tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85798747346481652502024-03-05T06:33:53.211-06:00ScottenkainenlandA repository for all the creative works of Scott CasperScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.comBlogger570125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-62964333683490029752023-02-23T22:51:00.001-06:002023-02-23T22:51:27.979-06:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - Sessions 63-64<p> [This was the first of three sessions guest-DMed by Kevin Barrett, who also wrote the write-up for session 63 (the only session of the entire campaign I had no involvement in).]</p>On this day something felt amiss in the region of Greyhawk, as the company gathered in their meeting room at the Sword & Spear Inn to find a note at the table place that was used by Reed Underbough. As the note was picked up and read aloud it said, “Fellow members of The Company of the White Oak. I need to take a temporary leave from adventuring and being a leading member of the company. I have serious wounds from the Apes in Gaxmoor and in addition have become the temporary head of my guild. Between that and the inn I cannot adventure right now. My hirelings are also taking on larger roles in their guilds as well and are not available. I wish you all safe journeys and you are always welcome to use the Inn as a base of gathering for the Company. While you consider what to do, I am offering an open tab at the pub for the Company this evening. Yours, Reed”<p>The company members moved to the pub portion of the Inn and enjoyed Reed’s hospitality that evening. Songs were sung, ale and wine were consumed, there was evening a challenge of strength between Leif, Niall and Old Man Herv. The next morning as Percy was praying and tending to his morning duties at the church Prospero appeared to him. </p><p>“Lawful Percy, I come to you this morning with some important and disturbing news. The dungeons of Castle Greyhawk, the Temple of the Latter-Day Elder Gods, Temple of Elemental Evil, Standing Stones in the Menhir Hills, in fact, all the dungeons the Company have explored are sealed and I do not yet know if it is the work of the Adversary or some other evil. I implore you to continue leading the company in the absence of the half-ling Reed. As you know you must be prepared as the Company of the White Oak is the key to defeating the Adversary when that day comes.”</p><p>There was no discussion to be as Prospero vanished once he finished talking, leaving Percy to consider the impact of the news he was given.</p><p>Later that day Percy arrived at the Sword & Spear and saw some strangers from other lands. Old Man Herv approached him and said, “Percy, this stranger arrived at the Inn today and all he has been asking me is where they can find the Company of the White Oak. When I brought it to Reed’s attention, he said all company business is going to you in his absence”. The stranger approached Percy and asked for a moment to speak. Percy led him to a small dining and the two men sat at the table. </p><p>“I am Bishop Bendix Moontrack of the city Libemen in the Kingdom of Ferrond. I have arrived in Greyhawk from Libemen as word has spread through the Kingdom of Ferrond about the tales of the Company of the White Oak”. My high Priest needs adventures of your skill and experience as we have an urgent matter that cannot be handled by the law. I request an audience with your membership, if possible, to present our case for why the Company should come to Libemen to help us. After which please discuss it amongst yourselves, and we will honor your decision”.</p><p>That evening the members of the Company of the White Oak gathered in their meeting room at the Inn. In attendance were Niall Brightflame, Runeflinger &amp; Leif Thunderbeard with his henchman Gremlar Blackstone. Percy relayed to the group that there was a visitor from a neighboring country there to present the Company with an offer. "I will bring him in one to present their offer if there nothing further."</p><p>Into the room waleds an average height human male in religious apparel that was unfamiliar to anyone in the room. “As I mentioned to Percy earlier today my name is Bishop Bendix Moontrack of the Church of Heironeous in Libeman in the Kingdom of Ferrond. His Holiness Bardle Shanksworth the High Priest & Patriarch of our Church has sent me as there is a task that only can be accomplished by The Company of the White Oak. One week ago, one of our most sacred texts, the Book of Pentinence, disappeared from our Church. That day, alarms sounded when orcs began to move against the city. As we moved to defend the church a hobgoblin snuck in and killed Vicar Ferrante who was guarding the library’s sacred texts, with what we believe to be a magical blade, based on the wound to the Vicar. We know the orcs left the city in a northeast direction, however our country’s leadership and military does not want to risk open war with the land now controlled by the Horned Society there, outside our borders. This is a text we must get back. His Holiness has tasked me recovering it and I am bringing this to your Company and the offer of 2000 gold pieces -- half if the job is accepted and the other half should the Book be returned unharmed.” </p><p>After digesting the bishop’s words Niall added that this seemed a noble cause, while Runeflinger and Leif were somewhat sold hearing the hiring fee of 1000 gold. When Percy informed them of Prospero’s message the Company accepted the bishop’s offer.</p><p>On the following day as the Company gathered at the Inn, each with their new mount to make the trip faster, to meet the bishop and begin the trek to Libemen. There was Percy with an elf they had not met seated on a light horse. Percy turned to him and said please introduce yourself to the Company. Speaking in Elvish he said, “Greetings Company of the White Oak, my name is Zardoz. My acquaintance, Muelara Wynna, has said you may be looking for an elf to take her place in the company for the time being. Percy has told me you are heading on a quest, and I would very much like to accompany you.” Runeflinger and Niall were not going to argue adding another Elf to their ranks as Leif and Gremlar grumbled about being outnumbered by the Elves. Percy was to stay behind to tend to Church matters but knows where to meet the company or send other company members if needed.</p><p>The company ascended their new mounts and departed Greyhawk City on the Menhir Road heading for Libemen. With riding the horses it would shorten the trip to three days. The company took the route previous members travelled when they journeyed to Verbobonc and soon found themselves at the Zagyg’s bridge. As each member crossed the bridge only Runeflinger and the dwarves encountered anything on the other side. Runeflinger enjoyed some of the best fruit and wine he could ever remember tasting. Leif and Gremlar found two mugs of ale which they did not hesitate to drink. After consumption they felt a rumbling in their stomachs followed by the loudest farts the Elves and Bishop have ever heard. Leif and Gremlar had a roaring laugh about it.</p><p>That night the Company set up camp between the village of Harrowstone and Zagyg’s Bridge. As they looked for a suitable campsite, they saw the edge of the Gnarly Forest to the southwest and hills with caves in a wooded area to the northeast. Niall advised the party to move to the southwest as he did not get a good feeling about the caves in the distance. Later that night, during Niall’s watch he noticed a campfire in the distance which was a campsite for a party of brigands. Two of the brigands began stumbling toward the Company’s campsite prompting Niall to attempt distracting them by throwing a stick into the distance. When they signaled to the rest of their party that there was something out here Niall woke Runeflinger. As the brigands gathered closer to the Elves they were dropped with a sleep spell from Runeflinger. Niall advanced to their campsite to find 90GP as Runeflinger was tying the brigands to a tree and binding their hands. In the morning they woke to find themselves 90GP poorer and asking the company to be set free. Once they convinced the Company they were of no harm Niall let them loose and they quickly moved in the opposite direction of the Company.</p><p>Over the next two days travel proceeded without incident when the destination of the City of Libemen was reached. As the Bishop guided them to the Church grounds they encountered a figure with his back turned. The Bishop proclaimed, “Brother, I have succeeded and present the Company of the White Oak”. The brother turned and said, “I don’t recognize any of these as the Company of the White Oak. Who are they?” The brother revealed himself as Brother Ulrich the Maimed, former member of the White Oak. Niall was able to explain that the members he knew had either stepped away for a time, Percy, Niv & Reed or had perished at the hand of a Necromancer, John, Langdon, & Vask. Hearing how the company was able to subdue the wraths of the most powerful members on the company during Ulrich’s time made him change his opinion quickly. Brother Ulrich took the opportunity to provide the company with intelligence about where the Book was being kept, how to get there and what their scouts had noticed. The dwarves just wanted to be pointed in the direction of the fight and Zardoz while quiet was very observant of his new surroundings, always wanting to learn as much as he can.</p><p>The course was set for Fort Bogmuck with Runeflinger, who was ecstatic that everyone in the party could understand his Elvish, suggesting an approach at daytime as Orcs would not be above ground at that time. As the party reached the Fort, Runeflinger cast invisibility while the other four members hid in a nearby tree line. The invisible elf then scouted around the perimeter of the Fort looking for entrances or weaknesses in the wall. As he came around the southeast corner, he began getting a sensation there was a secret door nearby. Runeflinger could not find the exact location, so he marked the general area with oil and returned to the party. Once he revealed his findings the entire party moved to the marked area but even three Elves could not locate the secret door. They marked a tree in the area and proceeded back to the gate. They were able to enter the fort without alerting anyone and Runeflinger scouted the guard towers on either side of the gate. In the east tower he found two sleeping bandit guards.</p><p>Runeflinger signaled to Niall and took the guards weapons. Niall was able to gain surprise and easily dispatch of the guards.</p><p>As the company moved clockwise around the path of the fort they noticed three statues in the middle of the Fort, an Orc, Bandit and Hobgoblin. They arrived at the first building and Leif had no issue opening the door. Nothing of consequence was in this building except for an opening in the floor that led to a sloping passageway under the Fort. The company followed this passage, with Runeflinger still scouting ahead, to find an Underground Pub. The pub was occupied by three bandits and four orcs but as they drank their respective drinks Zardoz cast a sleep spell from just outside the room and all seven adversaries were asleep. Niall checked the door on the other side of the room as Leif took the coins from the box on the bar. After the enemies were dispatched, the company arrived at an octagon shaped room with an octagon shaped pit in the center. As Runeflinger scouted counterclockwise to the eastern side of the room he triggered a trap door that dropped him into the pit. Niall dove in after him and Lief joined him while Gremlar spiked the trap door open. As Runeflinger entered the pit two gates began to open and nine giant rats entered from one gate and four giant snakes from the other.</p><p>Runeflinger cast sleep losing his invisibility but dropping most of the giant animals. At that point it was no issue for Niall and Leif to do away with the remaining snakes.</p><p>The company then moved to the east door finding another hallway that they began to explore. As they proceeded down the hallway Zardoz sensed a secret door nearby and was able to find it by pushing a discolored stone revealing a north-south hallway with three levers on the east wall. Zardoz and Leif worked together to find a secret door that was at the north end of the hallway opened by one of the levers, but which one? The rest of the company proceeded back into the main hall while Leif pulled the leftmost lever triggering a beam that swung down from the ceiling. Good thing Leif is a dwarf as the beam swung right over his head bringing him no harm. He then pulled the middle lever and the secret door opened onto a room with an ornately carved wooden casket in the center and nothing else. The Elves seemed cautious as they thought any number of different undead could be resting in it, but Zardoz disagreed. He had noticed it looked very similar, if not the same, as a casket he observed at the church before they left. Niall and the Dwarves backed up with silver arrows at the ready while Runeflinger began to cautiously open the casket. When he did, he found…nothing. Just satin lining and a satin pillow were inside the casket, no undead to combat this time. Thinking there was value in the casket but not wanting to carry it around they moved it back to the entrance of the tunnel and proceeded back into the stronghold.</p><p>Niall was skeptical of the direction they were taking and suggested trying the south door of the arena instead of continuing east. Once again Leif had no issue opening the doors of the arena and south hallway leading to a foyer. After checking the two other doors in the foyer they had Leif open the west door to find a study occupied by the Orc Commander and Bandit Chief, coincidently matching two of the statues in the courtyard above. Gremlar fired an arrow striking the Bandit Chief and Leif stabbed him with his spear before he could even attack. The Bandit Chief barely swung his axe before Gremlar landed the fatal blow with his gifted Magic Battle-axe from Leif. Niall was holding his own with the Orc Commander before Runeflinger was seriously wounded from the Orcs flaming sword. With that Niall struck again with his sickle when Leif saw an opening and caved in the Orc Commanders side with a rather vicious punch causing him to drop like jelly. As the company searched the room Leif noticed something odd about the swords mounted on the south wall of the study. He was able to deduce one was the mechanism to open a door leading to a secret room of the study. In this room was the very book the company had been hired to return, the Book of Penitence. Considering the health of Runeflinger and no cleric in the party to heal him, the company left with their treasure and returned to Libemen.</p><p>Once they arrived at the church Brother Ulrich was impressed with the “new” company members and shocked to see they retrieved one of the Caskets of Ferrond. Ulrich explained how a recently deceased body could be put in the casket and Blessed by a cleric and then brought back to life if a resurrection spell was cast within 9 days of death. The company accepted the church’s offer of 10,000GP for return of the casket. Niall was able to see the Orc Commander’s sword had no ill effect to him and claimed it. The party rested knowing there was still the matter of the Hobgoblin thief/assassin to deal with.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7zhvDYrEf5siRyGyvSYai0527s5sMqmUIowhUwea5uozekF9-6V4Km5nS43sSqEk37nc7Oli2ht58pg8LDsiLJxoy1fRqItWYwOgnfoyuBNlMliMZnuXWNtxF3PtjWzqlTOusNQLUqxl2sHiTvPZUrOhPVnUzdKgezM0WgYwaDosLnAwAy4bM3VR/s642/Whamthief.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="212" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7zhvDYrEf5siRyGyvSYai0527s5sMqmUIowhUwea5uozekF9-6V4Km5nS43sSqEk37nc7Oli2ht58pg8LDsiLJxoy1fRqItWYwOgnfoyuBNlMliMZnuXWNtxF3PtjWzqlTOusNQLUqxl2sHiTvPZUrOhPVnUzdKgezM0WgYwaDosLnAwAy4bM3VR/s320/Whamthief.png" width="106" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Sunnsebb 4, 612 CY<br />The Kingdom of Ferrond<br />The City of Libeman<br /><p>The others were content to enjoy the spoils from their last expedition in the cities of Ferrond, but Niall Brightflame and Runeflinger wanted the rewards promised for the prisoners supposedly held in Fort Bogmuck. Two elves alone did not stand much of a chance…but three? Eirenden arrived in Libeman, having heard of the company’s mission there, and wanted in.</p><p>They were going to try something new; stealth instead of brute force. They would not need a cleric if they avoided combat. But there was one thing they were lacking: a thief. Reed Underbough had taught them that thieves were lucky. But where to find a thief, without returning to Greyhawk? </p><p>The opportunity presented itself when a grubby-looking thief tried to pick Niall’s pocket. The thief was dragged off for an interrogation. The thief was named Muggby and, while he acted strangely, this was surely a trick to make the elves underestimate him. When Mugby learned of their interest in Fort Bogmuck he claimed to have useful information about the place, which clinched his membership. </p><p>The elves already knew of the entrance to the tunnel under the fort from last time, so Mugby was not needed much as they followed the sloping tunnel north and then northeast. They came to a door, and behind it was a small room that served as a sentry outpost with four orc guards. This was no challenge; Niall or Eirenden alone could have dispatched them. One orc was left alive and interrogated, from whom they learned that the prisoners they sought were to the north. </p><p>Luckily, a corridor ran north from that room. There were side doors to the west that Niall wanted to explore, but Mugby said his flea, Aloysius, told him they should keep going north, and the others agreed. There were two side corridors to the west after that, and the second was lined with doors, as if it held cells. But because they had been told to go north they decided to keep going and see how far north led. It seemed like the corridor soon after the last side passage, but they found a secret door and could continue north even more!</p><p>They ignored another side door to the west, but when the corridor finally turned west they took the first door to the north. Here was a torture chamber with a human and an orc waiting for victims. What they got instead was, in the orc’s case, dead, and in the human’s case, charmed. Their new best friend told them that the duke’s son had been moved to Shugub’s Lair, somewhere to the north, but they were on the right track to find any remaining prisoners to the west. Only, there were a lot of hobgoblins between them and the prisoners. The torturer was not kidding - the very next room was wall-to-wall hobgoblins! Sleep spells evened the odds to the point where the fighting elves could easily mop up the rest, and both the charmed torturer joined in the fight to protect his new friend, and Mugby jumped in to help just as the last hobgoblins, including their cutpurse leader that had tried to backstab one of them, were making their final stand. The leader had a pouch of gold and a very nice-looking dagger, either valuable or magical..</p><p>The four companions (and their charmed slave) continued west, coming to a T-intersection where they had to choose north or south. Heading north, they found an empty room, and then a chamber with a single statue in it. They spent a lot of time examining the statue, but could find nothing valuable - or dangerous - about it. </p><p>Continuing west from there, they inexplicably skipped a door to the north and continued on to a hexagonal chamber with a pit at its center. A dead end passage headed north from it, and to the south were offices, where they found gems, and a map showing the route to Shugub's lair and the duke’s son!</p><div><br /></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-26205985019067497542023-02-08T08:40:00.003-06:002023-02-08T08:40:31.065-06:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - Sessions 61-62Patchwall 13-16, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk<div><span id="docs-internal-guid-4f51e65a-7fff-6873-0c49-9aff94913b3c"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The plan had been to wait at least four days, until Percy had healed everyone back to normal, and then head straight back to dungeon level 3 and try to retrieve the Azure Enchantress’ spellbooks before the Greyhawk Construction Company found them. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That plan was not working for Runeflinger and Niall Brightflame. Despite the fact that the Chapel of Boccob had four floors, and nice suites on the upper levels, being cooped up there for four days was too much for them. Wanderlust overtook them and they left the castle. Nor did they leave alone; the Company’s newest recruit, Aerik Fenn, had his first serious brush with death and did not like it. He would return to the city and think hard about if the risks were worth this path to power. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the plus side, this made healing everyone take less time. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During the days of convalescence, they observed many times the giant wasps that had been breeding undisturbed on the upper level of the neighboring abandoned shrine. They could even hear the wasps digging through the neighboring wall!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They also received five visitors. One was Eirenden, who had heard the Company had left for Castle Greyhawk and finally caught up to them. The other four arrived separately as their own group. They were novice adventurers, come to test their mettle against the infamous Castle Greyhawk, One of them, Mialea, was an exotic half-elf magic-user, who made Eirenden’s heart race, despite her naivete, planning to head into the dungeon wearing a revealing elven dress. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The three adventurers, Reed, Percy, and Eirenden, had a private discussion about what to do about these novices. Reed wanted to recruit them to serve as meat shields. Eirenden wanted to lead them to somewhere in the dungeon they could prove useful, or at least be profitable for them. Percy saw this as a chance for them to prove themselves and advocated for leaving them alone. Percy won out and the four descended into the dungeon. