Charles Plemons' Blog

Game summary for June 14, 2007; present characters included Evo Shandor (human fighter/rogue), Morak Beardfist (shield dwarf fighter/rage cleric), Pitamian Kalal (human yang monk), and Taravin Truesilver (human gray guard/paladin of honor).

The Mercenaries proceeded past the room with the strange spider and found a small room with what appeared to be a shrine to Icosiol. A large gold statue sat on the shrine, but the party decided not to bother it for fear of setting off traps.

Instead, they followed the footprints through another door and found a large roundish room with a floor sloping toward the center like a funnel. A metal spike protruded from the ceiling, and at the end of it floated a blue sphere of arcing lightning. Within the sphere, suspended in mid air, floated Delfen! As the party moved in, they were blasted with deadly bolts of electricity.

With no obvious means to turn off the sphere, the team resorted to their specialty—brute force. Using a grappling hook, Evo snagged the metal rod, and the four party members all grabbed the rope. With a number of forceful tugs, they managed to rip the rod from the ceiling. As it crashed to the ground, so too did Delfen as the sphere winked out of existence. Evo rushed in and administered a potion of cure moderate wounds while Morak used magic to heal the injuries of his companions.

The party spoke to Delfen for a while and then returned to speak with Walker Across the Threshold. However, they discovered he had left and Cornerweaver had come in his place. After a while of talking, the party decided Cornerweaver was as crazy as Walker Across the Threshold. The spider provided them a lot of information, including more details regarding the Marquis of the River. However, it soon became apparent that Cornerweaver’s concern for their safety was suspect at best. It appears the spider answers questions exactly and literally, despite the intent behind the questions. The Mercenaries made sure the spiders would not harass them while they rested, and Cornerweaver assured them he was almost fairly confident that he was pretty sure the Hungry Prince might not try to harm them in their sleep. After this discussion, the party made camp, and Delfen “Yellowknife” Ondabar used some sort of transportation magic to leave their presence and head back to Daggerford.

The mind-numbing circular conversation with the spider had actually gleaned useful information. Apparently the direction Walker Across the Threshold had sent them was the “short way” to the Marquis because it leads directly into a waterfall or some such. Cornerweaver described a “long way” that had more guardians but would still lead to the Marquis. The team opted to try the long way.

The party opened another set of double-doors from the spiders’ chambers and found a fast flowing river the color of freshly spilled blood. Spanning the river stood an old stone bridge badly worn by time and the erosion of the water below. Across the river stood a gatehouse with massive doors. Desiring that none be trapped on one side of the river or the other, the party charged as a group across the rickety stone bridge; however, at the last moment, Pitamian pulled up short and decided not to run across. A moment later, the combined weight of the party brought down the bridge and submerged the Mercenaries in the river! Pitamian quickly used his monk ability to fall safely to descend to the riverbank, but a strange creature rose up out of the stone and mercilessly injured him. Wasting no time, Pit dove into the river after his companions. The creature remained on the banks as Pit swam circles around his allies and they all began to be washed downstream.

Aiding one another, the group managed to go down a fork in the river where the current calmed. Following this branch of waist-deep water, they found a strange “plug” of red ice on the ceiling. As they looked it, they noticed the glistening, undulating form of two blood red oozes slithering up on them!

The Mercenaries quickly engaged the blood amniotes and found them hardy opponents. Whenever one of the oozes hit a target, the person’s blood began to flow out of his pores, float through the air, and enter into the ooze. Taravin and Pit fought against the creatures while Evo feverishly retrieved and lit a torch from his kit. Morak attempted to use flame strike but was struck violently and lost his concentration. The team hammered at the creatures and Evo burned away with his torch. Taravin reached out and used his lay on hands ability to devastate on creature who quickly succumbed to blows the next round. Soon, both creatures had been dispatched.

Morak took a few moments to heal injuries, and now the party gazes up at the ice in the ceiling above.

