Mystara Game Journal JAN 2019

they wore purple and red cloaks. The Dwarf, having read enough, handed the book

to the Tortle. He discussed the discovery with the others but none knew of the race.

After regaining his composure, Bookfondler assisted the Wizard in locating books

with maps of the area. During this time Bookfondler made it known of a recent

breakthrough he had made. Having scoured through various old religious texts, he

learned much about a group called Nithians. He rambled on about a many number

of things from one book. Apparently, a very long time ago, there was a huge accident

involving a great rain of fire which lead to the elves placement in the valley. From

another book he learned about the early times, when there was never darkness and

the sun was red. A place called Nithia

was located to the north, and another

called Olmek was north of that. Trade

at that time was aided by the use of

these amazing flying vessels…chariots

that were much larger than the discs

used in Blacklore. The Olmekians flew

on great winged beasts called

dragons, and there was another race

across the ocean in the west that

travelled on Vimanas. At some point, the race of Hutaakans appeared and alliances

were made. Then something major happened roughly two or three thousand years

ago. Any contact was lost and all communication was cut off from the outside world.

The Wizard eventually located two maps. One was of Blacklore Valley, and the other

was of a continent called Blackmoor. The map of Blacklore was shown to Deithryl

who pointed out the area her family chose to leave from. Scüt wasn’t satisfied with

the exploration of the lake thus far. Accompanied by Graness and Tamwyn, the trio

set off whilst the others remained at the library. Karn focused his attention on the

reliquary, whilst the Thromgaar went out to collect food items in preparation for

their intended departure. Having arrived at the lake followed by a dozen citizens, the

trio flew out to the center of the lake on their discs. Satisfied with their position, they

dove in and swam down over two hundred feet to the bottom. Peering about through

the murky water, the Tortle suddenly noticed a mammoth fish approaching. Not

panicking, the Tortle
managed to communicate
in ‘Aquan’ with the
behemoth as it eyed them
up as a potential snack. A
deal was struck as the fish
knew of the area they
were seeking. In
exchange for food, it
brought them before a set
of large double doors. Set
at an angle, the doors were secured by a huge chain and pad lock. The Paladin
dubbed the great fish ‘Brindo’ and promised to return in due course with plenty of
food for his new friend. The trio returned safely to the surface and headed back to
the library. Elated, they shared their fascinating discovery with the others. Scüt felt
it only necessary to ring Dreamweaver at once. Having never met the Paladin, or a
Tortle for that matter, the quirky Elf was most confused upon answering.
Questioning his choice of medication, Dreamweaver quickly hung up on the Tortle.
The Rogue went one step further and visited Dreamweaver at the hospital. She kept
it brief telling the bed ridden Elf that he was right. The Paladin ordered up a ton of
any available meat, whilst the Priest requested a barge be waiting at the lake for the
party.

Out on the lake, everyone minus Karn and Deithryl, entered the water. During their
descent, Scüt located Brindo quite easily. The Rogue, straining to see through the
murkiness, examined the lock. Frustrated she was unable to pick it, the Ranger swam
forward with bolt cutters she had in her possession. The chain was broken and
Thromgaar pulled at the doors. They opened, automatically, on their own. Beyond
the waters was a large water filled room. A singular door was seen on an opposing
wall with two large buttons next to it. As the buttons were pushed the doors closed
back and the room drained of water. The Paladin pulled out her communicator and
rang the Dwarf. Broken images were received on Karn’s end as he was appraised of

what the party had found. Riley decided to return

to the surface as the party ventured beyond the

door. A ten foot wide metallic ‘pipe’ passage was

entered, and they found themselves inside a tunnel

system. A few of the tunnels were explored. Each

tunnel lead to rooms that had two metal ladders.

One ladder went

down quite far, and

the other went up

forty feet to a ledge.

Also present were in

these rooms were

ancient automatons

wielding tridents.

They stood

motionless until the Wizard spoke to one. It

replied in slow grinding speech. They ascended one of the ladders to find a single

door that was locked. The Paladin had no issue forcing it open. Beyond the door was

a long and very narrow (five by five) passage way. On the left side were thick plates

of glass, through which they could see rushing water. On the right side were panels

covered in dials and buttons. The party members had seen enough for the time being

and decided to return to the barge. Safely back at the library, a vote was taken to

decide where to venture forth next. The two newest members, Scüt and Tamwyn -

along with Graness, voted to continue exploring the lake room. The remaining four

outvoted them and it was decided they would leave Blacklore altogether. The party

took their nights rest, and whilst the Rogue and Wizard were on watch, the following

occurred…

DREAM SEQUENCE

They are standing in a cold, dark, still place. A dim light gradually illuminates a man
standing in an egg shaped hollow. They recognize him as Asterius, dressed as his
statue was at the shrine in Hutaaka. The image seems to be slowly receding into the
background. This resets and repeats often, irregularly at variable speeds… leaving
trails in the mind’s eye. He speaks as though from a great distance and with effort
and pain:

“I cannot connect with you for very long, and even this short ‘greater dream
sending’ takes tremendous effort. One way message only… you temporarily
destroyed some of his creatures… distracted them… and him… away from me…will
try to anticipate your questions… so… difficult to think and talk at same time. The
immortals all were tricked into leaving this reality. I was left to stand guard but
the evil one captured me. He did not go with the others but sent a clone with them
instead to fool us. Another group has foiled phase one of the dark lord’s plan. That
plan was to bring night to the hollow world. It is imperative that you stop phase
two. A disciple of the foul one, named Koresh Teyd has awakened the Annelids. He
is somehow controlling them and directing
them to tunnel between worlds. If enough of
these tunnels are made then the dark lord will
achieve extreme power and become
undefeatable. This must be stopped at all
costs. Once that is done then the immortals
can be rescued. I can do two things to help,
even though I am trapped and limited in my
power. I can offer those of your divine casters
who are capable, 3rd level spells. I can use
lesser dream sending to aid you occasionally…
when the evil one is looking elsewhere.

---Fading away

Be careful … the followers of the dark lord are not so limited in their casting. You
have attracted his attention already. Expect his wrath…”

---He fades out.

The next morning, as they collected their new snow gear, large crowds began to
gather upon hearing of their intended departure. Upon reaching the base of the cliff,
Zander sent up Tillio to investigate. The owl discovered that there was indeed a small
gap in between the mountain side and a large thick tarp that served as the sky. Two
trips were made on their trusty pack lizard whilst the Rogue lit up her pipe. They
reached a point where a large trampoline like sheet, secured with massive metal
pitons, met the cliff face. Riley flew up, into thick mist and cloud, and the

temperatures immediately dropped. The cliff continued upward a great distance
before finally reaching an artic plateau.

The sky was blue and the sun a deep red. She flew back and appraised them of the
bitter cold conditions ahead. The party donned their new winter garb. They
attempted to use their Blacklore devices only to discover they were no longer
functional. As the party began their ascent, Karn lost his footing. Thankfully there
was a well-placed tarp that caught him as he was aided back up by the Rogue. At the
top the polar landscape was coupled with bright sunny conditions. The party walked
for three hours and came to a long narrow bridge made of ice. An ominous looking
deep chasm lay below it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday 6 May 2018
{Credit to H. Komanski for the following account}
The party noticed in the distance two red figures following them, and they were
dragging something large. Tillio searched out and saw that the pair looked like
residents of Blacklore valley as they had the same arctic gear currently worn by the
party.

They waited until the figures arrived huffing and puffing. It was Bookfondler from
the library, accompanied by a friend of his, Ralahorn Spellcaster.

They told the party that Coral had gone berserk and that there were initially three of
them, another called Skytoucher. As the trio tried to leave, they were joined by many
other denizens. Coral began directing automatons to bring the residents back, as
they tried to fly up on their disks or climb the wall. Their friend Skytoucher created
a diversion so that they could escape. They
managed to get up and over the ridge, but some
half dozen automatons remained in pursuit. Their
goal, Bookfondler said, was to return the citizens
to the safety of the valley. As they recounted what
had occurred, in the distance could be seen a
collection of automatons trudging through the
snow. Occasionally one would fall over. There
were explosions as well as some automatons were
seemingly succumbing to their great age. The
citizens of the valley were sent forwards to the ice
bridge, whilst the party decided to cover the
escape. The party decided to attack the
automatons from range and for a few minutes
Graness scored a couple hits with her bow. But most of the party members lacked
ranged weapons, and the machines kept coming. Thromgaar was the first to lose
patience and charged into melee. Perhaps his Orcish blood came to a boil, perhaps
his monkish training momentarily failed, and he fell into a blind rage. He squared
up against one of the giant machines…thwack, thwack, and thwack he struck it with
this staff. Once, twice, thrice, rocking the automaton slightly. But then it turned its
attention to him, and the party noticed for the first time the enormous trident the
great machine wielded. It swung and stabbed, impaling poor Thromgaar, his life
blood sprayed across the snow. The party, throwing caution to the wind, rushed to
save their Orc companion. They battled and stopped three of the machines…but
noticed even more on the horizon. Among the group was a massive automaton,
unlike anything they had seen before. It would propel for short distances on pillars
of fire. It would lift, move a short distance and then fall to the ground. It eventually

got close before stopping, placing its huge hands close to its chest. Suddenly, a blast
of energy shot forth from the chest and hurtled towards Karn. A fiery ball arced
forwards and ploughed into the snow and ice next to the dwarf’s feet. The
automatons were advancing, but slowly, except for the Gargantuan, who kept
lurching forth on jets of fire. The party doubled their pace toward the bridge. When
they arrived, Karn contemplated shattering the bridge to prevent further passage to
the automatons. As the party trundled past, Karn examined it and was fairly certain
under the coverage of ice was a core of solid rock. The machines slowly but
gradually fell behind, but the Gargantuan continued its relentless pace, firing canons
when it could at the party as they navigated the icy bridge. And then, in that moment,
as the giant machine blasted into the air, it seemed to lose control, and plunged over
the edge into the cloudy chasm below the bridge.

The party continued their journey as best they could. Bookfondler advised that he
had brought with him enough provisions for a long journey. For over a day the party
continued on across the snow, with no sight of any other living being. They made
camp, and that night, some had dreams of the imprisoned god – Asterius. The deity
seemed in great pain, but told the party they were on the right track, maybe not just
the correct direction. They knew they needed to get a bit west, but a small mountain
spur blocked their path. The next day they climbed over it before making camp
again.

In the middle of the night they were assaulted by some ice
worms. Two sets of them, which Zander recognized as
Frost Salamanders. The creatures seemed to be immune to
all damage other than magical damage – and proved very
susceptible to FIRE! They dispatched the frozen creatures
before resuming the rest.