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Later that same day, three of them - minus Mialea - came running out of the dungeon, all badly injured, and raving like lunatics about the giant weasels. “Giant weasels everywhere!” They fled the castle. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Companions also had a prisoner all this time, the thaumaturgist who was going to trade the spellbooks for his freedom. The man’s, whose name turned out to be Wefler, would be brought down with them, hands tied behind his back, and led with Reed’s sword pointing at his back.</span></p><br />Patchwall 17, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk<br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The three party members, Reed, Percy, and Eirenden, were accompanied by their henchmen, Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio, Arlin Fadagoria, and Patroneous, so while their numbers were lower than normal, it was still a formidable force. They crossed to the entrance to the tall tower adjoining the keep and took the stairs that descended into the dungeon. This put them close to the Grand Central Staircase that was always guarded by elves. Sure enough, there were five elf sentries here this time. Reed saw them as a source of information about the dungeon and asked about the giant weasels. The weasels had broke out of their rooms and been running amok in the dungeon corridors in small groups, but the elves were not overly concerned about them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eirenden saw the elves as the source of more important information. Though he engaged them in small talk for about 20 minutes, he steered the conversation towards what motive the elves had for staying down here. The elves - Eirenden learned all their names (Aindon, Aradhel, Eldadan, Gardorus, and Nesnna) - claimed to have altruistic motives; they remembered when the still-human Zagig was lord of this castle and they wanted to keep it safe and secure in case he someday chose to return (the first anyone had heard of this theory!). Eirenden also wanted to know why these elves were able to see in the dark, and he could not. They were elves from the north, who lived underground, and so were accustomed to darkness. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having kept the Company waiting long enough, Eirenden resumed his place in the marching order and, guided by Percy’s Continual Light spell, they descended down…down…until they reached the third floor landing and stopped. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reed unfurled his map, which was wider than he was. He showed everyone how, if they went south, then east, and then back north, that would be the quickest route back to the Enchantress’ lair. Wefler confirmed this to be true. Reed’s concern, though, was that this route passed through the heavily-trapped checkerboard chamber. No new traps got them this time, though, and they made their way back north through familiar rooms to the door of the Enchantress’ lair. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Muelara’s Helm of Telepathy detected sentient thoughts inside, though she did not think there were very many. Reed and Percy knew the Enchantress had orcs working for her and they wanted to know from Wefler how many she had left. It sounded like there couldn’t be more than 20 orcs left, all of which could have fit into the next room. Ambrosio listened at the door and heard orcs arguing. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It seemed they were having a debate over whether they should wait for the Enchantress to return, or appoint one of the orcs as leader. The orc who wanted to be leader was being challenged, though, for not possessing the “Well-Traveled Man.” The Companions quickly figured out this was the doll they had taken from the Enchantress. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite having been present for the deaths of two dragons, Reed was curiously hesitant to go in and face up to 20 orcs, but Percy got impatient and pushed Eirenden into opening the door. Muelara started casting Sleep at the same time. Inside, the summoning circle on the floor was gone. There were rugs and pallets on the floor, and the room seemed to now be the barracks for 11 orcs. One Sleep spell later, there were no awake orcs. After much throat slitting, there were no live orcs. They had little treasure other than the armor on their backs, which all seemed to be new and human quality. One shield in particular appeared better made than normal and might go for 20 gold pieces. It was no great haul, but stripping all the armor off and wrapping it in the rugs would make it more moveable back to the surface. The real treasure would be if the spellbooks were still here. Wefler stood on the spot where the secret door was, or at least used to be.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was still there. It opened onto a small niche with just three books in it - each a spell book. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Muelara detected thoughts from the door to the south. Reed, spurred by their rapid success against the first batch of orcs, wanted to continue wiping them out. Percy, whose back was giving him trouble, wanted to get this treasure back to civilization so he could sleep in his own bed again. There were only three votes to determine what to do next, but with Eirenden indecisive, this turned into a power struggle between the two senior-most members of the Company. Percy was reminded of his recent conversations with the lammasu. It would fall to him to strengthen the presence of Law in the Company and cull out all Chaos from it. Was this an occasion for him to lay down the Law? The struggle became moot when Eirenden finally sided with Percy, and they started heading south, to reach the black dragon lair. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">En route, some creatures were in the giant rat lair, and ran when they saw Percy’s light. The thieves snuck closer and hid down a side corridor, while everyone else backed off, and Percy called out to them to lure them back. And it worked -- it was four lizard men, armed with javelins. No one was worried, because they had fought lizard men before and had little trouble -- but these lizard men were great shots and hit Percy with two javelins (now he hurt in front </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">back)! The Companions could give better than they got, though, and they dropped two lizard men very quickly. The two remaining ones fled south. The thieves gave chase, with only Reed having a chance at catching up thanks to his magic leaping boots. The lizard men turned west, hiding behind the old ogre’s chapel, but Reed held back and waited for everyone else to catch up to him. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once reunited, they quickly decided to let the lizard men go and get out of there. They backtracked, picked up their rug-wrapped loot, and went in past the dwarves in the dwarven break room and bothered five of them loitering there. Past that, they had no difficulty exiting the dungeon. In fact, they just kept right on going and headed all the way back to Hawfair Green.</span></p><br />Patchwall 18, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Percy was taking the spellbooks back to Greyhawk City for safekeeping, and to have his magical necklace of prayer beads examined.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reed and Eirenden, as well as the rest of their entourage, had come back to Greyhawk with him but within hours were already bored and looking for a fresh new adventure. But where? Should they go back to the Lost City of Gaxmoor? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They looked into the matter, checking with Eirenden’s clan to see what they knew of the missing elf, Elysande. Since they last checked on her, she had sent a letter from Gaxmoor, explaining that humans and elves, working in tandem, were slowly taking back the city. The letter had few helpful details and they would have to go back to Gaxmoor themselves to learn more.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eirenden was also curious about the Ruins of Lord Robilar’s Castle, but Reed had no interest in going back and fighting orcs. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nshEWa0wM6mmeDY7T_OBx-oo_hHXOVhpYylJAMq3IbCeB0YsvVq92Qrrp2uT5oHKFnnsdCzVE-Wcy7da_9UMciabJsu9oHKJGbRfgP_cc-kyQizwRnbBMLG_RqcQDWyqPPE__gHjZJ8KRdWUZls9UWC4bMDYHjuaGn-HzA6MSSqa6slrfaNcYORX/s315/GiantWasp.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="247" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nshEWa0wM6mmeDY7T_OBx-oo_hHXOVhpYylJAMq3IbCeB0YsvVq92Qrrp2uT5oHKFnnsdCzVE-Wcy7da_9UMciabJsu9oHKJGbRfgP_cc-kyQizwRnbBMLG_RqcQDWyqPPE__gHjZJ8KRdWUZls9UWC4bMDYHjuaGn-HzA6MSSqa6slrfaNcYORX/w251-h320/GiantWasp.png" width="251" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lastly, there were some locations that were easy to reach at Castle Greyhawk that remained unexplored. One was the fourth floor of the abandoned chapel, the one overrun with giant wasps. The other was the tower adjoining the keep, that had never been explored above the ground floor. Castle Greyhawk won..</span><p></p><br />Patchwall 19, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk</span><br /></div><div><span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reed and Eirenden went with just their party of henchmen back to Castle Greyhawk, having re-hired Brother Vincent to cover for their lack of clerical aid without Percy. Several giant wasps were flitting in and out of the upper windows of the abandoned shrine, as if trying to lure them in. The tiny Company went up floor by floor, finding it unchanged all these months since Reed was last here. Like before, the stairs to the fourth floor had completely crumbled, leaving nothing but holes in the ceiling to allow access to the giant wasp floor above. This was an easy climb for the two thieves, Reed and Ambrosio. Soon they were surrounded by giant wasps. Muelara had to drop two Sleep spells up there to thin out the wasps, but there were still some left to kill. The thieves were getting stung a lot, particularly Reed, but they were sturdy hobbits and were able to resist all that poison. Soon the last giant wasp was dead. Eirenden had been ready to shoot any with his bow from below, but the opportunity had not presented itself. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the floor cleared, the thieves lowered rope and everyone came up to explore. There was not much to explore, and not many places to walk safely, but the thieves were able to climb the walls to reach a half-buried chest. It was neither trapped nor locked, and contained 200 electrum pieces - small rewards for such seasoned adventurers.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Down below on the third floor was a door that led out onto the top of the wall that bridged the distance between the chapel and the tower. This processional led straight across to a blank wall in the side of the tower - but secret doors were a minor inconvenience to a Company with more than one elf in it. Indeed, they spent longer debating why one would build a secret door in such an obvious place than they had spent looking for it. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inside was a bedroom that was inhabited by four elves. The elves were not overly surprised by the intrusion; indeed, one of them was Garadlius, an elf they had encountered before at the Grand Central Staircase. The elves explained that they held the first three levels of the tower, but the upper levels were still dangerous, and gargoyles controlled the observatory. Reed and Eirenden were happy to take on gargoyles, but wanted a little insurance, so Reed suggested teaming up with the elves. The elves were fine with this, but wanted equal shares of any treasure. All parties agreed. Eirenden wanted additional information, though. He had not been satisfied with the elves’ answers in the dungeon. Why were they really here? Who did they work for? These elves responded differently - that Eneever Zig had tasked them with holding the tower. Reed explained, for Eirenden’s benefit, that Zig was a dangerous wizard, but had helped them once too.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Up the tower’s spiral stairs they went, skipping the fourth floor entirely, and exiting onto the fifth floor. Here was a mostly empty room with a fireplace, but through a west door was a study that contained a skeletal snake that attacked them, but was easily defeated. There was a shelf of valuable-looking books, all with a religious bent, and a velvet-lined divan that appeared like it might be valuable. All of these were coming with them, on the way back down. The elves warned them of a trapped door to the south that created a magical burst of bright light upon being opened, but since everyone was warned, no one was blinded by it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moving up the stairs again, they found the stairs topped out at the observatory, and sure enough there were four gargoyles just sleeping on a giant astrolabe and sextant, both made of brass. Muelara let loose a Lightning Bolt, that rebounded through two gargoyles, roasting them on the spot - and slagging the astrolabe in the process. A third gargoyle was felled with missile weapons. The last one tried desperately to fly up the chimney and escape, but Eirenden crushed it into the fireplace wall with his magic shield and broke its neck. The gargoyles had no treasure, so they explored more of the sixth and final floor. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The next room to the east looked like some kind of lounge. When they entered, a quill started writing in a book at a table. On the page read “The Master of the Tower is not home. Who is visiting?” Eirenden wanted to know who the Master of the Tower was, it was bothering him that the Master’s name was nowhere in the Tower. Garadlus pointed out that this tower was a Chapel to Celestian, god of the stars, and that “Master of the Tower” might be a title bestowed to rotating high priests of that deity. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They decided to ignore this room and moved on to a door to the south. Behind it was a bedroom with a big stained glass window (though the tower had no windows visible from outside). Raiding a high priest’s bedroom didn’t seem like a good idea to anyone, even Reed - so they decided to leave with the treasure they had. The books turned out to be the most valuable prize of this expedition.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span><div>Ready’reat 11, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">After a lengthy absence, Norfolk had returned. The medium had heard that the Company of the White Oak was looking to form a second group of adventurers who did not require experience to explore the rest of the first level of the Castle Greyhawk dungeons, and had come back with his own small party, consisting of himself, Zena, a human female veteran, Slim Pickens, a hobbit male apprentice thief, and Minimus, a hobbit male veteran.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Minimus, however, had his own history with the Company, for he had learned to fight beside Maximus, the warrior who had died with so many others at the hands of the Necromancer on level 3 of the dungeon. Minimus wished to push deeper in the dungeon and try to find Maximus’ remains. The senior members of the Company were impressed by this pluckiness, and impulsively offered full membership to all three of them on the spot.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The senior members present that day were Reed Underbough, Percy, Eirenden, Runeflinger, and Lief Thunderbeard. But as impressed as they were with pluckiness, Castle Greyhawk itself was not much on their mind. An expedition to return to the Lost City of the Elders, now known to be Gaxmoor, was in the planning. There was the missing elf Elysande to be found, and her last letter to her clan had expressed that men and elves had retaken part of the city. Did that mean the rest would be easy pickings? They were anxious to find out. It also seemed like a safer expedition to take fresh blood on than a deeper foray into the castle dungeons. And so it was decided - they would all journey to Gaxmoor.</span></p><br /></span></span>Ready’reat 12, 622 CY<br />Cairn Hills<span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The now nine-member strong Company headed out, accompanied by their henchmen, Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio, Arlin Fadagoria, and Gremlar Blackstone.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">This was the second unseasonably cold Ready’reat in a row, with the temperature below freezing, and snow began to fall soon after they set out. Only their determination to make this journey before the weather turned even worse kept them going. On the plus side, this made the journey safer, for neither animal nor monster seemed to wish to be out in this weather, and they encountered nothing but birds all day. This was only disappointing for Eirenden, who had wished once more to see the gigantic, red-scaled lizard he had once observed in these very hills. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The snow presented an extra challenge to navigation, for landmarks were crucial for staying on the path to Gaxmoor and as snow and ice caked onto everything it tended to change their appearance. The hobbits found themselves tasked quite often with scurrying up trees and looking ahead (though Minimus, not as good a climber as the thieves, demurred). Eventually they found their way to the lost city and its hidden entrance.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The new people were astonished by the sight of the place, particularly the oliphant skulls mounted on the courtyard pillars. There was discussion about if they were valuable and the senior members realized they had never even tried going up there and see if the tusks were real ivory. The thieves were soon atop the pillars, but at the same time the Companions started splitting up, with some of them moving to recover magic berries from the bushes by the stream. To their horror, there did not seem to be any berries on the bushes to recover, but while they searched, they heard a loud splash in the stream. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Expecting trouble, the thieves were summoned to join them and everyone watched the water for the inevitable attack -- which came, but it was when the troll jumped out of the tree at them. A long time ago, a lone troll was a threat that sent the Company of the White Oak running scared, but now a troll did not last too long, and the senior members knew how to permanently kill a troll from fighting one a few months’ back under Castle Greyhawk.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Now smoke could be seen coming from the ruins on the southwest corner of the courtyard, so the Companions investigated there next. Elven sentries stood outside one building that was well on its way to being restored. It was being made into an inn -- and its proprietor was the missing Elysande! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The reunion with Elysande went well, for the maiden had much news for them since they were last here. The humans of Gaxmoor had made large gains in taking back the north side of the Outer City from the giant’s monsters, and the elves had arrived as their first new trade partners. Why armed sentries were needed outside was underscored by the sentries spotting giant beetles approaching in the nearby ruins, and the Companions rushed out to dispatch them (the beetles, not the elven sentries).</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">What other threats were there for the elves? Elysande reported problems with undead sneaking out of the nearby graveyard. Now, the Company had never explored south of the courtyard, so they did not even know there was a graveyard that way until being told. This was discussed and the consensus was that they had little to fear from undead with Percy there, but mausoleums could hold lots of treasure. So they went there next to check it out.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The first mausoleum they decided to check out was the most unusual looking one. Indeed, it was crazy unusual, designed to look like a giant ape’s head, with the entrance in its mouth. The Companions’ confidence began to waver after the entrance turned out to be trapped - the upper fangs were part of a portcullis that came crashing down on one of the Companions - and they had not even thought to check it for traps. Inside was a room lined with eight statues of large apes -- which animated and attacked the intruders. The living ape statues proved to be extremely dangerous; one of them tore into Slim Pickens and bit his head off. For the first time since the red dragon, the Company had to run, leaving Slim’s body behind. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">They returned to the inn to rest and talked to Elysande about what they saw and she theorized they were some kind of magical tomb guardians. The experience was demoralizing; the Company wanted nothing else to do with the graveyard, but they were not done with the lost city. They had better luck in the past raiding abandoned manor houses in the city proper, so they headed inside to find another. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Inside the Outer City, they disturbed a nest of giant rats and exterminated them. Then they found a manor house crawling with over 30 goblins, with an ogre leader. After a protracted battle, the Companions came out victorious. The manor yielded an assortment of coinage, including platinum pieces, some gems, and the ogre’s two-handed sword was modestly valuable </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The Companions pulled back, unsure if it was worth continuing to explore the city.