her healin’ wand. Refreshed, Storn charged Shuukaar as well, dealing at least a minor wound to the warrior. Hurlers miss everyone, but I kept wounding one of them with my crossbow and the Rangers focused fire to kill another Lizardman.
Either Alabron is ready to claim the title of Champion of Waterdeep, or life in the bog has made Shuukaar soft, because Alabron was able to dodge several of the Lizardman chief’s attacks, flank him, kill on of the hurlers and strike Shuukaar with the follow through of the same blow! Tyree, the guy flanking with Alabron, landed a devastatin’ blow of his own as I finally managed to kill a hurler with my crossbow. I could have killed several more, but I was conservin’ my spells for the inevitable showdown with the Dragon.
Somewhat dazed by Tyree’s powerful attack, Shuukaar focused his attention on our raging companion, but failed to connect with anything. I yelled out my doubt over how he became champion of anything with combat skills like that. This comment got me a magical trident in the chest. Alabron killed him immediately after that (as well as killin’ two more Lizardfolk). The few remainin’ Lizardfolk surrendered at that point and Hiishaak explained his agreement with us.
We recovered two captives (includin’ Allustan’s friend) and headed down to the Dragon’s chamber to recover the other two soldiers. We only found parts of them in a largely empty chamber. There were hundreds of Lizardfolk eggs as well as an enormous Dragon egg, but no Dragon.
We started scourin’ the room, expectin’ the Dragon to appear out of nowhere and attack at any moment. When that didn’t happen, Tyree hacked the Dragon egg in half! What spilled out was not a partially developed Dragon, but thousands and thousands of the green, Undead worms! The worms immediately started headin’ for the Lizardfolk eggs and we did our best to save them. Egwaine used her ability to Turn Undead and a copious amount of holy water to keep large numbers of the woms at bay while the rest of us physically carried the eggs from the chamber. My Unseen Servant actually came in quite handy.
In the end, we only lost about 50 eggs (out of 800 or so). But what happened to those eggs was horrifying. Each egg touched by a worm, quickly hatched, revealin’ a tiny little Lizardman already infested with worms. These worm-tainted Lizardfolk babies scuttled off beneath the mangaroo roots before we could dispatch them, unfortunately.
Hiishaak was beside himself with grief and he told us how he and his tribe had been duped. Apparently, two years ago, almost an entire clutch of eggs had been infected in a similar fashion, except the creatures that emerged quickly died. That’s when the Great Father (the Black Dragon) came to them and informed them that the fleshlings (the Humans at Blackwall Keep) had done this to them to try to drive them out of the bog. The Dragon became their guardian and when Shuukaar arrived, he had no trouble convincin’ them to storm Blackwall Keep.
Now, seeing the Great Father’s own egg was simply a time bomb planted here to infect another clutch of Lizardfolk eggs, it has become apparent that it was the Dragon who most likely infected the first clutch of eggs. Then the Dragon set out to have the Lizardfolk get killed by the Humans of Blackwall Keep while the Dragon infected all the eggs with the vile worms!
This Dragon has a lot to answer for – not even countin’ the deaths of Morgan and the others.
We went back to the Keep with Hiishaak’s blessin’ to negotiate a peace treaty with the soldiers. The key portion of the agreement will be findin’ a suitable new home for the Twisted Branch tribe, since their current mangaroo mound is now infested with tiny, Undead horrors.
That will have to wait though. Upon returnin’ to the Keep, Cpl. Green finally came clean and admitted they had a worm-zombies captive in the cellar and he was hopin’ we could deal with it and his two new victims.
We prepared to rescue the mage and the other captives – plannin’ heavily on what to do if that Black Dragon is workin’ with the Lizardfolk. We also talked to Corporal Green (the highest ranking soldier remaining at the Keep) and learned that there used to be a truce with the Lizardfolk until some new leader showed up. This dangerous Lizardman was the champion of the Waterdeep arena until he escaped to the Stump Bog.
We also discovered, although the Corporal wouldn’t admit it, that they have a worm Zombie penned up somewhere in the keep. I warned him as directly as possible about the dangerous nature of the creature and that a wooden door may not prevent infection by the worms. With that, we headed into the bog.
The going was slow, but thanks to the guides that came with us from the keep we were able to stay on track and make good progress. At one point we were attacked by a gigantic crocodile, but Alobron and Tyree kept it away from the rest of us and Valcrist finished it off with a crossbow bolt to the brain.
A bit later we set upon by a band of Ghouls led by a meaty Ghast. Eqwaine channeled the power of Kelemvor and obliterated the Ghouls and caused the Ghast to flee into the swamp. Alabron and Tryee gave chase, intending to kill the thing so it couldn’t come at us again and I finished it off with a Blast of Force.
