Practical Magic - Dungeon 113

Practical Magic is an adventure full of personality. Many personalities in fact. 

A necromancer whose work is focused on making skilled undead even better at their jobs, he sees corpses that aren't being put to productive purposes as wasted material. He gets wind of another spellcaster with a sense for putting magic and inventions to practical uses and sees an opportunity for the two of them to work together, bettering both their efforts.

He sends an invitation to meet, but the message doesn't arrive because her boyfriend is breaking up with her. So the necromancer has his very smart undead servant kidnap the wizard.

The boyfriend is a dominated servant of a mermaid vampire. So is his cousin. 

The mermaid vampire has the boyfriend lure the downtrodden, poor, or depressed to her lair under the guise that she is a fortune teller that can help relieve them of their burdens. She then convinces the victims to go out of the world in an exotic way . . . as her food.

The boyfriend's cousin has turned evil and now wants to become a vampire.  

The ghast that kidnapped the wizard is addicted to fine clothes and fancy furnishings. He owns a Hat of Disguise that lets him pose as himself before being turned into a ghast, and allowed him to pull off the kidnapping.

The kidnapped wizard has heard out the necromancer's idea and come around to giving it serious consideration. She however has her own plan for how things should work.

Much of the adventure takes place in the two hidden lairs and will require time spent in the water. 

Now we just need to figure out where everything is and who else might be involved.

According to the module the mermaid vampire's lair is about 300' off the coast in about 20' of water, with a bunch of sharks around it. This could be almost anywhere as long as it stays not too far from Ptolus. Victims need to be able to reach the lair and her agents need to be able to return to the city fairly quickly, but it all needs to remain unnoticed. At first I thought to put it south of Beacon Island, but reading further into the adventure made it more likely that the necromancer's lair is under the south end of the island. Two major lairs that close together doesn't work for me.

Then I looked north of the docks. It might work, but it starts to come close to the territory of the Covenant of Blood and their Sahuagin allies. it could certainly work. She might be one of the 6 vampires in the Covenant. She's good with sharks and so are the Sahuagin. The drawback is that PCs that defeat or drive her away make enemies of the Covenant, the Sahuagin, the Balacazars, and all of their other allies. That's a lot of weight bearing down on the player characters. Maybe the mermaid vampire is viewed as unwanted competition by the Covenant and they'd like to see her gone, one way or another. 

"One thing about living in Ptolus I never could stomach is all the damned vampires."

Studying necromancy is not technically illegal in Ptolus, but creating undead or bringing undead into the city is outlawed. This is reason for the necromancer to have a hidden lair off shore. The lair is fairly large so he needs a big place to put it and under the south end of Beacon Island seems perfect. The island already has a reputation of being haunted. The necromancer is a known entity, and has in the past aided in fighting off pirates, so while dealing with unsavory things, nobody has gone out of their way to try and put an end to his practice.

Interesting is a great way to describe this adventure. It is possible for characters to make enemies of just about everyone in the module if enemies aren't killed. They could also end up with some bizarre semi-allies depending on their own sense of morals.

Thursday Knights

Eberron.

The party entered the ethereal stairway to ascend into the lobby of the library tower, accompanied by one of the nothic librarians. It was a good thing because the giantess curator was about to rain ruin upon our heads for violating the prohibition against entering the observatories without permission. The librarian explained that we had saved the library from a demon infestation, cleared the advanced research lab and closed the portal to the home world of the demons. This won her grudging acceptance.

Entering the next ethereal stair they returned to the entry chamber of the large pyramid and from there exited into the desert. They then prepaired to camp and Ennark gathered and fed the mules. We had spent a couple of days within the library and the animals were starving and parched.

The librarians had granted each of us information on a topic of our choosing before we departed. Visions had been displayed for all of us to see. Ennark's knowledge request showed him the nearby area which included the ruins atop hills half a day away that may hold the prison of one of the many defeated demon lords of ancient times. He very much wanted to seek relics from the site to bring back to the church. The next morning the party set out for the ruins.

On the night before setting out, some flickering lights were noticed amid the distant ruins. Ennark took this as indicating the location of the prison, protected by a silver flame, When daylight came they could no longer see the lights.

After half a day of travel into the hills they reached their objective. The ruins were comprised of low lying rubble that may be the foundations of buildings. Nearby was a huge cave mouth, 30' tall by 25' wide. Speculation about the cave being a dragons lair was quickly put aside. The mules were behaving normally and there were no indications of anything residing at the site.

Entering the cave they were greeted by the sight of 6 stone sarcophagi on large stone plinths, three to each side of a wide aisle leading to a pair of enormous doors. One of the graves had been slightly disturbed, having its lid ajar. After casting light into the sarcophagus they were able to see an accumulation of dust, likely the long decayed remains of the buried individual, accompanied by a spear, a bow, a helmet, and suit of scale mail armor of ancient design, all in excellent condition. They noticed also, a broken set of manacles, and scratches in the stone that seemed to indicate a live burial of an unwilling person.

