Mystara Game Journal JAN 2019

Campaign start date: Sunday 28th January 2018
DM: James M.
Campaign Setting: Mystara
Rules: D&D 5th Edition
Players: Henry, Bryan, Damian, and Romar

Player Characters

∼ Zander Orret Raul Rodriguez Orrstetta (Zorro) - Male High Elf Wizard

Owl Familiar - Tillio

∼ - Male Hill Dwarf Tempest Cleric
∼ – Female Human Ranger

∼ - Female Halfling Rogue

Adventure

The story begins in early fall, or Ambyrmont, with three of our four party members
providing security for a group of trade caravans travelling to the City of Selenica in
the eastern part of Darokin, near to the Alfheim Forest. Zorro and Graness having
already made acquaintance were in one group, whilst Karn travelled alone in
another.

Hallonica House: Based in Selenica, Hallonica dominated eastern
Darokin until the arrival of Al-Azrad some 150 years ago. This
House now focuses on domestic trade, and co-operates with Al-
Azrad. They are also a major player in trade with the Elves.

City of Selenica

Arriving shortly after midday, the travelers found themselves amongst absolute
mayhem as the city gates had been closed. According to the city marshals, the Arab
nation of Ylarum had recently declared war and forced the city to take drastic
measures. With the caravans at a standstill, the adventurers made their way into the
city seeking a reputable inn to rest. Due to the current predicament, they quickly
learn that the only rooms available in the city are at the Crested Moon Inn.

Securing accommodations, our adventurers supplant
themselves into the dining area. Karn requested the finest ale on
tap whilst Zorro, in an effort to earn extra coin, offered his
services with the Inn Keeper. Summoning a diminutive Halfling
to his table, Riley saw to Karn’s desperate need for a beverage.
Clearly unfamiliar with the distinction between watered down
piss and proper Rockhome ale, Riley quickly learned that one
does not bring the wrong libation to a thirsty dwarf.

Despite the hustle and bustle of a busy tavern, Karn and Zorro couldn’t help but feel
the hairs on their necks raise at the presence of a tall cloaked figure sat alone at a
corner table. Unmarked grey robes and ivory gloves adorned the figure whose face
was shrouded in an unusual darkness.

Having a natural distaste for strangers, Karn summoned Riley once again and
proceeded to shell out gold pieces in exchange for information on the stranger.
Riley’s eyes widened a tad at the sight of a bulging coin purse and quickly dispensed
with all that she could recall… ‘Oh yes, a strange fellow that one, was asking about
yourself, that Elf with the odd accent, and that giant Ranger woman.
With peeked interest, Karn abruptly disturbed Zorro from his watchful gaze over the
inn’s patrons, and informed him of what he has learned. A request for a meet and
greet was made and the two went over to the cloaked figured. Peering deep into the
darkness under the hood, they discern the features of a humanoid canine, almost
Jackal like. She introduced herself as Xaptika, and revealed that she had been
looking for them for quite some time. She believes they are an integral part of a great

prophecy and requested they meet with her employer who would pay a hefty sum
for their services.

Mutual agreement was made and as they went to depart, the
woman gracefully rose and removed her hood. Stood at a
great height of 7’, she made even the tall Graness look
short. Impressive was one of the many superlatives uttered
under their loud breath as they gazed at a stunning white
furry canine.

The party headed out towards a forested area and thirty minutes later arrived at large
marble white mansion, complete with human
guards on duty at the entrance. They bow on her
arrival and allowed us to enter. The group
eventually found themselves before a rather
rotund fellow who introduced himself as Jenlar
Tendlon. Stood at 5’5 and in his mid-forties,
Tendlon was very well dressed. He discussed the
recent disappearance of the Gods and disclosed
his interest was purely monetary. He revealed
how Xaptika arrived from her world, known as
Hutaaka, through a nearby portal. Xaptika was
sent here by her high Priestess to help fulfill a
prophecy, which states that the one from the
meadow, hills, forest and a human can help bring
back the Gods. Xaptika believes they are the ones
referred to in the prophecy and is ready to take
them to see her high Priestess. Tendlon offered

them payment of 300 GP each, half up front, and the rest on their return. He provided
them with horses, gear, as well as weapons and armor. Lastly he gave the party
numerous potions and scrolls of healing to aid in their efforts.

At 7am the next morning the party set off on their horses through the Alfheim forest.
Not long into their journey, they come across a fallen tree blocking most of the path
ahead. Graness dismounts and goes to investigate the log after noting a rather
noticeable odor – piss! Suddenly the Ranger hears the all too familiar sound of
rodents as she is overcome by nearly two dozen rats.

Xaptika produced her bow in a flash and managed to somehow skewer one of the
rodents whilst avoiding Graness. Now at this juncture, if any of the group had the
thought that the intense feminine squeals emanating from a dancing Ranger was loud

enough to raise the dead, they were sorely mistaken and completely unprepared for
what was about to happen.

Dismounting from his newly acquired steed with the grace and speed of a gazelle,
Karn swung his Warhammer with all his might into the earth. Suddenly a thunderous
clap awoke the once quiet forest as Karn bellowed out in his native Khuzdul a
Thunderwave spell. A wave of power washed over Graness and dispensed of the
brief annoyance that plagued her. Karn then laid a hand on her back to relieve her of
any pain.

The rest of the day was uneventful and the party decided to set up camp in a clearing
as dusk was setting in. However, no sooner had they got a large fire going were the
party were set upon by a rather ginormous wolf.

The great beast proved formidable as it took
aim at the Ranger in quick fashion. Zorro came
to her aid with his trusty rapier as Karn waved
a finger and shot a radiant light at the animal.
Karn then swung his hammer and missed in
laughable fashion nearly cleaning out Graness
in the process. Luckily several ranged shots by
the nimble Halfling felled the monster and the
party was able to
resume their
watch. Almost
nine hours into the night, the party were awoken from
their slumber as five more wolves found their way into
the encampment. Five wolves surrounded the team
and in the blink of an eye both Zorro and Graness were
dropped to the ground. Xaptika waved her hand and sent a few running back into the
night. Karn avoided the battle for a moment as he cast Spare the Dying, stabilizing
the two dying members. Riley dispatched of the remaining wolves and the party
breathed a sigh of relief as that encounter had turned sour too fast for their liking.

__________________________________________________________________

Sunday 4th February 2018

The next morning, after a heavy dose of healing, the party mounted up and resumed
their journey towards an ancient
portal. The forest felt old, and the
canopy was thick and heavy.
Determining direction was proving to
be difficult, so Xaptika dug out of her
bag a dusty scroll. It revealed a very
dated map of the area, one which no
one in the party recognized. She
divulged that the map is over a
thousand years old and surmised the
terrain may have changed just a little
over the years. The map outlined the
general area where they would need to go in order to find the portal which would
transport them to Hutaaka. The feeling amongst the group was they were headed
west…hopefully in the right direction.

They were a few hours into their trek when Karn, who was bringing up the rear,

observed movement quite high up in the trees. Warning the others, Zorro too made

eye contact and hailed out in Elvish

to a cloaked figure stood crouched on

a branch with an arrow knocked in a

bow. He was an elf named Biff, and he

replied back in kind, saying he and

his brothers patrolled this part

of the woods and had just caught

lunch. He let out a whistle and four

more Elves appeared from

behind the branches, two

carrying a dead deer. The party

agreed to join them for lunch, during

which they showed the map to the

woodsmen. Unfortunately none knew of the areas outside of the forest, a place rarely

travelled to by them. The party bid their new friends ado and resumed their journey.

Around 3pm, it was once again
the dwarf who observed
movement from above.
Unaccustomed with creatures
of the Fey, Karn blurted out
“Its flying Elves!” as six
Sprites fluttered into view of
the party. Their leader Daisy,
and another named Rose,
spoke with Zorro. They were
eager for the party to join them
in a game in exchange for a
secret. Another Sprite flew
down to Graness who offered
it some wine. It took one sip and fell head first into her mug.

Riley and Zorro decided to entertain them, and after
winning several rounds of tag, the Sprites revealed
the location of body not far from where they stood.
Riley went and searched the remains, a dead Halfling
that had clearly been there for a very long time.
Amongst the skeleton was an old back pack and a
dagger. Zorro mumbled a few words and scanned the
items over for magical sources whilst examining the
remains. He determined the body had been there for
over six hundred years and told Riley that there was
something magical inside the pack. Riley removed a
box, covered in old weathered paper. A note read
attached read “Happy Birthday Mr. D”. Inside the
box was a belt holding six canisters and a rather splendid looking pipe. Riley secured
the items and the party set off once again.