LEVEL UP (Party are now level 5)

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Sunday 20 May 2018

Karn couldn’t help but overhear an ongoing dispute between Bookfondler and
Spellcaster. The librarian was convinced that his friend, despite his name, couldn’t
cast a spell to save his soul. Spellcaster laughed off his notions. The party set off and
after four hours, a white feral animal was seen some distance away by the dwarf. He
pointed it out to the rogue who determined it was an arctic fox. They travelled for
several more hours, but unable to tell time, they stopped only when it felt like
evening. Whilst setting up camp, the dwarf once again noticed distant movement as
a dozen deer were observed grazing through the snow. Graness took immediate
interest in the largest stag in the group. During their downtime the Priest and Paladin
meddled about with the reliquary, Thromgaar built himself a new spear, and the
Ranger spent time with her latest animal acquisition – soon to be companion. Apart
from a few sheep passing through, the night was uneventful. In the morning, the
wizard sent up his owl to scout ahead.
On the familiar’s return, Zander warned
the party of imminent danger. Two
groups of feathered beasts had taken
note of the owl in flight and was
following it back to the party’s location.
There was a small pack of eight not far
off, and behind them was a much larger
group… close to thirty.

Battle preparations were made as the party split into two groups and took hillside
shelter. Tillio was given some of the purple wurm meat to strategically place for the
advancing group. Riley whipped out her trusty pipe and began to fly. Whilst
positioned at a safe height, the halfling took aim at the now grazing dinosaurs and
easily dispatched six of them. The remaining two took off to join the safety of the
much larger group. More meat was piled up in preparation. The large group split into
two groups of fifteen. One approached the party whilst the other circled at a great
distance. Zander let rip a huge ball of flame towards the advancing group who were
immediately singed. Five barely survived the fireball, as a cube of darkness suddenly
surrounded a trio of the feathered beasts. It took a few moments for the party to
realize that Spellcaster had actually cast a spell. Tamwyn took out a dinosaur from
her safe distance whilst the Paladin decided to approach the magical darkness. She
was attacked as soon as she placed her tortoise head inside it. The dwarf summoned
thunder claps in sight of the other group which were content on staying well away.
It was at this moment that the owl noticed riders in the distance. Twenty or so men
on horseback, wielding strange looking
bows, were less than a mile away
headed towards them. Karn boomed out
a customary hello from their position.
Not long after, ‘screamer’ arrows
rained from the sky and landed in the
ground around them. The horsemen
eventually spread out and stopped near
the burnt carnage. They were tall, dark
skinned humans with pointy beards.
They wielded funny looking short bows
and broad swords hung at their sides.
Their clothing had triangular patterns,
and they donned turbans and wore lots
of gold jewelry. A small contingent
approached the riders. Introductions
were made by the Wizard. They were
spoken to by the most impressively
dressed rider of the twenty. They were Jennites who worshiped the God Tarastia. He
was not at all familiar with Hutaakans, but was most impressed with the level of
destruction dealt to the dinosaurs. He informed the party that they would be taken
into their custody, the purpose for which was for trial where it would be determined

if they were friend or foe. The party were told

to dispense of their weapons just as a huge

heard of Aurochs approached, four of which

were pulling a massive iron caged wagon.

The party complied and followed the wizards

lead by entering the large cage. They

travelled for over two hours, during which

time the landscape changed quite a bit. Snow

turned to grass and streams. They eventually

arrived at a very large

Tarastia Patroness of Justice and Revenge, settlement. Huge leather
Mistress of Truth and Order tents were surrounded by
village life, women
Alignment, Sphere: LN, Energy working and teaching
children archery, whilst
Symbol: Black executioner's axe others were farming and
performing other crafts.
Portfolio: Law, Order, Truth, As their caged wagon
Justice, Just Vengeance came to a halt, they
observed the leader of the
Worshipped in: Known World group speaking with a
(Thyatis, Karameikos, Darokin),
Norwold, Savage Coast Hollow
World (Jennites, Milenia)

Followers' Alignment: Any; Clerics
must be Lawful

Favoured weapons: Battleaxe
(allowed all bludgeoning weapons
and axes)

diminutive rider, who was very well dressed and wearing a face mask. The rider

came over to the party and removed his coverings. Deithryl gasped and exclaimed

“Father!” His name was Dennethriel, and he said he would do all he could to help

us. He said they would eventually be brought before King Diathor in the morning.

The party were taken to bath tents and given comfortable linen clothing. Dennethriel

advised that the King was a priest who was open to receiving gifts, with a penchant

for gold and warhammers. The party rested for the night in comfortable conditions.

In the morning during breakfast, they discussed at length what gifts should be
offered. Zander produced a spinning Galantrian platinum coin. After some
deliberation they came up with four gold wrist bands, five hundred gold pieces,
magical spray silver, a +1 dagger, a generic warhammer, and the wizards spinning
coin. The party were taken before King Diathor. He was in his late 50s and adorned
in gold jewelry, wearing loads of bracelets and earrings. Karn couldn’t help but
notice that the King had behind his back an exquisite black warhammer. It appeared
to have some sort of intricate carvings. Zander spoke for the group and began by

presenting the spinning coin. After a few tries King Diathor managed to spin the

coin on his own and was mildly impressed. He went through the remaining items

but none of it really seemed to peak his interest. Sensing the party was teetering on

coming up well short, the dwarf stepped forward and requested his golden hammer

be brought forth. A couple of low whispered

voices uttered “nooo…” The King snapped his

fingers and moments later a number of guards

presented the king with Karn’s +2 warhammer.

His eyes widened as he executed a series of

maneuvers with the golden weapon before

placing it over his back. He removed his black Fist of Diligence
warhammer and presented it to Karn. The dwarf

bowed and took possession of the weapon. It

was of fine workmanship - black iron oiled to a deep shine. Every inch of it was

covered in winding carvings of scenes involving horses. The scenes blended into

each other so that they could almost be thought of as one massive scene set in a field

of ripe grain. There are about 400 horse figures altogether. There were scenes of

horses running, walking, playing together, mating, eating, rolling, nursing, leaping,

sleeping. The handle was wrapped in thick, high quality black leather decorated with

interconnected spirals which had been filled with gold leaf. The King stood for a

moment and gazed over the party. His gaze fixed on the Spellcaster. He commanded

to know what the elf had in his heart. When no reply was made he ordered him to be

taken away and locked up. Bookfondler quickly asked to go with his friend and the

two were taken away. The rest pondered how they missed that one, as the King

approved of their presence and released them into the care of the steward

Dennethriel.

Back in the company of Deithryl’s father, the party decided it was time to ask a few
questions. He said it was difficult to explain why he hadn’t gone back for his
daughter after all these years whilst revealing to them that her mother was actually
still alive. He gave them brief insight into some of the various factions that were in
the region. Nithians were to the north, Neothar’s were all over, and the Melenians
still conducted trade with them. Then there were the Tanagoro – a group who had
become extremely war like in the past year after they began worshipping an evil
deity. He was asked about the Hutaakans but he didn’t recognize the name or the
race. When the topic of missing deities was brought up, they were warned that one

had to be very careful discussing any other god besides Tarastia. Zander examined
the priest’s newly acquired weapon which was deemed to be a magical +2
warhammer, +4 vs undead.

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

Sunday 3rd June 2018

{Credit to Henry & Alex for the following account}

{Note - the group is now without the services of Riley Leaf Gaze}

The party spent two days of downtime with the
Horse Lords, and everyone was left to their own
devices. Some bought and traded for jewelry while
others obtained Tattoos that offered magical
abilities. Each of the party were given a loaded
‘gorytus’ - a Jennite composite bow, which had a
quiver of 20 regular arrows and 4 screamers) The
bow was the size of a short bow but made of layers
of bull-horn, wood and sinew glued together. It
could be used well by anyone trained in either long
or short bow, had the range and damage of a long
bow, but the size and weight of a short bow.

Scüt and Karn interrogated the imprisoned Ralahorn. The surly elf had
telekinetically inscribed nonsense runes on the floor and was confident his
"benefactor" would aid him if the worst came to pass. When presented with the
"changeling" icon of Thanatos, he remarked that they didn’t understand the
importance of the symbol. Scüt suggested he incorporate the symbol in his runes,
and he entered a trance-like state, etching a wheel of scythes on the floor. Karn
recognized this as a sigil of Thanatos, and Scüt's Divine Sense identified the trance-
state Ralahorn as fiendish. Thanatos may be Ralahorn's "ideal" Immortal, or he may
even be seeing the true form of the icon, and it seemed likely this dark Immortal is
indeed the elf's "benefactor". Learning of both Ralahorn's dark allegiance and
fiendish taint, Karn stormed off to King Diothor, only to find that Ralahorn had
already been judged "guilty" and was likely set to be executed in the Tomb of the
Outsider. However, before heading out to the tomb, Ralahorn concealed his cell in a
cube of darkness.

Then there was a festival of sorts involving dueling. Zander refused to participate as
no magic was allowed. Scüt & Thromgaar fought first and were defeated. Tamwyn
stepped up and trounced her opponent. Finally, out of pity it seemed, one of the
Jennites decided to duel Zander with magic…and was swiftly defeated.

The King arranged for transport for the entire party from the encampment to the
Tomb of the Outsider – a massive structure where their enemies and unwelcome folk
were taken and dropped into a 150-foot-deep pit. The party were charged with
cleaning it up, as necessary, as nothing should have been dwelling there. And, as just
reward, they could take whatever treasures were found therein.

They entered the large circular tomb, via an outer ring. They immediately
encountered several undead that were determined to be some type of Ghoul – of
which they defeated close to a dozen quite handily. They came upon a large iron
door that appeared to lead to an outer chamber. The door contained a very large key
hole and as someone peeked into the hole - an eye was staring back!

Sunday 10th June 2018

Before proceeding beyond the iron door and encountering whatever it was that stood
beyond, Karn suggested that the party burn the bodies of the undead they had just
slaughtered. The ghouls were taken outdoors and reduced to ash.

Standing before the door once again,
more peering was done through the
key hole. Four very well-dressed
individuals stood beyond in an
outdoor area. They appeared to be
Elves, just over five feet tall with
bright orange skin, fire red hair and
golden orange eyes. The paladin
handed the wizard a set of 8 keys,
which the Tortle had curiously
licked. Using Mage Hand, Zander determined which key worked. Three of these
‘fire’ creatures were encountered in the circular outdoor area. The Orc was on the
receiving end of some fire damage before they were dispatched.