</span></p></span></span></div><span><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-43724157178819136562023-02-01T10:03:00.007-06:002023-02-01T10:03:57.999-06:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - Sessions 59-60Harvester 26, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk<div><span id="docs-internal-guid-8e6ecc27-7fff-c476-0d9b-7449b20ce7b5"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reed Underbough, Percy, Niall Brightflame, Runeflinger, Bowie Laughingbottle, and their henchmen Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio, Halfdan, and Phodelo, were back for another delve into the Castle Greyhawk dungeons. They had come, as they had on so many visits, with a cart and mules, though the cart was new. They had left last time with so many coins they had not had enough sacks for it all, so they came this time with extra sacks and the cart to toss the bags into. Surely there were still plenty of spoils to be found on the third dungeon level…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fastest route in was through the black dragon’s lair. Not wanting to leave the cart outside, they brought it in with them. The cart rattled noisily along the uneven tunnel floor, alerting the eight orcs who were camping in the dragon’s old lair - the eight orcs who would have posed little threat to the Company of the White Oak even without the Sleep spell that dramatically cut their numbers to three. One minute of combat reduced them to one seriously injured orc, begging for its life - but being an orc, it received no mercy…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBvlEHYfasp3p7FWI75wqVXPrRN_69oFYd6FRmj91jwjvt0Cx7H0ucgg16_hMReCjHFcSez4bWbF0Hh6p-Gz9IUj3sEYbQxa_Mo1dIEJqqbTmmSrhm7L0PcKTIwscM5nrNZ_B8n-LZCQp4bBcG7sLk6JX6ld_OJF_jsJYGH5XYGd8RF43-mQebjA-/s591/dwarf-yeah-right.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="506" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBvlEHYfasp3p7FWI75wqVXPrRN_69oFYd6FRmj91jwjvt0Cx7H0ucgg16_hMReCjHFcSez4bWbF0Hh6p-Gz9IUj3sEYbQxa_Mo1dIEJqqbTmmSrhm7L0PcKTIwscM5nrNZ_B8n-LZCQp4bBcG7sLk6JX6ld_OJF_jsJYGH5XYGd8RF43-mQebjA-/s320/dwarf-yeah-right.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>Once they were in the dungeon proper, they made their way quickly through the dwarven break room, where five dwarves were engaged in song (something about dungeons deep and caverns old). They ignored the Companions until Reed tipped them five gold pieces, and then one asked where “that dwarf” (taken as a reference to Lief) was. Since Leif was not coming, the dwarf lost interest in talking to Reed and went back to harmonizing with the others.</span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone knew their next destination, for they knew of a magically held door that they were unable to open last time, but this time they had two fresh Knock spells prepared. Runeflinger cast the first one and…the door opened onto what appeared to be a small, empty shrine to Boccob, with a statue of Boccob at the back. There was general agreement that this was disappointing, particularly for those who had been waiting two weeks to see the contents of this room. There was also some agreement that Father Langdon would have liked this room…but it held little value for the Companions here now. So they could get back into it again later if they had to, they spiked the door open. The noise attracted no monsters. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They headed north from there after hearing a door slam from that direction. Reed assumed it was coming from the 10’ x 10’ interconnected rooms, due to the sheer number of doors there, but while having Muelara scan those cubicles telepathically, she turned up the monster hiding from them in the lone cubicle west of them. The Companions spent so long uncertain of what to do about it that the creature - whatever it was, fled through a door to the south and got away from them. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leaving that area, they cut through rooms already explored last time until they reached the room of bones and dead gnolls south of the troll lair. Muelara had picked up animal thoughts behind the door to the east last time, and her Helm of Telepathy picked up the same thoughts again. When Reed pressed his ear to the door, he heard scratching and squeaking. The source of this was guessed at, but confirmed when the door was bashed open, revealing a ruined hall where the wreckage of old furniture was thrown into a heap and covered in offal and waste down the center of the room. Climbing on the wreckage, as well as shelves on the walls, were over 20 rats, varying in size from slightly larger than normal to 14 giant ones. A second Sleep spell took out all the smaller ones, leaving a good number of giant rats still able to attack. In the melee that followed, Reed and Percy were both scratched up a bit, but in short order there were only four giant rats left, scurrying to the far corners of the room, where they were easily picked off at a distance with missile fire. Percy thought there might be treasure hidden in the wreckage, but he wasn’t sinking his hands into fresh rat feces to find it and no one else was volunteering.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From here they explored north, and two rooms later found themselves in a mostly-empty room with a red dragon head mounted in the northeast corner, almost facing the door in the north wall. This just screamed trap to them, so they sent Reed over to check it out. Sure enough, the head was fake, but so realistic that you had to get up close to tell, and the tongue was hinged so that any motion would move it like a trigger. After consulting with Percy, Reed tied the tongue to the lower jaw of the open mouth so the tongue would not move as he was cutting the head away from the wall. What they found was that they were pulling a big mask off of a steel framework, with some kind of nozzle concealed in the wall behind it. Bagging the mask as treasure, they moved on…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…around the corner to a smaller room with three levers. Reed detected no traps on the levers, but they still went to a lot of trouble pounding spikes into the walls so they could pull the levers down with rope from a distance (still nothing responded to all the racket; was this dungeon empty?). After lowering all three, they were disappointed when nothing happened, but when they went to try the north and west doors and found they could not be opened, they quickly put together that the levers had locked them. They still had not solved what the middle lever did, though…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throwing the matching lever back up, they were able to open the north door and found it opened onto a large chamber with four statues and a natural cave ceiling. Shining their light up at the stalactites, they saw bat-like things flying about. When Reed moved into the chamber to examine the nearest statue, some of the flying things swooped down to attack him. Yet another Sleep spell sent them - plus more higher up - crashing to the floor, where they were quickly disposed of. There were still five more of these things, half-bird, half-bat, with long proboscises, but missile fire ended their threat, if they ever were one. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A second door in the south wall of the chamber opened, seemingly on its own, until someone there unseen let out an expletive. Whoever it was seemed not to wish to stay, so Bowie started playing on his harp and charmed him into staying. This man, Ayers, was invisibly exploring the dungeon alone and looking for treasure. He had left and re-prepared new spells just to deal with these flying things so he could examine the statues, having came to the same conclusion Runeflinger had that they must be magical (since they were free of guano, unlike the floor). From Ayers they learned that the chamber to the south is the one that had the magically-trapped checkerboard floor. Reed was pleased his map matched up again. Runeflinger, painfully aware that this expedition had been exceedingly cash-poor so far, asked Ayers if he knew of any good treasure to recover from this level. Ayers said he knew of a lizard man and an orc lair to the north, and the orcs were said to be guarding good treasure, but he did not know how to get there from here.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The statues appeared to be of a cleric, a magic-user, a fighter, and a thief, in different corners of the chamber When touching the cleric, it recited a strange riddle in an unknown language. When touching the magic-user, it animated and pointed to the northwest corner, where the thief statue was. When Reed touched the thief, it animated and pointed at him. When they touched the fighter, it did nothing. It was all a riddle they could not solve, even with Ayers’ help. So they moved on again, this time with Ayers coming with them…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the east and north was a long hall guarded by five zombies and a floating ball of light. Bishop Percy blasted the zombies into ash, but the mysterious ball of light had them perplexed. Phodelo reasoned it might be a will-o-wisp, said to be mischievous balls of light that lured people towards danger. Since it was neither attacking them, nor luring them anywhere, they all avoided it and moved to the next room…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where there were four more zombies, and lots of normal-sized rats. One blast of holy radiance later, the Companions stepped over the zombie ash and the rats scattered. Reed spent a lot of time here fixing his map and trying to get it just right.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next they followed a long corridor west and came to a room where a man in armor was kneeling before a chest as in prayer. The man said he was Bogomir the Adept, and his style of dress identified him as a Cuhberite. Ayers recognized Bogomir and Bogomir recognized Ayers’ voice. Bogomir had been trying to pray for this chest to open, since it would not open for him and he was intensely curious about its contents. If it was treasure, Ayers demanded an equal share, since he had joined their party. Percy grew impatient for how cautious the others were all being around this chest and he tried to fling it open, but the lid would not budge for him. It opened for Runeflinger, and he found 2,000 electrum pieces inside. Since other Companions now grumbled about Ayers getting a share, Bowie gave up his share for Ayers. The room was searched for secret doors, particularly in the ceiling, as the room had two ladders that seemed to lead up to nothing, but no secret doors (or secret trap doors) were found. Bogomir was invited to come with them, but he insisted it was his task, appointed by Cuthert himself, to wait to be found in the dungeon (in which he could no longer recall how long he had been), in case brave adventurers should need healing from him. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Companions were in the process of backtracking when, in the first zombie hall, Arlin spotted a secret door they had all missed before. This door led into a room with three brass, beautifully carved sarcoghagi, which were guarded by three zombies - but not for long, thanks to Percy. There was, true to form, much delay and indecision before opening the sarcophagi, but not this time for fear of traps. At first they feared stronger undead lurked inside, but Muelara detected no thoughts and intelligent undead projected thoughts - indeed, starkly powerful thoughts. Then they hesitated because grave robbing felt like a new low, until Bowie rationalized it for everyone by citing how they were told the items they need to stop the Adversary were hidden under Castle Greyhawk, and these could be where they were hidden. Niall pushed open the lids and they found well-dressed corpses, two wearing gold and amethyst amulets, and the third with a fancy quiver on his chest. Bowie recognized the sarcophagi as the work of a famous craftsman whose sarcophagi were so beautiful that the dead would not leave them to become undead. Phodelo recognized the quiver from the legend of a Quiver of Holding. The quiver had 12 arrows in it, but seemed like it could somehow hold many more. The quiver and the amulets were taken. Bowie put on one of the amulets and, while it made him look quite austentatious, it did nothing else. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A door to the south appeared to connect up to a north-south passage the Company had passed many times just outside the dwarf break room. A door to the north led up a long corridor straight north, then west, to a door that resisted opening. A man and a woman were arguing loudly on the other side of the door. When Bowie tried to charm them with his harp music through the door, it failed and the man inside shouted for them to go away. But they did not go away, because Runeflinger still had his Knock spell ready. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The room inside was a conjuration room with a silver summoning circle on the black basalt floor and a gargoyle belching opium smoke into the room. The man and the woman were accompanied by a bat-winged creature that looked like a short, ugly hobbit. The man and the woman were not arguing anymore, they were casting spells. A crossbow bolt from Reed disrupted the man’s spell. The woman was casting Charm Person, but Percy resisted it. Percy was casting Hold Person at the same time and neither the man nor the woman were able to resist his spell. The creature managed to bite Reed, but it was killed by a javelin throw from Arlin. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A door to the south was open and two waves of orcs tried to come in and save the spellcasters, but the first wave was dropped by the Companions’ last Sleep spell, and the second wave tried and failed to get past the Sticks to Snakes spell Percy cast to block the doorway. The Companions were initially torn on whether to move in and wipe out the orcs, but they had expected to have enough treasure from this encounter to have made the expedition worthwhile. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Runeflinger had, true to form, turned invisible first thing. Ayers and Runeflinger bonded over their shared favorite strategy. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The man had been wearing nothing that appeared valuable. The woman was, and the creature’s dagger looked valuable. These things were taken - as were the man and the woman, who had already been tied up and were their prisoners. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Companions decided it was time to head back to the surface. En route south, they came across a wandering group of six human brigands - who fled at the sight of the Companions. When they passed through the dwarf break room there were only two dwarves left. The very dwarves who had acted not impressed when the Companions killed a dragon were surprised at their prisoners. “That’s the Azure Enchantress and Weerd the Warlock!” one of them exclaimed. “They’ve been down here for years!”</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><br />Patchwall 12, 622 CY <br /></div><div><span>City of Greyhawk<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
At long last, they seemed to be making progress. Two strange and unusual items - a chest of colored dust and a strange doll - shared a special destiny that seemed to have something to do with the special destiny of the Company of the White Oak. They had both been found on level 3 of Castle Greyhawk’s dungeons. Would they find more if they went back?
It would not be right away that morning, for it was pouring rain outside in sheets - the most rain they had ever seen on a morning when they planned to launch an expedition. It was an ill omen that made them delay until the rain let up by afternoon. By then, they only had time to make the journey to the Village of Hawfair Green and camp out there.
</span>Patchwall 13, 622</span> CY </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Castle Greyhawk</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Once more, the Companions Reed Underbough, Percy, Niall Brightflame, Runeflinger, and Aerik Fenn, along with their henchmen Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio (who left his dire wolf mount at home), Arlin Fadagoria, and Halfdan, and two mules (pulling a cart) circled around Castle Greyhawk and came around to the black dragon’s entrance. Its lair was unoccupied again, allowing them fast travel into the dungeon proper (though the cart had to be left behind in the entry tunnel).
They made straight for the dwarven breakroom and found four dwarves here today. Reed paid them a toll, as he tried to win them over through positive reinforcement, but they remained unimpressed and disappointed that the fellow dwarf Leif Thunderbeard was not with them this time.
They headed north up a corridor they had not explored before and found it led to a new room, a coffin maker’s workshop, that was south of the giant rats’ abandoned workshop. Then they filled in a gap in their map north of the troll lair and found a locked door. Reed wanted to know if the mystery lever in the lever room unlocked this door, but when it was checked, it did not. Reed’s lockpicks easily did the trick anyway, and they found a small furnished bedroom on the other side.
Runeflinger went to explore the bed and, moving the blanket - found it animated and leapt for his head! It was not a living thing, but a magic blanket that clung to his face as if glued there, suffocating him. Everyone rushed to his aid, first trying to pull it free from his head - which did not work - and then cutting at the blanket, including Runeflinger himself, slashing at the blanket. Runeflinger was harmed as much as the blanket was, but eventually they managed to cut away enough that he could see, smell, and talk through holes, while the blanket just hung from his head. Embarrassed, but alive, Runeflinger said he was ready to continue adventuring like that.
They went west and then south, seeing the Enigma of Greyhawk again. From there they doubled back north, planning on cutting through the east end of the checkerboard trap chamber to new territory - unaware that the east end of that room was lined with pit traps. Niall, Arlin, Ambrosio, and Muelara took 20-foot tumbles, with the elves landing with cat-like grace, but Ambrosio landing wrong and getting hurt pretty bad. Rather than try to go over the pit trap and leave the mules behind, Reed routed them around to another door in the east wall. Inside, they started to go around the pit trap to join the others - when they triggered a second pit trap neighboring the first trap and everyone else (minus the mules) fell into that one.
Eventually, they got everyone out of the pit traps (some easier than others), and were approaching the north door of the chamber, when it opened - and a Fireball was hurled into the chamber with them.
In tight formation, everyone was engulfed in fire. Most everyone was burning and dying, except for Reed and Percy, badly burnt, but still conscious. The door was now wide open, and they saw three humans who looked like spellcasters. Two of them were casting follow-up spells. They did not affect Reed and Percy, who shrugged off the effects, and Percy was able to finish casting a Sticks to Snakes spell and launched four huge snakes into the midst. While distracted by the snakes, Reed poured potions of healing down the throats of his dying henchmen, carefully enough not to drown them, and they were roused from near-death and able to act. Muelara, now a thaumaturgist herself, cast a Lightning Bolt that fried two of the evil thaumaturgists (and some of the snakes), leaving just one alive, who surrendered.
Now it was a race against time to save Niall, Runeflinger, Aerik, Arlin, and Halfdan. They had two more healing potions left in the Company and that went to saving Runeflinger and Niall. But they also knew the good cleric Bogomir the Adept had been last time they were here. If only he was, by chance, still in the same place…
Some of them raced to go find out, and indeed Bogomir was in the same room, praying. Cuthbert had told him to be here to aid them, he said. He raced back and cured Aerik, saving him. He also had a healing spell on a scroll that he used to save one henchman, and that went to Arlin out of seniority.
They were now entirely spent on magical healing, and Niall’s henchman Halfdan still lay there dying. They could do nothing but watch as the man expired before their eyes, apologizing to Niall with his last breath for some unknown failure.
Past death, the damage to the Company had been extensive. Runeflinger had taken the brunt of it, losing his traveling spellbook of first-level spells in the fire, and Niall had both his henchman and most of his non-magical gear.
Meanwhile, their prisoner had been bitten by one of the huge venomous snakes and had surrendered on condition of being saved. Percy, being honorable, used one of his Neutralize Poison scrolls to save the man’s life. Now the man revealed that he and his cousins had been exploring the dungeon for he didn’t know how long, trying to hold onto territory, and had thrown in with the Azure Enchantress and her orcs, as most of the spellcasters on this level had. In fact, their spellbooks had been secured under the floor in the Azure Enchantress’ lair, where the Company had just been weeks ago! Further, the man knew that the Greyhawk Construction Company had already gone through and redesigned that room since the Enchantress’ death, but perhaps they had missed the spellbooks…?
The thaumaturgists had nearly been their deaths, but they were also their only source of treasure on this expedition. They had carried 30 pp between them, and each carried a gem also (a large violet garnet was particularly valuable). They recovered a small traveling spellbook and several other items that seemed to be magical because of how little the Lightning Bolt had damaged them. They were unusual items for magic-users to be carrying - a sling, a magic necklace of prayer beads, and a magic potion. The necklace went to Percy, the potion and spellbook to Runeflinger (as compensation for his lost book; Aerik’s was fine because he had been furthest from the center of the fireball), and Reed held onto the sling, announcing how he planned to give it to Ambrosio.
But while everyone was still alive, they were all weak, low on magic, and completely out of healing. Heading deeper into the dungeon to check on the Enchantress’ lair seemed too dangerous. But going back the way they had come seemed dangerous too. Luckily, they were now closer to the Grand Central Staircase. They convinced Bogomir to accompany them and see them safely to the surface.