Collecting the grave goods, the group moved to the next grave, forcing open the seal. Inside was a similar scene and items, except this one showed no signs of struggle to escape. It was then that the doors at the far end opened and two 20' tall undead giants bearing huge morning-stars emerged.

The battle was joined with each party member seeking the best position from which to fight. A'lan posted himself forward to engage the creatures as they came at the group. Cotton sought a hiding place from which he could attack by surprise. Anton fell back to a place of cover from which he would employ his hand crossbow with which he was deadly. Eldrid stood atop a plinth and drew her longbow, and Ennark placed himself in the middle from which he could employ most of his spells effectively.

Proving themselves to be very effective against foes when coordinating their capabilities. Ennark displayed his latest divinely granted power, unleashing a ball of silver fire that engulfed the giant abominations. The others assaulted first one and then the other giant. The fight went well, with only A'lan suffering injury before the undead were destroyed. 

Finishing the job of looting the 6 stone coffins presented them with 6 magic spears, 6 magic bows, and 6 sets of ancient non-magical armor which Anton collected into the bag of holding he carried. They then proceeded into the chamber beyond the doors. There they found an incredible sight. Centered in the cathedral-like chamber was a 30' long stone sepulcher.

All around the room were painted scenes of what they assumed to be the interred giant. A search revealed the giant's name, and a hidden compartment within which Cotton identified to be a magical trap. He was hesitant to attempt disarming it until with a prayer of divine guidance, he succeeded. 

The monumental task of moving the tomb's lid fell to their combined might and with a struggle it eventually moved aside enough for them to get inside. Within was a large pile of dust, several rings the size of bracelets, a crown large enough to encircle two people with room to spare, and a great mask the size of a dining room table which weighed 600lbs.

Recovering the items from the coffin proved difficult, but eventually it was achieved. The rings joined the previous items in the bag of holding and the spears were withdrawn to build a litter for the mules to pull, to move the crown and mask.

Campaign Diary - My, What Big Teeth You Have

Location - Little Plains, a town halfway between Ptolus, Slune, and almost equidistant from Dorhinthas in the south of the empire.

Party in Play

Rae - Elf. Fighter 1/ Wizard 4.  One of the original members of the party that originated in the town of Little Plains. She is somewhat of a strategist and creative tactician always looking for an edge when the situation gets dicey.

Wulfe - Elf. Fighter 1/ Wizard 4. Originally from a small town north of Ptolus near the Moonsilver Forest, he wandered westward to satisfy his curiosity about the frontier areas of the empire. Joining the group early in their adventuring career he has been a steadfast companion and effective in any dangerous situation. He wields Cheval, a Faery forged longsword known for occasional bursts of radiant energy.

Korved - Human. Cleric 4. An itinerant priest, he arrived in Little Plains hoping to come to grips with his recent experiences. He had joined the Gaen faith at a young age and over time found his thinking more in line with her masculine aspect Hannan. The non-violent and amicable split in the church was his signal to explore the world.

Sparky - Human. Fighter 4. She's a force to be reckoned with in a toe to toe fight. Recent life as a sword for hire had led to some less than respectable jobs and little in the way of pay. Joining an adventuring group seemed a wise choice.

Celestia - Elf. Fighter 1/ Wizard 2. A bold and confident adventurer, she puts forward an unfearful countenance. A recent addition to the group Celestia is making herself at home as if she were there all along despite lacking the experience of the other members.

Jill - Human. Fighter 3. A sell sword by trade, she has recently been down on her luck and in need of work. Hired to deliver a bag of coins to this group she ended up joining as a means of escaping from the butt end of the empire. Capable with sword and bow Jill is a good fit for the team.

Jackalope - Human. Fighter 3. A stranger in Little Plains that arrived about the time the wolf attacks began. Staying at the Brown Dog, Jackalope approached the party after overhearing their intent to go north. Volunteering additional information about the wolf problem, the party agreed that an extra sword arm might be in order.

It was past noon when the westward team noticed a pair of wolves stalking their movements from a line of trees and underbrush to the northeast. The wolves drew back into the trees and disappeared from view. Sparky, Korved, and Wulfe had hoped to arrive unnoticed so they could potentially outflank the wolf pack, but now they'd been spotted.

At around 8 in the evening they turned east and lead their army of bones to a mile north of the farm and turned south.

Meanwhile Jill and Jackalope conducted their business in town. First they visited the shop of Platt the silversmith and jeweler to see about having 10 arrows and three swords coated with silver before nightfall. After some discussion Platt agreed to drop everything and give it his best effort, making no promises. He asked them to return around 9 that evening to pick up what he had managed to complete.

Having arranged the silvering of weapons, they adjourned to the shop next door, that of Santhosh the apothecary to see about procuring some wolfsbane. Business was quick and they bought his whole supply.

The day was long and dull for Rae and Celestia as they kept watch for any sign of wolves. Nothing was stirring in the area around the farm.