The party gazed at a massive hillside in front of them. Zander sent Tillio out to
research the top of the tor. The wizard’s familiar discovered a large dark hole at the

top and flew inside. To Zander’s immediate dismay, his owl was swiftly pelted by
something and disappeared. A door was located on the opposite side which lead into
a small cubicle with a door. In the next room, two 6’ dark skinned humanoids with
glowing eyes were observed peering back at the party. The priest cast a light spell
on one of the monk’s arrows, and the halfling lit up the room. A dozen undead
creatures split up into two groups attacked the party from both sides of a round room.
Thromgaar and Graness are paralyzed after being touched by the creatures. Scüt
obliterated one group with a Moon Beam spell, whilst the other group was scorched
by Zander’s fireball. Going around the room, they once again found a similar door
leading into a small cubicle room with a door.

Beyond this door was a massive 120’ x 80’high circular room with a fire pit in the

center. Above the center pit was the

tunnel Tillio had flew into. Spread out

across the room were twenty elves. Twelve

of them were dressed in studded leather,

whilst the other eight wore robes. The

party, having observed this from

the doorway, entered combat. Several

stood back whilst the spell casters did their

thing. Karn cast Silence on the largest collection of the robed elves with Zander

slinging a fireball at them. As the Paladin stepped forward, she was met with a hail

of arrows. Thromgaar entered the fray and had his hit points reduced after being

struck. The monk and ranger did what they could with ranged shots as the priest cast

a sleet storm to slow down an advancing group. Feeling slightly out numbered after

the first round of attacks, the party closed the door and retreated to the previous

chamber. Suddenly, ghostly figures appeared through the walls and surrounded the

party.

Sunday 24th June 2018

{Credit to Henry & Alex for the following account}

The party’s short-term goal was to tear through the advancing wraiths, snipe back at
the spell casters, and catch the remainder at the chokepoint. That plan quickly
vanished as the ghosts tore into them. Scüt was knocked to 1hp, with her hp-max cut
in half, while Thromgaar's blows were met with having his hp-max reduced to five.
Instead they opted for the wiser move of a fighting retreat, with Graness, Tamwyn,
Zander, and Karn's spiritual Mjölnir taking potshots at the enemy, while the

corporeal dead were about to open the door. Zander's anti-undead magic missile took
down the last wraith as they retreated. They locked the ‘courtyard’ door behind them
and settled into much needed rest. Karn's appraisal of Thromgaar and Scüt's injuries
suggested they could sleep off the HP-drain. Meanwhile, Xander and Tamwyn
investigated the hole in the roof of the central building, narrowly avoiding magical
attacks. Several hours later, with Tillio now restored, magical silver-spray applied,
Blessings, Aid, and weapon’s magic administered, they pushed back into central
tomb's outer ring. They encountered six martial zombies to their left, and a pair of
spellcasters to their right. Zander promptly cast fireball on the former. Thromgaar,
Mjölnir, and various ranged attacks saw to the casters, while the rest of the party
hacked into the crispier fellows. After sweeping the outer ring, they moved into the
final chamber, finding it eerily empty. Tamwyn fired a Karn-lit arrow across the
room, revealing the remaining undead clustered against the far wall. It seemed they
had hoped the group would examine the execution pit first, giving them the
opportunity to ambush. They charged across the room, but between fireballs and
arrows, the last of them were destroyed before the melee-oriented players reached
the enemy.

They sifted through the corpse-stew for their
reward - although Zander sat to the side,
using a combination of Mage Hand and
Tillio to search the pit. Karn briefly
considered casting a Thunderwave to splash
the wizard with the muck the rest of the party
was sifting through, but then he saw Tillio
pull out a Dwarven Throwing Hammer, and
Karn did not wish to hamper negotiation
prematurely. The party found a total of 49
items of interest, which included weapons,
armor, rings and potions.

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Sunday 1st July 2018

{Credit to Alex for the following account}

The party conducted a quick analysis of the treasure, dragging the light-averse
undead remains into the light, and the dark-averse remains into the dark. After
locking up the dungeon, they returned to the Jennite settlement on foot.

They discovered that Ralahorn's cell was still shrouded in darkness, and no one in
the cell responded to their greetings. Karn cast a Light spell, instantly dispelling the
darkness. Bookfondler lay bound and gagged in the center of the cell. He knew
nothing of Ralahorn's escape, and judging by his sores, he had been there for about
a day. Insight from a fly on the wall, aka ‘shit-sampler’ (Speak with Animals spell),
revealed Ralahorn simply left through the cell door. Thromgaar and Graness found
a trail of bare, halfling-sized footprints leading up to the door, and accompanying
Ralahorn out of the settlement, into a marsh, and finally to a horse, whose tracks
vanished after a few steps. It appeared Ralahorn and this halfling (likely Riley, who
was nowhere to be found in the camp), had departed on a flying horse. Upon
reporting this to the Jennite King, he found that one of nine flying horses used by
visiting nobles was missing - a shame, but eight would still be sufficient for their
intended purpose, pulling a wooden flying vessel northwards, taking the party to
their next destination.

The party questioned King Diothor of the local Jennites (Kingdom of Sefid Jonub).
He revealed that resurrection magic here was legendary. He had never known a cleric
that could cast it directly. He was 58 years old and had achieved the tenth level of
priesthood in the service of Tarastia. About a year (cycle) ago, perhaps a bit more,
the sun went dark for a full sleep and at that same time all clerical spells above 2nd
level stopped working altogether. He had heard many rumours that the Milenians
possessed a powerful relic that could revive the dead and fully heal people.
Unfortunately, although the Jennites and Milenians have had a beneficial trade
agreement for many, many cycles ... this had gone cold since the sleep of darkness.
The Milenian border guards now refused entry to Jennite traders. As such, the King
came up with his plan to fly the party in on an invisible flying raft.

Zander proposed that in the interim that they go monster-hunting. The party took
some time to attune to their newly acquired items before heading out on borrowed
horses…well, Scüt got a lift on Zander's magic disk.

We interrupt this epic tale of our heroes’ campaign to highlight some of the
more interesting magical items the characters have acquired recently.

STORM BREAKER [Dwarven Throwing Hammer]

Karn: This Dwarven masterpiece grants a +3 bonus to attack and
damage rolls. It has the thrown property with a normal range of
20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. When the wielder hits with a
ranged attack using this weapon, it deals an extra 1d8 damage or,
if the target is a giant, 2d8 damage. Immediately after the attack,
the weapon flies back to the hand.

ARROWS OF SHARPNESS

Tamwyn: These unique Jennite arrows are +1. A normal hit deals
2x damage. Crits on a natural 18-20 deal 3x, 4x or 5x damage.
On a crit roll d20, a second natural 18-20 results in a kill shot.

[A Jennite secret technique]

Zander: This legendary ring is made of Rosegold
and is set with three diamonds. While wearing the
ring, one can use an action to expend 1 of its 3
charges to cast a Wish spell from it. The ring
becomes nonmagical when the last charge is used.

Scüt: This Sentient longsword is +1/+4 vs waterbreathers. It is
made of silver, with light gold filigree, and holds a large Aqua blue
gem in its pommel. The sword communicates via empathy. It is NG
with L tendencies and can detect several things. When asked if it
prefers helping protect people, or conquest, it emanates good
vibes for helping, bad vibes for conquest. If you lick it, it can return
the sensation. It was happy to be found, is open to being used to
fight monsters, and feels sad when the corpse pit it was found in
is mentioned. This sword may have a name…

Graness: This massive +1 Great Sword with a broad
blade has two lethal cutting edges. It was crafted for
one purpose - to slay humanoids of great size! It is
+3 vs Giants.

Thromgaar: This Quarterstaff grants a +3 bonus to Attack and
Damage rolls. The staff has 10 charges. When you hit with a
melee attack using it, you can expend up to 3 of its charges.
For each charge you expend, the target takes an extra 1d6
force damage. The staff regains 1d6 + 4 expended Charges
daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1,
the staff becomes a nonmagical Quarterstaff.

Passing by sandstone obelisks as they traveled through desert terrain, they saw a
Tyrannosaurus pack hunting a Stegosaurus. Being more interested in slaying
monstrosities than wild animals, they pushed further forward into the mountains.
Their horses were eventually slowed by the rough terrain. Before long, they came
across a patch of charred rocks. Tillio scouted the area, and spotted a large red dragon
resting, not too far away.

As they debated the merits
of antagonizing the dragon
vs. getting the hell out of
Dodge, everyone carrying
unusual potions quickly
sampled them (perhaps they
had a Vial of Fire Immunity
or similar). Graness gained
the power of an invisible
finger, Thromgaar gained
the power of water
breathing, and Tamwyn
gained the age old power of
unconsciousness.

A worried Karn hastily tasted Tamwyn's potion, hoping that his hearty constitution,
Dwarven poison resistance, and deep medical knowledge, would let him both
identify the poison, and find a quick cure for Tamwyn. He found a chemically
induced nap instead. The wakeful members of the party suddenly agreed they should
retreat. The newly amphibious Thromgaar slung Karn and Tamwyn over a horse,
and they began heading down the mountain... right as the dragon swooped over
them. The Dragon slashed at the Ranger. Realizing the severity of the situation,
Zander pulled out a powerful magical item which granted him the use of a Wish
spell. The wizard unleashed an 8th level Disintegrate spell on the beast, but somehow
it was still alive. Thromgaar and Graness engaged it in melee, while Graness’
hitherto unseen fae companion, Petunia, conjured a storm of blades to harry it. Scüt,
leading the far end of the horses, couldn't close in on the dragon, even with a Misty
Step spell, but did briefly entangle it in Spectral Vines. A burst of flame wounded
Scüt, Thromgaar, and Zander, whilst pushing Graness and her elk, Sven, to the brink

of death, and Petunia well beyond it. Another round of blows saw the wounded
dragon opt to retreat, however with a final strike, Thromgaar managed to slay the
beast. Their relief was short-lived as Tillio had discovered the dragon's lair and found
two larger dragons inside. Graness cast a Pass without Trace spell, as they hurried
back to safety.

Arriving back at the camp, Zander immediately sought out a cure for the weakening
side effects of his Wish spell. He asked Karn to speak with the King for Greater
Restoration magic. Unfortunately, the King did not possess anything of the sort, and
Karn had to shake the Wizard awake to inform him that the elf's best chance at
recovery was through sleep.

The flying vessel was nearing completion as the party rested for the night.

LEVEL UP (Party are now level 6)

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

Sunday 22nd July 2018

The party are destined for Colema of the
Millenia Empire for King Diothor. They need
to locate what is known as the Bat Cave.
[Asterius had earlier sent instructions via a
dream sequence showing them this cave,
indicating they should go there to travel to
Nithia]

They will travel there via a large barge style
platform ship that is harnessed to eight horses
that can magically gallop in the air. These
horses are the finest steeds from the King’s
stables. They are shod with magical horse shoes
that grant them the gift of flight. They also don
large gold-plated antler shaped crowns. Each
horse is guarded by a Jennite messenger stood at its side.

