Oakhurst

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[Look back to Brookhollow]     [Session 6&7]     [Session 8]    [Aftermath of the Sunless Citadel]

Session 5

Flocktime 6, 591 CY

A Quiet Village

The heroes find the travel from Shelleton to Oakhurst to be peaceful and short.

Just after noon, they ride through a break in the thick forest, and see the quiet village of Oakhurst sprawled out before them.  Cattle and sheep graze in the center of town, tended by simple townsfolk, and the quiet peacefulness of the village makes them long for a nice comfortable room in the inn.

They quickly stable their mounts and proceed into the Ol' Boar Inn where they procure comfortable rooms for the night.  

Although signs of a thunderstorm loom on the horizon, they try to get a bit of business out of the way quickly, before the storm arrives.

Visiting several shops and merchants, they discover that the goblins come from a place called the Sunless Citadel, a short distance to the west.  Each midsummer the goblins come to town to sell a single shiny red apple to the highest bidder.  As the goblins show no hostile intent, they are allowed to trade their apple and peacefully leave.

They also learn that all attempts to plant the seeds of the apple have thus far ended in failure.  Though the tree does begin to grow, those who have tried to grow them always find that suddenly, one morning, the fledgling trees have disappeared.  Townsfolk believe the goblins sneak into town at night and dig them up, to prevent competition from their apple sale.

Those Who've Gone Before

While talking with the matriarch of a local merchant family, Gaeg learns that a band of adventurer's have gone to the Citadel, not more than a month ago.  That party was not heard from since.

Telling Gaeg that the previous party included both her son, a warrior, and her daughter, a wizard, Matriarch Hucrele pleads that the heroes make some attempt to find either her children, or at the very least, their Hucrele signet rings.  Gaeg agrees and feels that the rest of the heroes will be motivated at least by the reward, if not by the morale obligation.

The storm then hits the small village with a fury like only nature has, and the heroes retire to the inn.

Flocktime 7, 591 CY

Breaking of Dawn

As a clear dawn breaks the next day, the party visits the town healer, and discovers the healers are also the local priesthood, devoted to Pelor, the Bright One.  The priestess sees to their wounded and wishes them well, asking if they can please determine the fate of Sir Braford, a paladin who went to the Citadel in the Hucrele party.

After quick preparation and gathering of gear, the heroes make one final check to insure their mounts will be well-tended while they are away.  They then set out along the overgrown Old Road, to this place called the Sunless Citadel.

Where the Sun Doesn't Shine

After walking about half the day, they come upon a cleft in the earth, with numerous broken and tumbled pillars about what appears to be the widest stretch of the crevasse. A quick look around the area reveals a knotted rope tied about one pillar, which descends into the depth.  Looking down, the party sees that there is a landing some 50 feet below, and a crude staircase carved into the stone which descends from their.

Scrambling down the ropes, the heroes soon find themselves attacked by rats the size of large dogs!  After dispatching their foes, they continue their descent down the staircase.

Hundreds of feet they descend, and the light of day grows dim behind them.  Finally, they reach the base.  Here they find themselves atop what appears to have once been the citadel battlements.  To the north and south stretches a vast field of precarious looking rubble of unknown depth.  Before them rises the tall masonry walls of an old tower, a sturdy, though old, looking door set in it.

Kentir advances to determine the safety of opening the door, and triggers a pit trap.  Fortunately his reflexes are good and he leaps aside safely.  As fate would have it though, the huge dire rat within scurries quickly out and attempts to make a quick lunch of him.

Finally, after discovering a few more traps, the heroes open the door and enter the citadel.  They find themselves within a large tower with several doors.  Signs of battle litter the floor, and the corpses of 4 goblins, still fresh, lie to the west.

Exploring before them, the heroes engage in several more skirmishes with dire rats, and uncover a secret nook...once a hiding place for archers who defended the citadel, now the home of undead skeletons.

Quickly dispatching the skeletons as well, the party realizes that, though they have barely entered the darkened citadel, they are already weary, worn, and weakened from battles.  It bodes ill for deeper ventures.

Just off from the entry tower from whence they came in, the party finds a corridor, with a vast stone door, carved with the bas-relief image of a great dragon.  No amount of strength, nor the considerable lock-picking skill of Kentir, is able to gain them entry to the rooms beyond, so they turn from this path and follow one of less resistance (that is...one whose door will open).

Down the next corridor, they find yet more doors, the nearest one again locked.  This time Kentir's skill proves up to the task, and the heroes gain entry.

What they find is a very small room, containing nothing but a large iron cask, with rusty pipes leading through the floor below, and a bung set into a whole at its top.  Figuring the container to be a cistern, the party does not consider the fact that a closed off room is not exactly a good source for water, and they do no question how it could be that this cask is kept full enough to provide water for a large complex such as the citadel was.

When one of the heroes removes the bung, they quickly learn this lesson, however, as a creature of the elemental plane of water is released from the cask, and throws itself at the nearest hero in a rage brought from centuries of imprisonment.

The heroes find their weapons do minimal, if any damage, to the watery creature, and if not for the magic of Gamble, they may not have survived.   Badly worn from the many battles, their spells spent in the fight with the mephit, the heroes decide this stone walled room, with its stone door, would make a good resting spot.  Locking themselves within, they rest and recover from their adventure thus far.

