Game summary for August 30, 2012, Priscus Venatus campaign, G1: The Steading of the Hill Giant Chief adventure; present PCs included Althion Whiteoak (fighter), Ardel Blueback (centaur fighter), Crularin Gellantara (druid), Drake Spellking (human cleric/magic-user), and Emeran Galathar (elf fighter/magic-user) along with henchman Mara Woodstride (elf fighter/magic-user).
The Swords of Greyhawk moved into another cell and discovered a bugbear and hill giant guarding half a hundred orcs! The group took out both guards quickly and freed the orcs, arming them with lengths of chain as makeshift weaponry. They sent the orcs scurrying to the caves to await the uprising.
Next the team found a torture chamber filled with horrendous devices. The team carefully searched the room only to turn up a sack filled with human and elf scalps.
The group returned to the main chamber of this floor and tried to open a door, disturbing the jailer and his pet carnivorous apes! Crularin hit them with a wall of fire followed by Althion’s javelin of lightning! Ardel began whittling away while Drake attacked with spiritual hammer. Mara attempted Melf’s acid arrow but missed her target. Emeran unleashed the wand of wonder promptly turning himself invisible. In seconds the enemies were slain.
Back in the main chamber, Crularin and Drake noticed a secret passage leading to a short hallway ending in a trio of levers. The team played with the levers a bit listening to the sound of scraping off in the distance. Then, Emeran found another secret door leading to a room filled with manticores released from their cell by the levers!
The monstrous creatures hurled volleys of spikes, and Crularin shifted into a lion form to attack. Emeran dropped a torrent of rain in the area with the wand of wonder. Mara then filled the area with steam by unleashing a fireball as Drake fired a lightning bolt. The area of effect spells did their work, and Althion and Ardel laid waste with sword and axe.
After defeating the manticores, the Swords discovered a room filled with seven chests. Drake used find traps to determine two had traps on them. The group opened and ransacked the treasure from the other five. Unwilling to let potential wealth go, Ardel tried to bash a chest open. Unsuccessful, he just flung it open triggering a poison needle trap. The tiny dart pricked his hand, and within seconds the centaur curled up and died! Emeran blasted his corpse with the wand of wonder to no visible effect. Undaunted, Emeran opened the last chest just barely avoiding losing his hand to a scything blade!
Drake said a few not incredibly unkind words over the corpse of Ardel. Then he looted him.