The party depart on the flying ship, gliding through the air a few hundred feet off
the ground. Shortly after their take off the entire ship becomes invisible. Flying over
rocky terrain they occasionally spot a dinosaur below, and a red dragon or two off

in the distance. They spot a group of Cyclops out hunting before passing a volcano
– Mount Fphoceis.

Whilst enjoying the swift breeze passing through
his beard, Karn noticed not one, not two, but three
curious looking creatures flying in a very distinct
pattern. The creatures had three heads – a dragon,
lion and goat. They were roughly four hundred feet
ahead and circling. The Dwarf quickly alerted the
rest of the party and the Ranger immediately cast a
Pass without Trace spell. The Jennite messengers
did not like the look of the creatures and suggested
it was best that they find a place to land until the
creatures had left the area. Trying to find a suitable
spot to land in the
mountainous region
was proving difficult.
The priest pulled out his reliquary. Opening the ornate
box, he questioned the magical blue finger within for
the safest place to land. It pointed towards an area and
twenty minutes later the barge was safely down in a
grassy glade. Unfortunately for the party the creatures
followed and landed roughly 170’ away, their heads
peering and sniffing the air. In an effort to protect the
ship and its prized horses, the party decide to sneak off
the invisible ship before attacking the creatures. An
intense battle ensued, and one of the three became
scared and flew off. Another was knocked from its hovering position and it crashed
into the earth. The last proved the most dangerous as it set upon several of the party
members, unleashing a massive breath of fire. Scüt, Karn and Thromgaar were
scorched but managed to survive the fire blast and dealt with the remaining foe. Scüt
& Thromgaar removed various body parts from the unusual beast before they all
returned to their ship. They resume their journey through the air, flying past
mountains and grassy plains before reaching a heavily wooded area. They eventually
land in a large clearing within the woods and decide it is safe enough to set up camp.

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

Sunday 5th August 2018

An uneventful evening as the majority spent time examining more of the wares
acquired from the tomb. During their rest they all had the following dream…

Dream Sequence

You dream you are a mighty eagle, flying in the sunlight high above a city. Suddenly,
the sun dims and winks out, leaving you in utter darkness. Confusion and vertigo
grip your mind. You plummet toward the screams of frightened citizens. Finally,
there is a light in the darkness. You swoop toward it and see that it is a man holding
an iron scepter that glows like the sun. He raises his arm and you land upon it with
a flutter of wings. With sad eyes, the man looks at you and says, "Corisa." A blinding
light bursts before your eagle eyes and you awake.

The following morning, Scüt was pleased to discover that her sword’s name is
Atlassiana. After breakfast, the Jennites and their invisible flying craft bid the party
adieu, but not before dispensing with some gifts. They presented two boxes, a stone
round box and a square wooden one. The stone box contained an ointment, enough
for 30 uses to recharge any magical jewelry that some of the party members had
received. The wooden box had 15 lumps of dark resin. One of these lumps could be
added to water to drink and it would cure any disease and some poisons.

The Ranger and Tillio scouted the area and before
long they discovered a wide enough path that
appeared to be commonly used. The party’s
mammoth auroch, Steve, pulled a large wooden
cart holding their supplies and heavy treasure.
Most of the group walked whilst the Paladin rode
her impressive dinosaur mount. After several
hours the trail eventually petered out and they
stood staring at thick forest. Thromgaar recalled
seeing an alternate trail earlier in their travels and
the party turned back. A couple hours later Tillio
noticed a small glade containing a group of
people dancing around a statue. Whimsical music
could be heard as the party cautiously approached
through thick growth. A group of satyrs, fauns
and dryads were observed singing and dancing

around the feet of a 30’ statue of a
goat man ~ Faunas God of the Goat
people. The Ranger could not
contain her excitement as she
quickly hailed out to the forest
revelers. After exchanging
pleasantries, she pleaded for help in
resurrecting her recently departed
friend Petunia. They agreed to help
after they finished singing and
dancing…and drinking. Wine and
ale was passed about. The wizard
sought directions to the capital city,
alluding to the fact that the party
had an auroch and cart with them.
A dryad parted the trees from
whence they had once came and
cleared a path. One of the revelers
announced to Graness that she was ‘marked’ as a friend of the Fae as she produced
the ashes. A faun named Murray took possession of the remains and told the ranger
that her friend would be resurrected after a lengthy ritual was performed. Zander
continued with his questions, enquiring about Milenia. The party learned that in the
past year since the ‘sleep of darkness’ there was now a significant evil presence.
People in the area had become…different. Some were meaner and others sad. Giant
bats had become prevalent in the area. Sadly the great Griffons that once patrolled
the skies were no longer seen. The Dryads created another path and the party
departed for the city.

Two hours out of the forest they found
themselves quickly approaching a cart being
pulled by a much smaller auroch. The wizard
hailed the group of Milenians, who were
very friendly and stopped to engage in
conversation. They were traders in school
supplies and provided quite a bit of
information. They spoke of significant
places to visit within the City of Corisa. There was the great acropolis, shrines, and

huge libraries, which all sounded very interesting by their description. However it
was the mention of an ‘Academy of the Arcane’ that caused the wizards eyes to
widen. There were a multitude of temples, the most prominent being for the Gods
Halav & Petra. They spoke mostly though of grave times. The glorious Griffon riders
were no more, apparently disbanded after the event they called the ‘time of
darkness’. Now there were huge flying bats, ridden by the Zargozians. There was a
new Emperor in town named Caracanomnous. It was believed that he was a
Zargozian, who are a sect of evil priests. It was by his hand that many a change had
occurred, such as the Jennite people being barred from entering the capitol city.
Caracanomnous was previously part of the senate, and claimed to be the one
responsible for causing the great darkness (putting the sun out). The event caused
mass pandemonium, the general population went mad and there was ruthless
killings. Most tragically, their former emperor, Andronius, was killed. No one
actually knew how, but many suspected he was murdered during the mayhem.
Caracanomnous had decreed that he wouldn’t ‘turn the sun back on’ until he was
appointed Emperor. As soon as he was sworn in, the sun returned. Unfortunately
they knew nothing of a bat cave.

The party eventually arrive outside of Corisa. Standing before the city gates, they
observed its impressive walls which stood over fifty feet high and were wide enough
for chariots to ride on. They found themselves queuing up to meet with the tax man,
as roughly two dozen guards patrolled the area. The guards wore plumed helmets,
hardened leather armor breast plates and metal kilts. Their shields bore the image of
a great eagle. As the tax man conversed with the first cart, coins were seen exchanged

along with documents. Everyone raised an eyebrow when they could all clearly
understand him in their own native tongue (he wore a translator device which they
later learned could be purchased in the city). He approached the party and assessed
their goods. He was very welcoming, saying his name was Nabulus. He informed
the group that it would cost 6000 Drachma to enter the city.

Milenian Currency
6 Copper Oboli (Rods) = 1 Drachma

12 Drachma (Silver) = 1 Mina
500 Mina (Gold) = 1 Talent of Silver

Not having any of the local currency in their
possession, he allayed their fears and pointed
to several money changer booths nearby.
Zander approached one and produced a shiny
green emerald. After some spectacular
bartering, the wizard was told it would fetch
him 7000 Drachma. A massive 60lb silver
coin, known as a talent, was handed over to
Nabulus. He was questioned about a many
number of things including accommodations
and recommended the party visit the
Common Ground Inn. They enquired as to
the location of the docks and were told it was
on the far side of the city (northern district).
They were informed that the Emperor was in
town for the upcoming games. On a sour note he had closed the Arcane Academy.
Nabulus eventually ended their questioning citing his want to remain employed.
Entering the city which was lined with cobblestone roads, they noticed that most of
the shops and homes had candles burning outside. They halted at the sight of a large
impressive 30’ obsidian statue that was being erected. It appeared partially complete

and resembled a humanoid woman in torso armor. Her
eyes glowed red and she wielded a spear and shield, the
latter with a black sun emblem. An old man standing with
a young boy were overheard talking about the statue.
Zander introduced the group and the man revealed that he
was the ‘statue master’. He said the woman warrior
depicted was Vix – a recently crown winner in an
‘unofficial’ bout vs Corisa’s champion boxer. Apparently
she was the daughter of a God called Zargos, who was
worshipped by Zargozians. (after serious thought, the
priest was convinced that he knew nothing of ANY deity
by that name and it sounded most dubious). The old man
said dark times awaited the empire as their former emperor’s statue was being torn
down that very day. They made their way to the acropolis where a crowd had
gathered. A large marble statue of a man wearing a simple tunic and a crown of
leaves was being toppled. Women sobbed and held out lit candles. Some in the
crowd murmured that he still lived. The paladin grabbed a small piece of the broken
marble as they moved on. The city had a population of close to three million and it
was evident as they reached a packed market area known as Agora. Zander
approached jewelers and appraised gems he had in his possession. Universal
translators were purchased for those in the party who were without the previously
acquired magical cat tails. Their attention was then drawn to a large stage where a

man was shouting out to the
crowd. He was a slave trader,
the "auctioneer", and bidding
was about to begin. A group of
varying aged people were
behind him along with a rather
large metal cage that was
covered with tarp and
surrounded by guards.
Wishing to cash in on their
unwanted wares, the party set
up their very own stall as the wizard announced in his loudest voice “magic weapons
and armor for sale”. After a few rather successful sales, Zander dispensed 130
Drachma to each party member. Tamwyn, Karn and Scüt made their way towards
the stage as slaves were being sold off. The priest appeared nonplussed at the sight

of two children amongst the dozen people being presented. Tamwyn was more
interested in the contents that were hidden in the cage. The halfling monk managed
to use her height to good effect as she successfully avoided the gaze of the guards
and found herself peering through one corner of the cage. All that she could manage
to see through a small space was a huge feline shaped paw. Meanwhile the two kids
being auctioned off were up next and Karn didn’t mess about as he threw out high
bids of fifty and thirty Drachma. The auctioneer happily accepted the overpriced
amounts in swift fashion and handed over the disheveled looking boy and girl, aged
12 and 13. After the stage was clear of slaves, the guards removed the tarp revealing
the contents of the cage. ‘Oohs and ahhs’ rung out in the packed crowd as a
magnificent beast was revealed inside.
A legendary creature with the body, tail,
and back legs of a lion; the head and
wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons
as its front feet, stared back and let out
an impressive roar. It was announced
that this wasn’t any ordinary griffon, but
the winged steed that was once ridden
by the famous Daskas, captain of the
Griffon Guard. And it was at this very
moment that a hooded figured jumped
onto the stage and removed his robes. It
was Daskas himself! Clad in fine leather
armor emblazoned with a huge eagle’s
claw on his chest, he wielded a javelin
and short sword in either hand.