The sunlight was painful to Bogomir’s eyes and he was eager to return to the dungeon. The Chapel of Boccob in the Upper Works was occupied - but only by a sole acolyte of Boccob, with no spells to his name. He was eager for the company, as he did not feel remotely safe in the castle. The Company decided to stay holed up in the chapel for the next four days, until they were strong enough to go back down and look for those spellbooks…
TO BE CONTINUED IN SESSION 61
</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-33528054729828084172022-09-01T17:39:00.003-05:002022-09-01T17:43:56.492-05:00Company of the White Oak - Sessions 57-58<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkhzxt0TFCqXIEHWCefAqiYV7NvdntQw9_MeKM1vK3iQ2Bgb6Zv4ON1nNWHQHDfY74Ny_nV68rdGi3K79TBVRkyl9TAOEENjVM0UKDe5ynj9st6YwMg9JsKtUdmCYVVDPI-MvZ-7SJ0QbPL48S6kKm2NwvOAbTEWHnSyya0YtMmFk3cymy8cqxj9fC/s413/dragon.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkhzxt0TFCqXIEHWCefAqiYV7NvdntQw9_MeKM1vK3iQ2Bgb6Zv4ON1nNWHQHDfY74Ny_nV68rdGi3K79TBVRkyl9TAOEENjVM0UKDe5ynj9st6YwMg9JsKtUdmCYVVDPI-MvZ-7SJ0QbPL48S6kKm2NwvOAbTEWHnSyya0YtMmFk3cymy8cqxj9fC/s320/dragon.png" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-7970ab2a-7fff-6da4-2fcf-42e510e58610" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Session 57</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Goodmonth 25, 622 CY</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">City of Greyhawk</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Old City</span></p><br />“Aye, I’ve been there…” Torsten said. The man looked to be 30, though Niall Brightflame understood this human was even younger. It was with a trembling hand that Torsten picked up his leather flask for another drink. “The Temple of the Latter Day Elder Gods. We believed it was ripe pickings, since everyone’s attention had been on Castle Greyhawk these past two years. <br /><br />“Our first clue that this would not be easy was just upon mounting the steps to the temple. Day suddenly became night. My companions, all inexperienced, broke ranks and fled just as I was reaching the top of the steps. I called back to them and tried to rally them, but that was when I noticed the …things in the sky. They had wings, but they had little shape to them and were shaped like no bird or other animal I can name. Instead of following the others, I retreated indoors, through the temple doors. The room inside seemed impossibly big, but had no exits. I had no choice but to retreat back out into the starry night…with those …things swooping down after me…”<br /><br />No sum of money could convince him to guide Niall and the Company of the White Oak to the Temple. But he did give good directions…<br /><br />Goodmonth 26, 622 CY<br />The Village of Nameless<br /><br />Nameless was a minor fiefdom on the north side of the private hunting grounds of the Oligarchs. It was four miles south of the Temple of the Latter Day Elder Gods, the closest civilization came to the old ruins. Only five Companions - Reed Underbough, Percy, Niall Brightflame, Bowie Laughingbottle, and Leif Thunderbeard - and their henchpeople, Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio, Arlin Fadagoria, Halfdan, and Gremlar Blackstone - and two mules left Nameless bound for the Temple.<br /><br />There was barely a discernable trail leading to the Temple, and the vegetation grew tall and lush so close to the Temple’s walls that they might have missed it had they not been looking for it. The Temple was a step pyramid, only three tiers, each twenty feet tall, with one ramp of steps leading up the west side to a pair of large, heavy double doors on the top tier. The stone was very old and worn smooth.<br /><br />First they circled wide around the Temple, as Torsten had never seen the east side of the Temple, but they found no other entrances that way, even when the elves moved around the walls slowly, hoping to detect a secret door.<br /><br />They formed up into ranks and started ascending the steps. As they did, the sun began quickly moving through the sky, setting just as the front rank reached the top tier. As they stepped up to the double doors, the sun set. Everyone paused to watch the sky for monsters, but none appeared. <br /><br />The doors were hard to open - Lief and Niall, their two strongest members, had to work together to pull them open. Inside was a room that seemed the exact size of the entire top tier - which should have been impossible, because it appeared to have thick walls, but they had expected this too, thanks to Torsten. The room was empty except for three brass pillars that ran from floor to ceiling, spaced out between the north and south walls. Since the pillars were 8’ wide, there were only gaps in between to reach the other side.<br /><br />Cautiously, the thieves Reed and Ambrosio went in to search the room. As Reed touched the first pillar, a brass door appeared in the side of it. One by one, they made a door appear in each. These doors opened easily onto hollow tubes going down, with only ladders bolted to the north wall of each tube. The ladders seemed to have been made piecemeal out of various metals, but looked sturdy. To be cautious, only one tube was chanced, and to be extra careful, everyone descending the tube did so with rope tied around them. This turned out to be a good thing because about half of the Companions had trouble with reaching the too-distant ladder and would have fallen 30’ to the floor below. The mules were left behind and unguarded.<br /><br />As some were still descending the ladder, the front ranks checked out the room below. All three brass pipes descended into this room, with doors in their south sides. In the northeast and southeast corners were piles of old, dusty tools. Three doors led elsewhere in the middle tier of the Temple. Since they were here to find Vask’s undead form and lay it to rest - and retrieve his two powerful magic weapons at the same time - Muelara cast ESP and Locate Object to help them find their objectives. Neither spell initially gave them any clues, so they started with east.<br /><br />To the east was a long north-south corridor and a side passage east, but they went south, turned a corner west, and another corner south, and went through a door through which Muelara detected animal thoughts. Here were six giant wasps buzzing around a large brass cage, huge dead beetle carcasses, and what appeared to be a stone birdbath. One Sleep spell later, there were no giant wasps flying around, and they were all promptly killed - save one, which Reed wanted badly to extract its poison sac from. Not being an expert on giant wasp anatomy, Reed almost poisoned himself and gave up on the idea. Luckily, poison sacs were not the only treasure in the room. Inside the locked cage (and locked cages were no obstacle to a thief of Reed’s experience) were a couple thousand loose coins of gold and silver, a pair of gems, a jeweled torc, and an old ceramic flask holding liquid. The sweet-smelling goo in the “birdbath” was left alone.<br /><br />There were sentient thoughts coming from behind the northeast door, and a heard sound like something scraping across stone, so the Companions barged in an old, ruined bedroom with nothing left but three beds in it. Peeking under one of the dust ruffles, they saw glowing red eyes staring back at them. Then the beds were cast aside as three wights rose up to attack. Percy quickly turned them and chased them into the corner. He explained that everyone would get a chance to hurl a missile weapon at the cornered wights, but that would break the turn and they could then fight back. The missile attacks were devastatingly effective, though, leaving little to mop up when the wights retaliated. Under each bed was a gold mask that the wights must have once worn.<br /><br />Heading south, Leif was about to bust down the next door when he heard a voice in his head that said “Run! Run away!” Leif was freaked out, but convinced to ignore this as a trick. They found behind the door a nearly identical room with another three wights hiding under beds. They tried the same tactic, but this time one of the wights, wearing a ceremonial helmet, was able to take a lot of damage and nearly drained somebody before it was destroyed. Further, under one of the beds was a trapdoor that led down. Opening it, they found what looked like a large empty pit. They considered going down to search it for secret doors, but decided to explore the rest of this level first.<br /><br />Around the corner to the east was a short dead end passage with a silver statue there. The statue was of a macabre being - semi-humanoid, and yet only part-crow, part-rat, and part-vulture. Leif was strong enough to pivot the statue alone, and Leif and Niall working in tandem were able to scoot it over to the side, but they found nothing concealed behind or beneath it. <br /><br />Leaving it alone, they went back north, then east, and then found themselves in another long north-south passage. Through an archway to the south they saw a small empty room with a door opposite the archway. As Leif opened the false door - a balista bolt flew down the corridor from the north and stabbed Leif’s own brand-new hench-dwarf Gremlar in the back - and Gremlar fell down, dying. <br /><br />Gremlar was moved into the empty room while Percy began invoking a cure spell. While everyone was waiting for the spell to take effect, a monster appeared in the corridor that looked just like the silver statue (only black now instead of silver). Muelara bravely moved up to the archway and blocked it with a Protection from Evil spell cast on herself, and the spell repulsed the monster as it charged her. Then missile fire repulsed the monster and it turned around the corner from which it, and the Company, had come. Once the cure spell had Gremlar recovering, Reed snuck out past Muelara and sneaked quietly past the monster. Niall was now hearing a voice in his head telling him not to try anything, for he would surely fail. Niall tried to talk to the voice in his head, but it did not work. Ignoring it, he joined the other fighters charge more noisily out towards it. The monster was meleed from both sides and backstabbed by Reed, ending its existence.<br /><br />With the Company recovered, they headed north, found a secret panel with a concealed balista mounted in it (which they disabled), and then backtracked to a west side passage - indeed, the very passage they had seen from the opposite direction after coming out of the first room. There were two side doors down this passage. Behind one of them was a ruined bedroom where everything was so rotted that it fell apart when prodded by Leif’s spear. Behind the other one was another ruined bedroom, but in this case the bed was crushed under a 4’ wide statue of a toad made of riveted steel plates. It could be seen through its open mouth that it appeared to be hollow, but it also animated and attacked. It withstood six hits from the Companions, and bit Reed for a light wound, before it was destroyed and fell into pieces. Niall took the pieces with the toad’s eyes to go on his shield. <br /><br />Heading west and then north of the first room, they came to the end of the corridor to the north, where there were three pewter urns, and a door nearby to the east. Searching the urns, they found one held sand and the other two were empty. They carefully poured out all the sand, but found no treasure concealed within. Behind the door they found a small room holding nothing but three more identical urns, but these were all full of green, slimy algae. The voices harassing Leif and Niall were now, instead of urging them to run away or to give up, were trying to convince them to investigate these urns. They did not fall for it, and everyone left them undisturbed.<br /><br />Backtracking to a side passage west, they found a door to the north through which Muelara sensed lonely thoughts (casting Protection from Evil had disrupted her Locate Object spell, but her ESP spell was still going). Since the thoughts did not appear hostile, they decided to take a different tact and knocked on the door. A woman’s voice urged them to come in. Curious, they found the door opened onto a small room that held a tree -- what appeared to be a living tree, growing into the walls and ceiling of the room, and growing out of loose charcoal, sulfur, and salt -- all quite impossible. Out of a hollow space in the tree stepped a beautiful woman who had called to them through the door. She told them how she and her sisters were bound to this room to help achieve balance in this temple. They seemed aware that monsters of chaos were running rampant through the temple, but she speculated there might be some champion of law down here for balance as well. The Company was ready to push on, but the woman tried to use some magic to make Bowie stay with her, and a second woman emerged from the hollow to try and bewitch Percy, but they both resisted and everyone left.<br /><br />Percy cast his own Locate Object spell to replace Muelara’s lost one.<br /><br />Moving further west, they found a large storeroom with nothing of value left in it, though they were careful to check through the sacks of rotten food.<br /><br />Taking winding passages south, past the first room, they found a door that led to stairs going down. This more clearly led to the bottom tier than the trapdoor had, but they still resisted going down. Their map showed a little space to the east, and they even knew of a door that likely led into a room there. They were right, but all they found was a moldering bedroom, this time with a dead bugbear inside. The bugbear’s sack held some modest treasure. <br /><br /> Niall checked his map and found this level was twice the size as it had appeared to be outside. <br /><br />And then they backtracked to the stairs and went down. Everyone felt some unease down here, but none moreso than Halfdan and Gremlar, who were going berserk. They became so obsessed with leaving the temple by any means necessary that they were willing to fight their way past the others, and had to be incapacitated with Percy’s Hold Person spell. <br /><br /> Just east of the bottom of the stairs were double doors in the north wall. When Reed listened at the doors he heard many voices chanting. Some debate followed about what to do here. If it was a large room, perhaps they would not risk the encounter. <br /><br /> It was a large room, the largest yet. Inside were 15 men, kneeling prostrate while chanting, in front of one man facing them, cross-legged. A Sleep spell was cast into the room - and did absolutely nothing. The man spotted them, called out to them, and welcomed them. Niall was willing to interact with the man, but only from the safety of the entrance. He let the stranger in the room know they were looking for a particular undead and described what he looked like in life. The stranger said he had seen who they were looking for and would lead them to it, but only after they had finished their ceremony. When asked about the purpose of the ceremony, it was to achieve balance. When invited again to wait inside, the Companions balked and said they would wait outside, with the doors closed. Not trusting a word they had just heard, they barred the double doors and tried to slip away back upstairs. <br /><br />However - <br /><br />The stranger from the room appeared behind them in the hallway and began casting a spell. While everyone else was freaked out and continued fleeing up the stairs, Reed stayed behind and disrupted the spell’s casting with a lucky crossbow shot. The stranger reacted by turning into a large bat and flying straight at Reed. Reed joined in the retreat, but even with his magic leaping boots the bat outpaced him and bit him. Though drained of some energy, Reed was able to produce his bag of garlic and herbs and used it to fend off the vampire long enough to leap up the stairs and join the others as they fled back to the ladders. Now Niall protected their rears, swabbing the doorways with garlic to try to ward the vampire off from following them up. <br /><br />When Gremlar and Halfdan came out of Percy’s spell, they were humbly apologetic and had no idea what had come over them. Climbing the ladders, they found their mules were still waiting for them. Exiting the temple, they found it was the middle of the night, but they fled down the steps before they could encounter any flying things.<br /><br /> <br />Session 58<br /><br />Harvester 10, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<br />Tower of the Striped Mage<br /><br />The Mage had agreed to meet with Percy and Runeflinger and a servant brought them to his study, where the Mage (Rodrigo, the former Striped Mage’s chief apprentice) sat with his crystal ball. <br /><br />“You want me to check for the location of your lost friend again,” the Mage said. “You brought the gold?”<br /><br />A sack of 300 gold was sat in front of him. The servant began counting it. “Let us begin…” the Mage said, and he peered into his crystal ball. <br /><br />“No wonder you have not been able to find him…this man Vask, or the man you once knew as Vask…his undead form has left the Temple of the Latter Day Elder Gods. It has been changed by the temple…it is now a wraith, no longer a wight. It now wanders the ruins outside Castle Greyhawk.”<br /><br />“Can you be more specific?” Runeflinger asked.<br /><br />The Striped Mage gave him a hard stare. “It’s a crystal ball, not an encyclopedia. This audience is ended.”<br /><br />Harvester 11, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk<br /><br />Reed Underbough, Percy, Runeflinger, Bowie Laughingbottle, and Leif Thunderbeard returned to their old stomping grounds with their henchmen, Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio, Arlin Fadagoria, Guardia, and Gremlar Blackstone in tow. Actually, while everyone else walked, the hobbits Reed and Ambrosio were riding armored dire wolves, an extravagant purchase Reed had made since they all last adventured together. <br /><br />Very little of the terrain surrounding the castle had ever been explored. The closest ruins to the castle were the two outposts at the foot of the drawbridge - two small, squat towers that had housed orcs long ago and been abandoned ever since. Vask was not to be found there. <br /><br />The drawbridge of the castle was up and Reed spoke the magic command word to lower it. The courtyard looked deserted, as usual. Of course, they were not expecting to find Vask inside, so they stayed out.<br /><br />They had previously spent some time north of the castle, following the creek through the woods, and that was where they had found the wraith that had been Father Langdon. Was there some property to the creek that drew their old teammates to it? Runeflinger thought it was worth investigating. They spent a few hours searching the woods, but turned up no ruins in that direction. <br /><br />Returning to the castle, Reed decided to hop up onto the curtain wall and circle its perimeter, for a better view. Everyone else followed on the far side of the moat, with Reed calling down to them if he saw anything. As they went counter-clockwise around the castle, Reed heard some rocks falling somewhere inside the castle grounds as he was crossing the west side of the curtain wall. Although wary, he continued. <br /><br />At the castle’s southwest corner, Reed spotted something about a mile to the southwest that no one in the Company had ever seen before - what looked like an old ruined fort on top of a hill. Could that be where Vask was? It was decided that a mile away was not a ruin near the castle, so they moved on. <br /><br />Continuing east along the south side of the castle, they spotted something else of which most of them were unaware - there were the ruins of what looked like a village at the foot of the castle’s hill, almost touching its southeast corner (Haruspex Niv had talked several times about a well at this location that supposedly led deep into the dungeons, but few still-living members of the Company had ever been there with him). Most of the village was nothing more than stone foundations spread out for a half-mile, but there were some intact walls and a few mostly intact structures (only the ones made of stone; the wood-timbered structures were all rotted away). And it was now that Muelara’s already-cast Locate Object spell detected Vask’s magic javelin. Now they were able to head straight towards him, where Vask appeared to be lurking in the shade of a half-intact roof. But then Vask rose up from under some rocks near Runeflinger and attacked with surprise! Only Runeflinger’s magic armor spared him from harm. And despite the benefit of a surprise attack, Vask did not last any longer against the Company than their other undead fallen teammates had. Vask, though, came with quite a windfall - as the wraith disintegrated into a handful of dust, Vask’s magic battle axe, javelin, helmet, and two potions fell to the ground.<br /><br />That afternoon they spent back in the Village of Hawfair Green, burying Vask’s ashes next to the others and singing his praises. That evening, they were dividing up his magic items, with Leif getting the axe, Arlin the javelin, and Runeflinger the helmet.<br /><br />Harvester 12, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk<br /><br />Having had a little taste of the castle again, the Company was ready to go back today. The third dungeon level beckoned. More specifically, the unopenable doors on the third level beckoned, and a Knock spell or two might reveal hidden treasure.<br /><br />The easiest route to the third dungeon level remained the black dragon’s lair, which had remained empty. The first area in the dungeon proper was the gnoll lair, the one that had an unopenable cell door, behind which they saw an ivory box the size of a small crate. Some of them had been excited about this since the last expedition down here when it was discovered, and Bowie reminded everyone of the “box prophecy” they were told involved the White Oak Company. Runeflinger reminded everyone that if it was a magical door, the spell would only open one door, but if it was mechanically locked, the spell would open many in this area. <br /><br /><i>Knock.</i><br /><br />Mechanisms within this vault-like cell door slid back and it opened, as did the other three doors in the room. All of the others led to places they had already been, so they focused on just going behind the cell door and approaching the ivory box. Just not too closely. Reed and Ambrosio checked it for traps and found none. Just to be extra careful, they took the time to tie rope to the lid, pound an iron spike into the wall, loop the rope over the spike, and then pull down to raise the lid up from a distance (Percy was consulted, always being good at this kind of engineering). It worked and…nothing happened. Cautiously approaching the open box, Reed found - dust. It was full of dust. Though, not just any dust, but colored dust, some of it sparkly. There were, in fact, four different colors of dust in the box. <br /><br />Some debate followed about what to do. Did they dare carry the box with them? What would happen if magical dust mixed? It was decided to carefully remove all the sand from each color and place them in four separate sacks. And then Leif still had to carry the empty box in front of him.<br /><br />They headed south from there to another pair of doors they had decided to skip going through last time. Then, Muelara had sensed thoughts that seemed to be coming from intelligent undead behind the double doors. This time they felt confident they could handle them. Leif sat down the box and pushed open the stuck doors. It turned out to be an unusually large room, considering the only decoration was a chest chained to the back wall of the room. But guarding it were three wraiths! <br /><br />Percy was quick with the turning and wraiths were no challenge for a bishop to turn. Once they were in the corner of the room, Reed and Percy decided to combine two previously successful techniques. Percy would hold them at bay while everyone softened them up with missile fire and then, when that ended the turning, Muelara would cast Protection from Evil on herself in the doorway so none of them could get past her, and all the missile-flingers would rush to get behind her in the corridor. Runeflinger cast Invisibility on himself (his previously successful technique). The missile fire, fired from nearly everyone standing in a half-circle behind them, weakened all the wraiths, but did not destroy any of them. Everyone fled back past Muelara as she started casting the spell - but there was one problem with this plan: the wraiths moved faster! So they also wound up on the hallway side of the Protection from Evil, and continued attacking the Company. Although initially terrified, the Company quickly realized they could run back into the room, now trapping the wraiths in the hallway, the opposite of how they originally planned it. But this revision of the plan did not come without penalties -- Reed was energy drained, and Guardia and Reed’s dire wolf mount were killed outright by the wraiths. <br /><br />Once safely ensconced in the room, missile fire recommenced at the wraiths and finished them off, but not before Muelara received a nasty arrow in the back, accidentally, from Leif. <br /><br />Now they could finally address the chained chest in the room, but Reed found it was trapped. Working together, the Companions figured out how to circumvent triggering the trap and got the lid open and found - the chest was completely empty.