[TOP]

Sessions 6 & 7

Flocktime 8, 591 CY

Dragon Hunt

After the better part of a day, and a night, of rest, the heroes break camp and move further into the complex.  They stumble upon a large room with a sleeping kobold and a battered and broken cage.  The kobold sleeps fitfully, yet deeply, as if trapped in foul nightmares which plague it.

Legacy quickly subdues and holds the sleeping kobold, which makes no attempt to run, merely cowering against the monk in fear for its life.  Confusion of orders from Gaeg causes Gamble to 'accidentally' open a door off the room, releasing a trap and a torrent of kobold guards within the room.

Within seconds, surges of wild magical energy from Gamble, who is a bit worked up over the sight of kobolds, results in Gamble aging 10 years before everyone's eyes, and one kobold turned to stone just as its spear pierced Gamble's chest.

Quickly, Buagh rushes to Gambles aid as the Kobolds step back in awe at the magical power of the sorcerer.  "no fight! you talk to Queen, make peace!" the kobolds plead.

Being that the heroes are here to investigate Goblins and an apple, not kobolds, the heroes agree to have this audience with the kobold Queen.

Meepo, the kobold prisoner who had been caught sleeping, agrees to take them to see the queen.  Buagh and Legacy spend a bit of time with Gamble, to insure he will keep his cool with the Kobolds and not do anything foolish, and Meepo leads them down the corridors to the Kobold Queen.

There they learn that the Kobolds are at war with the Goblins.  They are told that the Apple grows below the current citadel level, where it is tended by 'the outcast' and that the Goblins work with the outcast.  The kobold queen promises safe passage through the kobold territories for the PC's.  She informs them of the Kobold's Dragon, which was kidnapped by the Goblins recently, and offers them a reward for its safe recovery.

The party agrees, eyeing the large key in the mouth of  a dragon statue behind the Queen.  An attempt by Daesha and Gaeg, to grant them the key (which they assume opens the securely locked door discovered earlier) fails, but the Queen promises the key will be given to them upon the safe return of the dragon.

She then grants them Meepo, Keeper of the Dragons, as a guide and assistant to accompany them deeper into the complex.

After Meepo shows the party the 'back way' to the goblin controlled area, the party asks him to please stay behind and stay hidden, feeling that he will be more of a hindrance than a help, and not wanting to return to the queen with a dead kobold.

The heroes find a sealed tomb, openable only by the channeling of good energy, and make a short side trek into the large room with stone sarcophagi lining the walls.

Buagh, ever the good priest, asks the remainder of the heroes to wait outside the door while he investigates, not wanting to disturb the dead.  Upon an altar within the room, Buagh finds a candle, burning with no flame, and a whistle made of glassteel inscribed with dwarven runes.  Muttering a prayer to Moradin, Buagh reaches for the whistle, wanting only to get a closer look at the runes.

Unfortunately, this awakens the dead within the many sarcophagi, and a battle unfolds.  The party quickly rushes to Buagh's aid, and the skeletons are dispatched, but not before Buagh suffers many wounds.

Buagh though, assures the heroes he is not so badly wounded, and the heroes press on.

That's One BIG Rat!

There is evidence of footprints before the party, and they suspect the prints to be that of the missing Hucrele children and their party, so they follow onward.  After several minor skirmishes with giant dire rats, the heroes come upon a room strewn with refuse and corpses. Before further investigation of the room can occur, dire rats leap out of the refuse, including what appears to be the Queen Momma rat, the size of a large dog, or even a small pony!

After a difficult battle with the rodents, the party searches the room quickly, and realizes that one of the fresh corpses is that of the Ranger who accompanied the Hucrele's.  No evidence of either Hucrele, or their signet rings, is present.

Again, badly battle-worn, and tired from battle, the heroes retreat to the cistern room, once again to camp.

Flocktime 9, 591 CY

A Friend Falls

The next morning, the heroes awaken to find Kentir in a cold sweat, a fever raging in him.  A quick assessment by the party healers, it is decided that he contracted some foul disease from the rats which the party has had to battle so many times.

Gaeg crouches down over the boy and asks him to be calm.  Calling upon the blessings of Heironeous, Gaeg places his hands upon Kentir's temples, and the warm energies of divinity flow through the boy, cleansing the disease as they pass.  "I can't do that again for a week, now, so you take care of yourself, boy," Gaeg mutters as Kentir, now feeling better, thanks him.

The heroes then return to the frontlines, and open the door, beyond which they know the goblins lie in wait.

A hall of caltrops and a make-shift barricade block their path, as goblins throw javelins down the hall.  Buagh heroically leads a charge down the hall, to shut down the goblin trap, before they get the upper hand.  Short work is made of the goblin guards, and Kentir merrily scoops up the remaining caltrops.

Around another corner, down a short hallway and another corner, the heroes find yet another make-shift barricade, with goblin javelin throwers lying in wait.  Again, Buagh lets out a mighty warcry, and charges the barricade, throwing himself over it and into the goblins beyond.

Buagh's heroics buy the party some time, and our heroes are victorious, but not before the mighty dwarven cleric falls, his body pierced by spear and javelin in so many places that there is no hope for him.

Cleaning the wounds of those left standing, a melancholy spreads over the heroes, for the one that did not make it, and whose heroics may have saved them all. 

Returning to the tomb which they had entered the day before, the heroes lay the body of Buagh across the altar.  Dressing him in his holy regalia, and placing his warhammer across his chest, Gaeg recites the dwarven rites of death, bows before the body and seals the tomb with the energies of good.