[Author’s note: the sequence of events that follows was one of THE most comical and hysterical
chain of events I’ve experienced in my 25+ years of playing]

During the chaos that broke out, Daskas managed to grab the keys to the griffon’s
cage from the auctioneer, but immediately had them knocked out of his hands by a
guard, landing at Scüt’s feet. The Paladin succeeded in getting them into the hands
of the diminutive monk. ‘I have a cunning plan’ was the look she conveyed to the
others as she lodged the blunt end of her spear into the renegade hero’s back. She
followed it up with a sucker punch and amazingly Daskas dropped in a heap. The
guards quickly surrounded him, stunned that this child sized woman had brought
down the mighty Daskas all on her own. The halfling immediately demanded her

bounty. She was instructed to come to the guard house later on for her just reward…
but she was not having it. She insisted on remaining with her prisoner until payment
was meted out. As the guards discussed other options, Tamwyn cunningly slipped
the keys to the nearby dwarf. Karn, playing along, whispered into the ear of his new
slave, ‘one silver if you unlock the cage…do it now’. The boy, just a tad nervous at
the site of the winged creature, managed to circumnavigate the people on stage with
the aid of a well-timed distraction. An all too familiar booming thunderclap broke
out in the sky causing everyone to suddenly look up. The boy unlocked the cage
door and poof, the stage was instantly hidden in a thick dense fog. The Paladin

managed to toe poke the comatose Daskas with
her foot, successfully conveying enough health
to render him conscious. A loud screech was
heard followed by the flapping of huge wings, as
Daskas and his faithful steed appeared in full
flight from out of the mist. Gleeful shouts and
cheers rang out among the crowd, as Tamwyn
mocked the guards for allowing her prisoner to
escape. As the majority watched in awe and
amazement, the fine hairs on the priest’s neck
began tingling intensely. Ever the astute
observer, Karn noticed with great detail an
ominous looking group way off in the distance.
Perched on a hillside, clad in black robes, and
surrounded by ten guardsmen, stood a figure
glaring down at the dwarf with pure disdain.

After order was restored in the market area, an elderly couple who had been
encountered previously at the toppling of the statue, approached the group. They
offered to host and invited them to dinner.

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

Sunday 12th August 2018

The party made their way through the city with their new hosts, Alexar & Thessa,
stopping briefly at the Temple of Koryios (God of Peace & Prosperity). Karn made
a donation of 50SP and placed the two slave kids under the tutelage of the priests.
Healing was sought for the wizard, and they were advised to visit an oracle named
Phaistos, located three days south of the city.

Ambling along, most were
taking in the sights and
sounds save for the halfling,
whose attention was caught
by the faint cries for help
emanating from a sewer
grate nearby. Summoning
the Priest to go with her, the
pair discovered a petrified
looking young man trying
desperately to get out.
Opening the grate, they
helped him out and noticed he was covered in scars. He quickly ran for cover as a
large black tentacle came out from the darkness below. Within seconds, a most
curious looking hybrid creature had slithered up and out of the hole. It was well over
9’ tall, and looked a cross between a worm and an octopus. A battle ensued, which
saw both Scüt and Thromgaar wrapped up in tentacles. Zander and Karn landed
sufficient blows, felling the unusual beast and freeing their comrades. ‘Cliam’ aka
the rat man, explained that he lived in the sewers below making a living catching
vermin. Scüt cut open the creature, suspected to be some experiment gone wrong,
revealing nothing but sewage. Cliam thanked them for their help and left instructions
on how to find him.

Walking past the Senate building, they paused at the
base where a very large group of Milenians had
gathered. The crowd were listening to an old man
dressed in green robes. His name was Apominos, and
he spoke at length of the trickery and fraudulent
appointment of the new emperor Caracanomnous.
Amongst the crowd was an ominous looking dark
hooded figure, clad head to toe in black robes and
surrounded by eight guards. Suddenly complete
darkness engulfed everyone and then in a flash the
daylight returned. “Behold the anger of
Caracanomnous!” rang out as a ball of darkness shot
upwards into the sky. Scüt determined the darkness had
come from an evil source, as terrified onlookers began

gathering stones, throwing them at Apominos. The old man was quickly surrounded
by his own disciples as the wizard sent forth Tillio. The familiar turned the old man
invisible as Karn cast a calm emotions spell. The stone throwing quickly subsided
with the exception of one, and Tamwyn began pelting the lone thrower with stones.
Karn sent forth harmless tremors in the ground causing the thrower to run off. Zander
cast fiery eyes and stared intently at the dark hooded figure whose face was
completely blacked out. The wizard suddenly heard odd voices around him, as the
ring on his finger began to heat up and glow bright red. The wizard yelled ‘stop that’
in response. The hooded figure uttered “you belong to my master” and then walked
away with its guards. Scüt located Apominos who was greatly relieved with the
party’s intervention. He stressed to them that Caracanomnous had to be removed and
regaled his former emperor Andronius, whose remains were likely somewhere in the
city.

The party eventually arrived at their host’s home where they met Zamarora, a young
red haired woman with disturbing green eyes. She was from the Island of Makalaki,
and was covered in tattoos. Zamarora was immediately drawn to the Paladin, for she
had never before laid eyes on a Tortle. Holding Scüt’s hands, her eyes rolled back
in her head and she began uttering...

'The fog is warm and soothing, Tibernos awaits within. He is a wise man; never
fooled by the slippery words of Caracanomnous. With Halav's blessing, Tibernos
shall set the heroes upon the right path. But the sorcerer has many eyes. They are
discovered! The waters of the bath flow red. . .'

Coming out of her trance, Zamarora stated her visions generally came true. The hosts
spoke highly of Tibernos, saying he was a good and trusted senator. After a meal of
lamb, the party rested for the night.

DREAM SEQUENCE

You are in a tomb. There is no feeling of dread, only peace and stillness. A man’s
body lies on a stone table. Slowly he sits up … you recognize him as the old emperor
Andronius. He smiles and thanks you for waking him. Suddenly he holds a
magnificent scepter in his hand and beckons to you. You hold out your hand. On
it is a ring that you recognize… it is Zander’s hand and the ring is the cursed ring of
wishes. The Emperor touches the scepter to the ring and the ring vanishes. Darkness
envelopes the scene as an earthquake erupts. A towering gigantic figure in black
robes … a figure with rotting wings … springs up out of the darkness and howls in

frustration. His hooded face swiftly approaches you. You see blazing red eyes within
the hood and as you feel and smell his cold rotting breath you catch a glimpse of
the skeletal face. The dream ends.

The next morning, Karn cast a remove curse spell on the wizard’s hand but his efforts
were futile. The ring briefly faded out only to reappear on another finger. The
previous finger was now blackened. Zander and Scüt set up a stall once again to sell
more of their unwanted gear, whilst the rest went out looking for various items.
Graness ventured into a book store, purchasing a manual on buckling. Thromgaar
located a merchant who was hired to craft him some magical bracers. Karn was not
as successful as he discovered there wasn’t a single fletcher within the great city. All
he got for his travels was a small note, handed to him by a rude child who purposely
bumped into him at the market. Moaning on his return, the Paladin handed the Priest
twenty quarrels that she had no use for. Opening the note, Karn grunted as he
discovered it contained a message written in Milenian. He returned to the Temple of
Koryios, where a priest chuckled at him. It was a mere flyer, advertising the soothing
waters of Lucretia’s Bath House.

The Wizard had a successful morning of sales, raking in 19,000SP. He divvied out
equal shares to each member. The party ventured into the market, seeking a gem
seller. Along the way, Thromgaar’s ‘purse of holding’ began screaming “I’m being
stolen” After a brief chase, it was dropped by a young girl who managed to disappear
amongst a crowd. They ended up in Talimacos’ Gem Store where they exchanged
their weighty coin for much lighter gems, learning that Senator Tibernos was seen
headed for Lucretia’s Bath House during the process.

The bath house is a
massive building. Tillio
flew up onto its roof whilst
Tamwyn stepped inside.
She was greeting by
Lucretia herself, a rather
large heavy set woman
who wore a load of silver
and gold bangles on each
arm. She requested 10SP
before allowing the
halfling inside. The

halfling managed to successfully sneak into the right side which housed the men’s
changing rooms. Several men ignored her as she scoped out a locker room at its rear.
A lone guard stood watch. She made her way through a lounge area, where young
boys served chilled wine to customers. She eventually entered the main bath hall.
The long square shaped room had a high arched wooden ceiling, marble pillars, and
contained lots of people, twenty three to be exact. Most were naked, whilst others
wore naught but a loin cloth. Some swam in the large center pool which smelled of
mineral salts, whilst others lounged on chairs. Managing to avoid detection whilst
remaining fully clothed (those natural 20s) she made her way towards the back,
locating two small rooms on each side. One room had a locked door and she could
discern no noise from within. The other was a steam room. Inside was a couple sat
on stone benches. She headed back outside, locating the women’s changing rooms
along the way.

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

Sunday 19th August 2018

{Credit to Alex for the following account}

Zander, Thromgaar, and Scüt entered the main bath hall while others remained on
guard in the changing rooms. Through the power of no subtlety, Scüt located senator
Tibernos, who was accompanied by a priestess named Tassia (A Cleric of Halav),

sat inside the steam room. Tibernos revealed that Emperor
Andronius was indeed dead, but Tibernos had been
preserving his body with the intent of recovering the very
same scepter the party had seen in their dream. The magical
weapon, known as the Milenian Scepter, was said to have
the power to raise the dead. Tassia would lead the party
southward to see an oracle, who could then direct them to
the scepter. About that time, a dozen guards, one captain,
and two dark-robed figures arrived outside. Tillio managed to reach Karn, who along
with the others, entered the main chamber sounding the alarm. While the guests ran
for cover, 6-8 of the bathers were discovered to be disguised bodyguards for
Tibernos. As the captain entered the hall, boldly announcing his arrival, he was
brutally met with a flurry of magic. Between the natural chokepoint, and Karn's
channel divinity letting him guaranteed max damage from a Shatter spell, the guards
were obliterated. A Hasted Thromgaar pulped the captain and one of the robed
figures to death before nudely chasing the other one down the street. He successfully

caught up with the evil spell caster who was shrouded in a globe of darkness.
Thromgaar knocked the figure out and carried him back to the bathhouse. Scüt
intimidated the only remaining guard, who was crying in a corner. On advisement
by the good Senator, the party immediately left town with Tassia as their guide. Scüt
chose to bring along the captured spell caster. While he was not undead, the
unmasked Milenian man was discovered to be susceptible to sunlight damage.
During an interrogation, the Paladin learned that he didn't consider himself
subordinate to the dark emperor Caracanomnous, only to a deity he named
vociferously as Zargos. It was also learned that he could be tracked by his
compatriots. The rest of the party took turns beating him to death in his sphere of
darkness, during which he successfully landed a vampiric touch on the Orc.