<br /><br />Disappointed, but ready to move on, they went back out into the long north-south hallway and took the side door west that led to the dwarves’ break room on this floor. It was once more full of dwarves, helping themselves to what looked like ale from a barrel, and they impatiently tolerated the Company cutting through their room.<br /><br />To the west, Reed led them to a small chapel they had skipped before that had an ogre and two bugbears trying to worship a statue of Erythnul, god of monsters. One Sleep spell later, the Companions were picking up gold pieces off of each of them, plus a few gems. <br /><br />Moving further west again, Reed led them to the pair of unopenable doors and the remaining Knock spell was cast. The spell not only opened both doors, but ten doors linking eight 10’ x 10’ empty rooms. The Companions moved through each room, looking for secret doors, but found nothing.<br /><br />Around the corner to the south, Reed knew of another door that had previously resisted opening - but this door was still not open, despite having been in spell range. They marked this as something to come back to next time.<br /><br />Further south and around another corner to the east was the last long east-west hall Reed had mapped last time. They had tried no doors at the far end last time. Would they be open now? No…but then it turned out they had already strayed out of range. Muelara, using her Helm of Telepathy now instead of ESP spells, detected monster thoughts from behind the south door, but the Company’s interest turned to the north door when, from outside it, they all heard a loud, mocking laugh, followed by a man’s voice booming “I know a secret…!” in the Common Tongue. Intrigued, everyone urged Leif to bash open the door. <br /><br />Behind it was a short parallel corridor that turned south up ahead, but only after passing under a series of murder holes in the ceiling. There were glimpses of movement above the murder holes. Charm Person was cast up through the holes, trying to target what was moving, but it did not work when their hiding opponent was ordered to come down. Reed watched the holes, entranced, noticing that whatever was up there was repeating the same movements. <br /><br /> The solution seemed obvious to Reed - the monsters above were serving as a distraction so the monsters to the south could sneak attack them, or were being reinforced now by the monsters above. So he turned everybody around and they headed through the door to the south - where gnolls were waiting to ambush them with halberd and battle axes. But there were only four gnolls and the Company made short work of them. The gnolls had some gold, but not a lot, and this whole expedition into the dungeon was turning out to be rather cash-pour, other than the ivory box.<br /><br />Pressing on (and giving up on the monsters above the murder holes), the Company returned north and continued north, finding themselves at a large chamber almost entirely filled with a pool of water. The pool could be seen to continue into a chamber to the south through a large archway (with no dry path through). Floating in the middle of the pool was a giant sculpture, seemingly made of yellow rubber, and abstractly depicting a chicken or duck. <br /><br />Runeflinger, still invisible, advised everyone leave, convinced this was a giant’s bathtub. Reed reminded Ambrosio that he had the Ring of Water Walking Reed had given his hench-hobbit. Ambrosio took off the ring and asked if anyone wanted to borrow it. Leif volunteered; he walked out onto the water while wearing the ring and disappeared through the archway.<br /><br />Leif saw that the chamber was more of a natural cavern with dry shore to the west and southeast. On the southeast beach was a chest surrounded by three dead bodies. Wary, Leif fired an arrow into one and then all three of them silently clambered to their feet. He could see their ashen features and glowing red eyes from here. They stepped into the water and disappeared from view.<br /><br />When Leif ran back to the others, Percy recognized the description as wights and he calmly borrowed the ring next. He went into the chamber to the south and was ready to turn the wights, but he saw no sign of them - until he spotted them floating up to attack him from underneath! He turned them in time, but since he was directly above them, all he could do was make them turn downwards and try to scratch their way through the cavern floor 15’ underwater. He shouted back to the others that he was basically at an impasse with the wights and, with both sides shouting back and forth to each other, they came up with a plan. It would not involve the floating statue -- Reed wanted nothing else to do with statues, remembering the amber golem! Reed and Ambrosio climbed the walls of the chamber and cavern until they reached the unprotected shore. They found no traps on the chest, and found it was full of gold! They emptied the contents into every sack they had left, carried them across to the rest of the Company, and then went back and refilled the sacks with the rest of the gold. By the time they returned, Percy joined them, gave the ring back, and they all fled with their loot before the turning would expire. <br /><br />But they had not fled back the way they came. They went north, and Reed was overjoyed when they found the green dragon's lair -- the map fragments now matched up! Then they went further east. They came across a room full of bones and the reek of death, with dead gnolls pinned to the walls with big spikes. Muelara detected animals behind the east door and a monster behind the north door. They went for the monster - and found their first troll (the first troll any of these adventurers had seen -- Haruspex Niv and some others of the old guard had ran from a troll a long, long time ago)! The troll was not hard to beat, but it was hard to keep down. While they were searching its mound of coins (all silver pieces!), the troll they thought they had killed already started to get up and Percy had to smash it back down. Then, disturbed by how it wouldn’t stay dead, they lucked onto the idea of burning its remains.<br /><br />Now, weighted down with considerable treasure, they finally backtracked the way they had come. The dwarves were in better spirits now in their break room, having thoroughly enjoyed the spirits they’d been drinking. They invited Lief to stay with them, but he went back with the Company instead.<br /><br /> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-69137412823894501072022-08-30T12:54:00.006-05:002022-08-30T12:58:05.507-05:00Company of the White Oak - Sessions 55-56<p>Session 55</p><p><br /></p>Reaping 26, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<p><br /></p><p>It was shaping up to be a hot summer and Reed Underbough, Percy, Eirenden, and Leif Thunderbeard were talking about going on a short, easy expedition somewhere and where that might be - when Haruspex Niv showed up. This shocked everyone because Niv’s name had been on the list of members allegedly killed by the Iron Workers Guild. Haruspex explained that he saw the thieves coming and faked his own death to elude them, and had been lying low since. </p><p><br /></p><p>Should they seek revenge against the Iron Workers Guild? No trip into the sewers, where the guild operated out of, had ever gone well for them. And with Lord Ellis gone, the Iron Workers had no reason to keep going after them. Besides, Reed had a suggestion that soon tantalized all of them. With Niv’s magical firepower…maybe they could finally take out that dragon Eirenden had discovered under Castle Greyhawk…</p><p><br /></p><p>The idea seemed to have a good risk:reward ratio, since they had killed a dragon easily before, and dragons were known to hoard lots of treasure. But they were few in number and ready to hedge their bets any way they could. Eirenden sought information about this dragon he had seen. It was a black dragon, and he paid to learn that they breathed acid in a long line, about as far as a javelin could be thrown. Acid was not something they could defend against…except to keep lots of targets between them…</p><p><br /></p>Reaping 27, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dlzogagDw9cC_ptCuZdyR_iJwc0Oqg6MBLqGqCpIXxg1yOf3Rjd_OMjT63IQzgEGPrsDidStL8mcN3hkkn1sRNY393tD1YyMfjMxYPASWsIgA7cYUCyhaS5mSRciHt23i0hGB-WBEkVV480TeW5be1-2A1EG7WIvE-7hdCTTH9-7DNAliGBrCiru/s347/Monster_manual_1e_-_Black_dragon_-_p31_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="281" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dlzogagDw9cC_ptCuZdyR_iJwc0Oqg6MBLqGqCpIXxg1yOf3Rjd_OMjT63IQzgEGPrsDidStL8mcN3hkkn1sRNY393tD1YyMfjMxYPASWsIgA7cYUCyhaS5mSRciHt23i0hGB-WBEkVV480TeW5be1-2A1EG7WIvE-7hdCTTH9-7DNAliGBrCiru/s320/Monster_manual_1e_-_Black_dragon_-_p31_.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>With the rapidity that came with the promise of lots of gold, the Company had assembled a group of 12 archers and 8 light foot infantry, including Krillin, Patroneous, and Joe, and a medium named Aerik Fenn. These were not henchmen, but hirelings paid in advance, with the promise of a big bonus later. They were told that the Company was going under Castle Greyhawk to retrieve a treasure hoard - but they were careful not to mention that they had to kill a dragon first. </p><p><br /></p>Reaping 28, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk<p><br /></p><p>Having breezed through the Village of Hawfair Green, the Company and their retinue made their way for the lonely castle - but bypassed the upper works and allowed Eirenden to show them the entrance to the dragon lair he and his original party had found on their only foray here. </p><p><br /></p><p>There, on the east slope of the bill on which Castle Greyhawk stood, was rubble from some long-lost outbuilding, mixed with loose rocks and dirt. A long time ago they had dug the rubble away and revealed the tunnel to the dragon lair, but now it was all filled in again. The Company put their new hirelings to work clearing the rubble away, and Eirenden and Leif pitched in to display their magically-enhanced and naturally prodigious (respectively) strength. Eventually they had cleared a path they could all use - but making so much noise that the Company did not want to use it. Rather, they ordered everyone to withdraw for the night, hoping to take the dragon more by surprise in the morning. </p><p><br /></p><p>That night everyone camped outside around the Leaping Trout Tavern in Hawfair Green. There was much merriment, for the hirelings assumed they were only resting before digging up treasure in the morning. The Companions noticed that Krillin had no official leadership role, but he was more charismatic than the other hirelings and many looked up to him. Aerik Fenn stuck close to the Company, while Eirenden took a liking to Patroneous. Eirenden was thinking about taking him on as a henchman, if Patroneous survived the morning.</p><p><br /></p><p></p>Goodmonth 1, 622 CY<div>Castle Greyhawk<p><br /></p><p>The next morning they all returned to the tunnel and the hirelings were sent in first. The Companions were so far behind that they didn’t even see what was going on when combat started up in the front ranks. It turned out, the dragon had added two goblin sentries to the tunnel since Eirenden was last here, and the hirelings had noisily killed them. Should they return to Hawfair Green and come back still another day? No, they were this close - they would press on. </p><p><br /></p>And they did - until the front ranks reached the edge of the dragon’s cavern. The pile of treasure was right there in front of them, but there was no sign of the dragon. The cavern smelled like dragon, though, and this was suddenly putting some fear into the hirelings. Many of them were balking at going inside, or angry that they had not been warned about what could be guarding the treasure. The Companions huddled and discussed what to do about this troublemaker, Krillin, who seemed to be leading the others towards mutiny. <br /><br />Aerik Fenn, unaware of these deliberations, saw what was going on and was concerned that Krillan’s actions would keep his fellow mercenaries from ever being hired again.To remedy the situation, Aerik cast Charm Person on Krillin to get him to stay and convince the others to stay. Ultimately, this worked, though it also took a bribe, the promise that the hirelings would get a greater treasure share. Only one hireling, Joe, refused to go in and kept trying to convince the others not to. Reed led Joe back towards the surface, on the pretense of having a talk with him, but then Reed backstabbed Joe, killed him, and hid the body. <br /><br />As soon as the Companions went inside - that was when the dragon showed up from a side cavern. The dragon spat acid and it killed six hirelings instantly. The Companions loosed missile weapons at the dragon with ridiculous accuracy, and Haruspex Niv’s lightning bolt from his wand was super-effective. The dragon was killed before it could get in a second attack. <br /><br />The treasure pile was large and spread out, some of it in sacks and the rest just loose on the floor, and took a long time to count. It proved to easily be one of the largest treasure hauls the Company had ever recovered. It even included what appeared to be a wand and a rod. To the Companions’ chagrin, enough of the hirelings survived that the Company had to give them an entire equal share of the treasure to split between them - and even that was looking like it would come to about 300 gold per man! <br /><br />Searching the two caverns further, they found a tunnel leading west that would take them deeper under the castle. But to which level? Even Leif, a dwarf, was having trouble guessing. Everyone was curious to see where it led, but the hirelings who had stopped being useful as dragon fodder were now a liability that needed to be dumped back into civilization. They would lead the men back again to Hawfair Green to celebrate (and with a dragon head and body parts to prove the tales they would tell!) and pretend the expedition was over, but then head back into the dungeons the next morning. But first…they had enough experience with Charm Person to know that Krillin had been charmed, and they assumed Aerik Fenn had done so because he was willing to betray his comrades-in-arms for the good of the Company, and so he was offered full membership.<p><br /></p><p>It was the most chaotic the Company of the White Oak, which had once solidly leaned towards lawfulness, had ever been. Percy, the last champion of Law in the company, had been present the whole time, but things were either done behind his back or he turned a blind eye to them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Goodmonth 2, 622 CY</p><p>Castle Greyhawk</p><p><br /></p><p>Reed, Percy, Haruspex, Eirenden, Leif, and Aerik returned to the dragon’s lair, but this time with only their loyal henchmen Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio, Arlin Fadagoria, and new henchman Patroneous. Reed, now recognized as their most experienced member, both led the company and attempted to map the dungeon as they went. And in the dungeon proper they now seemed to be, for the rough tunnel soon gave way to smoothly carved 10’ x 10’ corridors that seemed very familiar in design. </p><p><br /></p><p>They soon came to a door, and Muelara’s ESP spell revealed sentient beings on the other side. Those beings turned out to be six gnolls, who were no match for the Company and quickly wiped out. Their treasure was a paltry sum of silver and gold pieces, but what else they guarded were two cell doors. One led into an ordinary, and empty, cell, but through the bars of the other door’s window they could see an ivory box sitting alone in the cell. No matter what they tried to get the door open, it all failed. Frustrated, the Company moved on. </p><p><br /></p><p>From here they could have moved south, but instead they backtracked east and planned to take a passage they had skipped to get to the gnoll lair. When they reached that fresh corridor, they were confronted by a spectral figure floating quickly towards them. Percy, recognizing it for either a wraith or a spectre, turned it and the thing sped away from them. The Company followed. It was a long slanted passage that was taking them down and around, and eventually took them to a door. But now they chickened out, fearing that more wraiths and spectres were on the other side, and they headed back up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now they went back and took that passage south. At its far south end was a pair of double doors and, behind these, Muelara detected the wailing thoughts of those wishing they had stayed dead. Again the Company blanched and took another way, this time a side door to the west. The first little room on the other side was empty, but the next contained a group of dwarves, eight in number, all workers of the Greyhawk Construction Company. Their leader (or perhaps just the most talkative one) was Brynja. For small bribes, the dwarves relayed small pieces of information. Yes, this was dungeon level 3. They described the layout of the corridors to the west of this room (they were particularly proud of the “square roundabouts,” which they seemed to have had some hand in constructing). The Company tried to intimidate the dwarves into giving up more information by telling them how they had slain a dragon. When the dwarves seemed unimpressed and even got all sarcastic about it, the plan backfired and the Company became intimidated. </p><p><br /></p><p>Despite having had the area described to them, Reed had trouble mapping the corridors to the west and travel was slowed. They ignored corridors to the north and south and continued west. Behind a door, Muelara detected sentient thoughts worshiping something evil. Still intimidated, the Company decided to avoid it and went around the room to the south. </p><p><br /></p><p>Further west, they found two side-by-side doors to the north. The first door opened onto a 10’x10’ room with doors to the north and east (the east door obviously led into the area behind the neighboring door). But neither of these doors could be opened by any means. More unopenable doors! They left, but then thought they would try the other door. That also led into a 10’ x 10’ room with a door to the north and to the west - but they could not open those doors either. Frustrated, they gave up and continued exploring west.</p><p><br /></p><p>Soon they came around a corner to the south and discovered yet another door they could not open! They mapped some more corridors after this, but were so frustrated by the riddle of the unopenable doors that they left, vowing to come back some day after acquiring a Knock spell…</p><p> </p><p></p><p> <br /></p>Session 56<br /><br />Goodmonth 9, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<br /><br />A week had passed and some significant events had occurred during downtime. Reed had the New Thieves Guild’s best forgers on forging a letter of transferral from Lord Ellis to the Company of the White Oak for the letters of credit in his name the Company had pilfered. And it worked - the Bank of Greyhawk believed the letter without even testing it - and the Companions who raided Lord Ellis’ manor found themselves 9,000 gold pieces richer.<br /><br />Reed and his henchman Ambrosio had been looking into the situation at Mannering Manor.<br /><br />Lord Ellis’ magic items had been mostly distributed, but there was still some bitter contention over his magic plate armor, with both Niall and Leif having equal claims to it (and the armor was magically able to scale to both their sizes). <br /><br />With these circumstances fresh in mind, the Companions Reed Underbough, Percy, Haruspex Niv, Eirenden, Niall Brightflame, Runeflinger, and Aerik Fenn gathered to discuss what should be their next priority. Reed tried once more to make a case for the Company raiding Lord Mannering’s manor, but Reed had miscalculated greed being a motivator for adventurers still flush from a dragon’s hoard. Without any evidence of wrongdoing on young Lord Mannering’s part, or proof of mismanagement of his estate, the others were not having it. <br /><br />Niall favored returning to Castle Greyhawk, and reminded everyone that Prospero had told them long ago that the items they needed to stop The Adversary were hidden under Castle Greyhawk. But he also had another idea. He recalled how John Grond, Father Langdon, and the other “old guard” of the Company had been turned undead and attacked the Company at Castle Greyhawk a few months back. Percy had turned them all and they fled, never to be seen again. But they were still out there, somewhere, and might still have all their old magic items in their possession…<br /><br />This idea appealed to everyone, both laying their old friends to rest, and reacquiring lost magic items. But how to find them…?<br /><br />The idea came to them to hire a wizard who could scry the location for them. Prospero was the wizard they knew best, but he was a difficult man to get in touch with. But there was another wizard, the Striped Mage, who they had dealings with in the past, though it had been quite some time. <br /><br />Goodmonth 10, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<br /><br />The Striped Mage was intrigued by the idea and, for 1,000 gold, volunteered to track them down. And he did, though they were not together, as the Company might have thought. Indeed, they seemed to be scattered all over the place! Rom Riverbluff’s body was somewhere near Hawfair Green. Father Langdon was in the wilds north of Castle Greyhawk. John Grond was wandering the first dungeon level of Castle Greyhawk. Vask was somewhere in the Temple of the Latter Day Elder Gods. <br /><br />Goodmonth 11, 622 CY<br />The Village of Hawfair Green<br /><br />When the Company of the White Oak was spotted in Hawfair Green, it usually meant they were heading to Castle Greyhawk. People began showing up at once to see them before heading out to the castle, but were shocked when the Company showed up this time with questions. Why yes, there had been strange going-ons lately - farm animals going missing and found later, eaten. Everyone assumed it was a monster loose from the castle, though they did not usually stray this far to the main road. Many people had information on where the monster had struck last, much of it conflicting, but eventually one farmer was able to show where the monster had last feasted on one of his cows. <br /><br />With a Locate Object spell focusing on Rom's magic shield, they tried to search the area - and got lucky, for the cow-killer was still nearby, lurking in a grove of trees. It was, in fact, Rom Riverbluff, now a wight. A wight that did not last long at all against the combined might of the still-living Company of the White Oak. Why would an undead Rom be feasting on livestock? Various guesses were made, but ultimately it did not matter. What mattered was, what to do with Rom’s remains? It was decided to cremate them on a pyre, during a ceremony Percy would officiate, and then they would retire to the Leaping Trout Tavern to toast to Rom’s memory and, from those who knew him, share stories.<br /><br />Goodmonth 12, 622 CY<br />The wilds north of Castle Greyhawk<br /><br />The Company had never veered off the side road to Castle Greyhawk before on its north side. They found some low hills, lots of trees, and a long creek. Again, they used Locate Object to detect Langdon's prayerbook, but this time it took a lot of searching, well north of the castle, before they tracked down where the wraith that was once Father Langdon was hiding. Father Langdon lasted no longer against the Company than Rom had. When Langdon’s wraith form was destroyed, some of Langdon’s former possessions dropped to the ground in corporal form, including his old prayerbook. Of Langdon himself, only enough ash remained to half-fill a flask. There was not even enough left here to give Langdon the funeral Rom was given. But as close as they were to Castle Greyhawk, and what remained of John Grond, they were uninterested in retreating to Hawfair Green to do any toasting.<br /><br /> The upper works of Castle Greyhawk seemed abandoned until they stopped at the Shrine to Boccob and found a lowly adept manning it alone. He was very glad for company/protection, and not at all interested in going into the dungeons. <br /><br /> The Company decided to use the old trapdoor entrance to the dungeon, something they had not bothered with in a long time. They found the door had a big crack in it now, as if someone had tried to break it, but it still worked, and still led down to a mostly deserted first level. But they did know where they could find some people, or more specifically, some elves. So they headed to the grand spiral staircase.<br /><br />En route, Niall wondered if they should not dispose of the large weasels on this level, as they passed their lair, but no one else was interested. Haruspex, indeed, was rather nostalgic about the weasels and told everyone of his first adventure down here, two years ago, and how the weasels had saved them from berserkers.<br /><br />There were always elves guarding the staircase and today was no exception - except there was only one elf, and he was a nervous sentry. Some of his brethren had been slain of late by a wraith wandering this level. The wraith had last been seen to the south. <br /><br />The party’s map of this level covered some of the south; it showed that two paths split off directly south of here; one to the southeast and one to the southwest, but the southwest path was through a secret door. Surely the elf would have mentioned a secret door if it was relevant? The Company went southeast. They followed a long north-south tunnel for as long as they could, passing several doors, until an ESP spell detected thoughts behind a door. Scared thoughts. Instead of breaking in, Niall just knocked.