Around 7pm the party stopped to rest for the night and set up camp. Zorro sat down
with Riley and attempted to identify the pipe
that was found earlier. The source of magic

was old and
really hard for
him to
determine. He
uttered a few
incantations and then looked over the six canisters
attached to a belt, each one bearing a name and
containing different colored weeds. Zorro determined that each one offered a
different result when inhaled by the smoker;

• Smoke Me - turns user into a gaseous form
• Materi Eartha - makes user appear as an Earth Elemental
• Blood Fresh - Universal antidote
• Sparkle Glint - See / Find Treasure
• Tobac - see Sanctuary Spell
• Autumn Breeze - see Flying Spell

Riley’s moment of bliss was short lived as
loud groans quickly broke the quietness of
the night. Tree branches snapped and the
ground shook as a mammoth foul smelling
monstrosity waded through the forest
toward their camp. ‘Crunch’, a 10’ Ogre
that wielded a massive club, approached
the party and bellowed in a tongue only a
couple understood. His demand was simple
and to the point. Give him gold or they
would be squished. Negotiations were a
non-starter and weapons were drawn. Zorro
pranced and poked as Riley sprayed it with
arrows. The creature managed to ignore
Karn’s command spell but wasn’t able to avoid the rapier of the dancing Elf.
After searching the giant and securing a coin purse, its head was removed with a
hammer. The party set up a watch and once again their night was eventful.
Around 2am it was a case of déjà vu, as
Crunch’s partner came crashing through the
woods, quite perturbed that her other half
had not returned home…wherever that was.
Donning some large antlered helm and
wielding two clubs and a spear, she was
attacked with vengeance but fell just like her
companion. Before decapitating her Karn
observed the interesting head piece and
determined it was a relic from a rather
peculiar group known as the Cult of
Zurchere.

Level Up! The party are now 2nd level

The group resumed their much needed rest and thankfully the remainder of the
night was uneventful. At dawn the party decided to do some exploring to
determine just where those two giants came from. The Ranger being the expert
tracker in the group had no issue following their trail which eventually came to
an abrupt end in the middle of nowhere. The trail just stopped cold, no lair, and

no cave. A bit famished from their uneventful escapade, the Ranger drops the
first deer she saw in the
distance. As they enter a
clearing to claim their lunch,
the party suddenly hears a
melodic chorus in the air.
Swooping above them the
party see three flying creatures
coming towards them. Their
upper body was that of a
humanoid and the lower body
of a reptile, with scaly, clawed
feet and hands. They had
filthy, tangled hair on their
heads; black eyes; and
possessed wings. Magically
singing, they induced Karn and Graness into an immediate trance.

They swung at them with their sharp talons. Xaptika and Riley drew their bows
as the latter took cover in the trees.
Zorro, now able to call upon the
ancient bladesinging tradition of his
people, called the foul beings to battle.
And as Karn and Graness wondered
off into the woods in a daze, with a
loud screech appeared another, twice
the size as the others wearing some
odd crown. She was their Queen and
was not about to watch her minions
die. Zorro parried and weaved, swung
and stabbed as Riley and Xaptika let
out a volley of arrows. Failing to land
a single swipe, two of the Harpies fell
and the Queen decided it was time to
retreat with their two prey as nothing
else they were doing had worked.

However they weren’t fast enough and a third dropped out of the sky, leaving the
Queen to fend for herself.

Karn suddenly awoke from his daze, wondering why he was skipping amongst
the reeds as ghastly looking bird creature flew above him. Graness disappeared
into the thick bush as Zorro leapt through the air and ended the Queen’s existence.
The party rejoiced in their exhaustive victory, but alas it was short lived as the
Ranger was nowhere to be found.

Trekking through thick

bush they eventually

found themselves

outside the entrance to

a small cave. The smell

emanating was putrid

but they were sure

Graness was close.

Entering they quickly

observed Graness

fending off the

advances of miniature

versions of the foul beasts they had just slain earlier. The offspring were dealt

with and Graness was

offered healing. Found

amongst the pile of bones

and scattered remains was a

skeleton in chainmail. With

it was a back pack

containing three vials and a

scroll case.

Sunday 25th February 2018

Zander examined the tiara removed from one of the harpies
as the others recovered from the encounter. He was quite
pleased to discern from various aspects of the design that it
was in fact an heirloom from his lineage.

The party resume their journey west and set up
camp at the usual time. Close to midnight, Graness
wakes everyone as a quartet of giant rats invade the
camp. Three of the vermin were quickly dispatched
as the last made a dash for it. Graness gave chase
at the behest of Riley who desired one as a mount.
Her attempts were futile as she ended up injured for
her efforts.

The party go back to sleep only to be disturbed in the early
hours by four goblins. After two were sliced and diced by
Zander, the remaining two quickly surrendered. A brief
interrogation revealed the presence of a large pit trap located
on the trail up ahead. The goblins were tied up and taken to
the trap’s location. On reaching the pit, the goblins were
lowered down inside to enjoy the comforts of the earth.

The party continue through the forest, and as dusk
approached Karn heard jovial singing in the distance.
With the exception of the dwarf, the rest urged on the
side of caution after the harpy incident and took
immediate cover in the trees. Karn recognized the
voice of Gnomes and a massive contingent could be
seen headed towards him pulling a wooden ship on
wheels. Pleasantries were exchanged with the crew of
the ‘Mother Load Rover’ and the party boarded.
Talking with the captain they learn that the Gnomes

built the vessel to go in search of treasures across the
ocean…only they didn’t know where the nearest ocean
was. They were shown the party map to assist in locating

the nearest body of
water. Trading then
took place as a slew of
inventions, trinkets and
devices were brought
out and put on display.
Motorized gizmos and
gadgets raised a few
eyebrows. The party emptied their coffers as they
settled on some silver spray, an invisibility bomb,
acid arrows and magical lock picks. The party
enjoyed a fine meal and undisturbed rest that
evening. They thanked the Gnomes and bid them
farewell the next morning. Three hours later a group of six Goblins attacked from
the trees. They were dispatched rather quickly but not before Zander was dropped
by a most impressive blow even by Goblin standards. The party took a short rest to
aid the wounded elf and the rest of their day and night were uneventful.

The next day around
mid-morning the forest
ended and the trail
widened as the party
stood before a large
area of flat plains. They
observed a small stand
of mountains in the
middle.

Not long after, ten of the most unusual
creatures that they had encountered to date
appeared out of nowhere. Standing at seven
feet tall, wearing nothing but loin cloth, the
creatures had very thin arms and legs and
were multicolored like a rainbow. Chanting
an odd verse in broken common, the
creatures’ teleported around the party who
were forced to surrender their weapons. Tied
up and blindfolded, they were lead for quite
some time and distance up a mountainside.
They arrived inside a cave and had their
blindfolds removed. Two new guards, Kamrion and Thronik, stood in front of them
and spoke much better than the others. They berated the adventurers for entering the
lands of the ‘Lord of Shade’ without having requested passage beforehand. The party
were told that they must pay for passage before they could proceed. They were taken
far underground and into a large cavern where they observed large veins of precious
metals, waterfalls, and ripe vegetable growth as the rainbow creatures, known as
‘Wallara’, tilled plots of soil. Presented before a chameleon man sat on a throne,
‘Lemlluar’ Lord of the Shade exchanged a few whispers with a guard. He finally
spoke offering the party two options; pay a fine or dual their champion in non-lethal
combat with clubs. The party opted to pay the fine and enquired about their intended
route. They were warned of perilous dangerous beyond a bridge, a place that none
of their kind ever travelled to, for none had ever returned.

The next morning the party were blindfolded
and brought to a bridge made of dull gray
stones. Strange ruins read “Let no man cross the
bridge without first giving to the water that
which is due.” As Zander peered down at the
water below it quickly stirred and the shape of
a large serpent formed and rose up sixty feet
into the air. Riley flipped a gold piece, followed
by a drop of blood, into the water below…but
the serpent looked displeased. Zander pulled
out his water skin, and Graness some wine, and

the two poured both. The serpent returned to the
water and the party crossed safely. The party
travelled along rocky rugged mountainous terrain
with very little vegetation and naught but rocks and
boulders bordering cliffs. Not long after crossing
the bridge they detected movement amongst the
rocks. A cloaked dwarf in grey camouflage was
eventually spotted and hailed to by Karn.

He introduced himself as ‘Dunnark Iron Hammer’ and
stated he was on a geological expedition. He recounted
his brief skirmish with the rainbow folk, winning his
passage via combat. Dunnark then persuaded Riley into a
hammer throwing contest. The dusty Dwarf easily bested
the Halfling and happily took 100 GP from her purse.
Karn challenged him to go again, offering him double the
amount if he could best Riley a second time. If Dunnark
lost he would have to scout out the area ahead for the
party. Dunnark agreed and Riley managed to beat him
twice, winning back her gold as reward.

