Thorne: 3rd Level Human Barbarian

The fellowship at last discovers the architect behind the encroachment of twig blights on the land. They at last challenge the druid, Belak the Outcast! Holding court in a broken yard and basking in the sickly violet glow of his vaulted Kindgom of Dirt, the druid bids the fellowship to join him in executing his lunatic plans. He tries to persuade them to help him destroy the fools of Oakhurst to no avail. He rants on madly about avenging himself on the Druidic society that spurned him for their inability to see his genius. Standing before the evil Gulthias tree the mad druid and his thralls, soulless supplicants to the tree, guard the perversion of nature. Thamior steps forward with elvish puzzlement, perhaps as to why a man would pervert nature so? Meanwhile Shadow skulks and lurks in the darkness behind broken walls, ready to spring forward at the first sign of violence. Peering forward from the blackness Shadow sees the face of the halfling druid Treecko, once companion, now an undead supplicant to the Gulthias tree. Incensed, Shadow ends the druid's mad ranting with an arrow shot!

Joining in combat too, Thamior is set upon by the lost Sir Bradford. Sharwyn Hucrele, for which, in part, the quest began, is also tragically found supplicant to the tree and sets about to cast spells against the fellowship. Belak burns Erky Timbers with a flaming sphere and th ... Read More »

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Campaign News The Sunless Citadel

Cooking up something bad at the Mad Ogre's Almost-Roadkill Café... Leaving the city of Sumberton on new horses the fellowship begins it's journey to the Shining Citadel for an audience with Luminary Captain Armin Harrak...without their trusted companion, Jalis of Heironeous.  No choice but to leave without him.  Perhaps expecting a peaceful journey, the fellowship soon finds itself faced with a minor mystery.  A broken wheel cart on the road side, an old lady named Sarah with a bump-bruise on her forehead and a missing son who went for help up the road toward Seklitir.

The fellowship effortlessly fixes the cart while scratching their heads as to where young Jeb (the missing son) might have gone.  They decide to take Sarah with them too, with the intention to give up on the boy and take her to Seklitir where she might bear out her final days of old age without her son.  But when bears attack...dispatched with ease...then enters an angry ogre to deal Ivellios a pair of fantastic blows from his great club.  One dead ogre later though Sarah's eyes are in tears over Jeb's story book, found in the ogre's pouch of...um, interesting smells.

After much morning deliberation, and very little breakfast, Ivellios and Hilda at last decide to follow ogre track toward the looming shadow of Cloudhoof Forest.  Finding a large rock outcropping and dead animal 'X' warning signs they silently move toward a cave wherein they hear the sounds and nauseating smells of something cooking.  Perhaps a bit of bad flesh?  Do they go in...no, not without calling for backup.  Later, a sneak-in by the whole fellowship, a brief all-too-easy tussle with a ladel-wielding culinary ogress and there's a sweaty sixteen year old very unready for the cooking pot.  Whew!  Sarah was overjoyed to see her son of course.  The fellowship did a g ... Read More »

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Campaign News Valley of Obelisks

Thamior: 3rd Level Elven Ranger

Come like shadows, so depart! -- William Shakesphere
 
The fellowship, after a brief respite, continues its grim journey, wandering the vast, dim underground great halls of the fallen Sunless Citadel, dirt, dust, loam and the sickly glow of violet fungus offering no comfort.  Driven by a desire to find the missing barbarian, Shawn, they chose the north-most door to an octagonal room after much ado and footfall about the fungal hall.  Much deliberation... strange sounds beyond other doors dissuade them from entry.
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Yet they barge into a mysterious red dragon shrine unbidden, the seemingly alluring red glow of a huge dragon statue drawing Thamior forward in exploration.  A runic circle... words in Draconic... whispers... the dust of lost days and nights... the fellowship enters and Shadow, seeking treasures hidden behind the dragon's tail meets a namesake presence!  Absol's cat panics in the undead presence and flees from the cleric's arms seeking safety and finding none.  Absol pleads... Thorne drags her from the room in tears and a general rout ensues... deliberation... a respite to recover wits and spells... then, back into the room, and armed with enchantments, the quick defeat of the shadow and... its new born pet.  Then a trek through a long hallway... goblin workers, piling twigs, surprised! ...easily defeated...