Finally we came to a gigantic mound of earth and mangaroo roots. The Rangers told us that this was the lair of the Twisted Branch tribe as evidenced by the numerous patrols of Lizarfolk skulkin’ around the area. We were able to deal with each patrol one at a time. Alabron and Tyree would lie in wait and as soon as a patrol drew near, they spring from hidin’ and cut the Liazradfolk down with hardly a sound. Only one group required assistance from the rest of us as we launched a missile attack on the hill they were occupyin’ killin’ all of them before Alabron and Tyree could even climb the slope.
The Lizardfolk had a Harpy as a sentry at the entrance to their lair. I knocked it out of the sky with a Blast of Force and Alabron finished it off before it could sound an alarm.
Once inside the lair, we proceeded to lay waste to the Lizardfolk soldiers. We were upon them before they were fully awake and managed to clear our way through two barracks without sufferin’ and significant damage. We even ran into the Lizardman called Skaarl (the one we negotiated with in Diamond Lake) and I got my old hat back!
Durin’ the initial stages of the assault, Alabron was amazin’. Everywhere he went, Lizardfolk died in droves. I put his kill total at 11 (not counting the patrols) just in the tight confines of the lair. Storn killed 6 as well as one of the big monitor lizards. Tyree killed 3 of them. Valcrist and Egwaine provided support with crossbow fire and a Spiritual Weapon respectively. I killed 5 (using the last charge in my Wand of Lightnin’ Bolt), but I assisted several kills with my Persistent Blade. Even the Rangers chalked up a couple of kills including the second monitor lizard.
Unfortunately, the alarm had been sounded and things were about to get interestin’. That’s when the worms came.
Several of the dead Lizardfolk burst apart and hundreds of tiny, green, Undead worms began to wriggle toward us! We were able to keep them at bay and destroy them with a combination of Egwaine’s divine presence and a lot of alchemist’s fire. And that’s when we decided to fight on three fronts at once.
Tyree ventured down the eastern tunnel while Alabron positioned himself in the northern tunnel to cut off the stream of Lizardfolk headed our way from that direction while the two Rangers and Valcrist held off an attack by Lizardfolk hurlers from our rear. Egwaine and I stood in the middle of the chamber hoping we could get where we were needed most in short order.
I can’t attest to what happened in the east, but Tyree and Valcrist claim there were two Otayughs in a refuse pit. I didn’t see anythin’ myself, but those festerin’ wounds on Tyree didn’t get there by themselves. I can attest to what happened north and south because I was involved in most of that.
Basically, Alabron went down one branch of a “Y” intersection, slaying Lizardfolk as he went, while a horde of Lizardfolk came down the other branch tryin’ to surround him. I was able to prevent this by thinkin’ quickly and usin’ my Wand of Unseen Servant to pick up a hunk of worm-encrusted Lizardman and carry it down the hall. This stalled the Lizardfolk advance long enough for Storn to get there and lay waste to them. I assisted them with a Fel Drain Persistent Blade (energizin’ this spell with the dark energy I’ve been able to harness turned an annoying spell into a formidable weapon). When it looked like Alabron was about to be overwhelmed by a quartet of Lizardfolk Barbarians, I sent a volley of Fel Drain Magic Missiles into them, killin’ one and weakenin’ the others. This kept him alive long enough for Egwaine to show up and heal him.
All told, Alabron killed five (includin’ two very tough Barbarians). Storn was a juggernaught. He barreled into a room literally filled with Lizardfolk and killed almost all of them in his own (he slew nearly a dozen of them) with barely a scratch on him when all was said and done. Tyree killed two Ogtayughs as well as several hurlers at the rear. The Rangers really held their own durin’ this fight. They killed five of the Lizardfolk and delayed the advance until Valcrist and Tyree could arrive to finish the job. Bron was almost killed, but Egwaine was able to heal him before his life gave out. Egwaine, Valcrist, and I were mostly in support roles as the narrow corridors limited our ability to maneuver around the large clumps of angry Lizardfolk.
Finally, the Lizardfolk shaman (named Hiishaak) came forward to negotiate peace. We were able to convince him that we (and all “fleshlings”) did not bring the horrible green worms upon his tribe. For his part, he was able to explain that the new chief (Shuukaar) was the one stirrin’ up all the anger at the people in Blackwall Keep and suggested that if the chief were killed, Hiishaak could convince the rest of the tribe to cease hostilities. So, we assisted in the Lizardfolk coup.