The party watches in amazement, as the runes in draconic over the door of the tomb seem to swim and coalesce, reforming into dwarven runes.

The heroes then return to the room of the goblin barricade, and quickly check the doors off that room.  Within one, they find kobold prisoners, and a single dwarf, who appears to have been locked up within for a long, long time.  Attempting to free the kobolds, the party finds the kobolds terrified, and unwilling to be freed.  Quick words from Gaeg and reassurances from the dwarven prisoner who speaks draconic almost like a native, calms the kobolds who quickly run from the room back to their people.

It proves more difficult to release the dwarven prisoner, but once free, he thanks the heroes heartily.  He tells the party that he is Bracken Bloodroot, dwarven defender of the Gnarley, and master of the bow.  He asks to join them in conquering the remaining foul goblins who imprisoned him here.

From Bracken, the heroes learn that he has been a prisoner for well and close to a year.  He tells them that the 'twig men' are called twig blights, and that they work for the evil druid who makes his home in the Twilight Grove, below.  He also is able to inform them that the 3 surviving Hucrele party members had been prisoner with him for a short time, but were taken out of the cell some weeks back, at the order of the evil druid.

With more information at hand then they had before, the heroes realize they are low on food, wounded, and without a party healer.  Gaeg orders that the goblin barricades be torn down, and that the party then return to Oakhurst for rest, resupply, and healing.

Return to Oakhurst

The party returns to Oakhurst, arriving just after sundown.  Waking the healers, they negotiate for the healing of the wounded, having not enough money to pay standard costs. Luckily, the priestess of Pelor takes pity on them, and supports their cause of rescuing the Hucrele party.

Settled back at the inn for a quick meal and some rest, a young priestess of Pelor bursts into the inn, almost demanding that the party allow her to join them when they return to the Citadel.  Sighting their loss of their cleric, she insists the party needs her.  She also seems to have some personal reason for wanting to rescue Sir Braford, one of the members of the Hucrele party.

After some brief discussion and quick calming of the head priestess of Pelor (who doesn't seem to like the idea of one of her initiates running off into battle), the party agrees to let Tara Sunspirit join them when they depart in the morning.

Flocktime 10, 591 CY

Return to Darkness

Returning to the citadel, the party re-enters the sunless place in the afternoon, to find a desolate Meepo, still hiding.  He pleads with the party to feed him, as he hasn't eaten in days, having stayed hidden the entire time, just as they asked.  Gamble takes pity on the poor little guy, and gives him some rations, and the party moves on to the goblin held territory.

The heroes once again find they must battle their way past caltroped hallways, and goblin guards, but proper planning and preparation allow them to come through it with few scratches, and those are easily tended by Tara.

A storage room and empty guardroom are found and investigated, and then the heroes stumble upon what appears to have been some sort of trophy room.  The room has been ransacked and torn apart, and patches of ice coat parts of the wall and floor.  "Ice??"

Suddenly, as Gaeg pokes about, a draconic screech pierces the chamber, and a small white lizard leaps from a nest it had made beneath and overturned table, letting out a stream of freezing cold from its mouth as it throws itself at Gaeg.

Looks like they found that dragon of the kobolds....

Though the white dragon can be no more than a hatchling, it fights with a fury and rage, and only through the unarmed combat skills of Legacy, and a well placed smack from the flat of Gaeg's axe, are they able to subdue the creature.  

The heroes return to the Kobold warrens, wounded and worn from their fight with the dragon, hoping that the kobolds indeed will keep to their bargain.

Presenting their trophy of an unconscious dragon to Meepo, the kobold lets out a whoop of joy and leads the heroes straight to the Queen.  She seems most satisfied indeed, offers the party their rewards from behind her and wishes them well in the remainder of their conflict with the goblins.

After helping Meepo to repair his cage, and telling him that perhaps he should leave some 'treasure' with the dragon to keep it happier (good advice indeed!), the party makes camp on the floor of Meepo's room, to rest and recover from their wounds.

Meepo seems thrilled to have their company, and goes to great lengths to make them comfortable and provide them with all those things a good host should provide.  Kobolds aren't so bad after all, it seems....

Flocktime 11, 591 CY

Goblin-home

After a good night's rest, the heroes press on, and encounter minimal goblin resistance, before bursting into a vast room, filled with goblins going about various daily tasks from food preparation, to crafts.  It seems they'd found the nest.

As goblin women and children scramble to the back of the rooms, numerous goblins and larger goblin-kin reach for their weapons to hold off the vile intruders who invade their homes.

Though the goblinoids put up a good fight, they are no match for the heroes, who quickly make short work of the combatants.  The party then herds the remaining goblinoid non-combatants to one of the unoccupied rooms they'd passed through, and lock them within...at a loss for what else to do with them.

A cursory search of the goblin living quarters is done, and the remaining doors off of the main room are inspected.

Beyond one door, the heroes find nothing but an abandoned guard room, beyond the 2nd, another hallway...that leaves just one door.

Flanking Maneuvers

Taking up positions, the heroes open the door, and find the throne room of the goblin leader, a hulking brute of a hobgoblin, and his many goblinoid guards.

Wanting to draw the goblins out into the larger room, the heroes ready their weapons and missiles, and square off towards the open door.  Several goblins who had been waiting at the doorway, thrust spears at those heroes nearby, and then slam the door back shut....much to the heroes' surprise.