<br /><br />It was humans on the other side of the door, but they were not interested in coming out; they knew of the fearful wraith wandering this level. They were not interested in joining the fight against the wraith either. <br /><br />The Company pressed on, finding another door through which Reed heard a deep, grumbling voice muttering. It sure sounded like John Grond! The Company spent a lot of time planning an ambush for John. Niall, with invisibility cast on him, was going to pound on the door and call to John to coax out his old friend. The Company would be way down the corridor to the north. Reed would be lurking in a 5’ wide side passage that John would need to pass to reach them and Reed would leap out and backstab the wraith. <br /><br />The problem was, it was not the ogrish John Grond behind the door, but a real ogre! The ogre came out to investigate, charged at the party, and went down in three hits. <br /><br />The ogre had no treasure on it, but it had a sack of 300 gold pieces back in its room. The room had wooden pillars and, more intriguing, little creatures rolling around on the floor that vaguely resembled goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins. Had this been a daycare for the dungeon? Eirenden was curious if Haruspex knew any mages in the city doing research on monster spawn, to test if nature or nurture made them evil. But no one was really interested in trying to trap and transport these feral little creatures and ultimately the Company decided to just abandon them here. <br /><br />Moving on, the Company decided to ignore the east door in the room and try the 5’ wide side passage Reed had used earlier. This turned into a larger corridor and doubled back to a room on the opposite side of the door they had just ignored a short time ago; this room had a pool in the middle of the room surrounded by bones. Since there was obviously no wraith here, the Company avoided the pool and backtracked the way they had come. This time choosing a 5’ wide side passage east, they found a long north-south corridor that was 5’ wide to the north and 10’ wide to the south. Pursuing the wraith south, they hit a T-intersection, went east down another narrow passage which turned north, and here they found a series of connected rooms manned by humans and hobgoblins working together. <br /><br />Armed with glaives, these foes fell quickly to the Company’s smaller, faster weapons - though the Company took two humans prisoner. These men, human and hobgoblin alike, had nothing more than some electrum pieces between them, but they had something more useful - information. They had seen the wraith and were willing to lead the Company to where they saw it in exchange for their freedom. <br /><br />The Company followed them and wound up backtracking almost to where they had started - with the prisoners saying the wraith was heading towards the corner where the Company knew a secret door to be. Niall was fit to be tied - why had the elf sentry not mentioned this hours ago?! <br /><br />Locate Object was cast. They headed through the secret door. They went through a normal door, through a side passage, and found themselves at a new room, one of this level’s museum-like rooms. Four stuffed ducks were on display on pedestals, similar to another room they had found a long time ago with a stuffed albatross on display in it. Only this time, they knew John Grond's magic sword was nearby. <br /><br />Like the others, this wraith failed to last an entire minute in combat with them. Like Langdon, there was a half-flask’s worth of ash to recover. And John Grond’s magic sword clanged to the floor. Aligned with chaos, the Companions were careful to pick it up without touching it directly, and put it in a sack. It would fetch them a tidy sum, if Percy’s church paid them for the chance to destroy it..<br /></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-7355997465235488802022-08-03T20:16:00.001-05:002022-08-03T20:16:19.433-05:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - Sessions 53-54<p> Session 53</p><p><br /></p>Reaping 10, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<br /><br /><p>Auspiciously, on the very night before the Sword & Spear Inn was due to open, a small group of Company of the White Oak members -- Reed Underbough, Percy, Eirenden, and Niall Brightflame -- were meeting with Leif Thunderbeard, brother of the recently deceased member Sprig. Leif wanted revenge. </p><p><br /></p><p>Everyone else was…not so sure about that. They had all had great trouble finding any of the Company members to recruit for this planning session, and without more firepower they were very hesitant to go back to Gaxmoor.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vSlTbJfE54X3S0Ui9JcGe6T2Q8m937iCZjkAWA8zljeFXGXN7_p6lR8VQvD6zQFCyGNPMZU85GZ-leLjGHnHFfurhUnTUewVQMxEqkZpZOlOZJ218g0kIxhNSKM1GKr3qxbMbR15O9tZif2tBfFEmimS83FGW00l2cOsIU2BJRi8wje3t_PBwI98/s250/Lost_City_of_the_Elders01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="119" data-original-width="250" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vSlTbJfE54X3S0Ui9JcGe6T2Q8m937iCZjkAWA8zljeFXGXN7_p6lR8VQvD6zQFCyGNPMZU85GZ-leLjGHnHFfurhUnTUewVQMxEqkZpZOlOZJ218g0kIxhNSKM1GKr3qxbMbR15O9tZif2tBfFEmimS83FGW00l2cOsIU2BJRi8wje3t_PBwI98/w320-h152/Lost_City_of_the_Elders01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The next most pressing thing on their agenda seemed to be going after Peter. They knew where Peter was; he was staying at that small manor house in the High Quarter, apparently guarded by a rotating group of up to eight fighting men, including the dragon-riding knight they had encountered once at Castle Greyhawk. No one was particularly concerned about the dragon rider…unless he somehow could fit the dragon in his house? There was a lot of concern over that one. Reed also advanced the theory that, if Peter was a “lord of vampires,” then he was probably a vampire himself and they would need to be ready to fight a vampire again. They eventually all agreed that they did not actually know Peter was a vampire, though.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, Ambrosio, Reed’s hench-hobbit, had spent the last week scoping the place out. There was no set pattern to when the fighters came and went, but sometimes they did leave alone or in pairs to local businesses, like the High Tower Tavern. Eirenden had hung out by the manor house, circling around outside it and looking for secret doors, but was chased off by a guard and did not risk returning alone. </p><p><br /></p><p>Reaping 11, 622 CY</p><p>City of Greyhawk</p><p><br /></p><p>All of the people at the previous night’s meeting, including the henchmen Muelara and Arlin, joined Ambrosio in casing the manor house, and it paid off with a break that was too good to pass up. A lone fighter - a man in platemail armor - left the house and was heading to the High Tower Tavern. Muelara approached him while disguised by a Change Self spell to look like a human male. She said she had a business proposition for this man, based on his reputation. He was immediately suspicious and told Muelara to get lost. When she offered to pay him 500 gold just to hear her proposition, he became much more interested. In an alley that was being watched by Ambrosio from the shadows and Reed from a roof overhead, Muelara cast Charm Person on the man and made him into her best friend.</p><p><br /></p><p>The best friend, who’s name was Bolero, worked for the owner of the manor house, Lord Ellis. All sitting together at the tavern, Muelara was able to coax Bolero into revealing all he knew. He and his fellow retainers, eight in number, had all been house guards for Ellis. It had always been boring work, but lately they had an additional charge, watching Lord Ellis, houseguest, Peter. Could Bolero take them on a tour of the house? Here, even for his “best friend,” Bolero blanched. Ellis would fire him, at best, maybe kill him…but for his best friend, he would take them at least as far as into the courtyard.</p><p><br /></p><p>The main entrance to the manor was inside a walled off courtyard that the building itself circled in a C (or U, depending on how you were looking at it) shape. There were shuttered windows to either side and a door at the far end, with a small fountain and planters flanking it in the middle of the courtyard. There was also a guard stationed in the far corner who shooed them all out, telling Bolero he was in trouble for this. And here they were separated from Bolero, as he went inside.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Company did exit into the street, but from Muelara cast a Sleep spell into the courtyard, dropping the one guard. Now they all moved back into the courtyard, stripped him, tied him up, and left him in a dark corner (while hiding all his gear in a planter).</p><p><br /></p><p>There were enough gaps in the shutters to see the building inside - the east windows opened onto a long north-south corridor and the west windows opened into a large, mostly empty room. They had a key to the front door, thanks to searching the guard. Actually, they had three keys. Reed tried one at random -- and a bell started ringing inside, and acid squirted out of the keyhole! Reed tumbled away, missing most of the acid. Leif tried to bash the door down, but bounced off of the solid door. The second key unlocked the door, and stopped the bell from ringing. </p><p><br /></p><p>The front foyer was barely more than a small landing at the bottom of two sets of stairs heading up to the upper floor. By now, the front entrance had a few defenders, but they were little more than a delay for the more accomplished Companions. Niall, fought his way past the defenders and bounded straight for the upper floor -- where he was promptly face-to-face with Lord Ellis himself, bedecked in elaborate plate armor, and holding a sword in front of him. Lord Ellis tried to play the Law Card, announcing that he could have them all put to death for just trespassing. </p><p><br /></p><p>Meulara, seeing Niall in danger at the top of the stairs, cast Sleep up there -- which did not affect Lord Ellis at all, but put Niall to sleep! </p><p><br /></p><p>Percy began casting Hold Person, catching Lord Ellis just as the man bent down, grabbed Niall, and started dragging him away.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the guards at the front entrance dispatched, everyone headed up the stairs to find out Niall’s fate, only to find that Lord Ellis had only resisted the Hold Person spell for seconds, and was slumped to the ground now, paralyzed, right next to Niall’s sleeping form.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lord Ellis was stripped down to his gambeson and tied up from head to toe with rope. What to do with him now? While debating what to do, a fourth guard advanced from the west door. He quickly saw what had gone down -- and retreated. Reed and Niall raced each other in hot pursuit, both reaching the guard as he tried to hide in a side room along the west end of the second floor. </p><p>Eirenden stayed behind to guard Ellis. When Ellis came out of the paralysis he tried to struggle to get free, but Eirenden put a boot to his neck and warned him about what would happen if he tried further.</p><p><br /></p><p>That guard was racing to Bolero for backup, unaware that Bolero was already turned and on their side. Alone, the guard was easily defeated and tied up. They now had nearly as many prisoners as they had dead guards around the front entrance, but they still had no idea where to find Peter. Until someone thought to ask Bolero.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Sure, his room is on the east end of the building.”</p><p><br /></p><p>It was suggested that they should do some searching for treasure, in a manor that surely had plenty of treasure in it, but the fear was that Peter might escape if they did not keep after him. On the way to the east end, Bolero gave Lord Ellis a wide berth, despite being pinned to the floor, bound from head to foot and gagged. The east end of the upstairs floor was one long north-south hallway with three doors off of it. Muelara used ESP to determine which doors had anyone behind them and which one of those held Peter (the door with someone terrified behind it). They took out the remaining guard first, then cast a Sleep spell into Peter’s room to see if it worked. And it did.</p><p><br /></p><p>When they woke Peter up, he insisted that he had been abducted by these people. He had been allowed to leave the building (which was how he was spotted outside), but his life was supposedly in danger if he moved out of view of the building. ESP was not a perfect lie detector, but his thoughts seemed to match up with what he was saying.</p><p><br /></p><p>So what to do with him? Well, first, now that they had him, it was time to ransack the house. The far northwest room on the upper floor was Ellis’ master bedroom, and this contained a chest with a good stash of loot, though most of his money was being held in the Bank of Greyhawk and there were just letters of credit for it here. The real “wealth” here was the wealth of evidence -- Ellis had written correspondence with the Iron Workers Guild, who he had paid to kill off the Company of the White Oak -- and some names were crossed off a list of their roster already. Now it became frighteningly clear why it had been impossible to contact some of their members lately. </p><p><br /></p><p>Further, there was correspondence with the Horned Society, and an almost equally disturbing discussion of how they would divide up the Domain of Greyhawk once an already-assumed takeover of the city had happened. There were no clues in the text as to how they thought that would happen, though.</p><p><br /></p><p>There were a few loose ends, like the rest of the staff. They found noncombatant staff hiding back down on the ground floor and chased them all out. Bolero was allowed to leave with the rest of the staff, but not before revealing to them that one remaining guard was in the cellars, guarding a grate to the sewers, which doubled as an entrance representatives of the Iron Workers Guild sometimes used to enter. The remaining loose end had been about Lord Ellis’ missing red dragon. It had not been in the house, but everyone was curious to know if it was somehow in the cellars. There was also a barn outside, but this held Ellis’ pet griffon. </p><p><br /></p><p>Curious, the Company went down to investigate, defeated the one guard, found the grate but no dragon, and added some expensive wine bottles to their booty. In looting the house, they drew the line at carrying out furniture. Besides, a plan was formulating amongst the Companions to try to gain ownership of this manor, in exchange for Lord Ellis and the evidence against him.</p><p><br /></p><p>Later, the Company transported Peter out of the city and called for Prospero, as they had learned from Vask to do, and announced they had Peter. Shortly, three lammasu materialized in the air above them and descended, and then Prospero teleported into their midst. Prospero pointed his staff like it was a dangerous weapon and told Peter to get down on the ground. Everyone, particularly Percy, was eager to hear Prospero’s case against Peter, but the evidence that Peter was an agent of The Adversary seemed circumstantial. The lammasu interjected, saying that the danger posed by The Adversary was so great that extreme measures were called for, but Niall made a case for them delaying to gather more evidence. The lammasu would not listen to this advice unless Percy agreed with it, which he did. Once the lammasu were convinced, Propsero was outvoted and the lamassu took Peter into their custody, making him disappear with them. Prospero turned into a pegasus and left by flying away.</p><p><br /></p>Reaping 17, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<p><br /></p><p>Almost a week later, the Company of the White Oak was quietly summoned to the private trial of Lord Ellis. The jury was the Directing Council of Oligarchs themselves. The evidence against Ellis was airtight. In return for securing it, the Council dropped all consideration of charging the Companions with breaking and entering and manslaughter, and further awarded them free use of the upper floor of the manor (they had their own plans for the ground floor).</p><p><br /></p><p>Session 54</p><p><br /></p>Reaping 19, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<br />Shield & Spear Inn<p><br /></p><p>Reed Underbough was anxious to find out when the New Thieves Guild was going to produce the proper paperwork from the guild’s forgers to transfer the 9,000 gold from Lord Ellis’ letters of credit to the Company of the White Oak. Today, though, they had another matter to discuss. </p><p><br /></p><p>Reed, Runeflinger, and Niall Brightflame - three of the remaining members of the Company of the White Oak - had been sought out by a medium named Norfolk. Norfolk had come into some money - 200 gold pieces’ worth - and was willing to pay the Company to give him a tour of the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk so he could experience being an adventurer himself. In truth, Niall had recently been thinking about how Prospero had told them the magic they needed to defeat The Adversary was under Castle Greyhawk. This was something they needed to start looking for again, even if capturing Peter had somehow thrown a wrench in The Adversary’s plans.</p><p><br /></p>Reaping 20, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk<p><br /></p><p>Reed, Runeflinger, and Niall had hired Brother Vincent to come with again, because they were not sure until the last minute if Percy could join them or not (he did). Accompanying them were their henchmen, Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio, Arlin Fadagoria, the hireling Brother Vincent, and their hirer, Norfolk. There were still unresolved issues of magic item distribution from the raid on Lord Ellis’ manor, but these were temporarily handled by those coming today being allowed to “borrow” as yet unclaimed items.</p><p><br /></p><p>The drawbridge was down, the upper works seemed deserted, and the Chapel of Boccob was empty. Vincent delayed them while he undertook long, elaborate prayers in the chapel, but eventually they got him moving. Norfolk had brought his own mule and planned to bring it into the dungeon. The Company’s cart and mules were gone, lost to the gnolls of Gaxmoor, but Reed had replacements stored at a stable in Greyhawk left over from the expedition he once led to the Ruins of Lord Robilar’s Castle. The mules and cart, with no one hired to guard them, were just going to be left in the stables here at the castle, hoping for the best.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Company was planning on exploring more of level 2 of the dungeon today, so they went down the stairs inside the tower adjoining the keep, and cut through corridors on level 1 until they reached the grand spiral staircase that went down multiple levels. Two elves were guarding the stairwell, and though they kept their distance from the Company, the elves of the dungeon and the elves of the Company shared a solemn salute to each other.</p><p><br /></p><p>Down they descended to the west-facing corridor that led off the second floor landing. They headed straight for the trebuchet room (still speculating about why a trebuchet was assembled down here) where dwarves of the Greyhawk Construction Company had been found on break before. Sure enough, two dwarves were in here, resting on the trebuchet. The dwarves responded favorably to Norfolk gushing about the Dwarven Tongue, in Dwarven, and told them how they had been busy reinstalling doors because the gnolls on this level had been breaking down a lot of doors lately. Where were the gnolls? Lately they had been claiming the east end of the dungeon level. This surprised the mappers, as they had long assumed the stairwell marked the east end of the dungeon level. This level was larger than they knew!</p><p><br /></p><p>The dwarves even pointed to the northeast door in their room as the fastest route to the gnolls. The route through maze-like corridors took them east and south, into an area that Reed had once explored before, but they went past that area further east and came, next to a room with an unfinished wooden staircase to the ceiling, but then ESP detected sentient thoughts from behind the next door to the east. Behind it they found, at last, their first encounter with six gnolls. One Sleep spell and some hacking later, there were no gnolls. The gnolls had no treasure between them, but this seemed like a random patrol of them anyway.</p><p><br /></p><p>This area was a junction of west- and south-heading corridors. Heading south, ESP sensed more sentient thoughts nearby, but the Company ignored them and continued south into a chamber that was the scene of a battle. Gnolls and orcs, stripped of their valuables, were lying dead on the floor, either killed by each other or by others with weapons. Reed found an old blood trail that led south, but they lost the trail.</p><p><br /></p><p>Where they found themselves was near a door through which they sensed more sentient thoughts - this time frightened thoughts. They found a small group of human bandits had barricaded themselves in here and, after some initial suspicion of the Company, let them in as potential allies. They had been sent down here by the Master of the First Level some time ago (presumedly, before the Company had killed him) as part of an exchange of forces with the monsters down here, but the monsters were too wild, too leaderless for these bandits’ liking. The Companions took pity on the pathetic bandits and the bandits bribed them with half their treasure, 100 gold pieces, to lead them to safety. So they all backtracked to the central staircase so the bandits could go up. Before leaving, they were encouraged to head straight for Hawfair Green and go straight. They winked before heading up.</p><p><br /></p><p>The dwarves were gone from their room (as they were when the Companions came through with the bandits), so the Companions cut quickly through their room and explored some new side passages, first heading south, where they found two secret doors both leading into the kitchen of the Chefs of the Gilded Spoons, which Reed had visited before. This time there were seven chefs busy cooking in here and they were quick to shoo the Company out. </p><p><br /></p><p>Showing no interest in what the chefs were cooking, they headed east again, which led to a door where they detected animal thoughts. On the other side, they just found a huge lizard lounging in the room, surrounded by rocks and sand. One sleep spell and some hacking later, there was a dead lizard in the room. The Company found no treasure, but they did find a secret door. And behind that secret door was a similar room -- with two giant lizards in it! Another Sleep spell dropped those two just as easily. The lizards were killed with minimum damage to their skins, as the plan was to take all three back to the cart and have them skinned back in town.</p><p><br /></p><p>A door from the secret room led back east towards the sentient thoughts they had skipped over earlier. That turned out to be a gnoll lair, though the Company almost missed it again because they were becoming aggravated with discrepancies in their maps. This was a barracks housing six more gnolls, easily disposed of, but they had no treasure just like the last group. Niall postulated that this had to do with how there were no leaders on this level, that the leaders had made off with all their treasure.</p><p><br /></p><p>Striking out north, the Company found a room full of webs and 13 large spiders - but burning the webs and throwing yet another Sleep spell into the room made short work of those too. There was no treasure here - no good treasure so far, but no challenges so far either. And then the next room happened.</p><p><br /></p><p>It looked to be a laboratory, with alchemical glassware on a workbench and three flasks sitting out at the front of it. Runeflinger, Niall, and Norfolk went inside to investigate - and disappeared. Another teleportation trap!</p><p><br /></p><p>The rest of the Company tried to move on without them, but Reed struggled hard to map without Niall there to help him, and the others only watched instead of helping. Very slowly, they circled the west side of the teleporter lab and were mapping an east-west corridor with many options when they saw a light coming from the east.