Prepared with the few defensive spells we had left, we entered the “throne room” with mayhem on our minds. As if expectin’ betrayal, Shuukaar started the battle by hurlin’ a trident across the room and almost impalin’ Alabron. Then the thing vanished an appeared back in Shuukaar’s clawed hand! Alabron started to cut a path to the Lizardfolk chief, killing two of his followers that were in the way. Tyree charged one of the monitor lizards and nearly killed it in one blow. The Lizardfolk swarmed Alabron, Storn, and Tyree, but our protective wards prevented any blows from landin’. Now, Shuukaar’s second in command was the same Ogre-sized Lizardman that led the attack on Blackwall Keep. This beast walked over and nearly crippled Alabron with a mighty overhand swing of his greatclub while monitor lizards missed Storn and Tyree. A group of hurlers in the back tried to pin Alabron down with javelins, but again our protective magic was too powerful for them to defeat. Viewing Kuushaak (the Ogre-sized Lizardman) as the greates threat, I blasted him with a volley of Magic Missiles just as our two brave Rangers killed a Lizardman in a concentrated barrage of arrow fire.
Shuukaar threw his magic trident at Alabron again, but Alabron was too difficult a target surrounded by Lizardfolk and the gigantic bulk of Kuushaak. In response, Alabron killed two more Lizardfolk as he cut a path towards Kuushaak. Tyree finished off the monitor lizard and took the head of a Lizardman. In all the confusion, one of the Lizardfolk struck a lucky blow against Alabron, but it was just a scratch compared to the wound he’d suffered from Kuushaak’s greatclub. Egwaine used her unique powers to heal Alabron from across the room just in time to prevent Kuushaak’s second blow from killin’ the sturdy Half-Orc. Storn killed a Lizradman and a monitor lizard with two strokes of his huge falchion, a stray javelin nicked Alabron, and I blasted Kuushaak with another, even more devastating volley of Magic Missiles.
Alabron mocked Shuukaar and in response, the chief donned his Waterdeep Champion’s belt and stabbed Alabron with his trident. Alabron sliced into Kuushaak with a pair of brutal cuts and Valcrist used the opportunity to put a crossbow bolt through the meat of his left arm. Tyree killed another Lizardfolk and while they were all jockeyin’ for position, Alabron managed to cut clean through one and bury his blade in Kuushaak again! Egwain poured more healin’ energy into Alabron, lamenting the loss of spells she was savin’ to for the fight with the Dragon. And Kuushaak, weakened from all the wounds he’d suffered, missed Alabron with two clumsy swings of his saggin’ club. With the Lizardfolk commoners out of the way, Storn charged into Kuushaak and although the large Lizardman was able to hit Storn with his club, it was not enough to stop the might Dwarf from gettin’ killed by the stornium great falchion. The hurlers in the back managed to kill one of their own with a javelin and I shot one of them with my crossbow.
Alabron and Shuukaar started to duel and exchanged blows with the experienced Lizardfolk getting the best of the initial clash. Tyree charged into the fray as well, but Shuukaar batted aside his powerful attack. With Kuushaak dead, Egwaine moved in and started healin’ Storn (who had suffered numerous minor wounds during the exchange) with her healin’ wand. Refreshed, Storn charged Shuukaar as well, dealing at least a minor wound to the warrior. Hurlers miss everyone, but I kept wounding one of them with my crossbow and the Rangers focused fire to kill another Lizardman.
Either Alabron is ready to claim the title of Champion of Waterdeep, or life in the bog has made Shuukaar soft, because Alabron was able to dodge several of the Lizardman chief’s attacks, flank him, kill on of the hurlers and strike Shuukaar with the follow through of the same blow! Tyree, the guy flanking with Alabron, landed a devastatin’ blow of his own as I finally managed to kill a hurler with my crossbow. I could have killed several more, but I was conservin’ my spells for the inevitable showdown with the Dragon.
Somewhat dazed by Tyree’s powerful attack, Shuukaar focused his attention on our raging companion, but failed to connect with anything. I yelled out my doubt over how he became champion of anything with combat skills like that. This comment got me a magical trident in the chest. Alabron killed him immediately after that (as well as killin’ two more Lizardfolk). The few remainin’ Lizardfolk surrendered at that point and Hiishaak explained his agreement with us.
We recovered two captives (includin’ Allustan’s friend) and headed down to the Dragon’s chamber to recover the other two soldiers. We only found parts of them in a largely empty chamber. There were hundreds of Lizardfolk eggs as well as an enormous Dragon egg, but no Dragon.
We started scourin’ the room, expectin’ the Dragon to appear out of nowhere and attack at any moment. When that didn’t happen, Tyree hacked the Dragon egg in half! What spilled out was not a partially developed Dragon, but thousands and thousands of the green, Undead worms! The worms immediately started headin’ for the Lizardfolk eggs and we did our best to save them. Egwaine used her ability to Turn Undead and a copious amount of holy water to keep large numbers of the woms at bay while the rest of us physically carried the eggs from the chamber. My Unseen Servant actually came in quite handy.
In the end, we only lost about 50 eggs (out of 800 or so). But what happened to those eggs was horrifying. Each egg touched by a worm, quickly hatched, revealin’ a tiny little Lizardman already infested with worms. These worm-tainted Lizardfolk babies scuttled off beneath the mangaroo roots before we could dispatch them, unfortunately.