By 10 that night everything was falling into place. The skeleton army had reached the northern edge of the farm field while Jill and Jackalope were on the road just south of the farm, not far from the barn. That's when the wolves rushed to the attack.

Under the leadership of two werewolves the 14 strong pack moved to attack the divided party. A line of wolves was moving to delay the undead re-enforcements, another rushed toward Jackalope and Jill on the road, and more charged a swordless Celestia by the front of the house. Snealing around the southwest corner of the house, attempting to get to Deek in the root cellar, the second werewolf and two of the wolves closed in on Rae.

Hearing growls and movement to the south, Wulfe and Korved cast light on stones and throw them into field. The light revealed the seriousness of the moment. 

Rae was lucky to detect the enemies attempting to creep up to her position and thinking quickly she cast web trapping them in place between a tree and the side of the house. This decision proved critical.

To the east, following behind the rapidly moving wolves was an upright humanoid figure covered in fur.. The figure rushed to the nearest light stone and threw it far to the southeast returning half of the field to darkness.

Wulfe managed to target the werewolf with Magic Missiles before it could blend back into the night. Meanwhile Korved rushed south into the middle of the farm field. This might have been foolish, but he was counting on a secret weapon to turn things against their enemy.

Nearly surrounded by 3 wolves, Celestia managed to free herself and rushed into the open door of the farmhouse with Rae on her heels. Rae slammed the door closed barely on time to keep the wolves at bay, growling and scratching the door.

Cut off by 4 wolves, Jackaplope and Jill found themselves in a desperate fight for their lives. They managed to slay one of their attackers and wound another, but they were being savaged horribly.

Skeletons rushed south engaging wolves. A battle rages between fangs and bones. Two skeletons fell first until the larger numbers of undead proved their worth. In all 4 of the wolves sent to delay them lay dead.

Korved and the werewolf came face to face in the center of the field. The sword Korved was wielding was far from ordinary, which the lycanthrope would soon discover to his dismay. The weapon was powerful, made to slay shape shifters, creatures with unfixed forms, violating the law of conformity of body. During their fight Korved landed two strong blows to the one claw strike from the surprised were-creature.

Struggling in the web, the two wolves managed to eventually break free, however the female werewolf remained restrained. From the opened southern facing window Celestia and Rae began raining Magic Missiles upon her. In agony and growing desperate, she began calling out. 

"Mamma's here Deek. Please come out Deek, it's momma." 

This turn of events left Rae confounded. This creature couldn't be Deek's mother, Widow Penik had been missing and presumed dead four years now.

Bleeding from multiple wounds and fearing for her life, Jackalope fought her way free, making it into the barn and slamming the door behind her. Jill remained standing alone against three ravening wolves.

With a great pained howl the were-beast facing Korved broke away toward the east, sending the remaining wolves scattering away into darkness, leaving the female behind.

Recasting web to keep this enigma of a werewolf restrained, Rae began a back and forth argument with the creature. Eventually the thing named herself as Elena Penik. She was indeed the missing widow, and Deek's mother.

The now converged party began discussing options. After a time Elena agreed to subject herself and Deek to waiting locked in the cellar for someone to come and cast Remove Curse on each of them.

Further talk elicited more information about their remaining foe. Klayne, as he was called, would return to the Moon Cave tonight, but would likely return at some point seeking to reclaim his mate and anyone else he could curse.

Once it was decided that the party would again split up, Wulfe hid the 26 remaining skeletons to hide in the barn. He realized that sometime during their northward march another skeleton had joined them, drawn by the Crystal of Calling.

Wulf maintained watch while the others rested until morning. Korved and Rae then took a treasure loaded chest into town, planning to speak with the two high ranking priestesses at the temples of Melann and Aldinach seeking Remove Curse.

Revealing the problem to the priestesses brought initial shock from Hart. She joined them when they approached Tabish at the temple of Aldinach. Tabish agreed to cure the afflicted mother and child of their moon sickness and was eager to get started. After a brief delay, the four of them journeyed to the farm.  

The two ranking clergy entered the cellar, unafraid of the cursed kin and after twenty minutes emerged along with the now cured family members.

Giving the remaining Remove Curse scroll to Korved, Tabish recommended the party not delay in finding the remaining beast to either cure him or kill him before he could spread the curse to anyone else.

Reluctant to go off chasing Klayne, the party hesitated, discussing their options.

Note: The Widow Penik storyline was the first adventure the group undertook in the campaign. This is the result after 4 years of in-game time.

Campaign Diary - Of Two Minds

 Location: One week from Little Plains in the open grasslands and gentle hills.

Party in Play

Rae - Elf. Fighter 1/ Wizard 4.  One of the original members of the party that originated in the town of Little Plains. She is somewhat of a strategist and creative tactician always looking for an edge when the situation gets dicey.