Then a glowing cavern filled with mists and dying, pale sickly trees.& ... Read More »

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Campaign News The Sunless Citadel

Hell hath no fury like a swirling extraplanar vortex and shrapnel hurling demons… It might be ill news when a would-be bandit lord decides to invite a wizard of the Ebon Cabal to explore a piece of legendary Slaughtergarde while leaving his son in charge.  But this is the situation the fellowship would soon face!  Using the advantage of Saille's and Jalis's last-time survival, the new fellowship's first guided foray through pendulum blades and beyond into an ancient demonic operating room, one where the instruments bleed, was a definite surprise: bladelings from Acheron!

After a hasty retreat, the barring of doors, the fellowship regroups and decides to take a different, yet unexplored path.  They discuss strategies for dealing with more of the nearly invulnerable metallic demons.  Slogging through deep mud and dealing with the nuisance of a lizard the fellowship finally reaches a set of copper doors.  Then, Saille finds herself faced with a standoff in a narrow hall: a goblin ranger and his hunting hyena, left behind and cutoff from escape by bladelings and bandits, wanting safe passage from the shattered halls of Slaughtergarde.  The goblin ranger, knowing full well he has no way out, fires on Saille.  A brief battle ensues before the stand-off ends in the death of goblin and pet.  More mud and then… bladelings!

Ready this time for battle with this most difficult of enemies, the fellowship fought the bladelings toe-to-toe, a new strategy this time winning out!  Then, hearing the sounds of rushing air, the popping of electricity, they walked cautiously into the shattered gate room finding many dead, an extraplanar wind, a swirling vortex in the ceiling and more bladelings still!  Rushing into battle unafraid this time the heroes pull out all the stops in an effort to rescue Traeban.  Ivellios charges headlong into battl ... Read More »

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Campaign News Valley of Obelisks

Much ado about loamy earth and glowing fungus... Thamior, ranger-turned-spelunker, descended into the mists of the shattered lower citadel finding foreboding welcome in the course arms of sickly violet luminescent fungus and the thick tangle-dangle of vines. Despite the dark unknown below, the rest of the fellowship soon followed suit, with a second salutation from the sharp bloody claws of twig blights and the threat of skeletal bucket-totters. One hanging-upside-down-by-her-legs-bow-shooting-rogue (Shadow) and one angry-double-handed-weapon-swinging-barbarian (Thorne) later we find our heroes positioned for exploration in the misty, loamy mushroom-riddled lower hall!

But it wouldn't be long before they are once again unpleasantly greeted… by stinky dire rats and a bugbear. “You elven bitch!” is the only harmful response to Shadow’s arrow in the bugbear’s shoulder as Thamior holds off the rat menace and the barbarian, Thorne, cleaves him in two. Yes, the bugbear and his warty pets are quickly downed, allowing the fellowship to wee on to the goblin chemistry halls where yet another battle ensues. The goblins are dispatched after a chaotic fight down the hall meant to keep them from warning whatever grim residents might lie beyond.

And what of that unknown enemy? What plans do "they" have for foiling the fellowship's further progress? Now that the goblins and their masters have been defeated and the kobolds are left far behind, undefeated, what sinister threat yet lies ahead? What of Shawn… who was his purchaser? No word of Treecko…? Calcryx's mother…does she lurk somewhere nearby? What also of the threat to Oakhurst made by the chieftain? What of Palomere and his mysterious appearance and of his knowing countenance? Is there a larger threat that has still yet to be abated…?

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Campaign News The Sunless Citadel