Hiishaak was beside himself with grief and he told us how he and his tribe had been duped. Apparently, two years ago, almost an entire clutch of eggs had been infected in a similar fashion, except the creatures that emerged quickly died. That’s when the Great Father (the Black Dragon) came to them and informed them that the fleshlings (the Humans at Blackwall Keep) had done this to them to try to drive them out of the bog. The Dragon became their guardian and when Shuukaar arrived, he had no trouble convincin’ them to storm Blackwall Keep.
Now, seeing the Great Father’s own egg was simply a time bomb planted here to infect another clutch of Lizardfolk eggs, it has become apparent that it was the Dragon who most likely infected the first clutch of eggs. Then the Dragon set out to have the Lizardfolk get killed by the Humans of Blackwall Keep while the Dragon infected all the eggs with the vile worms!
This Dragon has a lot to answer for – not even countin’ the deaths of Morgan and the others.
We went back to the Keep with Hiishaak’s blessin’ to negotiate a peace treaty with the soldiers. The key portion of the agreement will be findin’ a suitable new home for the Twisted Branch tribe, since their current mangaroo mound is now infested with tiny, Undead horrors.
That will have to wait though. Upon returnin’ to the Keep, Cpl. Green finally came clean and admitted they had a worm-zombies captive in the cellar and he was hopin’ we could deal with it and his two new victims.
Session 17 - Siege of Blackwall Keep
25th of Marpenoth, 1371 DR
We gained a new member today – a Cleric of Kelemvor! It seems that the Cult of Final Passage had sent word to their superiors about our deeds and Diamond Lake’s struggles and they, in turn, sent a Doomguide to join us. Her name’s Egwain Al’veer and she claims to have some “adventurin” experience. Hopefully she’ll stay longer than our other Clerics. We had to kick Justice out and then Trogdor and Carenthal just left. I thought Carenthal was my friend, but apparently he’s not that loyal.
We also collected a hefty bounty from the Garrison for destroyin’ the Orc commanders and essentially endin’ the Orc raids in the area. At least until the Orcs find new leaders who get ‘em all riled up. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Machella, however.
Travel to Blackwall keep was mercifully uneventful.
26th of Marpenoth, 1371 DR
This mornin’, while we were makin’ our way along the road towards the keep, a big, Black Dragon flew over our heads with a terrible roar! It didn’t stop or attack or nuthin’, it just kept flyin’ (thank the gods). Could this be the same Dragon that killed Morgan and the rest of the original members of the Three Hills Adventurin’ Company? It must be! This gives me a terrible feelin’ about what we’ll find at the keep.
We arrived at Blackwall Keep today to find it under siege by a small army of Lizardfolk! Two groups were moving siege ladders into position while a third group was bringin’ up a ram to help another group who was tryin’ to tear down a makeshift wooden wall where the keep’s gate once stood. Groups of skirmishers harried the guards on the walls with deadly javelins as Lizardfolk animal handlers urged trained, man-sized lizards to climb the walls to get at the defenders. As if that weren’t bad enough, a command element (a shaman and several guards) had taken over some stone ruins and were apparently usin’ the latent magical power to summon lightin’ from the overcast sky! Allustan Teleported back to the garrison to bring help, but it was clear that if we did nothin’, the keep would be burned to the ground before reinforcements could get here.
We put together a hasty but sound plan to help relieve the keep without puttin’ any of us in needless danger and attacked from the cover of the trees. We succeeded in driving off the Lizardfolk and savin’ the Keep without losin’ a single member of our group. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention individual contributions from each member of the Three Hills Adventurin’ Company.
Alabron led our charge against the Lizardfolk, barrelin’ into the shaman and his bodyguards and killing two of them before they could even react. His fearsome charge allowed Tyree to force the shaman from the circle of ruins, dimishin’ his threat to the keep. Once the shaman’s unit was broken, Alabron charged off to the keep’s gate to kill those Lizardfolk bringin’ up the ram and scattered them into the bog. He killed eight Lizardfolk and seemed quite excited to have beaten my kill total.
Egwain started the battle by grantin’ us all Kelemvor’s blessin’. The she flew around the battlefield healin’ the warriors, grantin’ more of Kelemvor’s protection, and even throwin’ the odd offensive spell into the mix. Although I don’t believe she personally killed any Lizardfolk, she was indirectly responsible for the success of our entire offensive. At one point, when it looked like the Lizardfolk leader (a gigantic Lizardman built like an Ogre) would penetrate the second level of the keep, she used a Dimension Door spell to transport herself and Storn into the keep! There, she healed wounded soldiers while Storn killed off the attackin’ monitor lizards.
Because of his stumpy legs, Storn got to the fight a little late. Once he got there though, carnage followed. I think Storn only managed to down five Lizardfolk, but his presence inside the keep surely was a decidin’ factor when their leader sounded the retreat.