Wulfe - Elf. Fighter 1/ Wizard 4. Originally from a small town north of Ptolus near the Moonsilver Forest, he wandered westward to satisfy his curiosity about the frontier areas of the empire. Joining the group early in their adventuring career he has been a steadfast companion and effective in any dangerous situation. He wields Cheval, a Faery forged longsword known for occasional bursts of radiant energy.

Korved - Human. Cleric 4. An itinerant priest, he arrived in Little Plains hoping to come to grips with his recent experiences. He had joined the Gaen faith at a young age and over time found his thinking more in line with her masculine aspect Hannan. The non-violent and amicable split in the church was his signal to explore the world.

Sparky - Human. Fighter 4. She's a force to be reckoned with in a toe to toe fight. Recent life as a sword for hire had led to some less than respectable jobs and little in the way of pay. Joining an adventuring group seemed a wise choice.

Celestia - Elf. Fighter 1/ Wizard 2. A bold and confident adventurer, she puts forward an unfearful countenance. A recent addition to the group Celestia is making herself at home as if she were there all along despite lacking the experience of the other members.

Jill - Human. Fighter 3. A sell sword by trade, she has recently been down on her luck and in need of work. Hired to deliver a bag of coins to this group she ended up joining as a means of escaping from the butt end of the empire. Capable with sword and bow Jill is a good fit for the team.

It was mid afternoon and their supplies were completely gone. Hunger made attempting to continue travelling painful for them and their horses. The decision was made to set an early camp, to forage for food and give the horses the opportunity to graze.

Despite being used to long travel, they are typically well supplied, but now they would be fending for themselves. Korved volunteered to hunt for small game and Wulfe chose to scrounge for berries and other edible leaf plants. Three and half hours later they returned with a small bounty to prepare.

Roasting over the open fire the two rabbits and one quail had begun to smell very inviting, and inviting they were. Somehow the large ettin had managed to creep up to the copse of small trees they had camped next to for shade. It was noticed when Rae decided to look around to see if their roasting dinner was drawing any attention. 

Both mouths were drooling as the hulking creature pushed its way noisily through the saplings and smaller trees on into the camp. The party grabbed weapons expecting the worst and Rae cast Fairy Fire to illuminate the ettin. It pushed Celestia aside and strode to the fire where their meat hung on a spit, dripping juices into the crackling flames below.

At Rae's urging everyone held back from initiating hostilities. So much for having meat for dinner. Dropping it's enormous stone headed axe it grabbed the spit, lifted the meal to its mouths and began gnawing greedily on a rabbit and quail. Then Jill got the idea that she should quietly pull the axe away from its reach.

The soft scraping sound of the axe head against a small stone was enough to alert the big beast. "Why you do that?"  The monster made a hasty grab for Jill, dropping the spit and remaining rabbit to the ground, and barely missing his target. That was when all hell broke loose on this previously unconcerned brute.

Wulfe and Sparky stepped up to engage in close quarters combat while Jill loosed arrows and Rae, Celestia, and Korved struck with spells. Both heads howled in pain and anger at the assault. In the melee their foe struck a powerful blow against Wulfe and then grabbed Sparky. As Wulfe tried to dart away to a safer distance the creature used Sparky like a ragdoll, slamming her into the retreating elf injuring them both.

Ettin heads growled spouting different obscenities as it flailed about with it's great tree branch club striking Jill. It had grossly underestimated both the will to fight and the might of these little people and now was paying a heavy price.

More magic struck the creature staggering it, but it was Sparky, still in its tightening grip, that struck the deadly blow. Her longsword clasped in both hands sliced downward cleaving into the leftmost head. Sparky dropped from its grip as its eyes rolled back in both heads and it fell with a massive thump.

Hitching a horse to the corpse they pulled the nearly two thousand pound mass away from camp, leaving it out for the carrion birds and scavengers to feast on, while quietly hoping the Crystal of Calling would not animate the ettin. 

Watches passed relatively without incident, nothing too noisy transpiring, but it was not a real surprise when they awoke to discover a dozen skeletons standing at the edge of camp. This was becoming a familiar event. This time they chose not to destroy the undead figuring that some extra guardians would make life temporarily easier. 

Out above a low hill back along their trail they could see more boney followers making their way to camp. Debate ensued about how to deal with the accumulating abominations to nature. Korved wanted to do away with them while Wulfe recommended letting them follow until they got closer to Little Plains where undead would panic the townspeople and become difficult to explain.

Over the coming days two dozen skeletons had caught up with the party. Little plains loomed a mile more to the east as night was falling and the group chose to push on. But what to do with the undead? After several minutes of debate it was decided that Wulfe, carrier of the Crystal, would order the skeletons to stay in place, 100 yards off of the road. 

Getting closer the party saw that something big was happening in the town. There were more people guarding the entry road and milling torchlight could be seen all about town. The guardsman and 5 armed townsmen blocked the road, asking who they were and their business. 