Sunday 4th March 2018

The party made camp for the night as Dunnark headed off to scout the area as
previously agreed. The evening was uneventful and Dunnark returned in the morning
tired and spent. He reported nothing of note and they parted ways as he sought rest.
Around noon the party passed a pair of boars and Riley offered them a piece of rat
carcass that she had oddly saved. They arrive at an area where there is a proliferation
of unnatural stone boulders piled high across the
trail making passage a lot more difficult for the
horses. Zander determined from his arcane
knowledge that these rocks were centuries old, the
remnants of multiple meteor storm spells. Tillio
the familiar is sent ahead to scout the area as the
party camped. Another uneventful evening went
by as Dunnark once again made an appearance but
decided to rest it out once more. It took several hours circumnavigating the rocks

before the party came out into a massive flat area at the top of the mountain. Stood
in a large two thousand foot circular clearing devoid of any plants, just flat stone as

far as the eye could see. Smack dab in the very center
stood a tall spire of rock, over twelve hundred feet high.
It had a large rectangular base and appeared to be solid
granite. It sloped upward and had a flat base at the very
top. Still a good eight hundred feet away the party gazed
deeply at the tower and managed to discern a splash of
color at its bottom. Tillio was sent
up and made out the shape of a
humanoid. As it got closer the bird
noticed a blonde haired woman
dressed in tattered clothing. The
party proceeded forward and a few
hundred feet closer saw that she
was a fair maiden wearing a
tarnished silver crown. She was
chained to the rock and sobbing.
She looked up at them as they drew near and uttered the
words “Flee…Flee for your lives” “There’s a witch that chained me here and she
is coming back.” As the party got closer the horses suddenly stopped as glowing,
misty floating daggers appeared in front of each party member. As they dismounted,
a couple of them took damage as the horses bolted. Karn was pierced in the chest by
a dagger and he offered swift retribution, uttering Wrath of the Storm in response. A
wave of thunder turned the dagger into mist. Zander sliced his way past a dagger and

made it to the chained woman. She immediately
transformed before him, turning into a hideously
old hag. She lashed out at Zander with razor sharp
nails. Xaptika and Riley parried their daggers as
Graness picked herself up from the dirt. Karn
fingered radiant light at another dagger to no
effect as he joined Zander in dueling the witch.
Zander cast a spell before thrusting his rapier deep
into her side as Karn’s Warhammer smacked her
head back and forth. Riley finally destroyed her
dagger but became dizzy by the resulting mist.
The witch managed to connect with a couple of

her blows, one of which dropped the Elf. Her final blow set off
another booming thunderclap from the Dwarf and the witch
turned into a pile of leaves. As Karn knelt down and stabilized
Zander he noticed a crack in the wall behind where the witch
once stood. He reached in but his arms were too short to grab the
item inside that was glinting. Graness administered a healing
potion to the disabled elf and then tried her hand. Again her arm
was not long enough. The newly conscious Zander called forth
the spectral hand and removed a golden rapier which bore an elvish inscription ~
“broad and wide is the path to nowhere, thin and narrow is the way to true riches”

Xaptika paced about the base as she held out her compass. She was
convinced the party were at the right place and advised that the portal
was most likely inside the tower. Zander began tapping sections of
the wall with his rapier and discovered an illusionary wall.

LEVEL UP (Party are now level 3)

After a successful search and recovery of the horses by Graness, the party decided
to set up camp earlier than usual and rested outside. An uneventful evening lead to
an early start as Zander entered the tower first followed by the rest.

The party found themselves inside a massive bright white hall spanning nearly four
hundred feet, with a ceiling some three hundred and fifty feet high. On the opposite
end the party saw four raised platforms, two on either side, each holding a white
marble statue. Beyond the statues were a series of six
chests each of varying quality, starting from poor to
very elaborate and ornate. On the wall behind the
chests stood a large closed door. Glorious scenery
etched in silver and gold graced the floors followed
by archaic writing. One side of the hall looked
weathered and dated while the opposite side appeared
brand new. As for the statues, they were Human
Kings. The first two were quite tall. The first wore an
Iron crown and wielded a golden battle axe. The
second donned a granite crown and held a golden

Warhammer. The final two statues were identical twins, shorter in height wearing
crystal crowns and wielding golden daggers. The party paused for a moment and
stood in awe of all the splendor. Riley took out her magic pipe and filled it with
weed. Her gaze was drawn to the first of the six chests as she observed it raise up.
She began a lonely walk forward as the others questioned her approach. She walked
straight down the middle and as she got closer, the statues came alive. All four
stepped down from their platforms. Riley stood like a feline caught in a Wizard light
as the statues stood still. Karn bellowed
a few suggestions before marching
forward. He took one step too many in
front of the rogue and one of the Twins
dashed up and struck him with a dagger.
An all too familiar boom rung out as
Riley held her action. Graness took
particular interest in the crowns
adorning the King’s heads and let loose
an arrow. It connected, knocking the
crown to the floor as the statue froze.
The other statues moved forward as Zander cast a spell, calling forth a spectral
floating hand that waltzed through the air, removing the remaining crowns. A sigh
of relief filled the room. Several nodded in approval at the swift thinking of the
Ranger. Riley headed towards the chests and the room went pitch black. The right
side of the room lit up as a whispering voice gave a brief speech. Then the left side
lit up but this time the voice was stronger. The voice congratulated the adventurers

and advised to choose wisely among the chests.
Riley went to the chest she saw rise up earlier and
unlocked it. Inside were gold and platinum coins,
four gold wrist bands, a coiled up rope, two potion
bottles, two daggers, a small wooden box, and an
oddly shaped holy symbol on a chain…there may
also have been a ring. After successful strength
checks the golden weapons were removed from the
hands of the frozen Kings. All of the items were laid
before the elf wizard who performed a ritual Detect
Magic spell. The Kings’ pedestals were examined, revealing their true identities:
King Alsadaxis, his son Balkazaar and his twin grandsons Kildaphaleeze &
Dilaphaneeze. Karn drooled over the golden war hammer as Zander observed that

the holy symbol was actually a key. Zander unlocked
the door at the end of the great hall revealing a rather
large closet. Hung on the back wall of the room was a
very large tapestry. Xaptika stepped forward and
announced that they stood before the portal. It was at
8am that the party, along with all of their gear and
treasure stepped through the magic portal.

The party arrived in a
beautiful valley with high
rock walls and wet grass.
Before them sat another
large marble monument, a 60’ shrine to Khonsu, the
moon God. A full moon symbol was at the top and stood
inside the entry way was a 12’ tall statue dressed in green
robes. The village of Khonsu was seen in the distance as
the smell of food wafted in the air. Xaptika announces
they have a day’s travel ahead.

Khonsu God of the Moon

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday 11 March 2018

Standing at the shrine to Khonsu, Graness and Karn were distracted by something.
The dwarf heard faint voices…whispers in his mind. Some were angry, others were
sad, urging him to destroy the shrine before him. He enquired if the others were
hearing voices, while Zander grinned and took notes about the dwarf’s behavior.
Riley made a donation at the altar before disappearing behind the shrine. She
discovered a secret door at the back and announced it to the party. None of the others
were interested in her discovery and she decided to return to this location once it got

dark. The party headed to the village of Khonsu, which was bordered by a 10’ wall
and had roughly 17 buildings including a bank and public hall. The inhabitants were
a short bald humanoid race known as Traldani. They were greeted
by the friendly Yetsak, who was garbed in a black hat, robes and a
fake beard. He bowed and addressed Xaptika, thankful for her
arrival. He said food and lodging were in place and informed us of
the issues plaguing the village. Most recent was the disappearance
of a young girl and her dog. She had been playing with others
outside the village walls the day prior and hadn’t been seen since. A short rest was
taken in order to identify some of the items obtained in their last encounter. Zander
acquired a Ring of Protection +1, and Karn a golden Warhammer +1.

The party headed out in search of the missing girl. They
had the village kids show them where young Rachel was
last seen. The Ranger discovered her dog’s tracks heading
into a wooded area. Not far along, large cat prints were
noticed, crossing in various directions. The party arrived
at a cave entrance and entered a dark tunnel that went left
and right. As the party headed left, Riley was caught
unawares at the back by a large sabre
tooth cat. She was dropped instantly as Zander and Karn came to
her aid, killing the large feline. A grey ooze that was clung on the
cave wall lashed out at Graness. Acidic slime from the creature ate
away at her shield, as an even larger cat attacked from the darkness.

The Priestess sustained a flurry of claws to the
face before the ferocious animal was dealt with.
A series of small passages were checked and
Rachel was found alive, hid among a pile of
debris, by the elf. Graness took her outside as
Zander and Karn continued to search. They
discovered a tide pool and encountered three
more of the grey oozes. At the bottom of the pool
was a golden jeweled chalice that Zander
removed with his mage hand. Another passage lead to the discovery of a badly
weathered mural. Karn cast a mending spell and managed to repair just enough of
the painting to reveal a Human woman in armor wielding a large shield. She was

recognized to be Petra, God of Defense from Karameikos. Examining the wall, Karn
noticed that it was in fact hollow. A swift swing of his new golden hammer took out
the recently repaired wall. Beyond was a room containing a 14’ red and black metal
statue. It resembled Xaptika, but had four arms. The Priestess was taken aback at the
sight of the ancient guardian. She waved at it and suddenly its eyes opened and the
statue uttered in ancient tongue ‘What is your access code’. The party decided it was
best to leave this area and enquire with others about this location. They returned the
child to the village, whose inhabitants were jubilant. A feast that evening was
enjoyed by all as the Traldani presented them with various gifts. Zander received an
old scroll case containing three spells: Protection from Magic, Fireburst, and Contact
other Plane. Karn received a splendid looking set of bronze and silvered colored
Dwarven Plate Male +2 (drool). Graness was given a stunning shield and chain shirt.
Riley was gifted a slick set of black studded leather. Zander took the time to examine
the magical rope the party had acquired in the great hall with the now frozen Kings.
A Rope of Climbing

Karn took out that holy symbol turned doorway key.
Struggling to determine its properties he handed it to the
rogue who snatched it in hast. Asking for it back, Riley
refused and informed Karn she was keeping it. Not
concerned with small trinkets he left it be, allowing the
Halfling to retain the item. The next morning they
headed to their next destination, Byxata, the holy city.
Along the way, the party passed numerous shrines that
had been built for deities long ago. Outside the shrine
of Zirchev, a giant wolf posing with a hawk on its
shoulders, Graness failed to down a deer nearby. The
bored wizard killed the deer with a Firebolt spell
allowing the Ranger to offer it as a sacrifice. At the shrine of Pflarr, the priestess
stopped to pay her respects. Party members began to observe the Halfling acting

rather strangely, swatting at imaginary flies. The party arrived at
the holy city around noon. Built into the cliff side was a massive
column of stone which went up over a mile. Xaptika was greeted
by a guard who was instructed to take their horses to the nearby
fortified city of Roncan. The great marbled city of Byxata was
bustling with Hutaakans, a race of humanoid jackals. Xaptika
lead them into one of the biggest buildings and eventually they
were brought into a great room furnished with large cushioned
seats. Before them sat the high
priestess Kforedz.