Tassia revealed to the party that she
was in possession of a magical book
of prophecy. The powerful tomb
reflected whatever was freshly
written in the soon to be visited
Oracle's book. They learned that he
was fasting until the chosen heroes
arrived. In the interest of speed,
Bookfondler along with the cart,
were sent back to the city with a white
robed apothecary by the name of Ereuthalion who they had bought a few potions
from.

On cresting a hill, Tassia felt the book gaining a new entry, describing an unholy
obsidian-fleshed warrior riding a flying silver & gold chariot drawn by a foul beast,
shortly after which they saw the famed warrior Nix flying towards them at great
haste… and with her spear out.

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(See next page)

Sunday 26th August 2018

Tome of Prophecy

“As I write this, the wise Phaistos is within
the circle of bones, kneeling before the Icon
of Halav. Though I know his eyes are blind,
I swear upon all that is holy that it seems he
stares into the eyes of the statuette. The
Icon is a wondrous thing. It is said that
Phaistos made it himself, using his mind's
eye to guide his hands and shape the clay
into the image of Halav. It is so finely
crafted and painted that it looks like a
living person, a tiny Immortal. Earlier, the
oracle spoke to me of the heroes and their
journey to us.

'I see an unyielding evil descending upon
them,' he said. It now takes the form of a
warrior woman. Though she is mortal, the
blood of an Immortal surges through her
veins, feeding her dark heart. Death pulls
her through the sky in a chariot of silver and gold. Lo! The battle is joined. Light
clashes with darkness . . . Alas, I see nothing more.' Phaistos has spoken nothing
since…”

The party were approaching the top of a round, grassy hill when a fearsome roar
thundered in their ears. A creature with the body of a lion, the face of a man, black
bat-like wings, and a tail studded with wicked spikes flew over the crest of the hill.
The monster was harnessed to a flying chariot made of silver and gold, with wicked-
looking scythe blades jutting from its axles. Riding in the chariot was Nix, who wore
black cuir-boulli armor and a helm with a green crest. Her shield bore the image of
a black sun shining black rays, and her skin shimmered darkly like glassy obsidian.
She raised a shining blue spear and cried out, "The daughter of Zargos is upon you!
Doom and death to the heroes of Halav!" Vix hurled her spear at the priestess Tassia,
and followed it up by throwing a bunch of cyclops' teeth, one for each member of

the party. As the teeth landed on the earth, eight
Giant skeletal cyclops appeared out of the ground
and surrounded them. Karn, looking to the
heavens, prayed to Thor and suddenly a massive
storm cloud appeared overhead. Lightning came,
a brilliant shock of white in the now graphite sky,
forked silently as it struck the unsuspecting
warrior and her steed. Vix’s manticore Dracion,
flung spikes from its tail, seriously wounding
both Zander and Deithryl. Scüt healed the wizard
who vehemently replied with a series of unique
magic missiles aimed at Vix’s head. The globes
of bright energy swiftly connected, dropping Vix
unconscious in her chariot. The Giants attacked
in unison, unleashing a flurry of powerful blows.
In an instant, Tassia and Graness were dropped,
with the priestess succumbing to her injuries.
Thromgaar was healed by the wizard, as the
priest stabilized the ranger. The Giants were
eventually reduced to dust, as Dracion continued to flee upwards into the clouds.
Deithryl and Karn drew their ranged weapons. The Blacklore Elf fired long ranged
arrows, whilst the dwarf set off a ‘bolt of flying’ from his cross bow. Tamwyn called
upon the power of her magical tattoos. An ‘Arrow of Tarastia’ took flight and felled
the winged beast who at this point was nearly 500 yards away.

Scüt and Karn said prayers over the priestess’ lifeless body. The Dwarf cast a spell
preserving Tassia until she could be brought before a higher power. Meanwhile the
wizard, incensed to no end, took to the sky by way of a fly spell. He caught up with
the chariot which had begun to slowly fall out of the sky. He was surprised to find
her awake, and with glowing red eyes she caused him more agony by activating the
curse on his ring. Fortuitous in his approach, Zander once again knocked out Vix
and brought her back to the others. She was immediately stripped, bound and
gagged, with a sack draped over her head. The wizard and his elf friend were put in
charge of guarding their evil prisoner as the party continued their journey.

Having traveled for two hours along a
rough trail, they eventually reached a
patch of Willow trees and decide to
make camp. Within minutes of getting
settled, the quiet serenity was broken
when three men came running towards
them. They were under attacked by four
giant bees. The large insects were easily
dealt with and the men, followers of
Halav, expressed their gratitude. They
were saddened to learn of Lady Tassia’s passing for they knew her well, their armor
bore the same symbol as hers. Two of the men carried with them a large ornate
cauldron and explained that they too were headed to see the great oracle Phaistos.
They had received a vision, instructing them to travel to a sacred cave where they
were to collect yellow water from a natural spring contained within. That’s where
they ran into difficulty. The giant bees that guard the spring are normally passive but
something had caused them to attack on this day. The men lead the party to a huge
sink hole surrounded by willows. Graness sought audience with the Queen Bee, from
whom she learned that three furry creatures had disturbed the sanctity of the spring.
The bears remained within, having long over stayed their welcome. Meanwhile, the
followers of Halav began to question the Wizard about the presence of his most
recognizable prisoner who squirmed about in her restraints.

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Sunday 2nd September 2018

Peering inside the large hole, the cave was discovered
to be roughly thirty by twenty feet with a small pool in
the center. Its water was yellow, due to honey dripping
from an enormous hive hanging above it. Attempts
were made by the Ranger to coax the bears out of the
cave, but the stubborn creatures were content in their
honey induced comas. The others grew impatient, and
Scüt cast an entangle spell on the spot where they lay.
Two of the three bears broke free and made for the cave
opening. A battle ensued either side of the entrance. The
halfling somehow managed to negotiate the bottleneck

and found herself inside the cave where she instantly felt the full brunt of a bear claw
to the head. The two bears were eventually dealt with and the third, still wrapped in
vines, was dragged outside by Thromgaar. The body of the largest bear suddenly
changed shape, and before their eyes a naked woman lay injured on the grass. Scüt,
the ever efficient healer, stabilized the woman who awoke with a freight. Startled at
the sight of the Tortle, she dashed for the woods. Tamwyn managed to catch and
restrain the distraught woman. Once she calmed down, the shape changer was
unsure about what had happened to her. Miandria’s last memory was of her
travelling through some distant woods with friends. Graness provided her with some
recently acquired black robes, as the wizard cast detect magic. An alteration glow
emanated but she denied the assertions that she was ever a bear. She agrees to travel
with the party on their journey to the temple as they take a short rest.

After a short journey, the group reached an area of rocky hills. As they made their
approach towards the ‘Shrine of Glory’, Scüt detected that the magical tome was
gaining another entry. She handed the book to one of the followers of Halav who
deciphered it.

Tome of Prophecy

"Phaistos was high atop his scaffolding,
painting his grand murals as usual, when the
creature struck. The sound of cracking wood
and flapping wings awoke me from my
slumber. I emerged from the cave, squinting
my eyes against the light of day, and felt my
heart quiver within my chest at the sight
before me. "I have never seen a dragon, but
surely that must be what this creature was. It
left Phaistos dangling from the ruin of his
scaffolding. With its many heads snapping, the
monster tried to devour the oracle. But, praise
Halav, at that very moment the heroes
arrived. "A terrible battle ensued, and the
creature was defeated. If not for the heroes, all
may have been lost. "Now, they are speaking
with Phaistos. I must listen closely and record
their words . . ."

Entering an immense open area SHRINE OF GLORY
surrounded by cliffs that rose over a
hundred feet on either side, they
observed walls that had been painted
bright colors. Large murals of hero’s
and mythical creatures stood out,
boulders and stone pillars littered the
expanse, and towards the very end, a
gray haired old man was seen atop a
wooden scaffolding. Just at that very
moment the sky grew dark as an
enormous winged monster passed over
head. It was a great beast with many

long snake like heads.

‘Karakos’ the nine headed black hydra
attacked the helpless Phaistos who was all
alone and about to be devoured. Watching
this unfold from over three hundred feet
away the heroes quickly moved into action.
Tamwyn sprinted forward a great distance as
Karn offered Blessings to those close by.
Zander hasted the Dwarf, and the followers
of Halav offered sips of their yellow water to
aid against poison. Phaistos, clinging to the
broken beams, cried out to Halav, and at
once the painted ‘Icon’ statue animated,
firing globes of magical energy from its eyes. Karn, dashing forward, made up the
distance in swift fashion. A flying hammer drew the monsters’ attention away from
Phaistos, as some of the group took cover amongst the boulders. Several of its heads
shriveled as the creature took on fire damage. Thromgaar waded into battle and
became the recipient of multiple attacks, dropping the Orc instantly. The priest
stabilized the fallen monk as the Paladin negotiated the mayhem, healing the injured.
Scüt readied her lance as Karn put himself in between the creature and Phaistos,

successfully drawing its attention away from the injured. A barrage of radiant
missiles, arrows, and smacks from a spiritual hammer, finally felled the monster.
Phaistos safely made it down ground level and summoned healing from the Icon.