</p><p> </p><p>The three teleported knew something was up when they saw no one else at the entrance, and there were now six flasks on the workbench instead of three. After taking the flasks, they came up with what seemed like a strategy for getting back to the others: stick to corridors (empty corridors, not the garage-strewn ones they found at first to the north) and avoid doors. In this way they wound up taking a long, narrow corridor south and then a much longer corridor west, before it turned north and then flipped back east again. And then they hit the pit trap. Niall made a near-perfect landing in the pit, luckily missing the spikes at the bottom, but a door opened above the pit trap and orcs harassed him with spears. Niall climbed out of the pit and fired arrows at them until they shut the door. But the pit appeared to be a major obstacle. </p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, the larger half of the Company met the source of the approaching light -- a human in armor, carrying a lantern and an incense burner with him. This man identified himself as Father Earnest, a vicar, whose task it was to bless all the dead in the dungeon so they did not rise as undead. Reed tried very hard to persuade Earnest to come with them through the teleporter lab, but he insisted he had stayed alive this long in the dungeon by not teleporting. He was willing to give the Company directions back to the exit from this dungeon level from here, telling them to use the room to the west of the teleporter lab, but to beware of a pit trap.</p><p>The room to the west had a gong and a chest in it. Everyone wisely ignored the gong and focused on the chest. Reed detected traps on the handles on the sides of the chest - they were sticky somehow, like glue, and had anyone tried to lift the chest their hands would likely have been stuck fast. But the chest could be opened safely, and inside were gold-encrusted cups, bracers, and scabbards. They were all packed into sacks, and the Company would have left then, except that Reed was convinced the pit trap must be in this room and kept searching for it. Percy pointed out that Earnest had said to watch out for the pit trap after mentioning this room, but had not said the trap was in the room, so it likely was behind the west exit.</p><p><br /></p><p>There turned out to be more windy corridor behind the west door, and at one turn tight of the corridor there was a brass lever in the outside corner. Reed took the time to tie rope to it and pull it from a safe distance, revealing the pit trap they had been warned about. Reed climbed around the wall to the lever to reclose the pit trap and everyone crossed safely over it. They found themselves approaching an east-west corridor that looked familiar to Percy, and he led them back west to the dwarves’ break room. </p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, the three displaced Companions were doing a lot of backtracking, finally returning to the teleport lab to see if it would teleport them again. It did for Runeflinger and Niall…but not Norfolk. However, their patience in waiting for him to appear was rewarded 10 minutes later when Norfolk succeeded in getting himself teleported like the others. From here, Niall had a near-perfect map to follow back to the dwarves’ break room, stopping to drag the lizard carcasses with them. En route, they encountered just a single undead skeleton, which Niall tore apart with his magic sickle in sweet release of his frustrations. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Companions were reunited at the grand spiral staircase, and returned to the surface with only Niall injured at all. </p><p><br /></p><p>Later, they would discover that their greatest source of loot in this expedition came from those three giant lizards - they all had gold and gems in their gullets. </p><div><br /></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-57067034904954458222022-07-31T18:05:00.000-05:002022-07-31T18:05:00.742-05:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - Sessions 51 & 52<p> Session 51</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyxIKPI2zMcawB7pJsHI4u1gRS_xUScp2dHKeiIrqeBlyPp4nhTrOFC6i57ApMEP6YnEaBcHITMvAnCSVdhcB6bWXySNnj51Lx7O1uf5PMu21CRHi2yCmddc8Wz7P0SVqGRc2aN8sanGtVr3vyZM2kvsfcTNpVOrhxuHT7_9e-X-JHotsEc1raarV/s198/Blodgett.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="198" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyxIKPI2zMcawB7pJsHI4u1gRS_xUScp2dHKeiIrqeBlyPp4nhTrOFC6i57ApMEP6YnEaBcHITMvAnCSVdhcB6bWXySNnj51Lx7O1uf5PMu21CRHi2yCmddc8Wz7P0SVqGRc2aN8sanGtVr3vyZM2kvsfcTNpVOrhxuHT7_9e-X-JHotsEc1raarV/w320-h209/Blodgett.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Reed Underbough’s prospects had only improved since coming back to the City of Greyhawk. Blodgett, head of the New Thieves Guild, had only seen his approval of Reed rise as Reed ambitiously continued to oversee construction of his tower-based inn. “You really remind me of myself,” Blodgett said one day. “We may be the little guys, but we’re tough, and we can grab this city by the horns and throw it to the ground and…well, let’s not belabor a poor metaphor, shall we? What I’m trying to say is…I want you to be my right hand man. The public face of the guild, as it were. We’ll have to upgrade your income, though…what say the guild moves you up a social class?” To which Reed immediately agreed. The new role seemed to come with no new responsibilities…so far.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reed did approach Haruspex Niv about trying to find out where his errant henchman Peter had gotten off to, and what mischief he might be causing. While Haruspex agreed that sounded important, he was not prepared to leave his studies to explore it himself, but gave Reed his blessings to kill Peter. </p><p><br /></p><p>Percy has easily adjusted from the comforts of his inn to the comforts of the church-provided bishop’s house. Although he shares it with another bishop, the design of the building is like a duplex, so Percy has as much privacy as he wishes. But the new digs have done little to keep him safe - less than a month after that attempted break-in at the inn, Percy survived an assassination attempt, where someone shot him with a crossbow bolt, from a concealed location at long range, while he was out for a stroll. It was a light wound, and so far an annoying inconvenience. </p><p><br /></p><p>Six weeks ago, Niall Brightflame was attacked by brazen thieves on a city street in broad daylight, lightly injured, but they got away with all the money he was carrying -- 10% of his accumulated wealth. Niall gave chase, but they lost him in the nearby market. Since then, Niall was lying low, hoping to catch the thieves who did this to him, but when that failed he approached the Company of the White Oak about working with them again.</p><p><br /></p><p>The three of them met up at Reed’s place to discuss what to do about these issues. Of everything on their plate, attempting to assassinate a bishop -- and the Company’s only still-active cleric -- seemed the most serious pressing issue. Percy was even prepared to make use of Reed’s questionable contacts to find more information, and put up 150 gold to fund an investigation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Days later, Reed returned with 30 gold unspent and a satisfying lead -- the Iron Workers Guild - their old enemies -- were behind the attacks on Percy, but on commission from someone else. That someone else owned a small manorhouse in the High Quarter of the city, one which, when Reed spied on it, had fighting men routinely coming and going from it. The owner, though, remained unknown.</p><p><br /></p>Wealsun 15, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<p><br /></p><p>The issue before the three Companions was, should they now do something about this? Their numbers were low for any major challenge. And where was the profit in taking out these men after Percy? The lost city, on the other hand…there was still the promise of 1,000 gold in return for a finished map. How hard could that be, as long as they avoided that huge bear…?</p><p><br /></p><p>They decided to go, but needed more help, as too many Companions were occupied elsewhere. Luckily, Old Man Herv had a recommendation. He had recently run into a dwarf named Sprig Thunderbeard who was a veteran figher, looking to become an adventurer. Sprig bragged about his strength and there was precedent for the Company extending full membership to people who displayed great physical strength. Niall also possessed prodigious strength, so the elf agreed to meet this dwarf and throw down with him. The two grappled for a long time and, in the end, Niall had to concede that Sprig was even stronger than he. Full membership was his!</p><p><br /></p><p>Lastly, Niall used some free time, and his contact with Haruspex Niv, to access the Grand Library of Greyhawk. Here he did some reading up on the lost city. This city, known as the Lost City of the Elders, had once been located at the southern edge of the Domain of Greyhawk, but had vanished -- all of it -- about 60 years ago. It was not the first time the city had vanished; it had a tendency to disappear and reappear in different locations. The Elders were the Ur-Flan, the first humans to live in this region. </p><p><br /></p>Wealsun 16, 622 CY<br />Cairn Hills<p><br /></p><p>Reed, Percy, Niall, and Sprig started out, with their henchmen Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio, Arlin Fandagoria, and the hirelings Bella and Everard. Niall was decked out on a brand new warhorse and rode ahead frequently to scout. Although he hills were alive with wild animal fauna, none of it proved dangerous to the Company. And so…</p><p><br /></p>Wealsun 17, 622 CY<br />The Waterfall<p><br /></p><p>It was late when they found the waterfall. Did they want to explore the lost city at night? The answer was a resounding no. Watches were set up for the night…</p><p><br /></p>Wealsun 18, 622 CY<br />The Lost City of the Elders<p><br /></p><p>This time, before heading into the city, the Company checked out the rows of buildings on the south side of the courtyard. There was little to explore, but at the far end of the rows was a cluster of buildings within the remnants of its own privacy wall - an inn? Sprig deemed the building to look unsafe, so they decided not to investigate it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nearby was the eastern gate to the city. The towers here showed battle damage and the gates between them had been long ago wrecked down. But beyond that point…the road just inside was in immaculate condition, as if just laid down! </p><p><br /></p><p>Muellara cast ESP and they moved from building to building so she could try to sense thoughts from inside. They did not get far - not even to the plaza at the end of the street - when she sensed the thoughts of a sentient mind that was watching them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reed leaped up to the roof with his magic boots, but not before a small creature also hobbit-sized started racing across the rooftop away from him. The creature had red eyes, but otherwise appeared to be made of stone, though still wearing regular leather armor over that stone-like skin. It leapt to a second rooftop, then jumped over the back of the building. Reed pursued across the slanted tile roofs, producing rope, and intended to lasso the creature. But he was not fast enough before the creature vanished from view. Approaching the back of the second building, Reed was able to see the sentry was now joining a crowd of similar creatures, all armed, gathered around a collection of tents. </p><p><br /></p><p>Reed returned to the rest of the Company and told them what he saw. They walked around the small buildings, found the campsite of these small, weird creatures, and approached openly. The Company wanted allies here in this strange city, and thought these small creatures might want allies as well. They did not seem to; they swarmed around and encircled the Company, threatening them with spears. After a short standoff in which the Companions tried every language they knew to communicate with them, Niall had enough and drawing his weapon initiated combat. It did not go well for the little monsters, who were weak enough that both Niall and Arlin could sweep through with their attacks. Soon, two dozen of these monsters were dead.</p><p><br /></p><p>Looting the tents, there was little in the way of treasure - except for, incongruously, a traveling spellbook. The Company was quick to snatch up this rare prize!</p><p><br /></p><p>Shortly thereafter, they heard a booming voice coming from the south. Moving around a building and outdoor statue, they spotted an amphitheater surrounded by trees. On the stage of the outdoor auditorium was a giant - literally, a bigger humanoid than the tallest ogre they had ever seen by two full feet. It had black skin and a red beard and it was clearly calling out to them in a booming voice, though they did not understand the language. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Companions shrugged and left, which was apparently not the reaction the giant was hoping for. Angered, the giant came after them. The Companions moved quickly around a building and then tried to duck into its entrance. Muelara’s ESP detected angry thoughts approaching them, from above. The giant was coming over the roof towards them! Sure enough, the giant appeared at the edge of the roof, but the last of the Companions were inside the building by now. It proved an uninteresting building, gutted and long-since looted, but the giant was either unwilling or unable to follow them in. </p><p><br /></p><p>Searching the building, they found nothing of interest except for a stone coffer. Everyone was cautious about traps and the coffer was opened at a distance after tying rope around the lid and pulling it from around a corner. It was found to contain…1,000 silver pieces. Being treasure-poor, the Companions decided to take the silver, and maybe the coffer itself would be worth something too. As they were transporting it to the cart, they found out how right they were, for a beautifully intricate mosaic incorporating ornamental stones was hidden on the bottom of the coffer. </p><p><br /></p><p>After securing the coffer on the cart, and sensing no thoughts outside, the Companions trepidatiously reemerged into the light of day. Indeed, it appeared the giant had given up on them and gone away. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Companions headed southwest and then west, following this main road as it seemed to wind clockwise through the city. Niall, in particular, cautioned everyone from doing too much exploring and concentrating on just getting the map done. Percy, though, was curious about a statue of a weasel perched atop a box. When he investigated it, the top of the box sprang open, tossing the weasel statue into the air, and it landed hard on Arlin. </p><p><br /></p><p>But that was not the worst of it, as a hideous, tentacled monster, its body resembling a gigantic centipede, crawled out of the box. As fearsome as it looked, though, it was easily felled by a Sleep spell, and soon its head fell off as well, after some deliberate chopping. Searching the pit concealed under the statue’s base, where the monster had crawled out of, they found a dead body covered in slime. Feeling around the body at a safe distance with 10’ poles, they uncovered a silver ring. Niall used his magic sickle to retrieve the ring without touching the slime. Although the ring looked valuable, the Companions vowed to examine no further statues. </p><p><br /></p><p>Much further down the road, indeed, in the southwest part of the city now, Muelara detected sentient thoughts again, coming from inside one of the buildings. It seemed like a sizable force was marshaling to come out, and the Companions did not particularly want to deal with more sizable forces. They decided to detour back and go north, up a side road that ran past what looked like a chapel. </p><p><br /></p><p>As they passed the chapel, they heard what sounded like children crying from inside. This seemed like a trap and everyone was very leery, but they ultimately investigated anyway. All signs of religious iconography had been scraped away from the building long ago and only the shape of the structure suggested what it might have once been. By now Muelara’s ESP spell had expired, so they would have no clues before entering what was waiting for them. </p><p><br /></p><p>They strode through the front doors anyway. What they found was horrific - human women and children chained to the walls, and eight orcs terrorizing them with cat-o-nine-tails. </p><p><br /></p><p>Those orcs did not live very long. Luckily they had keys on them! </p><p><br /></p><p>The women and children were unshackled, but attempts to communicate with them were meeting with failure; the women spoke some strange dialect. Niall tried the Elven Tongue, which had undergone much fewer permutations over the centuries. Success! Two of the women spoke Elven, and now they could relate their story. The City of Gaxmoor had been a peaceful one until, months ago, an army of monsters laid siege to it. The outer city fell quickly, but as far as they knew humanity still held the inner city. </p><p><br /></p><p>Plans to double back and lead the women and children safely out of the city were kiboshed when they returned to the main road and spotted a sizable force of orcs and ogres assembling in the street to the west. The Company’s spellcasters were low on spells, and the goal was to keep the women and children out of combat. Fleeing east and outrunning the orcs seemed too chancy, so they doubled back again, this time heading north towards the gates to the inner city. </p><p><br /></p><p>The gates of the inner city had been breached some time ago and were no longer manned by anyone. The inner city seemed deserted. The Company quickly discerned that, if there were any humans left here, they must be barricaded in somewhere. An office building nearby showed evidence of having withstood a siege. The Company approached it and urged the women to call inside. </p><p><br /></p><p>Men responded! Barriers were cleared and fighting men in familiar armor (the Company had seen men like these in the hills outside the city after their last expedition here) let everyone in. There were some reunions between the men, women, and children, but everyone was happy to see each other even if they were not family. Here, a few of the men also spoke Elven and were able to continue the story. When the gates of the inner city were breached, the imperial soldiers fell back towards the palace, but were cut off and had to hole up here, where they had been holding out for weeks. It was a spacious building, with room to accommodate all of them, as well as the Company’s cart and animals.</p><p><br /></p><p>Percy had his traveling prayerbook; he could prepare some of his spells again. If they could get through the night and rest, maybe they could push their way out of the city. </p><p><br /></p><p>The monsters were not ready to let them have that restful night. Six ogres, the same ones they had seen marshaling in the outer city, it seemed, had decided to end the stalemate at this office building that night. What they had not counted on was the Company emerging on an upper balcony and pelting them with blistering missile fire, while distracting the ogres on their flank with a remaining Phantasmal Forces spell of elven archers. It took some time to wear down the ogres, but they did eventually retreat. </p><p><br /></p><p>Everyone braced for the ogres to come back with reinforcements, but to everyone’s surprise that never happened. The sun rose to a new day.</p><p><br /></p>Wealsun 19, 622 CY<br />The Lost City of the Elders<br />The Inner City<p><br /></p><p>The imperial soldiers were not interested in leaving. They even paid the Companions to lead the women and children to safety. But Niall gave an impassioned speech about how their home was their people, not their city. He convinced all but two to come with them. </p><p><br /></p><p>The plan today was no different -- push through the city as fast as possible and try to get out. But the inner city was not empty this morning -- nearly four dozen gibbering gnolls stood between them and freedom on the open streets, as the monsters patrolled. The Company had never had trouble defeating gnolls before, but had never met them in such numbers. The soldiers and the Companions were able to push through, but at great loss. Niall was pulled down off his new warhorse and his horse was slain. Bella, everyone’s favorite carter, was slain. The cart and mules were lost, including the stone coffer secured to the cart. Five imperial soldiers, five of the women, and - worse - seven of the children were pulled down by the gnolls’ superior numbers before everyone else was able to pull through to freedom. </p><div>Session 52</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Wealsun 26, 622 CY</div><div>City of Greyhawk</div><div><br /></div><div>It had just been one week since fleeing the Lost City of Gaxmoor; those members had been back to the city for just days, but already they was discussion about going back.</div><div><br /></div><div>The conversation was between Reed Underbough, Runeflinger, Eirenden, and the newest member, Sprig Thunderbeard - the first time an entirely non-human contingent of the Company had decided to take action together. To Reed, the task seemed simple: Elysande had hired them to produce a map of the city. The imperial soldiers (of who’s empire? The Companions had never bothered to ask) had said that a complete map of the city could likely be found in the palace. If they went in fast, and found the map fast, they could be in and out of the palace before the giant’s forces could be mustered against them.</div><div><br /></div><div>The elves had alternatives. </div><div><br /></div><div>Eirenden had been saving this, but he finally told the Company of what he had run from on his first foray to Castle Greyhawk - a black dragon, in a hidden cave around the side of the hill on which the castle stood. Surely his new companions were powerful enough to take a dragon?</div><div><br /></div><div>Runeflinger had news of yet another job offer - this time from the wizard Prospero. Prospero had contacted Runeflinger to remind him that he was increasingly concerned about the whereabouts of Peter. The whereabouts of Haruspex Niv’s former henchman could not be detected by any divination spell or scrying. Prospero was offering a 250 gp reward for Peter alive -- 500 gold for him dead. </div><div><br /></div><div>Reed was initially enthused about this offer of quicker cash, but as the four Companions went back and forth over this, the idea of returning to Gaxmoor won out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wealsun 28, 622 CY</div><div>Gaxmoor</div><div><br /></div><div>Reed, Runeflinger, Eirenden, and Sprig had returned, along with some familiar retainers - Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio, Eirenden’s new henchmen Lautre, and Brother Vincent was rehired to come with, so they would have a cleric. A team of eight was one of their smallest in a long time. Would it be enough? </div><div><br /></div><div>This time, they decided to take a look over the hills at the city before entering, but they found something very strange when they ascended to the top of the hills -- ahead, where they should have seen the city sprawling out below them, they saw only more, taller hills. This was less surprising to the elves; Runeflinger explained how fairy realms were well known to the elves, and it seemed likely this city existed in one.</div><div>Having learned that their only way in was behind the waterfall, they went through again, finding the city unchanged from last time. Again, there were no guards or sentries at the far eastern courtyard -- but this time they did spy armored figures moving from the city’s west gate into the outer ruins, indeed, towards the ruined inn. From here, they could not tell if these were monstrous humanoids or humans - so rather than take chances they avoided them.</div><div><br /></div><div>They almost did not, but before going into the city they did decide to stop at the bushes above the canal and collect more of the magic berries there. After that, they entered the city through the gap in the eastern outer wall. They avoided the fireballed manor. They found unguarded stables, occupied by horses. Here, they paused and debated if they should take the horses. The question was, whose horses were they, and if they belonged to the monster or the humans? If they were the humans’ horses, they did not want to lose the humans as allies. It was decided, not only to leave the horses alone, but to avoid the humans as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>Which worked for only the next few minutes, when they came to another building within sight of the northeast gate into the inner city. There were human archers up on the roof, and these humans were not wearing the livery of the imperial soldiers. Unfortunately, these humans did not speak Elven, or simply chose not to reveal they did. The building they guarded smelled like a brewery, and likely was a brewery. The archers even gestured for the Companions to come in and drink. Though the archers were not hostile, they did begin trying to warn the Companions away as they began to move away towards the gate to the inner city. After more attempts to communicate with the archers, the Companions believed the warnings were because the gate was guarded. </div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, there was another way in, for they could see a ruined gap in the east wall of the inner wall, as there had been with the outer wall -- only this time the inner wall was mounted on a 10’ tall steep mound. The Companions began climbing up, but before they reached the top of the mound - they saw eight gnolls staring down at them from above. The fight was initially tricky, while the Companions were climbing, but when they reached the gnolls the fight was soon over. The gnolls had even, conveniently, been playing a game of pitching coins into a pile and there was ready treasure to collect, though it did not come to much. Their chainmail seemed in good shape, so they started stripping the armor off the gnolls. </div><div><br /></div><div>They were halfway done when another gnoll patrol came around a building within sight, this one led by a bugbear. One Sleep spell later, there were not many gnolls left, but two of them did manage to get away, fleeing towards one of the palaces. </div><div><br /></div><div>As the Companions looked around, they realized there were actually two buildings in the inner city that were palaces -- the governor’s palace and the royal guest palace (both had been mentioned by the imperial soldiers). Which one would have the map? Unsure, they opted not to follow the gnolls, as they would surely be raising an alert in there, and they settled on the other palace. First they killed the sleeping monsters and looted the bodies for coins, having learned their lesson not to spend too long stripping corpses in case another patrol turned up first.