She was most impressive
looking. Stood at 7’8” with silver grey fur, black
and gold makeup, she carried a khopesh and wore
a large eight pointed star around her neck. She
acknowledged and rewarded Xaptika for the great
work in returning with the prophesized ones. She
spoke of her nation’s interest in opening trade with
other nations before getting to the major issue.
Over a year ago, divine influence ceased as the
deities just left without cause or reason. The
greatest priests throughout the land scoured their
ancient tomes for answers. Through this research they learned of a long forgotten

Promised Land. It was a place that none of her kind had travelled to in hundreds of
years. She believed that this was where the Gods had gone, but for some reason her
race of people were unable to travel to…only the races of the party that stood before
her. This Promise Land was a new world built when the current one was turning evil.
She needed us to visit this place and meet with whatever high priestess was there
and offer them a gift. She then spoke of another point. Long ago whilst huge tunnels
were being dug, a large larvae was discovered. It later grew and became an
aberration that had to be destroyed. It was known that the Gods had once put to sleep
inside a larvae, a great worm capable of growing to immense size and having magical
abilities. She felt that this creature may also have played a part in the disappearance
of the Gods. The party enquired as to how they could eventually return to their home
and Kforedz told them about the Vault of the Elders. She then gave the party a
number of items to aid them in their
journey to this Promise Land. They each
received Universal translators, necklaces
with a cat’s tail allowing them to
understand and speak in any language.
They were each handed three potions:
Speed, Healing, and Heroism. Zander
was handed an Ancient Tome and Karn
was given a scroll case with three spells:
Dispel Magic, Sticks to Snakes, and
Flame Strike (all cast at 7th level). Finally
they were shown a large 25lb box which
contained a gift for the high priestess.
Having lost the aid of their horses, a large
12’ pack lizard was also provided to carry the party supplies.

The party travelled to Ronkan, a walled city built into a cliff face. The next day they
were taken to an altar, a 28’ tall statue of Pflarr. Kforedz produced a huge Ankh
shaped key and placed it into a hole. The entire statue and altar moved and they
entered a large octagonal shaped room. The far wall of the room bulged and was
split. Through the split was a large circular, dome shaped room full of large chairs
each with harnesses. In the middle was a ladder which lead to a small room in the
ceiling. Next to one of the seats was a lever. Good byes were exchanged as Graness
was nominated to carry the key. Once they were all strapped in their seats, Zander
pulled the lever halfway which shut the exterior walls of the bathysphere. He pulled

the lever all the way and the interior walls closed shut. Suddenly the party was in a
state of free fall…for two hours. A brief moment saw all become weightless and
Zander felt sick. Riley was sent sprawling striking the ceiling. Using her rope of
climbing she managed to secure herself inside the small room with the pack lizard.
Another hour passed and suddenly Karn found himself the immovable object,
grinding against the sides of the room. Clatters and clangs rung out and the giant ball
finally stopped still. Zander pulled the lever and before them was darkness and an
acrid stench. The dwarf was convinced the party
were deep underground. Lanterns were lit to aid
those without Darkvision. The party were in a series
of tunnels that branched off in various directions and
angles. Examining the deep rock Karn deduced the
tunnels were cut by means of acid. Graness paused
and cast a spell. She determined that some unnatural
beast could be close by. Flickering lights were seen
in the distance through one of the tunnels that had a
blockage of sorts. Zander sent Tillio to scout. The
blockage turned out to be a large, very long, purple wurm. Over 300’ long it lay dead
and lead to a large metal room that was occupied by eight human sized mechanical
constructs. Most of them had a bulky box type body with circular saws for hands

and treads for feet. Their heads were bright neon
orange in colour, and they carried small truck bed
looking backpacks full of tool attachments. There
was also medium dark silvery blue one with a 7
pointed star shaped badge on his chest. Most were
going about carving apart the dead monstrosity
while others worked on flickering gemstones
attached to the walls. A large opened doorway
revealed the outdoors. Security Unit 5934 observed
the party as it approached the room. Confused but
friendly, it talked and said it did not recognize any
of the party. It confirmed the location as Power
Control Room #4. As it scanned over the party members, it asked them a series of
generic questions about their presence in the metal room. Under the behest of the
Elf, the party replied with very vague answers. Bewildered as it could find no record
of them or their kind, the machine pulled out a small hand held device, which
produced a hologram of an Elf looking woman named Coral. It sought advice on

how best to proceed with the unidentifiable
citizens. It received instructions to take them
to a nearby citizen. Karn noticed that the
gemstones on the walls were not gems that
but rather some form of light source. The
party were escorted outside and it was night
time. They observed stars in the sky but no
moon, a lake off to one side and tall buildings
a ways off in the distance. Graness and Karn
noticed that the stars shimmered and moved
as if the sky was not holding still. The
automaton took them to a side of the lake
where an odd and sad looking Elf woman
was found meditating. Startled out of her
meditation, she introduced herself as
Deithryl Steelheart. She spoke with a thick
accent and had golden blonde hair with green
highlights. She had a butterfly tattoo on her
cheek, and a long flat white sword marking an area along one of her legs. She too
was bewildered at the sight of the party members. The automaton instructed her to
find the party accommodations for the night and left. The party asked her where they
were, and she told them they were located in the Blacklore Valley near to Blacklore
City. She asked them about their identification and credentials to no avail. She then
removed the flat white object from her leg and waved it out like a fan. It turned into
a large floating disc. The party boarded the disc whilst Karn and the Halfling rode
the pack lizard.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday 25 March 2018

Riley kept hearing voices. It became
annoying to the point she decided to
pack away the holy symbol that she
had taken from the Dwarf. The
floating disc hovered high in the night
sky whilst the pack lizard with Karn
and Riley followed below. This place

was unlike anything they had ever seen. The city was immaculate, and comprised of
different sized and uniquely shaped tall buildings. Each one had its own sidewalk,
and designated tree type which identified the street and building name. A massive
500’ tall clock tower stood in the center, and it displayed
the date in Elvish: Elder Day 3411 AS. The party were

taken to a 200’ tall building located on
Elm Street. The dwarf had the lizard
climb the building’s exterior whilst the
rest ascended to the fourth floor via a
magical cage located inside the
building. They were taken inside what
was referred to as an apartment. It contained a number of
rooms which were unfurnished and illuminated by magical lights. The party decided
that they needed answers to a lot of questions from the elf woman Deithryl
Steelheart. She handed each of them their own hand held communication device as
they proceeded to question both her and the tiny Elf woman named Coral who would
magically appear from the device whenever summoned. They learned that they were
in Blacklore City, located in Blacklore Valley which had been in existence for
exactly 3,411 years and held a population of 12,800 people. The term leader was not
one that was either understood or used, and they were told it was probably best to
visit the Great Library located in the city which could provide more answers. Zander
quickly set about ordering furnishings…and bunny slippers, from an automaton that
was present. Not long after his request, several more arrived with all sorts of

furniture. Karn discovered a room that had a tub, basin,
and a white porcelain bowl that held pretty blue water.
He used the odd looking contraption to wash his beard.
Riley began her own line of questioning with Coral,
wanting to know more about the race of people that
inhabited Blacklore…only she was educated instead
about flying disc races, and aerial duals. She tried to learn
details of the dead purple wurm they had seen earlier in
the tunnels but was left confused when Coral told her that
information was classified. Zander discovered the
comforts of being fed by machines whilst enjoying a hot
bath and returned to questioning Coral. He learned nothing of the great tome he had
received from the Hutaakan priestess. He did however learn of weaponry used
locally known as torches, and of aerial duals that occurred almost daily which

ultimately lead to the death of either combatant. The party bid adieu to Ms. Steelheart
and rested for the night.

The next morning, as the rest of the party slept, Zander proceeded to examine the
holy symbol that had been troubling Riley. Sat in the main room, he discovered that
it was in fact an un-holy symbol emanating intense divine magic. He quickly
summoned an automaton to fetch him a lock box made of lead. On its return, he
summoned a Mage Hand and placed it inside the box. Suddenly six tiny flying
humanoids with spider like appendages appeared, fluttering around the box. Prying
and prodding, they tried desperately to get inside it. Zander questioned their presence
and they replied in harsh scratchy voices. They
were angry and incensed that this wizard had
locked away their home. Zander waved his hand
and zapped one of them with a Firebolt Spell.
Hearing incantations, the others began waking up
from their slumber. A naked dwarf was the first
out and decided to open up a doorway made of
glass that lead to the outdoors. The evil fairy
sized creatures began spell slinging magical
missiles at the elf who instantly produced a
magical force field in front of him. The now blue
bearded priest let out a Thunderwave as one of
the creatures pierced him several times. Graness
entered the fray and was stung and poisoned too.
The rest of the flying bugs were dispatched as
Karn cast a ritual spell Detect Poison. He figured
out they had been affected by several different poisons. Having summoned for help,
multiple silver automatons arrived to provide aid. The machines offered to replace
blood and body parts of the injured parties who promptly declined.