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Sunday 9th September 2018

Phaistos was a rather frail looking man with milky white eyes. The great oracle
summoned for his scribe Haestious as the party gathered around him. Many
questions were asked, including the location of the Milenian Scepter. The blind man,
who answered mostly in riddles, had seen the powerful artifact… in a dream, nestled
deep below a hill upon which sat the seat of power. He told them to seek out the one
known as the “Ratter” and he would help them. Phaistos had seen some of the
present, and portions of their future, indicating the party would eventually be headed
for a place called Nithia. The party discussed at length various ways of dealing with
the prisoner the wizard was closely guarding. After a vote, Vix was placed on the
back of the Paladin’s steed. The Hadrosaur set off on its own, having been instructed
to travel as far as it could. After a night’s rest, the priest cast Aid on Zander,
Thromgaar and Graness before compiling a message for Cliam the rat catcher. Karn
attempted to cast his sending spell but was thwarted by the complexities of the
Hollow World. The Paladin encountered similar restraints, taking an hour to finally
summon her hadrosaur. Scüt questioned her steed as to the demise of Vix and learnt
that the dinosaur had conveniently dumped the evil demi-god into the ocean. Zander,
having assessed the items taken off Vix, handed a glowing blue spear to the Halfling
Monk. The magical weapon could blind an opponent for two hours and always
returned to the throwing hand. They eventually set off on their return to the Milenian
city, carrying Tassia’s body on the dinosaur. By late afternoon the wizard could
sense another passage in the magical tome and used Comprehend Languages to read
the latest script. "The heroes have been gone for several hours now. Though he has
not said as such, I believe Phaistos is optimistic about the future. The oracle has
performed his duty well, setting the heroes upon the path of light. Soon they will
have the scepter, and with it they can end the tyranny of Caracanomnos. "But
many dangers yet lie ahead . . . "

Travelling across grassy plains the party
soon spotted a small building in the
distance. On their approach, the dead
bodies of a human and three sheep dogs
were discovered. The owl was sent up to
surveil the area, and immediately
spotted a one-eyed giant enjoying red
liquid from a huge clay jug. Several
magic missiles impacted the intoxicated
cyclops as he sat drinking wine. Graness
cast Hunter’s Mark before lodging an
arrow in its chest. The paladin charged
forward on ‘Haddie’, impaling the giant
with her lance. It struggled to stand up,
awkwardly throwing the jug at the
Ranger. Thromgaar dashed in and
finished off the creature with a swing of
his staff. The shepherd was buried as the
wizard assessed the cyclops’ personal
effects inside a large sack. Nothing of
any real value was found save for a curious looking lump of iron fashioned in the
rough shape of stick figure. They resumed their journey after the Paladin had
finished propping the cyclops up in a rather compromising position. Making their
way past several hills in search of a place to rest, Karn noticed several griffon riders
circling overhead. Eleven in total, marshalled
by Daskas, landed next to them. As a token of
appreciation for their help in his release, the
captain offered to fly them to outskirts of the
city. A couple hours of low flying brought the
party within a mile of the city walls. After a
third time trying, the priest was finally able to
send Cliam a message, asking him to meet
them within the hour by the sewer gates. Karn knew he was successful when he
received a rather confused response from the rat catcher. Zander made the entire
party invisible as they quietly snuck past a construction zone. A group of fifty slaves
were closely guarded by ten soldiers. They were building a new fresh water system

next to a large tunnel. Tamwyn and
Graness governed either end of their
single line, each producing light sources
as they entered the darkness. The tunnel
was twenty feet high and wide. They
gingerly made their way along an
elevated five-foot-wide walkway that
skirted a sea of putrid smelling waste that
was a least ten feet deep. The ranger
halted as they reached a cross junction.
Panning her light source to the left, an
enormous green worm suddenly
appeared out of the excrement. It lashed
out with eight long tentacles. Deithryl
and Tamwyn fired arrows at the beast as
it grabbed ahold of the Tortle and Orc.
The pair were instantly paralyzed in its
grip. The Ranger attempted to release her
friends, but she too was stunned as it grabbed her. The Wizard produced a swift
response, hitting it in quick succession with a series of concussive missiles,
paralyzing the monster. The priest blessed the remaining members as Tamwyn fired
off an arrow of stunning. The giant carrion went limp and slowly began sinking into
the depths of the poo… still clinging onto three party members. Thinking quickly on
his dwarven toes, Karn broke concentration and summoned forth frigid temperatures
as he cast a Sleet Storm. Freezing rain filled the area and the ground around them
instantly became covered with slick ice. The creature stopped sinking as Thromgaar
and Graness suddenly broke out of their paralytic state. The Orc, not wanting to
spend a moment longer standing in frozen shit, quickly applied the finishing blow.

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Sunday 16th September 2018

The Priest said a prayer of healing as the Wizard cast prestidigitation, cleaning the
mess off of several ripe smelling members. With no sign of the rat catcher, Karn
opened the reliquary and asked the magical blue finger for Claim’s location. Close
to an hour later they finally located their guide who was bagging a rodent. Karn
produced a few silver pieces and asked Cliam to take them to somewhere dry and a

lot less smelly. Cliam guided them to a small room, far removed from the stench. As
the party took a short rest, Thromgaar became eager to return to the surface after
Cliam indicated they were directly below the market square. The Monk was keen to
collect a pair of bracers he had commissioned a few days prior. Donning black robs
borrowed from the Ranger, Thromgaar and Zander climbed a nearby ladder, and
exited via a sewer grate. After walking around in circles, wondering if they were
lost, the pair eventually located ‘Thesios’ Gauntlets & Leathers’. The Monk was so

impressed with his new bracers of defense that the Wizard
paid for a pair of his own to be made. They quickly made
their way back, only to find themselves in the wrong
alleyway. Five unsavory looking characters quickly eyed
the two and demanded the contents of their pockets or they
would face a swift death. A dagger spun towards
Thromgaar’s face. In one deft move, the Monk plucked the
weapon midair and threw it back, impaling the thief in its
head. Zander drew his rapier and began a unique dance
routine. The Elf Wizard parried and dodged, his sword
quickly dropping two thieves. A pair of magic missiles
finished off the remaining bandits. They returned to the sewer room to find the priest
questioning Cliam about the scepter’s location. He hadn’t a clue about any magical
weapon, but he did know of an area that sounded like where they needed to go. Karn
dispensed a few more coins, and the apprehensive rat catcher agreed to take them in
the morning. After an uneventful night’s rest, the Paladin sat down with Cliam to
pen a short letter in Milenian to Zamora. The result was legible enough and the Tortle
sealed it with a palm print. Tillio was dispatched to deliver the note, the contents of
which requested Zamora make hast to the city outskirts. Prior
to their entry into the sewers, the party had conveniently
stashed away the dinosaur, Graness’ deer, and Tassia’s
preserved body. The trio needed to be collected at once for
safe(r) keeping. An hour later the familiar returned and they
set off with their sewer guide. Still not keen on where they were
headed Cliam indicated the area was out of bounds for him.
They eventually arrived in a tunnel that was lit up by light
emanating from a passageway above a raised platform. Entry
into the ten-foot-wide passage was barred by an old portcullis.
Just beyond the gate stood an Iron Golem, sculpted in the
likeness of an athlete. Opposite the golem was a crank built into

the wall. The wizard summoned a mage hand and began poking the Golem. As he
did this, the weight of his bag suddenly became heavier. Zander rifled through his
gear and noticed the iron figurine procured from the Cyclops was now glowing and
had become pliable. He quickly deduced that its purpose was a means of controlling
the Iron Golem that stood before them. At once he ordered it to perform an ancient
dance routine known as the ‘hokey pokey’. The others looked on in bewilderment
as the wizard chuckled with delight. He dispensed with the theatrics and had ‘Rusty’
turn the crank, lifting the portcullis. The party followed the passage whilst Cliam
remained behind. Turning a corner, they entered what looked to be an ancient crypt.
Burial vaults made of gold lined the back wall, each ornately engraved with emblems

and runes. Hovering ten feet in
midair was a glorious sight to
behold - the Milenian Scepter! The
magic rod had glowing runes and
was set with an abundance of
glittering gemstones. The light
from the runes filled the entire
chamber with a golden glow that
felt warm against their skin.
Standing directly beneath the
floating scepter, was an impressive
looking champion. He wore leather
torso armor and carried a shield;
both emblazoned with the image of
a mighty griffon. His head was
covered by an iron helmet
decorated with a yellow plume, and
in his hand a glowing blue short
sword with shimmering runes
etched along its blade. As they
approached the warrior shouted,
"Behold the folly of those who came before you!" as he pointed to three dead
skeletons on the floor. "They were not worthy of the scepter. Can you end the
torment of Olynthos the Undying?” Scüt, Graness, Thromgaar and Rusty quickly
surrounded him. The Paladin cast Compel Duel, ordering Olynthos to attack her.
The collective absolutely pummeled the cursed warrior as he stood his ground. He
struck back with his blade; the unique weapon replenishing his health with each hit.

The Griffon on his shield animated and

an eagle’s claw lashed out in defense.

They managed to inflict a series of

lethal blows, causing the bloodied

warrior to collapse on the floor.

However, before they could blink, the

Scepter whisked down and touched

Olynthos. A radiant glow enveloped

him as he sprang to his feet - his wounds Thor - God of Thunder
were completely healed. There were

concerned expressions all around as the

scepter resumed its position. Trying a different approach, Zander hasted Thromgaar,

whilst Scüt lunged at Olynthos. The Paladin successfully grappled him to the ground

and attempted to drag him into a corner. And then something quite extraordinary

occurred. In a fleeting moment it was as if the God of Thunder himself had reached

through time and space to bless the Tempest Cleric. Channeling every ounce of his

divine strength, Karn dispelled the powerful curse that had imprisoned the former

emperor for more then a century. Ba-Dum. Olynthos smiled and sighed in relief as

he uttered his final words, “You… are… worthy”. His body turned to dust leaving

behind his armor, sword and shield.

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Sunday 23rd September 2018

Relieved to finally have the fabled scepter safely in their possession the party
returned to their sewer room. The priest cast sending once again, conveying a
message to Senator Tibernos informing him of their recent success. Tibernos replied
promptly. He said he was inside the Tower of Xanthapon preparing Emperor
Andronicos’ body, but the rest of his message was cut off. Zander detected another
entry and opened the magic tome.

"The oracle was very talkative this sleep, even excited. He told me the heroes have
the scepter! "But their greatest trial awaits, for they must yet face Caracanomnos.
Phaistos has seen visions of the confrontation, which he described as taking place
high atop a mountain of marble. Alas, he said nothing of the outcome. . ."

The party decided it was best to spend the day memorizing spells and attuning to
several items. The scepter was passed around as they tried to assess its capabilities

and means of use. The Wizard determined that it was beyond his capabilities and

handed it to the Priest. Scüt managed to convince Karn that if he were to lick the

scepter it would provide him with even deeper insight into its powers. After a short

rest, several items were identified. From their battle with Olynthos; a +4 Short Sword

that had an eagle’s claw holding a large ruby in its pommel and a +3 Shield whose

Griffon emblem could aid its wielder. As for the scepter, Karn could only determine

a few of its capabilities, which included removing curses and raising the dead. The

item was too powerful and far beyond his knowledge to successfully use. The next

morning Cliam announced that he could get us close to the Tower of Xanthapon.