Game summary for June 7, 2007; present characters included Ashkor (lizardfolk barbarian/battle sorcerer/dragon disciple/fighter), Iapetus Hasur (hu-charad giant rogue/vigilante), Lady Aridarye Phylund Brokengulf (human aristocrat/harbinger cohort), Lyrin Sinbal (simian incantatrix/warmage), Morak Beardfist (shield dwarf fighter/rage cleric), and Taravin Truesilver (human gray guard/paladin of honor).

The Mercenaries wasted no time after their rest in engaging the creature of the portal once they found their sending attempt to Delfen had failed. A blistering hail of magic missiles from the simian warmage brought a quick demise to the abyssal ghoul. Moving quickly, Ashkor and Aridarye entered the portal and the unknown.

As described by Pitamian, the room beyond held shrieking winds and swirling smoke. Unfortunately, it also held half a dozen belkers! The smoke creatures quickly assaulted the intruders, with one sending part of its gaseous body down Ashkor’s throat, where its claws then turned solid and deadly. Ashkor survived the attack, but not without taking some painful injuries. The belkers began materializing into solid form as the remaining Mercenaries moved through. In a short time, all of the evil elementals were slain.

Taravin and Morak forged ahead and found a large, open room with immaculate carvings and bas relief with ancient script. Oddly, two piles of blades, like barricades, occupied the room. The stoic dwarf soon discovered why, when he stepped on a pressure plate, and a hurricane blast of air threw him bodily into the spikes. Soon after, Taravin triggered another trap which filled the edges of the room with a poison gas; however, the gas also revealed a magical scene showing an ancient war between the Djen and the forces of Kossuth, god of fire. As this scene played out, a leader of the Djen stood boldly on the field holding up a solid scepter and some kind of emblem or seal. After the scene faded, Iapetus used comprehend languages to translate portions of the ancient script. From what he read, the Mercenaries believe they are in the tomb of a warlord named Icosiol.

The Mercenaries noticed tracks similar to what they expect Delfen would leave and followed them out the doors to the south. Shortly beyond the doors, Morak triggered a word of chaos trap, which left the entire party, except Lyrin, reeling and deafned for a short time. Within moments, Morak triggered another with the same results. Still following the tracks, the party found a two-tier room with a balcony all around. In the middle was a glistening black floor with four purple-glowing chandeliers above. In the very center floated a great, utterly black sphere. One of the Mercenaries recognized the pattern of the chandeliers, shaped like a wagon-wheel, as a match of their inactive talisman of the sphere. Could the globe in the center of the room be one of the fabled spheres of annihilation? Deciding they were not ready to mess with such destructive power, the party left it strictly alone.

With tracks to follow, the team moved up the balcony and into a corridor that plunged steeply into the depths. After following for a few hundred feet, the Mercenaries found themselves in a large room illuminated by larger versions of the chandeliers they had seen previously. Filling the room were numerous black spider webs made up of some whispy substance. Hanging in these webs, toward the center of the room, was a most odd and noisome creature. The green-carapaced spider introduced itself as the Walker Across the Threshold and asked their purpose.

As the party conversed, Walker Across the Threshold referred to a number of “people”, including Blackleg, Spitgob, Cornerweaver, Hungry Prince and Flycatcher. Despite their efforts and minutes of circular talking, the Mercenaries were unable to determine if all of these were one creature or half a dozen. The best they could discern is that all of them are “like” Walker Across the Threshold. They believe they have made a deal with several of the “people” to not be eaten, although it seems questionable if Hungry Prince is bound by the agreement, and if not, if Flycatcher would even let him eat the party. In return for not becoming dinner for the spider(s) and being allowed to pass through to the next chamber, the Mercenaries agreed to kill the Marquis of the River.

According to Walker Across the Threshold, the Marquis is a dead thing who walks with the dead and torments Blackleg, Spitgob, Cornerweaver, Hungry Prince, Flycatcher and Walker Across the Threshold. They all want him destroyed. The party is a bit unclear about what “torment” the Marquis has inflicted, but they decided to take the deal. After all, it was made clear that at least Blackleg, Cornerweaver, and Hungry Prince could hear what was going on, despite the party’s inability to see them. Discretion seemed the wisest choice.