Riley snuck off to go room exploring, determined to find other occupants about the
building. She quietly entered a room occupied by a male elf who was sat eating his
breakfast. She retreated and knocked on his front door. Philipartious Dreamweaver
answered the door with his miniature pet dog Skippy. A most peculiar looking elf,
he had a large blonde afro and wore a gold tunic. Curious at the sight of the
diminutive child sized woman, he invited Riley inside and the two shared breakfast
as she picked his brain about Blacklore. He revealed that he was into exploration and
was actively seeking people to go swimming with him and explore the lake. He had

designed a large diving machine that could house multiple people and go deep down
under the water. He was fascinated by stories of a mysterious doorway said to be at
the bottom of the lake. Riley offered to tell her friends about his adventures and then
quickly enquired about currency. To her surprise, and dismay, she learnt that there
was no such thing in Blacklore. She showed him a gold piece and asked if they could
be reproduced. He thought it an odd request but said he’d try to have some made.
Riley returned to the party and told them about her new friend and his interesting
request. Ms. Steelheart arrived at lunch time and proceeded to put on a brief display
of the functionality of her torch weapon. It had several modes, each triggered by the
simple push of a button. It could produce a sword whose blade was in the form of a
powerful beam of light, or a blaster which could fire off an energized particle. It
functioned as a light source and could also produce flames similar to that of the
Burning Hands spell. Karn asked Deithryl why she needed to arm herself with such
a device and her response was that some citizens routinely got bored and would dual
others, so she had to have a means to defend herself. She gave each one of them their
own torch. Coral made another appearance, informing the Riley that the incident
with the wurm was no longer classified but rather dealt with. Riley asked Steelheart
about her new friend Dreamweaver. Deithryl rolled her eyes and said he was well
known for being crazy, always telling people he’d discovered a passageway to the
Gods. Intrigued, Riley went and fetched Dreamweaver who was now in possession
of a large sack of gold pieces. The two returned and he was excited to meet the rest
of the party, insisting they all be fitted for a strange set of armor called diving suits.
Zander, feeling adventurous, invited Deithryl to join him for dinner at 6pm. She
agreed to the date as Riley dragged into the room a large sack of gold. Karn chomped
on a gold piece, convinced it was definitely pure gold. As they pondered what other
riches they could possibly have produced, Zander quizzed Dreamweaver on his story
of this doorway and other historical knowledge. He said he had learned much by
way of physically reading actual history books in the great library. Texts spoke of a
doorway used by the Gods to bring things into the valley when it was first created,
and he was eager to discover it. He also spoke about random citizens who would go
off into the mountains exploring only to never return. Karn suggested they bring
Dreamweaver to the library, whilst Riley enquired with Coral about producing acid
arrows and diamonds. Zander questioned Coral about her knowledge of magic and
she could only define it. Seeking more answers the party headed off to the Great
Library. Along the way they asked Dreamweaver about Steelheart. He revealed he
had known of her mother, an explorer like him who once left the valley. It was said
that she had discovered two tribes of people, one of which had held her captive whilst

the other rescued her. Meanwhile the bored Rogue
continued with her habit of randomly wondering off. She
flew away on her own flying disc, and immediately
encountered a rather rude male Elf. He was whizzing
around dangerously fast on a disc, and she saw him spit
on a pedestrian – EW! She flew after the Elf who sported
spikey pink hair. She managed to catch up with him and
questioned his behavior. He waved her off with a one
finger salute, as she challenged him to a dual. He laughed
as she called him a coward. Facing each other, at 30’ up
in the air, the Elf agreed to the dual. As he produced his light saber, the diminutive
assassin nailed him with a crossbow bolt straight through his chest. He broke out in
tears and immediately fled in the opposite direction. Out of crossbow range, the
Halfling pressed a button on her newly acquired torch and fired. A shot of energy
from her blaster struck the Elf in his back causing him to lose his balance. He flew
face first into a building before falling off his disc and plummeting to his death. Riley
rejoined the party as they arrived at the library. She told them of her recent adventure
to which Dreamweaver applauded. He said there would be no issues as the elf she
encountered was likely a bully.

Inside the library they observed signs directing them to various sections -
Generalities, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Societies and Arts. Dusty books

littered countless shelves and there
were banks of drawers. Party
members darted back and forth
between various sections. Zander
cast detect magic and scanned, and
scanned, and scanned. Nothing.
Riley looked for the oldest book she
could find. She spotted an unusually
large and rather rotund male Elf
using one of the chairs. He identified
himself as Moros Bookfondler, who
just like Dreamweaver, was
absolutely puzzled at the sight of the Halfling. The two discussed his interest in all
things fiction. She quizzed him about his knowledge of Blacklore and he also knew
of Steelheart’s mother. Long ago she left the valley and stayed with two tribes, one

group was the Genites, and the other the Neothars. Her adventures took place
somewhere beyond the mountains. Moros told Riley about a secret closed off area
within Historical records referred to as ‘experimental’. Apparently there had been
an accident in that section but he could show her how to get in via a small entrance.
Meanwhile Graness dug deep into books about agriculture and brewing techniques
as Karn discussed Deities with Dreamweaver. Sat in the Religious section, he
enlightened the priest about various Gods as he read from some religious text called
the Holy Bible. Dreamweaver believed that the Gods lived among the land of the
Deities. The topic then switched to that of the machine he had Coral design and
build…a submarine. Moros showed Riley how to get into the tiny secret room which
comprised of chairs arranged in a semi-circle with weird looking helmets hanging
above them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday 8 April 2018

The room’s design somewhat resembled the interior of
the sphere that transported the party to Blacklore. In the
center was a plaque with an indecipherable Hutaakan
script. Several broken cylinders lay about except for one
that was still intact. Riley took the cylinder and slid it into
an empty slot. Her seat began to vibrate and glow. She
looked at Bookfondler for guidance be he shook his head in confusion. She grabbed
the helmet and placed it on her head. Pausing for a moment, she stared at the large
dial. She nodded at Bookfondler and turned the large dial left as he pushed a large
button. A jolt of energy shot through the tiny halfling and then her body seem to go
limp as it glowed blue. Zander instructed Bookfondler to turn it off at once, but
nothing happened as he pushed the button. The priest examined Riley as she lay calm
and still. He was convinced she was in some sort of coma. Suddenly a ‘ding’ was
heard and the halfling awoke. She felt fine and revealed she travelled to another
place, outdoors in a grassy field to be exact. The was a red sun in the sky and lots of
small animals about. It felt as if she was there. The party were informed that the
library was closing. Bookfondler advised that he was securing the one intact cylinder
when they departed. As the party were gliding back to their apartment with
Dreamweaver, Zander noticed that the Sun was not actually real. It appeared to be a
metal sculpture with a magical light spell cast on it. Tillio was sent up to explore
the area and twenty minutes later returned. The owl was able to perch on the Sun’s

metal rays and discovered a large blanket was hung

behind the sun. Suddenly Zander’s communication device

began ringing and an image of Deithryl appeared. She

announced that there were significant crowds gathering outside

of their apartment, including someone known as ‘the Press’.

Dreamweaver immediately lit up like a continual light

spell. He beamed as he explained that the press were people

who reported news and investigated topical information.

The Rogue managed to glide her way indoors without being seen

whilst the others encountered a mob of people waiting outside

their building. One Elf stood out among them all, pointing his

extended hand towards the party as he ‘filmed’, he introduced

himself as Yenperiel Scenecatcher. Dressed in hose and tunic

with spikey hair, he said he represented ‘Good Morning

Blacklore Valley’. Addressing the three dozen or so Elves that

stood before him, the wizard began dispensing with a lengthy

monologue of his biography and family heritage. The dwarf scanned the crowd and

took note of two elves. The first was a short male elf with a bowl

haircut and thick glasses who was smiling and waving to Karn.

There was also a very tall, dark skinned Elf woman wearing a

black and gold tunic with long black hair with silver tips. She

looked unimpressed with the whole situation. Karn waded

through the crowd to greet Goldwine Antbane, who was the poor

fellow that had been on the receiving end of that spitting episode. Scenecatcher was

quick to praise the fact that someone amongst the party had seen

to the swift demise of the famous troublemaker Yondolaro Longtorch.

Dreamweaver kept wanting his own attention and announced before

the crowd that the party would join him in his expedition at the lake

the next morning. Karn had seen enough and Zander needed to prepare for his dinner

date. As they made for the elevator, a group of women surrounded Karn, whilst the

Ranger noticed she was being stalked by a loner. Karn summoned security so that

they could retire to their apt in peace. Safely back in their room, a night of heavy

drinking ensued while Zander went off to dinner with Deithryl.