Tyree charged the shaman’s position along with Alabron. In fact, it was Tyree’s determined attack that drove the shaman out of the ruins, abandonin’ the source of his divine power. After that initial attack, Tyree continued forward to demolish a squad of Lizardfolk skirmishers. Tyree even chased down one fleeing Lizardman and cut him down before he could reach the safety of the bog, puttin’ his kill total one above Storns and winnin’ their contest.
Valcrist finally proved that there is somethin’ to his “Spellthief” title. Not only did he kill the routed shaman with his crossbow, but he then stole some of the creature’s magic and cast a Flamin’ Sphere spell on one of the siege ladders, preventing the keep from bein’ totally overwhelmed. He stayed near Tyree most of the fight, providin’ coverin’ fire as well as real fire.
I had quite the day. Unlike the battle with the Orcs, where I was mostly forced to react to circumstances, I was in control today and was able to pick my targets with pin-point precision. I made my way to the top of a low hill and used a combination of Magic Missiles and Fel Drain Magic Missiles to lay waste to the team of Lizardfolk bringin’ up the ram. I killed enough so they couldn’t carry the ram themselves and more would fall back from assualtin’ the wall to carry the ram. Then I’d kill a couple more, and more would fall back to carry the ram. I honestly think I could have halted the entire assault on the gate myself had I not spotted the Naga on the parapets.
The Naga seriously injured a corporal and was tearing through other soldiers and definitely looked to be the bigger threat. So, I used the power of my new Arcanist’s Gloves to blast the Naga with consecutive volleys of Magic Missiles, killing it with the second spell! Alabron may have had one more kill than me this day, but I think the Naga should have counted for more. Once the Naga was dealt with, I turned my attention to the Lizardfolk leader (the Ogre-sized Lizardman), blastin’ him and his squad with Fel Drain Magic Missiles. I would have killed him too had he not gone the long way around the keep and out of my line of sight. I ended the fight by killin’ a couple of Lizardfolk before they could escape into the bog figurin’ the more we kill now the less we’ll have to kill later.
When the keep was secured and we were all safe inside, we discovered that the captain of the keep had been killed in the initial assault by the Lizardfolk and the woman we bringin’ Allustan to see had been captured and dragged off into the bog!
It’s clear we need to rescue the Wizard, but Egwaine and I are both painfully low on spells and if we end up havin’ to deal with that Dragon at some point, I’d just as soon have all our spells at the ready. I sure hope they don’t decide to eat her tonight.
We gained a new member today – a Cleric of Kelemvor! It seems that the Cult of Final Passage had sent word to their superiors about our deeds and Diamond Lake’s struggles and they, in turn, sent a Doomguide to join us. Her name’s Egwain Al’veer and she claims to have some “adventurin” experience. Hopefully she’ll stay longer than our other Clerics. We had to kick Justice out and then Trogdor and Carenthal just left. I thought Carenthal was my friend, but apparently he’s not that loyal.
We also collected a hefty bounty from the Garrison for destroyin’ the Orc commanders and essentially endin’ the Orc raids in the area. At least until the Orcs find new leaders who get ‘em all riled up. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Machella, however.
Travel to Blackwall keep was mercifully uneventful.
26th of Marpenoth, 1371 DR
This mornin’, while we were makin’ our way along the road towards the keep, a big, Black Dragon flew over our heads with a terrible roar! It didn’t stop or attack or nuthin’, it just kept flyin’ (thank the gods). Could this be the same Dragon that killed Morgan and the rest of the original members of the Three Hills Adventurin’ Company? It must be! This gives me a terrible feelin’ about what we’ll find at the keep.
We arrived at Blackwall Keep today to find it under siege by a small army of Lizardfolk! Two groups were moving siege ladders into position while a third group was bringin’ up a ram to help another group who was tryin’ to tear down a makeshift wooden wall where the keep’s gate once stood. Groups of skirmishers harried the guards on the walls with deadly javelins as Lizardfolk animal handlers urged trained, man-sized lizards to climb the walls to get at the defenders. As if that weren’t bad enough, a command element (a shaman and several guards) had taken over some stone ruins and were apparently usin’ the latent magical power to summon lightin’ from the overcast sky! Allustan Teleported back to the garrison to bring help, but it was clear that if we did nothin’, the keep would be burned to the ground before reinforcements could get here.
We put together a hasty but sound plan to help relieve the keep without puttin’ any of us in needless danger and attacked from the cover of the trees. We succeeded in driving off the Lizardfolk and savin’ the Keep without losin’ a single member of our group. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention individual contributions from each member of the Three Hills Adventurin’ Company.
Alabron led our charge against the Lizardfolk, barrelin’ into the shaman and his bodyguards and killing two of them before they could even react. His fearsome charge allowed Tyree to force the shaman from the circle of ruins, dimishin’ his threat to the keep. Once the shaman’s unit was broken, Alabron charged off to the keep’s gate to kill those Lizardfolk bringin’ up the ram and scattered them into the bog. He killed eight Lizardfolk and seemed quite excited to have beaten my kill total.