Only moments pass, when the heroes find goblins filing through the other doorway which opened into a hallway, to their flank and the other door opens again, with more goblinoids coming through.

The battle begins!

Scrambling to retain orderly position in the ensuing battle, the party finds the flanking goblins going for their sorcerer and healer.

Then, the main door through which the party had originally entered bursts open, and the massive goblinoid leader and his lieutenants pore into the room, at the rear of the heroes, obviously having taken the long hallway all the way around in order to further flank the heroes and cut off their retreat.

The battle degenerates into an attempt by the heroes to form at least a semblance of a defensive line, as the goblinoids completely erode their positioning.  Gamble falls before the onslaught of the goblinoid leader.  As Daesha, Gaeg, Bracken and Legacy attempt to take down the goblins from their direction, so they may go to the aid of their more poorly armoured friends, Tara rushes to heal the fallen Gamble.

Healing Gamble, quickly, Tara flees to the corner of the room as the Goblinoid leader shouts out orders "Kill the Wizard and Healer first!!"

Gamble, still trying to hurl offensive and defensive magics at the foes, is wounded more as goblinoids swarm about him, and he flees to join Tara.

Daesha, Legacy, Bracken and Gaeg find themselves cutting through foe after foe, still trying to bring some order back to the quickly degenerating defensive positioning of the party as Kentir tries to provide covering fire with his bow.

But, with Tara and Gamble fled to the side, Kentir finds himself as the only one between them and the goblinoid leader.  He is quickly surrounded and goes down in a pool of blood.

Legacy races to the corner, to protect Tara and the Sorceror, as Braken, Gaeg and Daesha try to clear a path for themselves to do the same.

The leader, charging with his lieutenants, cuts down Legacy after a short exchange of blows, and again cuts down Gamble.

Daesha finally clears enough of the enemy to reach the leader, and squares off against him, while Bracken manages to get much closer as well, though still surrounded by enemies.

Gaeg, kills the last of his opponents, and also runs to their aid, stopping to check on Kentirs wounds, to insure he does not bleed to death, along the way.

As Bracken takes out several more of the enemy, those most closely threatening Tara, he finds himself sorely pressed as well, and goes down, unconscious.  But not before clearing out several of the most dangerously positioned foes.

Gaeg runs to Gambles aid, as Gamble's life's blood seeps out upon the floor.

Daesha, seeing the battle quickly degenerating, throws herself at the goblinoid leader, and brings him to the ground in a pin.   As she struggles with the massive brute, she screams "Hit Him!! Hit Him girl!" at Tara.

Tara takes the time given her by the actions of Bracken and Daesha to quickly heal Legacy, who jumps up and begins to rain a flurry of blows upon the goblinoid leader...the last of the goblins still breathing.

Finally, it is over, and the heroes, though sorely wounded and worn, prevailed.

Tara uses the last of the divine magics she has for the day to heal those most in need, and slumps, exhausted, to the ground.

A quick search of the fallen foes turns up one of the Hucrele rings, but no evidence of where the Hucrele who once wore it might be.  A large shaft, in the center of the leaders' throne room, descends deeper into the earth, numerous great vines growing up from it...but the party is much to worn to risk descent, just yet.

The heroes retreat once more to their resting place, spending a day and yet another night, recovering from the hard fought battle.

Flocktime 13, 591 CY

Dragon Priest

After fully recovering from their wounds of two days past, the party must decide whether to descend the vine-covered shaft, or investigate the 'dragon door' found when they first entered the citadel.  The are quite sure the key they procured from the kobolds will open the door, but are divided on what the best course of action should be.

After much deliberation and debate, Daesha makes a call, and the dragon door is chosen.

The heroes find that, yes indeed, the key from the kobolds opens that door.

Beyond they find an area with much dust, and no signs of disturbance...clearly this area has not been entered in a very, very long time.  Nonetheless, they must press forth.

A strange magical orb, shrills a musical alarm as they enter the area and when approached, the cacophony of melodies grows so loud that it drives all from the room, back to the citadel entrance.

Steeling themselves, for a second attempt at entrance, the party returns, and chooses to go around the orb, giving it as much birth as possible.

Through several more rooms, past traps and decoration, the heroes finally reach a large room where tracks are seen in the dust, going from an empty alcove, across a large spike filled pit on the far side of the room, and through the stone archway above the pit.

An eerie green glow emanates from the room beyond the archway.

As Kentir investigates the pit, the remaining heroes investigate the  statues set in the other alcoves of the room.  Bracken finds a secret passage beyond one of the statues, and a small room within.  Engraving on the wall reads:

"A Dragon Priest
Entombed alive for transgressions against the Law
Still retains the honour of his position"

On the floor of the room is a well concealed trap door, leading to a crawl space.

Bracken goes along the crawl space as the remaining heroes await his report.

He finds the crawlspace ends, just below the room which must be the one beyond the archway, and raises the trapdoor above his head.

Suddenly, he is beset by a foul creature from the depths of the Abyss.  Clearly a guardian of the room and its contents.

As Legacy leaps across the pit and through the archway to assist him, Daesha and Kentir scramble into the pit to climb up into the room, while Gaeg jumps into the crawl space to follow behind.  Gamble and Tara look at each other in surprise, and try to find a position to see well into the room.

The battle proves difficult, as the Quasit seems nigh-invulnerable to their weapons, but the heroes manage to prevail.

The find themselves standing in a room lit by the strange green flame of an everburning torch, a huge sarcophagus of marble in the rooms center is carved with images and motifs of dragons.