A quick explanation was enough to elicit information about a week's worth of wolf attacks north of town near where Rae and Wulfe had a small farm. Opting to stable their two remaining horses and their wagons in town they would avoid going north until morning instead getting rooms at the Brown Dog Inn. 

Talk with Hibbert the inn keeper and some locals revealed that another adventuring group, The Silver Blades had gone north three days ago to aid in staving off the attacks. Rae and Wulfe knew the three Silver Blades. This adventuring group had once numbered six, but after a long venture to the southwest, had returned half in number and a lot wealthier. What might the Silver Blades be up to, could they be part of the problem? Further talk revealed rumors that the wolf pack was unnaturally large, perhaps twenty members and that they seemed more coordinated and determined than usual.

Concern grew about the wellbeing and whereabouts of Deek, the young boy caretaker of their property. The boy had grown up on the farm before his mother went missing and to get by his older sister married another local farmer. The two younger siblings went to live with their new brother-in law and sister on his farm further south. Deek hired on to look after the property since he knew it well and the generous pay would be a great help for the family.

This would all have to wait for morning as they were exhausted from the road.

Campaign Diary - A Familiar Robber in the Night

 Location: The ruins of Thistleblack a long abandoned town with a strange nature. Below the ruins are a dungeon with crypts and a time twisted magical library.

Party in play: 

Rae - Elf. Fighter 1/ Wizard 4.  One of the original members of the party that originated in the town of Little Plains. She is somewhat of a strategist and creative tactician always looking for an edge when the situation gets dicey.

Wulfe - Elf. Fighter 1/ Wizard 4. Originally from a small town north of Ptolus near the Moonsilver Forest, he wandered westward to satisfy his curiosity about the frontier areas of the empire. Joining the group early in their adventuring career he has been a steadfast companion and effective in any dangerous situation. He wields Cheval, a Faery forged longsword known for occasional bursts of radiant energy.

Korved - Human. Cleric 4. An itinerant priest, he arrived in Little Plains hoping to come to grips with his recent experiences. He had joined the Gaen faith at a young age and over time found his thinking more in line with her masculine aspect Hannan. The non-violent and amicable split in the church was his signal to explore the world.

Sparky - Human. Fighter 4. She's a force to be reckoned with in a toe to toe fight. Recent life as a sword for hire had led to some less than respectable jobs and little in the way of pay. Joining an adventuring group seemed a wise choice.

Celestia - Elf. Fighter 1/ Wizard 2. A bold and confident adventurer, she puts forward an unfearful countenance. A recent addition to the group Celestia is making herself at home as if she were there all along despite lacking the experience of the other members.

Jill - Human. Fighter 3. A sell sword by trade, she has recently been down on her luck and in need of work. Hired to deliver a bag of coins to this group she ended up joining as a means of escaping from the butt end of the empire. Capable with sword and bow Jill is a good fit for the team.

It was close to dusk when the party realized they were nearing the ancient ruins of Thistleblack. Having departed Slune in a hurry two weeks ago they neglected to restock their rations. Tired and hungry they debated camping on the plains or making for the ruins and risking the dangers therein. The decision was made. If need be they might be able to eat something they could hunt in the ruins. To Thistleblack.

Rae and Wulfe had been here twice before and on both occasions found reasons not to remain. Beneath one wrecked building was a passage leading down into an odd set of halls and rooms. Deeper in was a crypt with some active undead guardians that they had chosen to avoid. On their second trip they discovered a library far below, accessed from a crumbling tower, that was time-twisted and magically imbued. Both occasions were disconcerting and they anticipated this time would be no different.

Entering the ruins they noted the eerie quiet, no sounds, not even wind disturbed the scene. Rae pointed out that the expected creatures, giant ticks, giant beetles, giant lizards and even flying dinosaurs all seemed absent. 

They chose to use the roofless wrecked building as their defensible campsite. Bringing the horses inside with them they then parked the wagons to block one entrance and built their camp fire just beyond the other. They set watch and proceeded to get some rest.

Just past midnight, early into second watch Celestia's keen hearing alerted her to the nearby arrival of something large flying in and landing in the direction of the crumbling tower. Jill, also on watch seemed fully absorbed in staring at the crackling campfire and missed this happening completely. Celestia made Jill aware of the possible visitor, but opted not to trouble the others as so far there was no definite threat. 

After a time a voice broke the silence of her mind, but Celestia noted she could not hear it with her ears. "Isn't this interesting, I know one of you elves."

Speaking out loud she replied to the inner voice. "Who are you and who do you know?"

"She sleeps so soundly, do not disturb her. Elves do not normally sleep." Celestia knew the voice meant Rae.

The odd conversation continued without revealing the identity of the speaker. Jill hearing only one part of the discussion finally asked, "Who are you talking to?" Having Celestia explain it was a voice in her head did nothing to ease Jill's concern.

Eventually Celestia's own concern grew enough that she quietly roused all of her companions and whispered to Rae the generalities of the conversation. That is when the voice was heard by Rae. "I know you." This time it was only Rae hearing the internal voice to which she was replying out loud. 