With their deal made, the party began ascending the stairs to the blue metal doors above. What will lie beyond, and just who is the Marquis of the River?

Game summary for May 31, 2007; present characters included Ashkor (lizardfolk barbarian/battle sorcerer/dragon disciple/fighter), Iapetus Hasur (hu-charad giant rogue/vigilante), Lady Aridarye (human aristocrat/harbinger cohort), Lyrin Sinbal (simian incantatrix/warmage), Morak Beardfist (shield dwarf fighter/rage cleric), Pitamian Kalal (human yang monk), and Taravin Truesilver (human gray guard/paladin of honor).

With the smoking warzone of Waterdeep behind them, the Mercenaries fled at full speed back to Lyrin’s home town of Daggerford and the only lead they have. Upon arrival, they discovered Delfen “Yellowknife” Ondabar’s tower had been destroyed by a terrible black dragon. Following information gathered from the townsfolk, the Mercenaries learned that Yellowknife had been excavating the Whispering Cairn to the North, and the dragon had flown off to find him. With all haste, the team rode out to the cairn and were ambushed by the dragon.

As she swooped in, she shrieked out “Dragotha take you! The wizard is mine!” Then, the dragon unleashed her poisonous, burning acid breath, catching over half the party in the blast. The dragon seemed to recognize Lyrin and accused him of killing her brood, so she charged and bit him. The devastating injury forced Lyrin to retreat while his brave companions engaged the dragon. The battle was short and brutal, with the dragon inflicting grievous injury to a number of the Mercenaries while suffering staggering blows herself. In the end, however, Lyrin brought down the beast with a well-timed lesser sonic orb.

The team then moved into the Cairn and found Delfen had uncovered a section that was collapsed the last time members of the group were here. Down the exposed hallway, the team found a shimmering, reflective black portal. They attempted to move through but found themselves barred from entry by some sort of blind, undead creature from the Outer Planes. Although unable to communicate in a language it seemed to understand, Iapetus was able to use comprehend languages to understand it. The best they could do was have Aridarye speak to it in Infernal, which it did not understand but made it believe she was an erinyes devil. With some impressive attempts at Intimidate, Aridarye was able to convince it to let her pass, but it promised to eat the souls of her companions.

The team decided that was unacceptable. Brute force seemed to fail as the creature rebuked attempt after attempt to get by. From its shadowy portal, it could lash out quickly and from surprising angles, allowing it to hit vulnerable spots with ease. Ashkor decided to bull rush the monster and was likewise repulsed. However, he believed the creature was lodged in the portal somehow and that it was held there by something rather than being so strong he just couldn’t move it. With this in mind, Pitamian attempted to tumble past and succeeded.

On the other side, Pit found he could still see the creature in a portal identical to the side he came through. The room he was in shrieked with wailing and blowing winds and smokes. As he stood there, twelve menacing eyes appeared in the swirling smoke above, and he quickly tumbled back through to the other side. At this point, Lyrin unleashed a magic missile, which seemed to damage the creature but not destroy it.

Thinking of their recent troubles in Waterdeep, the Mercenaries opted to make camp and destroy the beast once they were ready to go through, lest the destruction of this beast let something worse come out.

A hate-filled wail, carried on the voices of thousands of wights, tears through the air, jolting the party with its unholy resonance. The freshly anointed Apostle of Kyuss surges and undulates its bulk up onto the stone stands of the coliseum and heaves itself through the back wall with a stone-shattering crash. In an instant, wights are pouring through the opening, down the arena steps and over the railing down to the arena floor. As one, the Mercenaries flee down the gaping Abyss in the arena floor left by the ulgurstasta’s emergence.

Within the darkness, the party finds themselves in the domed room that previously held the sleeping monster. Through the double-doors, the team discovers the podium holding the Apostolic Scrolls still stands and no light surrounds them. They are easily snatched up and stuffed into a sack. Roars of rage come from behind the group as wights crowd around the hole in the dome and fume over the height. The party further realizes the depth of Waterdeep’s troubles as they hear one of them intelligently shout, “find rope!”