Shrugging, knowing it is dangerous, but caring more about their own curiosity, the heroes take up positions around the sarcophagus and unclasp the 6 clasps which hold it closed.

As the last clasp falls free, the large lid of the sarcophagus is thrown across the room, as a large troll, dressed in ceremonial armour leaps out of it, drawing in huge gulps of air and looking about for someone to kill for its centuries of being entombed.

Legacy tries to calm it, "we mean you no harm.. we really mean you know harm."  But Bracken gives it no quarter, and pokes at it with his dagger and rapier.  The troll-priest locks eyes with Daesha and throws itself at her, rending her flesh with its hugely wicked claws and trying to take off her head with its foul-breathed bite.

"okay, we mean u harm" Legacy says as he pummels the beast with his fists.

Blow after blow is rained down upon the foul beast by the heroes, as it relentlessly goes after Daesha, hatred burning in its eyes.  Only Tara's healing magics from behind keep Daesha standing, as she is pushed back and further back by the beast.

The blows of the heroes are mighty, but they watch as the many wounds they land upon it slowly close and heal themselves before their eyes.

Finally, the beast is felled, and Bracken leaps upon it and saws vigourously until its head is removed.  Yet still, they can see the creature's wounds closing...and it appears that even its head may be slowly, very slowly regrowing.

My god, what is this thing!!??  Bracken leaps upon its chest, and cuts out its heart...hoping beyond all hope that this will stop the beast, but even before he is finished, the gaping wound in its chest begins to close.

Howling curses at the foul thing, Bracken cries "Burn it! Get it into that pit and help me burn it!!!"

The heroes scramble to drag the corpse to the edge of the pit and push it in.  Bracken shouts for oil, and Legacy and gives him all that he has.  Covering the body in oil, Bracken shouts for a tindertwig, offered up quickly by Gaeg, and lights the body on fire.

Daesha takes her torch and begins to roast the head of the foul thing, which Bracken had impaled upon a spike within the pit.

After some time, and much coughing at the oily smoke which arises from the blaze, nothing is left of the foul dragon priest except for a large mound of ashes, and its much burnt armour, lying within the pit.

Quote of the Session(s)

Gaeg: Guys....Guys!.....Save some evil for me!!

[TOP]

Session 8

Flocktime 15th, 591 CY

Descent on Vines

After a quick jaunt back to Oakhurst for resupply and a bit of rest, the heroes return to the Citadel and climb down the vin-covered shaft to the caverns below.

They discover the cavern beneath the shaft is a large compost room, with several skeletons keeping it turned.  After dispatching the skeletons and some of the shrubbery which uprooted to assist the undead foes, the pc's move onward.

To the North, they discover a Natural cavern, covered with the stains of frequent blood spills.  Here they attempt a brief negotiation with the Bugbear resident.  Unfortunately, the Bugbear seems none to fond of dwarves, and once again the heroes find they must put their blades to use.

After defeating the Bugbear hunter and his two dire rat companions, the pc's do a cursory search of the cavern.  Finding little of interest, they choose to ignore the natural passage and return to the doors they had left unopened in the compost room.

The next area they enter is a work area, with numerous work rooms in which goblins appear to be performing various tasks at the behest of their druid master.  With surprise sort of on their side (no thanks to the clumsiness of a certain scout who tripped over a flagstone), the heroes make short work of the goblins, and Bracken shows that he is not inclined to take prisoners.

A cursory search of the area is conducted, and our heroes move further into the complex.  The come upon several rooms, once fine halls of the great citadel, now all turned to use as gardens for the growing of mushrooms, polyps, fungus, and other underground edibles.  The Bugbear gardener seems unhappy to see them, but can be grateful that he shall make fine fertilizer for the plants he so tenderly cared for.

In the Shadow of the Dragon

After passing through several of the Garden rooms, the heroes go down a short hallway, and come upon a shrine.  The statue of a great read dragon, wings spread wide, stares ominously into the room.

The eyes of the dragon glow an ominous red, illuminating the entire room, except for the shadowy darkness behind its wide-spread wings.  Before the dragon, set into the floor, is a red, circular tile.  From the room entrance, Bracken sees that writing is inset around the circumference of the circle.  Moving closer, he can make out that the writing is in Draconic, but the script is too small, and the light too dim to read it without getting much closer.

Bracken cautiously advances to the circle, careful not to enter it.  As he approaches, shadowy fragments peal off from the darkness behind the statue and move towards him.  The pieces of shadow, vaguely humanoid in shape, cause the hair on Brackens neck to stand up as they reach their dark fingers towards him.

Their attacks pass through his armour as if he wore none at all, and their icy touch steals the very strength from his muscles.  Unable to even support his own weight any longer, Bracken collapses to the floor, sure that he will soon meet his doom.  He has just enough strength to turn his head to the writing that lured him here, and read the inscription...in hopes it will be either his deliverance or his doom.

"Ea serpenta rau kaluva nyawisti," he reads, then letting his head sag to the floor weary from the effort of holding it up.  The Dragon's head looks down upon him, and red, wispy flames emit from its mouth, bathing him in heatless flame.  The only noticeable effect, however, is that he now feels more glib, a fat lot of good that will do him when he can't even support his own weight.

The Shadows reach hungrily toward him, ignoring the now vanishing breath of the dragon statue.  The rest of the heroes rush forward in hopes of saving their comrade, Gaeg and Tara both pushing forth their holy symbols, calling upon the divine to banish the foul undead.