"Since we last met my tastes have become more extravagant. You and your friends will give me all of your gold."

"Shit" Rae knew it was the dragon that had slain half of the party early in their adventuring career when some of them objected to paying 400 silver to be left unharmed. She quietly informed everyone of their predicament and they agreed to pay the dragon.

Korved now as puzzled as Jill, looked around for anyone or anything hidden nearby, spotting nothing in the dimness. The the voice spoke to him. "One of you will bring me all of the gold you possess. Just one of you. It will be brought to the back of the tower."

Korved objected, insisting they see who they were talking with and that they put the gold out beyond the campfire in exchange for the dragon ensuring their safety until morning. Rae also chimed in to reinforce the safety request.

They gathered their limited gold into a single bag. Whispered debate included the idea of maybe slipping the Crystal of Calling in with it hoping to plague the dragon with constant visits by undead. This was decided against and instead they only prepared the gold.

This time an audible throaty voice answered back with the request and instructions for where to deliver the gold. "And one of your horses."

A whispered debate began between the party about this new condition. While the others were distracted by their debate, Celestia took the bag of gold and led their older gray work horse out. She had come close to the tower before they realized what she was doing.

She returned unharmed. 

Following shortly was the sound of beating wings and the terrified death screams of the old gray horse. It was all they could do to keep the remaining horses from complete panic. The dragon didn't stop to eat, instead returning to its roost atop the tower, shrouded from view in the darkness. Satisfied for the moment the dragon agreed to their safety till morning. 

They had no idea how big their tormentor and robber might be aside from Rae's knowledge that on last meeting it was a wyrmling and inexperienced.

Accepting their predicament the party decided to return to the watch schedule so some of them could attempt to rest. This time the elves chose to go into a trance state instead of a full sleep. The humans would have to take their rest as they could manage.

Dawn arrived and the party began preparing to travel, but not without some trepidation. They could now catch a glimpse of the wyrmling and it was about twice the size Rae remembered. 

Seeing that they were awake and active the yellow dragon decided to show itself in full glory so they would appreciate its benevolence. Flying to above their campfire it hovered, fanning the flames higher with the beat of its wings. There in full view was a yellow dragon wyrmling the size of a large man with wings even wider that its main body was tall.

"I am Vitrixis."

The party had planned for this in whispered conversation as they were bedding down and now proposed another deal with Vitrixis.

Korved spoke up. "We have another deal to offer you. We are travelling first to our town of Little Plains and then onward to Ptolus in the east. If you will protect us on our journey we will pay you 1,000 gold pieces when we arrive."

"Have you withheld gold?! Pay it now!"

It is in our vault in Ptolus. We don't have the gold on us only the key. Consider what we have already paid you a down payment."

"Your journey will take six of your weeks or more. My time is more valuable than your small offer and what you have already paid is but a drop. Give me the key, I will claim your vault as mine."

Korved again spoke up. "You would have trouble in a city the size of Ptolus being an animal."

Vitrixis cut him off, "An ANIMAL?! It is YOU  that are animals to be eaten or spared as dragons see fit."

Rae knew she needed to speak up and attempt to defuse the growing tension. "A dragon would encounter resistance in the city. How would you get to and from the vault safely? We could help you."

"YOU KNOW NOTHING OF DRAGONS! YOU ARE FOOLS! (I got to raise my voice for this part of the role-playing. It was fun booming this out.)

Vitrixis grew angrier seeing that these lesser, unworthy beings did not appear to be cowed by his display. He breathed a gout of blazing hot sand onto the two closest below him. Korved took the worst of it collapsing into unconsciousness with burns to his exposed flesh. Jill was also burned, but had avoided the severity that took Korved down.

Wulfe didn't hesitate, firing off a heightened burst of Magic Missiles. Sparky, Jill and Celestia pelted the dragon with arrows, some of them striking home. 

This was not the plan. Vitrixis now gambled that they had been lucky. "GIVE ME THE KEY!"

The answer was not to his liking. More spells and arrows were loosed and the wyrmling was gravely hurt. Rae thought he might hear her thoughts and without voicing it told the dragon to back off. Deciding his life was presently worth more than his pride Vitrixis darted away at speed as the party behind him readied to send a coordinated volley should he return.

After the dragon was out of sight Wulfe tended to the stricken Korved. He stabilized his companion who soon awakened and was able to cast curative magics on himself and Jill.

Still starving, discussion ensued as to what could be done about food. Hunting would take time, but Korved had another idea. "Cut a bunch of meat off of the dead horse. I can purify it and we can cook it. We can then take it with us and get out of here."

Their cooking done the party split the two remaining horses to pull both wagons and they began to put some distance between them, the dragon, and Thistleblack.

Meanwhile deep below the dead had been stirring. At first it was the active guardians. Now the ancient dead were emerging from their long rest. The processional through the crypts, hallways and rooms of the dungeon below the ruins made its way upward. The calling had been heard and they would follow.