Egwain started the battle by grantin’ us all Kelemvor’s blessin’. The she flew around the battlefield healin’ the warriors, grantin’ more of Kelemvor’s protection, and even throwin’ the odd offensive spell into the mix. Although I don’t believe she personally killed any Lizardfolk, she was indirectly responsible for the success of our entire offensive. At one point, when it looked like the Lizardfolk leader (a gigantic Lizardman built like an Ogre) would penetrate the second level of the keep, she used a Dimension Door spell to transport herself and Storn into the keep! There, she healed wounded soldiers while Storn killed off the attackin’ monitor lizards.
Because of his stumpy legs, Storn got to the fight a little late. Once he got there though, carnage followed. I think Storn only managed to down five Lizardfolk, but his presence inside the keep surely was a decidin’ factor when their leader sounded the retreat.
Tyree charged the shaman’s position along with Alabron. In fact, it was Tyree’s determined attack that drove the shaman out of the ruins, abandonin’ the source of his divine power. After that initial attack, Tyree continued forward to demolish a squad of Lizardfolk skirmishers. Tyree even chased down one fleeing Lizardman and cut him down before he could reach the safety of the bog, puttin’ his kill total one above Storns and winnin’ their contest.
Valcrist finally proved that there is somethin’ to his “Spellthief” title. Not only did he kill the routed shaman with his crossbow, but he then stole some of the creature’s magic and cast a Flamin’ Sphere spell on one of the siege ladders, preventing the keep from bein’ totally overwhelmed. He stayed near Tyree most of the fight, providin’ coverin’ fire as well as real fire.
I had quite the day. Unlike the battle with the Orcs, where I was mostly forced to react to circumstances, I was in control today and was able to pick my targets with pin-point precision. I made my way to the top of a low hill and used a combination of Magic Missiles and Fel Drain Magic Missiles to lay waste to the team of Lizardfolk bringin’ up the ram. I killed enough so they couldn’t carry the ram themselves and more would fall back from assualtin’ the wall to carry the ram. Then I’d kill a couple more, and more would fall back to carry the ram. I honestly think I could have halted the entire assault on the gate myself had I not spotted the Naga on the parapets.
The Naga seriously injured a corporal and was tearing through other soldiers and definitely looked to be the bigger threat. So, I used the power of my new Arcanist’s Gloves to blast the Naga with consecutive volleys of Magic Missiles, killing it with the second spell! Alabron may have had one more kill than me this day, but I think the Naga should have counted for more. Once the Naga was dealt with, I turned my attention to the Lizardfolk leader (the Ogre-sized Lizardman), blastin’ him and his squad with Fel Drain Magic Missiles. I would have killed him too had he not gone the long way around the keep and out of my line of sight. I ended the fight by killin’ a couple of Lizardfolk before they could escape into the bog figurin’ the more we kill now the less we’ll have to kill later.
When the keep was secured and we were all safe inside, we discovered that the captain of the keep had been killed in the initial assault by the Lizardfolk and the woman we bringin’ Allustan to see had been captured and dragged off into the bog!
It’s clear we need to rescue the Wizard, but Egwaine and I are both painfully low on spells and if we end up havin’ to deal with that Dragon at some point, I’d just as soon have all our spells at the ready. I sure hope they don’t decide to eat her tonight.
Session 16 - So Many Orcs, So Little Time
22nd of Marpenoth, 1371 DR
The events of the last couple a days are a bit blurred. I remember leavin’ Diamond Lake for the monastery (was it really a couple days ago?). I got a vague recollection of an old Monk askin’ me riddles. I got a crystal clear picture in ma mind about what the Censer of Symmetry looks like. I got no memory whatsoever of what specifically transpired in the monastery. Was I successful? Did I unlock the potential I’d hoped? I don’t know, but I feel somehow, more easily distracted now. I wonder what that kalamanthus root did ta me.
The events of the last couple a days are a bit blurred. I remember leavin’ Diamond Lake for the monastery (was it really a couple days ago?). I got a vague recollection of an old Monk askin’ me riddles. I got a crystal clear picture in ma mind about what the Censer of Symmetry looks like. I got no memory whatsoever of what specifically transpired in the monastery. Was I successful? Did I unlock the potential I’d hoped? I don’t know, but I feel somehow, more easily distracted now. I wonder what that kalamanthus root did ta me.
23rd of Marpenoth, 1371 DR
The walk back from the monastery was easier than it was gettin’ there. Another side effect of the kalamanthus root?
We left Diamond Lake today, escortin’ Allustan ta Blackwall Keep. No one did a proper job of preparin’ for the trip while I was away. I left Storn in charge, but he arranged fer nuthin’. So, we got off to a late start as we got together some last-minute supplies. Allustan was less than thrilled.