One of the gods appears to be listening, and the shadows flee from the holy champions, disappearing through the wall of the room.  Knowing the undead shadows won't stay gone for too long, the heroes scramble to assist Bracken, attempting to discover what is wrong with him.  After a cursory examination, Tara proclaims that she doesn't think she can do anything for him, and its obvious he can't even lift his hand for more than a short time, much less support his own weight.

Quickly, Gaeg and Daesha pick up Bracken, and the heroes make a hasty retreat to the vine shaft.  They quickly use their ropes to rig a lift to get Bracken up.  Once all the way out of the citadel, they spend an hour building a travois, and drag him back to Oakhurst.

A friendly group of local hunters meets them on the way, and provides escort to the village.

Rest and Recuperation

 Once back in Oakhurst, the heroes visit Corky, the village healer and priestess of Pelor.  They find they are quite short on the necessary funds for assisting their comrade, and instead determine that a week of rest is in order.  They retire to the inn.

On the next day, Bracken awakens with a fierce fever, no top of his current weakness.  Tara presumes it is further effects from the Shadow's draining effect.  Gaeg, however, was not so sure, as he recalled the symptoms Kentir had exhibited the day after a dire rat bit him.

After a brief chat with Corky, Gaeg decides its better to be safe than sorry, and applies his divinely granted power to cure disease on Bracken.  It seems to have helped, as Bracken's fever breaks within half a day.

The heroes remain in Oakhurst for the full week.  While Bracken gets his much needed rest, tended by Tara, the other heroes see to resupply.   Gamble inquires about town to see if any wizards live nearby, and finds that a senile wizard, known as "Old-Man Hawthorne" lives at the edge of town.

Hawthorne proves to be a rather decrepit, and senile fellow, but is able to identify the various potions the party has gathered.  He also regales Gamble with many tales of his adventuring years, most of which Gamble understands only bits and pieces of, as the fellow tends to break into other languages mid-sentence.

Flocktime 24th, 591 CY

The Twilight Grove

After a weeks time, Bracken feels recovered, and heroes set back to the Citadel.

They encounter a Dire Badger along the way, but the animal empathy possessed by Daesha and Bracken calm the beast enough for the party to pass unhindered.

Once back into the Citadel, they discover Meepo and the dragon no longer in their residence and the goblin prisoners missing, several of the Kobold guards dead where they'd been.

Descending the vines, and heading to attempt to finish off the shadows, now that they know what to expect, the heroes discover the goblin non-combatants, who had been the kobold's prisoners, back at work for the Outcast, with a single goblin warrior guarding them.  Obviously Belak went back to free his followers while the heroes were resting in town.

The heroes dispatch the single goblin guard, but do not bother interrupting the working non-combatants.  

Advancing further, they find a welcoming party awaiting them in the Arboretum where they had slain the bugbear gardener earlier.  Several skeletons and goblin warriors had laid an ambush.  Even with reinforcements springing through doors from behind the heroes, the opposition proved meager, and the heroes easily prevail.

Once back to the Dragon Shrine, Tara advances angrily, her hatred of undead clear within her face, demanding they come forth.  As the shadows drift forward to steal her life, the Legacy, Gaeg and Daesha move forward to keep the foul beasts from her, while Bracken, Gamble and Kentir insure the rear is protected....

Several blows are exchanged, when Tara finishes calling upon the power of Pelor to banish the unnatural creatures.  A burst of light, like sunlight, fills the room, and when the light is gone, so too are the Shadows.  Pelor be praised.

Cursory searching of the shrine and the library beside it reveal several choice pieces of treasure, and a long hallway going forward.

At the end of the hallway, the heroes find what appears to be the druid's study.  Numerous parchments and papers are spread about containing information that assuredly could be of no interest to anyone but a druid.

Beyond this room, they find a vast natural cavern, illuminated well by thousands of patches of luminescent purple fungus on the ceiling and walls.  Vines, bushes, grasses, and briars fill the cavern floor, attesting to the skill of the outcast, who has managed to get vegetation to glow where no sun shines.

At the far end of the cavern, they see the great Gulthias Tree,  stretching its mighty dead-looking limbs to the Cavern ceiling above.  Beside the tree stands Belak, the Outcast with his pet giant tree frog, and 2 others.  The heroes quickly recognize Sir Braford, the paladin, and the young Lady Hucrele, whom they were here to rescue.  

Belak demands the party reconsider their actions, and join him, as a supplicant of the Gulthias tree.  It is clear that Hucrele and Braford both already were made into these so-called 'supplicants', willing or not.  Bracken approaches the druid, asking to here more, but before he can close the distance, Gaeg is noticed also slowly advancing.

Cursing them as fools, Belak raises an elm wand, and points it at Gaeg.  Suddenly all of the vegetation surrounding the heroes begins to writhe and grasp at the heroes, holding them and hindering them.

The druid cackles in glee, as the heroes are unable to reach him, and begins hurling spells at Gaeg.  Sir Braford and the tree frog struggle through the vegetation to block and battle Bracken, while Lady Hucrele also lets loose with magicks at Gaeg.

Many of the bushes in the grove pull free from their roots, and advance on the remainder of the heroes.  Twig Blights!