Zander and Deithryl discussed quite a bit over a meal of recently acquired purple
wurm. She revealed that her parents were successful in leaving Blacklore, her father
twice. Her mother had taken ill, and on her return to Blacklore, received a steel heart.

This ultimately killed her when she attempted to leave a second time as the device
failed to operate outside of Blacklore. Her family had to climb hexagonal walls,
made of black basalt rock, to get out. They spent two months living with one tribe
and two years with another. She told Zander that currently a lot of the citizens of
Blacklore were depressed. He invited her once again to join the party, but she was
indecisive, pondering if her father was still alive. The topic of magic was discussed,
and she revealed that whilst learning the art of tattoos from the Genites, they used
some type of magic. Zander showed her how to cast Mage Hand and by her own
surprise, she managed to cast it successfully on her first attempt… only to have it
fizzle on the second. They ended their evening by attending an art show where the
pieces on display were merely bland metal rods infused together. The black and
silver haired Elf woman from earlier had put on the show.

LEVEL UP (Party are now level 4)

The next morning brought a massive grin to the face of the halfling as a diamond
shaped fist, an exact replica of her very own, was delivered. Zander was nowhere to
be found as he had snuck away much earlier to delve deep into the mysterious tome
he received from the Hutaakan priestess. Whilst the wizard studied, the rest went
and met Dreamweaver. They traveled to the lake, where they observed several flat
shaped boats moving around the water with automatons
working onboard with huge nets. Everyone was fitted with red
diving suits, each one designed with a special face mask which
allowed for breathing underwater. As they prepared for their
underwater exploration, Dreamweaver was questioned about
his previous expedition. He revealed he first discovered the 10
x 15 sized door… over 120 years ago! The wizard finally
arrived and immediately cast Detect Magic. He scanned an
area and observed that there was an initial 20’ drop, followed by unknown depth.
There was something emanating magic below the surface in one spot. Riley pulled
out her pipe and lit up some ‘Sparkle Glint’ weed while Karn advised a security
automaton about guarding the parties gear. The party enter the water around noon
and as Zander pointed in the direction of the magical source. As they swam, a very
strong current could now be felt pulling them towards it. Dreamweaver began
pointing in another direction and they changed direction and followed him. After
about ten minutes and several hundred feet down below the surface, they observe a
light grey door laying under sediment on the lake floor. Zander attempted to open it
with no luck. Karn helped and it was opened with ease…and much dismay. The great

magical portal that Dreamweaver had been gushing over was nothing more than your
average house door! (good one DM)

Back on the lake shore, Karn ripped off his wetsuit,
screaming while the others shook their heads. The angry
dwarf cast a Thaumaturgy spell, manifesting dark clouds
and suddenly loud rumbles of thunder boomed overhead.
Dreamweaver coward on all fours. Trembling in awe, he
crawled away dismayed with their discovery. Zander
pulled out his disc and called Deithryl who was working at
her tattoo shop. Riley closely examined
some gold coins she managed to grab
from the bottom of the lake. One of the
coins had the image of an Elf on one side
and a metallic bird on the other. Coral was
shown the coin, but she did not recognize either image. Automatons with air blowers
were summoned to dry off the party.

They follow Zander’s lead and head to Deithryl's tattoo and face painting parlor,
which is on the ground floor of the of their building. The scene there was chaotic.
Several dozen people blocked the doorway, with Scenecatcher capturing the event.

Many of them are rude, trying to shove their way forward in line
to get tattooed. About a dozen people in between the crowds are
showing off their new tattoos to Scenecatcher. Most of the tattoos
are on the upper arm, but some are on thighs, cheeks, chest and
back. The theme of the body art appears to be "my favourite party
member of the newcomers". People are heard saying things like
"I prefer the tall one, she is beautiful and statuesque, a giantess,
a goddess of strength and beauty." "The tiny one is the best, she
is so cute and tricky." "The stout, hairy one is the only one worth liking, he just oozes
strength and power!" "You all are crazy, the swarthy elf is the one for me, he has
refinement, elegance and actual magic that works!"

About half a dozen blue security automatons are also
present, observing from a distance. Meanwhile
Dreamwalker made his way to the clocktower platform
nearby and announced, "I have amazing news! The four
outsiders are immortals from the celestial realm come to test
us! The one calling himself Karn has revealed his power to
me! I believe he may be one of several immortals known to
our ancestors. Perhaps Karaktiel the Preserver, or Kargyar
FlashEyes, or perhaps even Haltorthikarn the
Thunderweilder!”

The party begin to take note of more and more unusual looking
elves. A lot of them are thin to the point of anorexia, while others
look obese. The majority wear tunics, hose and low soft boots (in
various colour combinations). Others were seen in nothing but
bathrobes, sweatpants or odd variants of the standard clothing.
Most peculiar are those that had
metallic replacement body parts.
One guy had golden legs very
similar to the automatons. Others
are seen with metal arms, hands,
and eyes. Some even had metal caps fused to their
heads and metal jaw plates.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday 15 April 2018

Using his new Diplomacy feat, the wizard persuaded members of the crowd in an
effort to help Deithryl escape the masses crowding her shop. Suddenly mobbed by
dozens of swooning women wanting autographs, Zander had to cast invisibility on
himself. Tillio was used as a diversion as the crowd thought the wizard had turned
himself into an owl. It worked perfectly as a large number of them chased the
familiar away from the area. Deithryl managed to sneak out without notice, as Karn
ordered the security guards to form a line through the remaining people allowing the
party safe passage back inside their building. Already back in the apartment, Graness
and Riley were disturbed by stones hitting the patio doors. Dozens of flying elves
were seen hovering outside their balcony. Zander requested new accommodations

from Coral. He also asked about the current status of the party’s spherical transport

device. Coral stated that ‘Power Room #4’ was currently off limits. She informed

the party that their presence was required at the administration building. Karn was

elated at the request, convinced they would finally meet someone in charge.

Concerned about safe passage away from the building, Zander instructed Coral to

restrict power to the citizens flying discs. She took it several steps further by shutting

down the entire power grid… including the sun. The party mounted their giant but

smelly pack lizard and safely alluded the masses in the

dark. Forty minutes later they arrived at a nondescript

dome shaped building that had no windows and a lone

recessed door with no visible knob or handle. The

Ranger body checked it revealing a very long hallway

that immediately began lighting up. The hall was only

five feet wide and descended four hundred feet to

another door marked ‘Administration Office’. The door opened at their presence and

inside was a 20x20 room. Much to the Dwarf’s dismay, sat working at a desk was a

gold colored automaton with a moustache. Pleased with their arrival, the robot

pushed a series of buttons restoring full power to Blacklore. The ‘administrator’ got

straight to the point, telling the party they were summoned due to a discovery that

had been made inside the bowels of a great

THROMGAAR (Male Orc Monk) purple wurm. The machine got up and opened

another recessed door behind it. They walked

along a short corridor and entered a round

room with a metallic table in the middle.

Laying on the table was a very large

gelatinous looking sac. Completely encased in

the sac was what appeared

to be a green humanoid?

Karn assessed the jelly like

substance and discovered

that it was an amoeba

which immediately

numbed the skin upon contact. The naked

body of a rather burly comatose Orc was

removed from the sac. ‘Thromgaar’ eventually awoke. Groggy and unsure of his

surroundings, his memory slowly came back to him. He recounted how he was on a

peace treaty mission for the Barleycorn Temple in the Broken Lands when he had

an encounter with a strange ooze. He was disheartened to find his trusty staff was no
longer present, as it was a family heirloom. Zander was the only one who could
vaguely recall the history of that particular Temple. It quickly became apparent to
the group that Thromgaar had been devoured, not once, but twice and this series of
events had occurred quite some time ago. Introductions were exchanged and the
party members enquired about the Orcs skill set. He said he was very good with his
hands and that was good enough for the team. If he ever wanted to get back to
Mystara it was recommended he accompany them. Thromgaar agreed to join the
party as an automaton brought him some new clothes. Ten minutes later another
arrived with a copper & lead quarter staff.