We ran into a kalamanthus “merchant” on the road. He was headed ta Diamond Lake, but had no news of the road behind him that helped us at all. Although he saw signs of Orc activity (that we already knew about), he didn’t actually see any Orcs.
24th of Marpenoth, 1371 DR
We discovered a ransacked caravan today. The only survivor was a little girl named Dora. We were wonderin’ what ta do with her when a band of Dwarves came down the track headed ta Diamond Lake. After exchangin’ pleasantries, they recognized me from some shows I did in Waterdeep! I gave ‘em a private performance (nice to know I ain’t lost my touch, what with all the blood and carnage I’ve been involved in lately) and then we convinced ‘em ta take Dora with ‘em ta Diamond lake. So, that worked out well.
Toward dusk, we found another wrecked caravan and several dead bodies. The corpses all looked to be members of the Cult of Final Passage! We could hear Orc war drums comin’ from some nearby hills and before we could decide what ta do, Hine was runnin’ towards the sound. We quickly followed him and we all snuck up to a small hill very nearby.
Nestled in a tiny valley was a band of Orcs celebratin’ their latest victories. The presence of a war drummer, a shaman, and a war chief (complete with banner) let us know we had just stumbled upon the Orcish command element we’d been warned about. They also had three prisoners: Hine’s mom, Hine’s whore/girlfriend, and one other member of the Cult.
Had it just been Hine’s girlfriend, I woulda argued against gettin’ involved. There were just too many Orcs. There had ta be a score of them plus the leaders in the camp they had made with gods know how many more nearby. However, with two other innocents there, we decided we needed to act. Surprisingly, even Allustan insisted on helpin’.
I know Allustan used to be an adventurer like the rest of us, but I just didn’t think he’d be up to it at his age. How wrong I was!
Allustan started the battle (this was far more than a “fight”) by blastin’ a group a Orcs with a Fireball. Five Orcs died immediately and several others were wounded and trailin’ smoke. Hine shot an Orc. I moved to Hine’s right, trying to line up Orcs for a Lightnin’ Bolt while Alobron (he’s been tryin’ to get us all to call him Bob for some reason), Carenthal, and Tyree (a new recruit) all moved out form behind a nearer hill and charged the Orc position. Storn, with his slower speed, charged along a clearer route, hopin’ to get a chance to run up.
Allustan got out a wand and was staring intently at the shaman, waitin’ for him to cast a spell. Hine killed the Orc he had shot moments earlier. Then the Orc drummer (a Bard, I believe) changed his toon, emboldenin’ all the Orcs. The shaman started to cast a spell (trying to Call Lightnin’ I think) and Allustan blasted him with Magic Missiles from his wand, but the Orc was able to maintain his concentration. The Orc war chief flew into a frothin’ rage and ran down the hill to block off access to the camp. Two more Orc Barbarians came up from behind the far hill and ran to head off Storn. Tryee flew into his own battle rage (I didn’t know he could do that) and charged the leader. Now the leader was a really big Orc (must have had Ogre blood) and was able to hack into Tyree before Tryee was able to hack into him. It wasn’t quite an even exchange. I didn’t want the shaman getting’ off his spell, so I conjured up some of the darkness I’d aquired below Dourstone Mine and blasted him with a Fel Drain Magic Missile. I discovered that I had indeed learned somethin’ at the monastery! My spell produced more Missiles than ever. The shaman maintained his concentration, but the negative energy I channeled into the spell stripped the spell from his mind before he could complete it. Suddenly, nine Orcs came out of the woods on our left, flankin’ Alabron, Carenthal, and Tyree. Carenthal blasted the shaman with a volley of his own Magic Missiles (I bet that poor shamn wished he’d had a Shield spell right about then) and Alabron protected himself by conjuring up a handful of illusory Mirror Images of himself (I’ll have to learn how he does that). Storn moved towards the Orc Barbarians and another band of Orcs (these ones were Half-Fiends to boot) charged out of the right side woods and moved towards Storn who was all alone.
Allustan dropped another Fireball on the group of Orcs behind our assault group and killed all of them in one fiery blast! Hine started shootin’ at the Orc Barbarians, wounding one of them badly. The war chief hit Tyree hard and the Barbarians finished closin’ with Storn. Storn hacked into the wounded Barbarian and yet another Orc (this one obviously older than the rest) clambered over the hill to stand beside the drummer. Six more Orcs came out of the right side woods and moved immediately towards Allustan, Hine, and me. Tyree slashed into the war leader with a vicious cut that would have killed him if not for the rage keepin’ him on his feet. I launched a Chain Missile spell into the wounded Barbarian, killin’ him, and sendin’ bolts out to wound five or six of the Half-Fiend Orcs. Alobron finished off the war chief with a tremendous blow that cut through the large Orc’s leg and into the chest of another Orc (killin’ that one, too)! Several Orcs attack Alabron and Tyree, but while Tyree was down and close to death, the Orcs only managed to slay images surroundin’ Alabron. Carenthal closed in on the fight and cast a Close Wounds spell on Tyree, bringin’ him back to consciousness. In the meantime, the Half-Fiend Orcs start to hack Storn to pieces while two of them peeled off to move toward me!