The entangling vegetation and sharp thorns of the briars greatly hampers the heroes during the battle, which proves long and tiring.  While most of the heroes dispatch the Twig Blights, Bracken is able to defeat Sir Braford, and, with the help of Gaeg who has managed to make some forward progress, the tree frog is slain.

When Lady Hucrele goes down, Belak retreats further, and again uses his wand to entangle the heroes.  Badly wounded, Gaeg still pushes forward and begins to chop at the tree, while Bracken opens fire on it with his bow.

This angers Belak, who strides back through the vegetation as if it were nothing more than a fine carpet for him.  He engages Gaeg in melee, to protect his tree, but Legacy has managed to make progress as well, and begins to pelt him with sling stones.

Seeing the last of his twig blights fall, Belak realizes he is now alone, and wounded. As much as he despises the thought of letting the ignorant fools destroy the Gulthias tree, he realizes staying to fight will mean only that he dies with it.  Retreating a short distance, he heals himself, and then runs through the grove to the exit.  The heroes, still hampered by the grasping and clinging vegetation, are unable to give chase properly.  Belak escapes, but the tree, the mighty Gulthias Tree, is cut down.  And the last of the Hucrele signet rings is found on the finger of young Ms.Hucrele.  

The enemy may have escaped, but the goals were met.  The Gulthias tree and its spawn threaten the world no more.

Quote of the Session

DM: Daesha, you get scratched on the butt for 2 points of damage.

Gaeg: I will have to lay hands on that for you. J

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Sessions 9 & 10

And so it was that on the 24th of Flocktime, in the year 591 CY, our heroes drove the outcast druid from the Twilight Grove and burned the Gulthias tree to ash.

Upon leaving the grove level of the citadel, the band of fearless adventurers spoke once again to the Kobold Queen.  Upon hearing that the citadel was free of the last of those who did not follow her, the Queen thanked them with apparent heartfelt sincerity.  She then asked the heroes to speak on her behalf in the town of Oakhurst.  "If Oakhurst is not our ally, than surely we are doomed, for they will then give succor to those who might wish us ill" she said to the party, "they have been willing to trade with the likes of goblins once each year, surely continuous trade with us will benefit both our peoples."

Though considering it on odd request for a kobold to make, the party agreed to her request.  It proved none-to-difficult a sell to Bracken, who chose to approach first the dwarven smith in Oakhurst with the idea.  He told Rurik only of the profit to be made, and not of the being with whom he'd be dealing.  It was quite a shock when Rurik was 'introduced to the trading partner' and discovered that it was kobolds with whom Bracken wanted him to deal!

Only the quick words of Bracken, and the elegant charm of the Kobold Queen kept Rurik from attacking on sight.  In the end, the Queen's pragmatism and charm swayed Rurik, and he agreed that indeed such a partnership between the Sunless Citadel and Oakhurst could be profitable to all.  Within days, Rurik had gotten the blessings of the town magistrate, and entered into an agreement with Kerowyn Hucrele for distribution of goods.  The kobolds would provide fine artwork, crafted by the amazingly talented Meepo, as well as underdark goods, and the Queen's antidotes, while the town of Oakhurst would provide the kobolds with supplemental foodstuffs grown on their farms, as well as keeping their presence in the Citadel quiet...lest adventurers of less open-minded nature than our heroes decide to visit the citadel.  The bargain was struck, and the party left Oakhurst, knowing they did something good.

The heroes remained in town only long enough to attend the funeral of the young Hucrele girl and Sir Braford, and to wait until Gamble recovered from another shadow attack, which occurred on the road when returning from the Citadel.  Then they departed for Dyvers, homeward bound.

Wealsun 3rd, 591 CY

Corustaith

After 2 days of traveling, the heroes arrived in Corustaith.  Bracken was glad to return to the village, which had been more near to a home than anything he had known in his life.  Sadly, those whom he knew best were all out in the wilds, as rangers are wont to do. 

Nonetheless, Cedris provided them a wonderful dinner at the Gilded Acorn, and sat enthralled as they told the tale of the events which transpired within the citadel.  Cedris inspected a cutting of the Gulthias tree, and the small under-developed apple which they had retrieved from it, but found no information of usefulness.

After a nights rest, and a quick breakfast, Bracken took his new friends to see the amazing water source of the Corustaith mill.  Kentir was quite amazed at the vast rush of water powering the wheel of the mill, yet emitting from the small mouth of a simple ceramic decanter, set in a large stone block (presumably to prevent theft or to hold it in firmly in place).

After this brief tour, Gaeg announced that enough dallying had been done, and the party rode out of the unusual woodsmen's village.

Wealsun 4th, 591 CY

The Outcast returns

 Though they tried to push the donkeys pulling their wagons hard enough to reach Tricaster within the day, the brief delays of the morning proved enough to prevent that.  Thunderheads loomed in the sky as dusk drew near, and opened with a torrent, turning the road to mud, and making the heroes cold and wet.

Bracken informed Gaeg that Tricaster was only  a few hours off, but in the dark, with the unpleasant conditions, it was decided unwise to press on.  The party pulled off the road, and set up camp, stringing canvas from teh wagon to provide some simple shelter from the elements.

Alas, the storm was not to be the only unpleasantness that evening.

Just as the heroes were setting their watch order and preparing to sleep, a small white figure flashed from the sky to perch on the edge of the wagon.  Looking all together unhappy, its feathers wet and sticking to one another, the white owl turned its head to regard Bracken.  "There is danger, Bracken, danger.  An unkempt looking man with several wolf-like friends dogs your trail,  Be wary, be wary," the owl said to the shock of much of the party.