Bringing us beneath a grate just large enough for the Tortle, the party exited a few

blocks away. The building was as impressive as it was tall. White marble rose to

fifty-feet with a smaller secondary tower on top of it spanning another twenty-five

feet. The walls were covered with carved

images of mythic creatures, and numerous crystal

glass windows. The front face was governed by a

pair of huge copper doors which opened

automatically for the party as they entered the

building. A long hallway filled with painted statues

lead to hanging curtains. Beyond the curtains was a

very large square room. It had archways and eight

thick pillars, each with a coiled dragon whose eyes

provided enough light to illuminate the room. In the

center was a huge fountain which contained a pair of

female statues made entirely of green crystal.

They greeted the travelers and instructed them to

relax for a while and enjoy the amenities provided. When asked for the whereabouts

of Senator Tibernos, they said he would be down soon. Scüt felt the need to go on a

walkabout, investigating a trio of side rooms. First was a cozy bedroom that smelled

of sweet perfumes, followed by a kitchen complete with fruit, cheese and wine.

Grabbing an apple, the Paladin wondered into the last room. She encountered a

startled naked woman who was bathing. A polite hello was followed by a swift

request for the lady to pen a note in Milenian. After getting dressed she obliged the

Tortle. Addressing the letter to Zamora, Scüt asked that she bring her steed, and the

others, to the Tower forthwith. Meanwhile, Tamwyn passed the time by identifying

some items. An Arrow of Light brought no more than a shrug, but little did the

Halfling know that this item would soon be invaluable. The rest grew bored waiting

and joined the Paladin in his pursuit to find an open window to release the owl

familiar. Advancing a stairwell onto
the second floor, they entered a large
hallway. The Wizard eyeballed a black
obsidian statue who returned a blank
stare. Thromgaar decided to enter a
nearby room; an alchemist’s lab,
complete with all sorts of apparatus. It
was smoky and smelled acrid. Messy
tables were lined with bottles and
beakers, large containers lay open
revealing colorful contents such as ash, bark, gelatins and powders. Sat at one of the
tables was a man who was copying a spell into a book. Nearby was an iron furnace,
and a large bookshelf packed with scrolls. The man eventually looked up as the
others walked in and identified himself as Paricles, an apprentice mage to Arch Mage
Xanthipon. He eagerly enquired about seeing the scepter as he willingly opened the
rooms window releasing Tillio. Thromgaar continued browsing and walked into a
bedroom that housed a pair of singing birds in a mesh cage. There was also a bed,
stone benches, an iron brazier, and a long wooden table with books about agriculture
and zoology. Paricles spoke highly of the Archmage – he was chief of all mages in
the Milenian Empire. He permitted the Wizard to peruse the bookshelves, allowing
him to take anything that wasn’t tied down. Zander eventually dusted of an old case
and found it contained a few useful spells. Soon after this, Senator Tibernos finally
showed up. As he took the party up another flight of stairs, the Paladin conveyed the

bad news of Priestess Tassia’s passing. He
seemed relieved to hear that her body had been
preserved and expressed gratitude for their
timely arrival. They arrived inside a square
chamber on the tower's roof which served as
Xanthipon's private lab. Four engraved pillars
supported a tall arched ceiling, which had a
five-foot diameter hole cut in the center
allowing the sun's rays to fill the room.
Archways in the north and west walls opened
upon a circular roof. A few potted trees and stone benches filled out the exterior
which afforded one a view of the entire city. On a table in the center of the lab was
the body of Emperor Adronius. Next to it was a strange apparatus called the
preserver. It had glass globes filled with bubbling gases and liquids fixed to a metal

frame that supported a huge rotating prism hung above the Emperor. As sunlight
passed through the hole in the ceiling, it entered the prism, bathing Andronicus in
multicolored light. Xanthipon was of old age, totally bald and clean shaven. He wore
a white tunic and thin skullcap. He was busy adjusting levers and dials which seemed
to alter the rotation and elevation of the prism. Karn handed over the scepter as the
rest of the party decided to spread out onto the roof top. As the priest watched on
intently, Xanthipon declared that it was the perfect time to remove the Emperor from
his preservation. With the aid of the scepter, he was convinced Andronicus would

soon live again. Meanwhile outside, flying toward them was a gigantic bat with
blazing red eyes. Riding upon its back were two black figures. Steering the winged
creature was Caracanomnos himself. He wore a hooded black robe and black gloves,
his face concealed by a black veil. In his hand was a long staff topped with a crude
skull. Sat on the back was Thravadofus, an incredibly tall knight in highly polished
black plate male with black leather gloves and a flowing black cape. His helm was
dome shaped with a pair of black obsidian like lenses covering his eyes. The giant
bat landed directly over the hole in the ceiling causing the prism to go dark for a
moment. Xanthipon screamed out to remove the creature at once or else the process
would be ruined. Caracanomnos released the reins and let out a loud cackle as he
began flying straight up into the sky. The dark knight performed a back flip,
levitating down onto the rooftop. In his right hand he wielded a glowing red sword.
Tamwyn was the first to react as she pelted the bat with arrows. Thromgaar leaped
up onto the laboratory’s curved roof and unleashed a flurry of fists into the bat’s hide

- killing the creature
instantly. It slid down onto
the roof top below as the
dark knight spun around to
face the Paladin. He pointed
his left hand at the Tortle,
and suddenly Scüt began
choking as a wave of fear
passed over her. Incensed at
the sight of his dead bat,
Caracanomnos released a
lightning bolt, striking the
wizard and ranger. Tibernos,
Rusty, and a Spiritual
Hammer quickly came to the
aid of the Paladin. Tamwyn
steadied her focus and threw
Vix’s blue spear at
Thravadofus. The weapon
connected, unleashing a
blinding flash. A second
attack from the Halfling
caused him to drop his red
sword. It hovered for a
moment before returning to
his hand. While Graness and
Deithryl fired arrows at the flying emperor, Karn finally stepped outside and
summoned a storm cloud. Lightning struck Caracanomnos who steadied himself in
the air before summoning a hovering red sword that attacked the Ranger. Zander,
who had taken cover after being electrocuted, pointed at Caracanomnos and massive
fireball exploded around him. Remembering that innocuous light arrow in her
quiver, Tamwyn fired straight for the emperor’s head. The arrow ripped through his
hooded veil, bathing him in glorious sun light. Caracanomnos wailed in agony as his
head began smoking from the light burning his flesh. Meanwhile, the blinded dark
knight began staggering. He had been surrounded and was being pummeled from all
sides. From a kneeling stance, he leapt straight up into the air and aimed a powerful
blast of force at the roof top below. This immense wave of energy was absolutely

devasting. It instantly killed Deithryl, pushing her off the towers edge along with the
Iron Golem. Thromgaar and Tibernos were knocked out cold. As the dark knight
began to drop, he completely missed the roof top and plummeted to the earth below.
Karn aimed another bolt of lighting at Caracanomnos, and the singed emperor
suddenly went limp. His lifeless body slowly descended toward the earth. Tamwyn
peered over the edge and was astonished to see the dark knight slowly rising to his
feet. Zander, distraught at the sight of his dead elf friend, fired concussive missiles
at the dark knight. The Orc suddenly came too, and performed a maneuver known
as ‘slow falling’ off the tower. The Paladin, having shaken off her fear, did her best
‘slow falling’ impression by sliding down the side of the tower. The Halfling Monk
followed suite showing Scüt how it was done. Upon safe landing, Thromgaar
unleashed another flurry of blows, as the Priest produced more lightning bolts from
the sky. The Orcs quick palm strike cracked open the dark knight’s helm…he
staggered once more before collapsing in a heap. Caracanomnos and his champion
Thravadofus had been defeated. The Dwarf, peering over the side, heard the cries of
the Paladin, “Karn! you must revive the Blacklore Elf!” Not to be outdone at
gracefully descending a tower, Karn decided to take a few steps back before
attempting a running leap. He got one foot of the ledge before plummeting from the
roof top. The priest slammed into the earth, creating a small crater. Amazed he was
still alive after his painful collision, he dusted himself off and ran to aid the Paladin.
The pair knelt beside Deithryl’s lifeless body. He uttered a long prayer, but alas it
was no use. The Hollow World’s complexities had once again reared its ugly head,
and the Priest’s attempts at reviving the dead elf had failed. Dejected, they gathered
her up and headed back for the tower doors.

Sunday 30th September 2018

A blue gas hissed as
Scüt carefully removed
the black helmet from
Thravadofus. A bald
man was found within,
his body missing
several limbs. Items of
value were quickly
removed from the dead
knight and E mperor before curious onlookers drew near. Inside the tower, Emperor
Adronius had awoken. The former emperor sat outside taking in the warmth of the

sun as Senator Tibernos presented him with the scepter. He was told of the horrors
that had unfolded after his murder and the heroic efforts by those now stood around
him. Seeing the dead elf’s body, he rose to his feet and lowered the scepter to
Deithryl’s head. The Wizard was elated to his see his friend brought back to life.
Adronius waved the scepter over Zander’s blackened hand, and the cursed ring
quickly changed shape. A small winged spider appeared before flying away and
dissipating. He felt a warmth flowing through him as his curse had been lifted. The
Emperor handed the scepter to the Arch-Mage to be recharged as the body of
Priestess Tassia was brought into the tower. Standing next to the edge, Adronius
waved to the masses congregating below. Cheers rang out as the people rejoiced at

the sight of their beloved emperor.
He addressed the crowd briefly
before returning inside. Arch-
Mage Xanthipon then advised the
party’s spell casters. According to
his studies of ancient texts, spells
in the Hollow World were far more
restricted than they were in the
Outer World. However, since the
‘Sleep of Darkness’, the
restrictions had become less, and at
first the differences were fairly
chaotic. Recently though the chaos appeared to have settled down. He had managed
to narrow down those that had restrictions: spells of holding, charm, divination,
immortality and transportation had all been effected. A few rare artifacts, and some
regular magic items seemed to circumvent the restrictions. Further, all Priests (and
other divine casters) except for Zargozians (who seem to be unrestricted) were
restricted to lower level spells. The party then joined in a huge procession as the
Emperor walked the streets surrounded by dozens of armed guards and Priests of
Halov. Paths were cleared as they headed towards the Acropolis. Trumpets blew and
the crowds rejoiced. Many Zargozians fled for their lives as they were hunted down.
Large black bats littered the sky as they tried to escape, but flew head on into a
glorious sight. Captain Daskos and his loyal griffon riders appeared over the horizon
and slew many of the riders. Inside the Acropolis priests quickly began the arduous
task of cleaning up and removing the dark evils within. The party were provided
luxurious accommodations as Emperor Adronius addressed the crowds once again,
this time from his balcony. Later that evening they attended a banquet in their honor.