Allustan fired off a pair of Scorching Rays into the Half-Fiends, but their innate resistance to spell foiled his attack. Hine started firin’ into the Half-Fiends comin’ at us and wounded one. Storn killed the last Barbarian and one of the Half-Fiends, but he was still surrounded by the devilish Orcs. Tryee chopped at the legs of an Orc form the ground and I quickly found myself in my own passel of trouble as the six flankin’ Barbarians had me all but surrounded. My options were quite limited. I could still retreat, but that would have left Hine completely undefended with Allustan next to fall. So, I grit my teeth and did something foolish. I can past the line of surroundin’ Barbarians (spendin’ spell after spell to deflect axe blows that would have certainly killed me otherwise) and blasted the lot of ‘em with a Lightnin’ Bolt from my wand! Down at the camp, Alabron killed three more Orcs in what looked like just two blows while simultaneously avoidin’ all their counterattacks. Things were lookin’ good for us, until the Half-Fiends hacked Storn to death in the middle of the killin’ field.
Allustan cast a Deep Slumber spell on the Barbarians near me, droppin’ five of them into what looked like death (I’m sure) to their companions. Hine killed one of the wounded Barbarians with an arrow, but then accidentally shot and woke one of the sleepin’ Orcs. That Barbarian got up and hacked at me with his Greataxe, but I managed to deflect most of the blow with my Spell Shield. In the camp, the shaman stepped up an killed the Cultist with a curved dagger (it couldn’t have been the whore, of course) and looked ready to move on to Hine’s mom! Tyree killed an Orc while still lyin’ on the ground and then gained his feet again as Carenthal arrived and started healin’ him. Usin’ another new trick I must have picked up at the monastery, I blasted the shaman with an Empowered Magic Missile, but didn’t hit him hard enough to kill him. Alabron took care of it though as he charged up and finished off the shaman and continued his blow to decapitate the old Orc who had come late to the fight.
Allustan seared the last Barbarian with a pair of Scorching Rays while a pair of Hine’s arrows missed their mark as tears of relief for his mother blurred his vision. The drummer tried to club Alabron with his drum mallet, but slipped on the shaman’s entrails and Alabron killed him before he could recover himself. The last Barbarian seemed intent on me, slashin’ madly at me, but again my Spell Shield help him at bay (granted, I was almost out of spell energy to power my shield by that time). Carenthal started runnin’ in my direction, but I managed to kill the Barbarian myself with a Magic Missile right in the face!
The Half-Fiends, seeing all their leaders killed in a heartbeat by a still screaming Alabron and Allustan and I still castin’ spells from the hill, fled. As soon as they hit the trees, however, Carenthal caught them all in a magical Web. The clean-up process was grisly, but necessary.
We brought the rescued prisoners and our dead friend back to Diamond Lake. As I write these pages in the comfort of my own room, I am overwhelmed by emotions.
I cannot believe that Storn is dead. Although far from gregarious, he is a sure friend and mighty warrior and I cannot be but impressed with the way he stoically held off the Half-Fiends for as long as he could, acceptin’ his own death with the same quiet (sometimes grumpy) reserve. Storn saved my life today, as well as the lives of Hine and possibly Allustan. I certainly hope the Cult of Final Passage appreciates his sacrifice – although they will probably just see it as him reachin’ his final reward at his appointed time.
Allustan seems to think Valkus is powerful enough to raise the dead. The question is, will he expend such power on a non-follower of Tyr?
So I grieve for Storn. I also feel guilt. Storn should not have been alone out there. If not for my poor plannin’ and even poorer leadership, Storn might still be alive. I should have convinced everyone to wait long enough to formulate a better plan. I think that if we had all charged up on the left, we would have fared better. The Half-Fiends and extra Barbarians would have had father to run and we would have all been together to support each other better.
I vow to be a better leader from this day forth. I must remember to talk to Jasper when we return from Blackwall Keep. I want him to instruct me in strategy and tactics.
In addition to grief and guilt, however, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride as well. We did an amazin’ thing today! We annihilated a powerful and large Orc command element and probably saved the lives of dozens if not hundreds of innocents that the Orcs would have killed over the comin’ months. Not to mention the lives of garrison soldiers we probably saved.
And that, of course, makes me think of Machella. Am I just happy to be alive or do I really feel as strongly about Machella as I think I do. Best not to gush, I think. Best to wait until she responds to my letter before makin’ a fool of myself.
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