~ Welcome new player Jay Simmons ~

The Party decided to return to Power Room #4, the building from which they first
exited on arriving in Blacklore, to check on their sphere. Enroute Zander tasked
Coral with manufacturing three underwater helms, a device which would allow the
wearer to speak and cast spells. He then
received a call from Bookfondler at the Library
who figured out how to properly use the
‘transport’ chair. On their arrival to the area, the
building was no more…or so it seemed. Staring
at nothing but at a cliff face, the spell casters
used detect magic to discover an illusionary
wall. The roller shutter door was located, and
after a collective effort, they managed to slowly lift it. Inside, the power room was
much the same, automatons going about pushing dials and buttons. They looked at
the party and kept repeating ‘this area is off limits’. The purple wurm was no more
and the tunnel from which they had arrived was not visible. The wizard distracted
the machines by altering the colors of the flashing lights on the wall as the others
searched. Pandemonium ensued and they were asked to leave. The party couldn’t
find a way back into the tunnel and left. Coral announced that new accommodations
had been secured and that the helmets would take a few days. They headed for the
library and passed a posse of security bots moving swiftly towards the power room.
Back inside the transport room at the library, more effort was put into deciphering
the wording on the plaque. Similar to Hutaakan, Zander confirmed the language read
‘Gift from Pharaoh’. The room was a ‘Ka’ projector. Bookfondler was quizzed and
the party learned that one’s spirit could travel to this foreign world whilst their
physical body remained in the chairs. The dial was set for ten minutes and everyone

minus the Wizard travelled to this foreign land. Riley
recognized it as being the same place she had been to prior.
They stood in a vast plain with a large red sun above.
Mountains stood in the distance. Numerous small owls
foraged and hopped about the grass as breezy cooler air
brushed their faces. Holding up their hands they noticed they could see through their
skin as a slight blue aura surrounded them. The Dwarf grabbed a handful of soil and
tasted it…definitely dirt. Floating dark clouds passed in the sky. A closer inspection
revealed they were not clouds but land masses. Briefly, as the sun was blocked by a
passing mass, they could see beyond it. There was even more land, and it was shaped
in such a way that it appeared as though they were inside some sort of globe. Karn

cast a cantrip and confirmed that magic certainly worked. Graness noticed a flock of
something flying a great distance away, only they weren’t birds. They were
identified as Pteranodons, large flying reptilian type creatures with skinned wings.
A plume of smoke could be seen in another area close to the waterside. A sudden
ding rang out and they awoke in their seats. They found Zander in communication
on his device with Dreamweaver. The wizard asked him which book it was that he
first learn of this supposed portal within the lake. Dreamweaver said he actually had
the book in his home and then the communication ended. Karn ordered an automaton
to go and collect the book from Dreamweaver at once. Zander enquired about books
on airships and the lake. He discovered that material related to the lake was missing.
Riley smelled a rat, and said she would go retrieve the book from Dreamweaver.
Zander cast invisibility on her as she whisked away on a disc. On arrival at the

building, she found his apartment door smashed in and his room was completely
trashed. Spots of blood were noticed on the floor. A few people were milling about
outside in the corridor. The rogue took out her recently acquired diamond fist and
set it down on display. A male elf donning a maroon and white tunic, and wielding
a unique sword walked into the apartment. He scanned the room, looking at the
diamond briefly. He ignored it and left. Meanwhile Karn asked Coral for the location
of Dreamweaver only to be told he was…unavailable. He demanded the location of
the automaton sent to collect the book and received a similar response. Zander
contacted Riley on the communication device and she advised what she had
discovered.

The party decided to forgo waiting on the helmets and returned to the lake. Riley
and Zander put on their diving suits as the dwarf tied one end of the magic rope of
climbing around him. The pair grabbed the other end and entered the water. Using a
detect magic spell to aid him, the pair swam towards a glow of magical energy. They
entered a strong current and were pulled towards a large 40x60 opening where the
whirring of large blades could be heard. Not wanting to tempt fate, they tugged on
the rope. Karn and Thromgaar pulled them safely back to shore. The group pondered
and deliberated their next move. Whilst discussing their options, Karn decided it was
time they explored the contents of the gift box given to them by the high Priestess.
The wooden crate, which radiated a lot of magic, was opened and found to contain

a reliquary – a small ornamental box that held a
powerful artifact. Zander used his mage hand to open it.
A single Hutaakan finger radiating immense divine
magic rested inside. Karn was fairly certain that the
finger would be used in some form of ceremony but he
would need time to research and prepare.

They decide their next move should be to return to the library. They arrived around
4pm and Deithryl met them there. A short rest was taken to eat and prepare for the
collective to explore the unknown new world. Deithryl was given the task of
guarding the bodies. The dial was set for 10hrs and they returned back to the same
spot in the grassy plains. The party took a moment to determine that they could
interact with everything, with the Dwarf throwing pebbles at the Elf’s back. By all
appearances they were there physically. Riley attempted to use her disc but it failed.
The wizard sighed in relief after confirming he could cast spells, but was instantly
perplexed as there was no sign of his owl familiar. They noticed the same plume of
smoke off in the distance and took that to be a positive sign of humanoid existence.

Heading downhill towards a
valley, Karn noticed a
spectacled bear standing on its
hind legs watching them from a
safe distance. An hour into
their travels a large flock of
sheep, several hundred in fact,
were seen in the distance.
Almost simultaneously they
heard very odd whistles and
chirps. A dozen colorful flying
snakes with feathered wings darted around the sky herding the sheep. Most were
predominately green, but one was solid crimson. Then a more recognizable whistle
was heard and human male was observed on the other side of the sheep. Karn used
a thaumaturgy spell to project his voice and he hailed at the shepherd. Just as the
loud voice rang out in the valley, a dozen of another type of flying creature suddenly
appeared from behind a hillside. Red and Green colored flying snakes with bat like
wings attacked the party. The snakes split into groups of four as they bit and spat

poison. The wizard took out one pocket
with a Sleep spell, as the monk showed off
his skills with a staff. The priest took out
another pocket with a thunderous Shatter
spell but there was no respite for the group.
A second wave of a dozen plus snakes
came around the hillside… followed by a
third! Luckily for the party the colorful
feathered snakes had taken notice and flew
to their aid. After the last snake was defeated the part looked around and saw the
shepherd heading towards them in the distance.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(see next page)

Sunday 22 April 2018

Awaiting the arrival of the shepherd,
the party rested and healed their
wounds. As they sat amongst the dead
vipers, a section of the ground nearby
suddenly shifted and trembled. A
large mouth made of earth, with rock
teeth, took shape before their eyes.
Speaking in a voice that sounded like
wind through deep caverns, the earth
elemental said it was ‘Gabbro’, holy
priest of the Earth folk. It spoke the
following:

“We of the soil, and those of the flame, are trapped by wicked followers of the evil one… those
followers are folk much like those in that valley where I felt you earlier… but very different in their
core. I cannot take you there - I cannot go near at all, or I risk again the trap that once held me. I
can tell by the way your feet feel foreign to this place that you are from far away from here as I
am also. You are travelers, adventurers that understand the greater view of life. I seek your help.
Please. Remember this: Go to that place…the pit with rock that flows…the peak that smokes…the
pool in the sand…in the rich earth, evil grows...the world shield becomes weak…the worms
gnaw…help us. I sense that the place which you have been seeking is close there as well. Perhaps
they will aid you. Look also for help in dreams and coincidence. You must go far. Cross the frozen
wastes. Talk is hard; I say no more."

Vanishing just as quickly as it had arrived, the ground was left
completely unmarked. As the party digested what had just
occurred, a young man with dirty blonde hair approached the
group. Wearing tattered clothes and worn shoes, he looked a
tad destitute, save for a gold ring on one hand. After
exchanging pleasantries with ‘Dale the shepherd’, the priest
enquired as to the location upon which they stood. “On a
hillside” was not the response Karn was looking for. Dale said
his personal camp was nearby, as well as a village called Kalema – a place where he
was kicked out of. He explained the gold ring stuck on his finger was cursed. He had
been hoodwinked in its acquisition, and the end result meant he always spoke the
truth…and his mind. A lot was asked of the shepherd, unfortunately very little was

gleaned. He hadn’t a clue about Gods, temples, volcanoes or even the time of year.
He did know of an ancient song the shepherds once sang of Otzitiotl, and that one
could tell time by the movements and positioning of the flying land masses overhead.
Several party members noticed the red sun had yet to move during their visit. Zander
asked him if it ever got dark. The clueless shepherd was eventually told to shut his
eyes to understand the meaning of the question. Apparently it never did in this place.

Dale spoke of the history of
his people, explaining they
were nomadic. They would
move from place to place,
always building a statue of a
sleeping giant wherever they
went. Legend had it that the
giant would protect the
people, however he was
convinced no one actually
believed it. He also spoke of
raids upon the village. Pirates
in ships would come ashore
from across the bay, pillaging Kalema, but he was sure the attacks had had stopped.
Dale eventually brought them to the sea side village which, by all appearances, was
still being attacked. Roughly two dozen primitive looking thatched roof buildings
governed a wide gravelly beach. Overlooking the village was an immense cliff face,
where the incomplete carving of a sleeping giant statue was located. No visible ships
were in port. A lone guard wielding a spear lay on the sand. He knew Dale well
enough and was spoken to briefly about the location of the
village mayor. Zander took interest in a beggar who sat on a
trail holding out a broken bowl. The Elf parted ways with a gold
piece and the scraggly old man grinned and gestured for him to
approach. An old scarf covered Noseless’ face and his
outstretched arm handed a coin made of tin to Zander. It had
strange indiscernible markings. Further along, ‘Fletcher’ the
mayor was found among a small crowd. More pleasantries were
exchanged and the party learned of the comings and goings of
a group called the Nithians. They were traders from the south
who would visit far more frequently than the pirates. It seemed the folks of Kalema,
despite their misfortunes, had something of value. Growing wild in abundance in the

area was serpent mint. It was a weed the shepherds fed their winged serpents in order

to control them, however they had yet to figure a way to properly cultivate it. The

main merchant in Kalema was short rotund little man named Mikleman, and his

continued sale of the weed to outsiders had caused much angst amongst the villagers.

This was the reason for the current gathering. The crowd moaned and groaned at

him whilst Mikleman defended his actions and said he currently had none for sale.