The owl then launched itself into the air again, as Bracken replied, "Go, quick, get help!"

"Help will be too late, too late," he heard it shout as it disappeared into the night canopy of the forest.

Quick preparations were made, and several of the heroes sought hiding places within or behind trees, while Gaeg and Tara crouched in the wagon, loaded crossbows arrayed in front of them.

Kentir was the first to see the danger.  From his perch in a tree, he heard a growling chirrup below him.  Looking down, he saw 2 large wolverines, glaring up at him.  He readied his bow as one began to climb the tree toward him.  The other, sniffing the wet ground, advanced in the direction of the wagon.

The horses and donkey's, panicking at the large predator coming their way, alerted Gaeg, who sat up, crossbow at the ready.  As he drew a bead on the advancing animal, his hair stood on end, and without warning a blast of lightning came crackling down through the forest canopy, striking him.  So large was this stroke of nature's fury that the wagon and much within it was reduced to smolders.  Tara's nearly lifeless body draped across the wreckage beside him, and all of the mounts, save Daesha's fine steed, lay dead or unconscious.

As Daesha's mount bolted into the forest, fleeing for its life, Gaeg hurriedly laid his hands upon Tara, calling on Heironeous to give to her all the healing that he would.  Thankfully, this saved her life, and brought her to consciousness.

Meanwhile, the remaining heroes engaged in battle with the wolverines, and some spotted the druid, lurking in the shadows just up the road.

The battle proved tiring, and long.  The druid caused the very flora to rise up and impede the heroes movements.  He cast magicks to make the plants beneath their feat hard and sharp, called forth mists to obscure his movements, and called forth raging balls of fire which moved about the battlefield and burned all that they touched.

But in the end, the heroes defeated his wolverine allies, and managed to close upon him.  In a final effort to do as much harm as he could before death, the druid transformed into a large wolverine, and lunged at Legacy.  But even that was not enough, for by then he was surrounded, and the blades of Daesha and Kentir pierced his back and sides, felling him once and for all.

Their campsite ruined by the lightning, wagon and half their mounts destroyed, and the rain still coming down in sheets, the heroes looked about the carnage and sighed.  This was surely going to be a long night, and many of them were wounded....but at least the outcast was no longer a threat, to anyone.

As the rest of the party picked up the remnants of their camp, Daesha and Bracken searched in the darkness for the trail left by Daesha's fleeing horse.  Bracken, ever the skilled woodsmen, quickly found the tracks and the two, with Legacy as company (in case of danger) go off after the frightened mount.  Within a short distance, they found the horse munching contently in a clearing.

It was still skittish, however, and Daesha needed to apply all of her skills at handling animals to calm the beast and lead it back to the campsite.

Once back, although the rain sill poured down from above, and little shelter from the elements remained, the party huddled together and tried to catch at least a small amount of sleep before dawn.

Wealsun 5th, 591CY

The Storm Breaks

The next morning they awoke to cloudy, but dry, skies.  Wringing themselves dry, the heroes gathered up their supplies and what mounts they still had left, and continued along the road to Dyvers.

Within a few hours, they approached the village of Tricaster.  Warning the party of the skin-flint nature of the lord of that village, Bracken suggested leading most of the group around the town, while one or two entered to see if a decent price could be had on replacement mounts and wagon.

By noon, Daesha and Gaeg departed Tricaster, lighter in purse, but in possession of a few decent mules and a nice wagon which even possessed a canvas cover!

Passing through Beltander, and other small villages over the next few days, the heroes encountered no further trouble before arriving at Dyvers.

Wealsun 10th, 591CY

Dyvers

Finally in Dyver's, the heroes (who have chosen to name their band "The Dragons of Light" and will be referred to as thus in future updates throughout this site) report to Kagan.  Kagan took the branch and the apple from the Gulthias tree, which the party brought back with them.

Kagan had a letter for the party, sent by Tril in Brookhollow.  The letter stated that a 'dark knight' and his retainers had been through Brookhollow, asking many questions about those who defeated "Kor" and his minions.  The party, forewarned, resolved to watch their backs.

Also in Dyvers, Gaeg learned of the disappearance of his father from several of his clan-mates which had ventured all the way from the southern Lortmils to bring him this news.  Gaeg resolved to go in search of his father, but forbade his clansmen from joining him, lest they dishonor their own names by associating with one exiled, such as he.  His clan-mates, Aust and Magdor, instead chose to remain and join the Dragons of Light, to fill Gaeg's place and to search for the lost delve of Durgeddin, the location of which the party had received several clues.

Meanwhile, Bracken received word from his mentor, Eldrin, and left quickly, leaving only a brief note of farewell to the Dragons of Light.  None know where he went, nor why, but he left no trail to follow.

Shortly before the heroes prepared to leave, Gamble hired two pikemen, Yaum and Gwae, from the Dyverse Mercenaries Guild, to serve as his bodyguards and men-at-arms, allowing the party fighters to worry about the enemy rather than having to worry about his hide.

After a few days of rest and recuperation, the party left Dyvers.  The new Dragons of Light, consisting of Aust, Daesha, Gamble (with his men-at-arms), Kentir, Legacy, Magdor and Tara headed for Blasingdell, in search of Khundrukar.

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On to the adventure that followed.

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 Much of the background music on the pages of this site was composed by Bjorn Lynne.

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