Uncertain what other traps and dangers lay in this portion of the complex, the Mercenaries work their way back the route they originally took to find this area. It takes quite a bit of time but seems free of wight presence. After a while, the team crosses through the coenoby and up into the arena understructure. The area appears abandoned now, but pools of fresh blood prove the wights have already visited. You recall from lore that those slain at a wight’s hand are cursed to rise as a slave wight under the control of their slayers in less than a minute.

The party finds the route leading up into the arena but decides that is the last place to go. Instead, they roam about a bit until they discover a tunnel leading in the direction of Prendergast’s manor. Taking that path, the party soon finds themselves in the home of the director of the Field of Triumph. The place is in shambles. On a balcony above, a female voice roars in rage and utters what sounds like a command word. The railing blossoms as flame rushes through, over and around it. A trio of wights staggers out of the fire, and one topples from the balcony to land lifeless at your feet. The burned flesh makes you retch as smoke stings your eyes.

Like a ghost, the figure of Aridarye emerges from the swirling smoke above. Her hair is singed, tears streak her face, and barely-contained rage shudders through her body. She still wears a stunning, and revealing, evening gown that is oddly intact despite her disheveled appearance. A mithral buckler adorns her left arm, and she clutches a red-tipped wand in her left hand. In her right, one of the finest rapiers you’ve ever seen. At some point, she has fastened a potion belt and dagger around her slender waist.

Recognition dawns across her angry features, and she rushes down the stairs to your group. In almost a whisper through clenched teeth, tears rolling down her cheeks, Aridarye tells you how she rushed to the manor when the wights appeared to get to her eight-year-old son, Urtos III. She was too late. The noblewoman barely escaped with her life, and her now-undead son slipped off into the growing throng of wights. After barricading herself in her quarters and arming herself, Aridarye emerged with a vengeance and has slain a number of the wights.

She begs you to help her out of the city. There is nothing left for her here. Her son is dead, her husband has become an abomination, and the authorities of Waterdeep will no doubt want to question her about her involvement in this catastrophe. All she has left in life is vengeance. As long as you oppose Kyuss, she swears her assistance and abilities.

Still unsure about Aridarye and her future, the party agrees to allow her to accompany them out of the city—beyond that is a conversation for another time. Out in the streets, chaos has come to the City of Splendors. Undead run rampant, groups of the Town Watch fight valiantly against them, various spellcasters from around the city hurl spells of mage fire and scalding acid upon the hordes. The Apostle of Kyuss is nowhere to be seen, but fragments snatched from passersby indicate a gigantic worm crashed through the streets and into the sewers. The guardsmen who pursued soon returned as shambling undead dripping green worms.

On the flight from the city, the Mercenaries stop at the home of Dagsumn the sage. A notice posted on the door causes them to pause in their tracks. It reads, “Notice: Reward of 1,000 gp for information leading to an arrest and prosecution of the murder(s) of Dagsumn and Kyrss Wands.” With no guards without, the team decides to snoop around. The place has been searched, probably by the killer(s) but also by the watch. Pools of blood reveal where the bodies finally fell, but scorch marks around the premise indicate they did not go down without a fight. Wedged in a corner of two walls, the team discovers a clue unnoticed by the watch—a single saw-like bladed disc. Also, beneath an upturned table, the party finds the following unfinished note attached to a sealed bundle of papers:

“My dear friend Delfen—What your adventurers have stumbled into sickens me to my soul. Every new leaf I turn reveals an even darker secret. Here are my notes. You must take them to our one-time master—although I fear that even he may be ill-equipped for what writhes in all of our futures. Until then…”

With the sounds of the battle approaching, the team scrambles out of the manor and manages to go over the wall of Waterdeep to flee into the countryside. Behind them lay several of their allies, their contact in the city, two escaped foes, and numerous unanswered questions. Ahead lies the road to Daggerford and their long-time confidant, Delfen. Will he help the party contact his former master? What secrets can he reveal? And what of the beautiful and dangerous noblewoman? Is the enemy of mine enemy truly a friend?