Luckily for the crowd, and much to the store owner’s displeasure, Dale the shepherd

happened to have mint available for trading. The wizard managed to persuade the

merchant to return to his shop and avoid further confrontation. Inside, the party were

able to question Mikleman in peace. He educated them on the various groups in the

region. He said the Nithians usually came once a week bringing all sorts of trinkets

in exchange for the mint. They always came along the coast from the south. Up north

were a group known as the Azkans, and in the mountains were nasty Elves as he put

it. The party discovered that the villagers did not use or have currency but bartered

instead. As Zander used a Mage Hand to wave about a small amber gem, Mikleman

recognized the spell as something he had seen recently. Not more than a year ago a

strange woman dressed in fancy clothing had passed through the village. She had

been looking for alcohol, and had used that spell during her visit. The party heard

shouts, “Traders in port!” ringing out in the village. Stepping back outdoors the

party observed four armor clad people entering the

village. They wore full plate mail, and short swords hung

at their sides. Two of them had scarves on their arms,

one red the other purple, and one of the four carried a

large burlap sack. Their armor was dull, and

embossed with a bird, sun and lotus symbol. It looked

very light weight and their helms covered most of the

face. They stood about 5’6, were of slim build with skin

as dark as Zanders. Karn observed they were

speaking softly amongst themselves in elvish tongue. He could discern “Who are

these people?” and “I don’t know, stick to the plan”. The one carrying the sac

motioned for Mikleman to come over to them. The sac was emptied to reveal various

pieces of small jewelry, cheap looking trinkets and baubles. The village folk quickly

collected the items from the ground as the one wearing the purple scarf hailed out to

the party, “I am Arguluan Moneygrower. My companions are Camino Sunbracer,

Miklos and Thalian.” The party approached and all four appeared identical. They

were from Nithia, a large city ruled by a pharaoh named King Ramos who was in

his 4th year of reign. Their camp was close by to the south along the shore, but the

journey back to Nithia would take weeks. Without explanation they offered up
payment for the party’s services. They had a need but did not specify for what, and
offered the handsome sum of 1 gold piece per sleep cycle in return. Conscious that
their time here was almost up, the party offered to walk with the Nithians to their
camp. Enroute the Nithians were questioned and they spoke of magical flying crafts,
and chariots with wings. Karn noticed that the one wearing the red scarf did not like
the sun and kept his head down. They were asked about their need for the serpent
mint, but they wouldn’t elaborate only stating their King wanted as much as possible.
Zander continued to inspect the tin coin he received from the beggar but could not
determine the language inscribed on each side. As the party walked along the beach
behind the Nithians, a recognizable ‘ding’ went off and they were back inside the
library. Bookfondler was asleep in a chair and Deithryl was sat reading. Zander
announced he still had the coin as Deithryl informed them that an automaton had
arrived with a book whilst they were gone. “Dunariel meets the Immortals” was
an extremely old children’s book. Fresh blood splatter was visible on its cover, and
several pages had been ripped out. The picture book told the story of a young elf
who went in search of the Immortals, looking everywhere. He eventually met a large
fish who told him the Immortals were at the bottom of the lake. The fish helped the
boy open a doorway but the rest of the story was missing. The party rested in the
library as Zander continued to scour through the immense tome given to him by the
Hutaakan Priestess. It contained ten spells in total, some of which were quite
powerful. The next morning Karn questioned Deithryl about Coral. She didn’t know
if Coral was a real entity or just a product of the communication device. No sooner
had her name been mentioned, Coral rang Karn’s device announcing that another
humanoid had been discovered in the bowels of the great wurm. She requested a
location for collection and was told outside the tattoo parlor. That location later
turned out to be not the most ideal spot. The party, minus the Wizard, arrived to find
a crowd of people surrounding a gelatinous looking sac that had been dumped on a
grass verge. The press were present again. Much like the first sac, this one also
contained a large green humanoid, only much different to the Orc Monk Thromgaar.
It had the body of a 6’ female Tortle. As the party scraped away the jelly from its
mammoth shell, Karn addressed the cameraman. He demanded to know who
Scenecatcher worked for. He said he worked for himself and that he personally
picked what stories ran daily in the news. Karn scowled and then asked if he knew
anything about Dreamweaver. Scenecatcher said that the kooky elf had been found
attacked in his apartment and was now at the local hospital.

~ Welcome new player Alex Hulse ~

The large Tortle eventually awoke from its
slumber. Her name was Scüt, and much like the
Orc, she was a confused about her surroundings
which included a mob of unusual looking elves
surrounding her. She was advised that all
would be explained in due time but that her
current surroundings were not safe. Taken
aboard one of the floating discs, she was
whisked away as Karn used a Thaumaturgy
spell to distract the crowd. She was elated with
her discovery and much was explained to her
enroute to the library. Back in the room, the
wizard still had his head buried in the large book. Scüt made it known that she was
a Paladin, and was aware of the purple wurm that had devoured her. Outfitted with
long sword and shield, she very much wanted to see the return of KA the Preserver
to the known world of Mystara.

The party headed to the hospital to see Dreamweaver. Arriving to another mob of
people outside a large pink building, the Paladin decided she would remain outdoors
to spread the good word to the depressed looking elves. Upstairs in room 314,
Dreamweaver lay asleep in a bed. Covered in bandages, he had lost a foot, and his
gorgeous blonde afro was no more. Half of his head was now covered in a metal
plating. He awoke but did not instantly recognize the party. The Ranger lay a hand
on him and he began to look healthy again. The name Zippy struck a chord and his
memory slowly returned. Karn shoved the children’s book in his face and pointed to
the torn out section. Dreamweaver recounted the remainder of the story as best he
could. The boy had gone through a pair of glowing white doors with gold trim,
eventually finding the Gods. He lived with them for a while in a brand new world
where you could have whatever you wanted. The party asked him about his injuries
but he couldn’t remember anything.

Returning once again to the hideaway within the library, the party discussed their
next move at great length. They recounted much of their long journey thus far for

the benefit of Thromgaar and Scüt. The ‘unholy’
symbol was brought out and shown to the new
party members. The Paladin immediately
shuddered at the sight of it. Turning a different
shade of green, she said the unique item
represented Thanatos, the patron God of Death and
Destruction, and she wanted it done away with. It
was at this moment that they also made an
interesting discovery about the item. It actually
appeared differently to each of them as they held
it. One saw it as a symbol of two snakes wrapped
around a staff, whilst another saw it as a golden
hammer.

------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday 29 April 2018

Deithryl and Karn engaged in conversation concerning the events that transpired
when her family first departed Blacklore. She recounted frigid cold temperatures and
lots of snow. They had travelled for days across thick ice before being captured by
a humanoid tribe. The Genites wielded spears and wore fur clothes. They toyed with
killing her father and enslaving her mother into marriage. Thankfully they were
rescued by the Neothar’s, another humanoid tribe that wielded bows and arrows.
Zander asked if she remembered seeing any volcanoes but she could not. Karn’s
communication device rang once again. Coral was brief and abrupt, requesting the
party return to the area where they had recently collected the Paladin. Zander pulled
out the tin coin again and cast Detect Magic…a minor radiance emanated around it.
Scüt ordered a battle axe and hammer before the party departed minus the Wizard.
Zander remained to continue reading and conveniently ordered cold weather gear.

Arriving to the now all too familiar crowd, this one included
school kids with teachers. Unlike before, this time there were
twenty-two large gelatinous sacs spread out on the grass.
Riley wasted no time and cut open a sac with her dagger.
Suspended in goo was a neatly severed head – an albino
looking elf with really large pointy ears. Thromgaar,
Graness, and Scüt followed suite and found the same.

The heads were hideous, and some had large purple
birth marks. The Ranger and Paladin, not being careful
as they handled the heads inside the goo, suddenly
found their arms going limp. Coral was summoned and
asked if it was at all possible to resurrect these
creatures…she advised against it. Karn asked what race
the creatures were and she hung up. The Priest
immediately became concerned with what he was
seeing and cast a Detect Evil spell. Scanning the recently removed heads, a wave of
wickedness hit him. He announced the heads were emanating evil, as the Paladin
deduced the heads had been severed cleanly by a circular blade. The Rogue ignored
Karn’s announcement and kept going through the sacs. Riley’s persistence paid off
as she discovered a fully intact body. Inside a sac was a completely bald halfling
woman. Zander, who had finally rejoined the group, cleaned her off with a Mage
Hand.

~ Welcome new player Ceilidh Burke ~

Tamwyn awoke from her slumber to curious stares. Clothing was supplied to the
naked Halfling as the Wizard provided brief insight into
her current surroundings. Karn noticed something new
- a number of sacs contained not only the severed heads,
but shards of a greyish colored metal. The shards were
of various sizes, light weight and razor sharp. Zander
was handed a piece and determined it was world shield
metal. Sixteen pieces in total were collected by the
party, as the Halfling Monk requested she be supplied
with a spear and bow.

TAMWYN – Female Halfling Monk The party returned to their room at the library once
again. Karn enquired with Bookfondler about any

material the library might have on Blacklore races. The obese Elf took the Dwarf to
a different section of the library and the pair were followed by the Paladin. As
Bookfondler removed an old text from a dusty shelf, the Tortle pulled out one of the
severed heads she had hidden in her shell. Bookfondler immediately threw up at the
sight of the now decayed head. Karn, unperturbed, flipped through the book titled
“Races to be aware of”. He discovered the heads belonged to a race known as
‘Schattenalfen’. They were “Elves of the Shadow” and a drawing provided showed