Campaign Diary - The Last Night in Slune

Location: Slune, a small city at the far western edge of the crumbling Empire of Tarsis. 

Party in play: 

Rae - Elf. Fighter 1/ Wizard 4.  One of the original members of the party that originated in the town of Little Plains. She is somewhat of a strategist and creative tactician always looking for an edge when the situation gets dicey.

Wulfe - Elf. Fighter 1/ Wizard 4. Originally from a small town north of Ptolus near the Moonsilver Forest, he wandered westward to satisfy his curiosity about the frontier areas of the empire. Joining the group early in their adventuring career he has been a steadfast companion and effective in any dangerous situation. He wields Cheval, a Faery forged longsword known for occasional bursts of radiant energy.

Korved - Human. Cleric 4. An itinerant priest, he arrived in Little Plains hoping to come to grips with his recent experiences. He had joined the Gaen faith at a young age and over time found his thinking more in line with her masculine aspect Hannan. The non-violent and amicable split in the church was his signal to explore the world.

Sparky - Human. Fighter 4. She's a force to be reckoned with in a toe to toe fight. Recent life as a sword for hire had led to some less than respectable jobs and little in the way of pay. Joining an adventuring group seemed a wise choice.

Sometime in the darkest hours of the night loud thumping, banging and frantic voices from the rooftop awakened the party from their sleep.

"Take the money, just let me live!"

"You know we can't do that, it would make us common thieves. And dead men."

The tussle continued as Wulfe climbed the short ladder to the trap door in the ceiling. Pushing it open and peering out revealed a man jumping from the roof to hang by his fingertips from the adjacent building. His pursuers fired crossbows striking the man once in the back, yet he hung on. Wulfe climbed out onto the roof to confront the assassins.

In their room beneath the fray the others began donning armor and weapons. 

Realizing that himself and Sparky would need to see in order to fight, Korved cast light on a coin and tossed it up through the trapdoor onto the roof illuminating the scene. 

Magic missiles lanced outward from Wulfe's extended hand, striking the killer to the left eliciting a scream of pain. 

"This is not your concern wizard. Leave while you still live." Undeterred the assassins again shoot their targeted victim who falls to his death in the street below.

Korved, Sparky and Rae soon joined their companion on the roof as the assailants turned to face the group.

The remainder of the battle was over quickly as Wulfe cast web restraining the assassins. 

During the brief interrogation the pair refused to say anything beyond having done their job. After threats from Korved it was explained that their deaths would be short and their superiors could bring them back allowing them to take revenge. 

Korved decided enough was enough and used his deity's power to unleash a fan of searing flames, igniting the web and slaying both opponents. Rae used a frost spell to quickly extinguish the burning web preventing it from setting the building on fire.

While the rest of the group descended to street level, 

Korved took the opportunity to decapitate the corpses, concerned that they might rise as undead due to the influence of the Crystal of Calling*. The pink crystal tethered to a platinum chain calls out to undead drawing them near and on one known occasion animated the body of their former companion Gregor.

In the street the party examined the victim trying to determine who he was and why he was targeted for murder. They found no answers to those questions, but did discover a note upon which was fastened by wax, a brass key bearing the number 62.

The note read "You've completed your task. Here is the remainder of your payment. Five thousand gold pieces reside at Hammersong Vaults on Whipstone Street in Ptolus. This should be enough to keep your mouth shut."

Realizing the implications they decided leaving Slune first thing in the morning was advisable, and that they were about to come into a tidy sum of money when they reached Ptolus.

Before returning to bed they made plans for what to do in morning. They would bring their wagons into the side street below the position of the two dead enemies and drop them down into the larger wagon. Afterward they would immediately exit the city. As for what to do with the bodies, they would take them to the gnolls who owed them payment for the goblin tree the party had delivered a few days prior, and negotiate  reduction of pay in exchange for the gnolls doing away with the corpses.

Their sleep was restless as their nervousness about possible reprisal for killing the assassins wore on their minds. They need not have worried as the night passed peacefully.

* Crystal of Calling - Undead are drawn to the crystal. Sometimes it can animate recently deceased bodies. Undead heading the call may be subject to command. The party has been followed and approached by skeletons and zombies for over two months since acquiring the artifact.

Lair of the Necromancer

Here are a few pictures from the lair of a necromancer the party only saw part of before retreating to safety. They were in bad shape with most of them at 1 or 2 hit points so a withdraw was the wisest option.

The lair contained the remaining cultists of the Rat God, the Necromancer, and numerous skeletons and zombies, including a number of ripening bodies in the fetid water in the lowest reaches of the dungeon. Had more than just one party member entered the place, the Necromancer would have animated the bodies in the water to bolster his already impressive force of undead.

During the confusion the necromancer would have made his escape, leaving behind 8 cultists, 4 skeletons, and 10 zombies to vex the adventurers. Treasures left behind included an apprentice spell book, several Lesser Wondrous Figurines, a talking Auguring Skull, and a journal.

Prop Dusting - Toobs Horses

Finding horse miniatures to compliment the fantasy miniatures can be somewhat difficult at times. One solution is to look in children's toy stores for the Toob collections. They have tubes of animals, dinosaurs, etc. I was fortunate enough to find one just of various breeds of horses that work well with the 25mm miniatures.

Figures shown to illustrate how well these horses match the 25mm scale. Undead included because it is International Be Kind To The Un-Living Week (somewhere, maybe).

Zombies and Beastmen and Orcus, Oh my!

In a nutshell the Company of the Sage was in a bit of a tough spot. Beneath the disturbing red glow cast upon the snow by a magical gem atop an evil obelisk, zombies, like this description, began to pile up. Surrounded on three sides by undead, and the other by a cliff face, things were looking a bit bleak.

That's right, aside from our adventuring party, you are now among the few people to see Toilet Paper Mountain and live to tell the tale. It was a creative way to rapidly produce a prop just before play, and it set the tone perfectly - it reminded us we were in deep doo doo.

Sophia uncorked the Elven Snowflake artifact and used its power to blast the undead in a radius of 20 feet. Only a few fell, but it was obvious many more were weakened by the effect. The snowflake went dark and it would be of no more use in this battle. (rotten recharge rolls).

The enemy was closing in and despite trying our best to push forward, progress was too slow.

Worse yet, a giant zombie spider erupted from the blanket of white, immediately in our path. In short order it had grabbed Sophia and our wizard soon fell unconscious due to wounds. (Zero hit points) Torul rushed in to try and break the monster's deadly grip. Roysen prayed for healing and the wizard awakened and from her ring of spell storing released a healing spell Roysen had wisely cast into it earlier.

A hunting party of beastmen came screaming into the fray, shouting out "For Glory!" and fortunately for us began attacking the undead. Between their efforts and our own, a path was cleared and none-too-soon as three more giant undead arachnids arose just as the first one fell.

We noticed another wave of humanoid zombies coming behind the spiders and that is when the beastmen called the retreat and told us to run to their camp. We made it to their fortified encampment with undead hot on our heels. Safely inside we helped them rain down destruction on the enemy.

We helped heal their wounds along with our own and spoke with their leader. He explained that the strange obelisk and statue or Orcus thrust their way above ground, bringing the snows and undead with them, and that the undead never seem to run out.

A week ago? Yup, right about the time Set got poked in the eye. They really are taking deli-counter numbers to see who we have to deal with next.

Their owl faced leader told us there was a door at the base of obelisk with a puzzle lock and the beastmen had failed to figure it out before being driven away by more undead. If we could get in and try to solve the problem, they would be grateful.

The beastmen invited us to rest and prepare. During this time their chieftan taught Sophia three new spells - Fireball, Wall of Fire, and Ice Storm. (That's more like it!)

Rested and prepared, the party and the beastmen set out for the puzzle door. The beastmen would hold off the undead as long as possible while we tried to figure out the answer that would let us into the underground complex.

Anyone ever play the game Mastermind? Well, the puzzle lock consisted of 4 empty sockets and 6 gems of different colors that could be placed into them. The idea was to figure out the four correct gems and have them in the right order. Torul almost got it by accident on the first try simply by attempting to match the rainbow with existing colors. The group managed it in four rounds. (Yes, I still say rounds instead of turns.)

Inside was a rather deep chasm with a bridge and platform. Out in the abyss were four smaller platforms with mirrors on them oriented toward four small metal poles on the main platform. Two larger metal poles sat across from each other along the mid-line of the platform. (Of course it's a trap, you don't have to be Admiral Akbar to know that.)

Sure enough the whole thing powered up when Torul advanced across the center line. Some quick thinking and accurate attacks by the less dull-witted party members took out three of the four mirrors and the attack against Torul resulted in little more than a singe.

Moving forward, Torul discovered another puzzle lock door and an iron golem. Niiiiice. Just what we needed.

The battle with this metal monstrosity (CR 19 vs 7th level party) took time and almost resulted in some character deaths due to a mis-understood feature of the environment. Whenever it reaches a spot near the entrance, it teleports back to a spot in from of the interior puzzle door. Torul had lead it away and Mulva and Sophia went to try and work on the puzzle. He led it too far back and they got a rude surprise.

Then the plan changed. Roysen had determined that one section of bridge was weak and if we could get the thing on that spot and knock out the support . . . bye bye big metal badass.

The problem was, in trying to weaken the bridge further, Mulva and Sophia collapsed it too soon. That meant Torul would have to weather golem attacks until everyone else brought it down with ranged attacks and spells.

Going strictly into dodge defense, along with bolstering magic from Roysen, Torul's armor class reached an incredible 29. Even with a +13 to attack rolls, the golem managed to miss every attack.

Finally Torul sensed the golem was weaked enough and he delivered the final blow.

We left off with the party resting before attempting the door again.