</div><div><br /></div><div>The main entrance to the Governor’s Palace had a towering, ornate portico lined with caryatid columns and topped with gargoyles. This entrance looked dangerous, so they circled around and found a portico back entrance almost as grand, but missing the statuary. When Muelara attempted to detect thoughts inside, she sensed sentient thoughts - thoughts that had already been alerted to the Companions’ presence. As she “listened” longer, it became clear they were planning an ambush inside the back entrance.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Companions conferred. There was, as Reed pointed out, no evidence from the thoughts if they were human or monster, as the spell could not discern the difference. Was the palace held by humans, who would not attack when they saw who the Companions were? Or was it held by monsters, who would attempt the ambush, already foiled by this spell? The double doors at the rear of the building, inside the portico, were wide open, inviting them into the ambush. The Companions decided to risk it. They went in, three abreast, ready for melee.</div><div><br /></div><div>And found five ogres waiting for them. Again, the combat was swift and brutal - but this time in the monsters’ favor. Lautre went down in the fighting early, dying slowly. Reed went into the shadows. Runeflinger went to his go-to for survival, invisibility. Two ogres doubled up on Sprig, one knocking him down, and the other bashing his head in with a morningstar. Of the remaining Companions, Eirenden was seriously injured. Their morale broken, the Companions went into full retreat, leaving the dead and dying behind to the victorious ogres. </div><div><br /></div><div>Not in their finest hour, the remaining Companions ran to hide behind the rubble around the gap in the inner curtain wall. They watched to see if the ogres would pursue, which they did, albeit slowly, still celebrating their victory with wicked gleefulness. Rather than push their chances further, the Companions abandoned the inner city. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the shade of the stables, Brother Vincent healed Eirenden. Should they stay in the city to rest? No, that seemed too dangerous; it was time to abandon the city altogether. If Sprig and Lautre were to be avenged, plus all the people slain last time, it would need to come another day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Richfest 3, 622 CY</div><div>City of Greyhawk </div><div><br /></div><div>The city was in the full swing of Richfest festivities, but the Companions who returned from Gaxmoor were not feeling it. Many were licking their wounds, but Reed, looking to find something that would give them an easier victory and restore the Company’s morale, spent some money on trying to locate Peter, putting out there Peter’s description and a bounty on information of his whereabouts. And he got a response pretty quickly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Peter was staying with the fighters in the manor house, the ones who had hired the Iron Workers Guild to kill Percy.</div></div><div><br /></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-5653103650675902422022-06-27T09:19:00.013-05:002023-02-23T22:56:55.080-06:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - Post Directory<p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-back-to-basics-od-greyhawk-campaign.html" target="_blank"> Sessions 1 & 2</a> </p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-back-to-basics-od-greyhawk-campaign_11.html" target="_blank">Sessions 3 & 4</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2020/09/back-to-basics-original-dungeons.html" target="_blank">Sessions 5 & 6</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2020/10/back-to-basics-original-dungeons.html" target="_blank">Sessions 7 & 8</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2020/11/back-to-basics-original-d-greyhawk.html" target="_blank">Sessions 9 & 10</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2020/12/back-to-basics-original-dungeons.html" target="_blank">Interludes 1 & 2</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/01/back-to-basics-original-dungeons.html" target="_blank">Sessions 11 & 12</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/01/company-of-white-oak-session-13.html" target="_blank">Session 13</a> </p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/01/company-of-white-oak-sessions-14-15.html" target="_blank">Sessions 14 & 15</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/02/company-of-white-oak-sessions-16-17.html" target="_blank">Sessions 16 & 17</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/03/company-of-white-oak-sessions-18-19.html" target="_blank">Sessions 18 & 19</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/04/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 20 & 21</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/05/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 22 & 23</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/06/company-of-white-oak-campaign.html" target="_blank">Interludes 3 & 4</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/06/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 24 & 25</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/07/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 26 & 27</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/07/company-of-white-oak-campaign.html" target="_blank">Interludes 4 & 5</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/08/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 28 & 29</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/09/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 30 & 31</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/09/company-of-white-oak-campaign-interlude.html" target="_blank">Interludes 6-8</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/10/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 32 & 33</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/11/company-of-white-oak-sessions-34-35.html" target="_blank">Sessions 34 & 35</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2021/12/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 36 & 37</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2022/01/company-of-white-oak-campaign-interlude.html" target="_blank">Interlude 9 & Session 38</a></p><p><a href="http://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2022/01/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html">Sessions 39-41</a></p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2022/03/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 42-43</a></p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2022/04/company-of-white-oak-campaign-session.html" target="_blank">Sessions 44-45</a></p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2022/04/company-of-white-oak-campaign-bonus.html" target="_blank">Bonus Gary Con Session & Session 46</a></p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2022/05/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 47-48</a></p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2022/06/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 49-50</a></p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2022/07/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html">Sessions 51-52</a></p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2022/08/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 53-54</a> </p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2022/08/company-of-white-oak-sessions-55-56.html" target="_blank">Sessions 55-56</a></p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2022/09/company-of-white-oak-sessions-57-58.html" target="_blank">Sessions 57-58</a> <br /></p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2023/02/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions.html" target="_blank">Sessions 59-60</a></p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2023/02/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions_8.html" target="_blank">Sessions 61-62</a></p><p><a href="https://scottenkainenland.blogspot.com/2023/02/company-of-white-oak-campaign-sessions_23.html" target="_blank">Sessions 63-64</a></p><p>(more to come!)</p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-91171452647983559742022-06-12T22:03:00.003-05:002023-07-02T08:08:00.372-05:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - Sessions 49 and 50<p> I had to cancel session 49.</p><br />Wealsun 3, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<p><br /></p><p>Although Reed Underbough had big long-term plans, initially, the Sword & Spear Inn was going to be a small, very exclusive inn, considering the size of the tower Reed had bought. That said, there was already a waiting list for people wanting to stay at the inn run by the famous Company of the White Oak. Herv was more than happy to just sit in the unfinished common room, telling stories to the hanger-ons who assumed - because of his apparent old age - that Herv was the senior-most member of the Company and trained all of its members. They also assumed this because Herv actively encouraged it. Herv had also been dodging some legal problems he had in the recent past by pretending to be his own grandfather whenever anyone from the city came around.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reed learned from the guild, rather than Ambrosio himself, that the hobbit footpad had asked to be reassigned. When confronted on it, Ambrosio claimed to fed up with dangerous dragons and ghosts, but when Reed mentioned that Ambrosio was now due for a 20% share of the loot, Ambrosio came around - but insisted on a contract stipulating that he would never be in the front half of the marching order.</p><p><br /></p><p>Haruspex Niv had sequestered himself away during downtime, not with his beloved books, but with the Magicians Guild, and specifically those magicians who said the witch's wand of lightning that had been retrieved broken from Castle Greyhawk could be restored. It was a costly process, practically cleaning out Niv's hoarded treasure, but now he had a wand of lightning, and felt very powerful indeed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Percy was a bishop of his church now, a role that came with new responsibilities for leading church services on godsdays. Although Percy had long been comfortable in his secular lodging at the Blue Dragon Inn, his superiors now fussed that he should take a bishop's proper house in the Garden Quarter. This was not only about rank and privilege, but practical concerns as well - a few weeks back, a woman had tried breaking into Percy's quarters at the inn, only to be caught by the inn's security.</p><p><br /></p><p>Arlin Fadagoria, his elven bodyguard, had now irritatingly reminded Percy multiple times that he should have not left so quickly on that last expedition to Castle Greyhawk without him, and perhaps Herv or Lim Rem Grink might have been spared.</p><p><br /></p><p>The elven community in Greyhawk apparently thought Runeflinger, of all the elves now in the group, was the most important member (perhaps they thought he was too important to learn the Common Tongue of Man, though he had secretly run into debt funding tutoring for himself). He had been approached twice about work for the White Oak Company by other elves.</p><p><br /></p><p>An elf child went missing, seen dragged into the sewers recently. Unfortunately, the long-lived elves lacked the proper perspective for timeliness and told Runeflinger this a week later. Further, Elysande Barohir, a female elven explorer (the closer translation for the elven word for adventurer) had recently followed the rumored route to the Hidden Dale of the Ringstones, only to stumble across the ruins of an unknown city! She wanted to hire the Company of the White Oak to explore and map the city, and could front 2,000 gold to entice them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eirenden was now considered a full member of the Company, so valuable his information about the upper works of Castle Greyhawk had been. Recently, he was approached by the Fellowship of the Torch, a mercenary company that considered the White Oak Company rivals, and they had tried to poach him. The Fellowship claimed to have a lucrative contract to go east and clear out the Troll Fens, and while they were big on pie-in-the-sky promises about shares and bonuses and glory, they were sketchy on details unless they were sure Eirenden was onboard.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now they were gathered together, at the unfinished Sword & Spear Inn, the three senior-most surviving members of the Company of the White Oak, and the two newer members who were already proving to be invaluable, to decide where to go next.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcyZSeM_DJbsXZn0GqLm1IpKuoFArTISFWDLUgRPYv3h55b7Tgkx2lGnnhox23CwfLDwheh1KU6rmPpDfj_Kp3KGtZWnCmw85hrxOH4eQMELRft3PwKwb06kDudNZXW7FYtNxgDjvyDaWY2d1J2pd5aHVkYJKn6wJJve_SYzP3Xcvbk79D_uX94ym/s811/Vintage-Huckleberries-Clip-Art-GraphicsFairy-768x811.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcyZSeM_DJbsXZn0GqLm1IpKuoFArTISFWDLUgRPYv3h55b7Tgkx2lGnnhox23CwfLDwheh1KU6rmPpDfj_Kp3KGtZWnCmw85hrxOH4eQMELRft3PwKwb06kDudNZXW7FYtNxgDjvyDaWY2d1J2pd5aHVkYJKn6wJJve_SYzP3Xcvbk79D_uX94ym/s320/Vintage-Huckleberries-Clip-Art-GraphicsFairy-768x811.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><br /><p>Castle Greyhawk had lost its luster for much of the Company, having proven to be a deadly place. The Greyhawk Sewers had also proven to be deadly. Rumor had it that Robert the Burglar had died while taking a splinter group of the Company to the deadly Temple of the Latter Day Elder Gods. The Hidden Dell of the Ringstones was deadly. Basically, they were surrounded by deadly everywhere they looked - and yet here was promise in the newly discovered -lost city. It had killed none of them yet!</p><p><br /></p><p>They went to talk to this Elysande.</p><p><br /></p><p>Elysande was, officially, staying at the Blue Dragon Inn. She spent a great deal of her time away from the inn, though, so the Company had to arrange to meet her in the morning when she went to the stables to see her horse.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Runeflinger I was expecting, but I welcome everybody’s presence,” she said. “I will tell my story briefly, for there are non-elves present and I do not wish to age them unnecessarily.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It was 25 days ago today that I found myself in the Menhir Hills, seeking the Hidden Dell of the Ringstones. I had heard they had been found, the missing menhirs that had once stood near Greyhawk City, and wished to see them again for myself. I had, in fact, paid for directions from a guide who said he had once led your company there, but on that day I thought myself led astray. The hills were not as had been described to me. I investigated further, until I found a waterfall and, by chance, glanced behind it. There I saw a vast city, ruined and overgrown in neglect, and weird in design. I had no desire to risk exploring it alone; the hills themselves were dangerous enough, as they are crawling with orcs these days. I would like to see this city explored and mapped, even if not by my hand. Which is why I am willing to pay 2,000 gold in gems or jewelry for such a map, half up front and half upon completion.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Little did she know the trouble that last part would bring to her…</p><p><br /></p><p>Should they, Eirenden wondered, hire a guide? Perhaps the same one the Company had used in the past? No, the senior members were confident they could find this city, if it was in the same location the Hidden Dell had been. Reed had been there more recently than anyone, so he would lead the way. Did they need anyone else? Surprisingly, the Company, which once leaned heavily towards fighting men, now had a shortage of them amongst its active members. Eirenden decided it was time to get his own henchman to fight beside him. The others, particularly Reed, impressed upon him that the Company had no dwarves among them and could use a dwarf for their innate abilities. So Eirenden recruited Lautre, a dwarven veteran, to accompany them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wealsun 4, 622 CY<br />Cairn Hills<br /><br /><br /></p><p>The route was a familiar one, at least to the Company’s senior members. Reed Underbough, Haruspex Niv, Percy, Runeflinger, Eirenden, and their henchmen Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio, Alrin Fandagoria, and Lautre set off north from the City of Greyhawk (Niv had actually planned to ask Peter to accompany them, but Peter could not be found!). The courting couple, Bella and Everard, came along to tend the mules and cart.</p><p>They passed through the Village of Hawfair Green, the edge of the cultivated world of Greyhawk, without stopping, and also passed the old side road that led to Castle Greyhawk. They reached the Village of Stonebridge, the edge of civilization in the wilderness, atop the gorge in which the River Selintan flowed. Crossing west, they passed the gnomish villages of Grossettgrottell before camping under the stars.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wealsun 5, 622 CY<br />Menhir Hills<br /><br />On the second day of the trip, the Company crossed through the long north-south valley that marked the boundary between what was known as the Cairn Hills in the east and the Menhir Hills in the west. The hills here were taller, more rugged, and the trail they followed was often obscured and hard to follow. Indeed, many of the Companions who had last been this way were no longer with them. Several times they thought they were lost and it led to long delays.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wealsun 6, 622 CY<br />Menhir Hills<br /><br /><br /></p><p>Come the third day in the hills, the Companions were sure they were lost. They had thought this was the way to the Hidden Dell of the Ringstones, but the hills here were much higher than they thought they would see. A waterfall crashed off the top of the highest hill, no doubt fed from a spring at the top.</p><p><br /></p><p>Elysande had mentioned a waterfall. Could this be it? And who was going to look behind it first? Before they could decide - two giant trapdoor spiders sprung from under the rocks and attacked. The spiders were quickly dispatched. Then there was, half-joking, talk about pushing the new henchmen through first. Lautre was willing to try it if rope was tied off to him, but Reed glanced first. One by one, so did the others.</p><p><br /></p><p>A strange sight greeted them on the other side of the waterfall -- a 15' tall pillar with a large tusked skull atop it, like the mythical oliphants of old. Beyond it was a large open courtyard, its flagstones broken up and now overgrown with ivy and other lush vegetation. Other pillars, with similar skulls, could be seen around the perimeter of the courtyard, all of them free of the ivy. On the north side of the courtyard was a long ditch lined with trees, and it looked like the ditch had a stream at the bottom of it. On the south side of the courtyard were some diagonal rows of old crumbling, overgrown buildings, surrounded by more trees. On the west end of the courtyard was a tall curtain wall, maybe 25' tall. Some towers and other high-roofed buildings could be seen over the curtain wall.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shambling towards them was what appeared to be an undead bugbear. Moments later it was gone, when Percy turned it to ash.</p><p><br /></p><p>Everyone moved into the courtyard and started examining the pillars. The tusks looked valuable, but no one wanted to risk retrieving them. A cursory search of the rest of the courtyard turned up nothing else dangerous or valuable, so they moved to the ditch. It was only a ditch on this, its easternmost end. To the west, closer to where it met the curtain wall, it was well-constructed and obviously a canal. There was a pool surrounded by high reeds at its mid-point. While they were looking around, some of them had rocks thrown at them. The rocks were coming from (slightly) large black squirrels hiding in the trees. Rock-throwing squirrels was definitely something unusual, even in a world with giants and dragons. When someone got hit with a rock, the Company’s magic-users had enough of that and dropped all the squirrels with two sleep spells. Then the Company had to decide if they would kill the squirrels. It was actually a difficult decision for the Company to make, but the squirrels’ side lost in the end and the Companions dutifully went around killing every one that had dropped out of the trees.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following the ditch-canal to the curtain wall, they found the bushes growing here were covered in unusually colorful berries. No one was interested in experimenting with them, but they filled a sack and the remainder of a mostly-full backpack with them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ahead, there was a large, crumbling gap in the wall they could climb through to explore the city inside. But first, Reed used his magic boots to alight on top of the wall. Now he could see that this was once an upscale part of town, but the mansions on the other side of the wall were crumbling ruins. He could also see the scope of the city, and how much there would be to map. He climbed down to discuss it with the others.</p><p><br /></p><p>How much were they really supposed to map? Suddenly, the lack of details to their arrangement with Elysande seemed to gain new significance. Would a rough map suffice? Were they to only map out major streets, or every street and alley? Every building? The project now seemed daunting. Eirenden suggested they go climb the hills that appeared to ring the entire city, as if it were sitting in a giant crater that covered many acres, and circle the whole area first, to get a sense of the perimeter of their map. But no one else was crazy about doing any hill climbing; they were all interested in those crumbling mansions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mansions won out. Climbing through the gap in the curtain wall, everyone found themselves outside the nearest old manor. To the north were what looked like short silos, while to the south were more once-nice homes, and spread out around the homes was various statuary. But before anything could be examined, Haruspex’s ESP spell picked up that they were not alone. There were intelligent creatures planning an ambush attack on them from inside the nearest mansion. What should they do? Try to bait them out into the open? Lob spells into the building? They spent too long debating it - they were under attack! Arrows flew out of the mansion’s windows at them!</p><p><br /></p><p>The Company’s archers gave better than they got, picking off what appeared to be hobgoblin archers at the windows. Hobgoblins did, then, emerge from the building. Instead of nice neat rows, they poured from every door and window, coming out with swords and other weapons to melee. This frustrated Haruspex, who had a wand of lightning now, but no nice neat rows of opponents to wipe out. The hobgoblins did not last long, but the second wave that came out, about the same size as the first, fared better. The Company was made up of adventures too experienced to be overcome by mere hobgoblins, but their henchmen and hirelings were not faring as well and began dropping one after another.</p><p><br /></p><p>Runeflinger had evaded the whole battle by turning invisible early. Now he snuck up to the manor and peeked in, only to see a third wave massing to come out. He informed the rest of the Company, and Haruspex responded by launching a fireball into the ground floor of the manor. When Runeflinger checked inside, the entire third wave was charred corpses. The remains of the second wave stayed a minute longer, but then tried to flee. Only one managed to get away. Runeflinger was, while still invisible, pursuing the one who got away. The hobgoblin was pausing for breath behind a smaller building nearby. Runeflinger attacked, killing the hobgoblin, but not quickly or silently.</p><p><br /></p><p>The noise from the fight disturbed the occupant of the house -- as an enormous cave bear emerged!</p><p><br /></p><p>Runeflinger wanted nothing to do with that and ran back to the safety of the group. The group did not want anything to do with that bear either, so as it came at them they tossed a dead hobgoblin at it to slow it down. The bear, glad for a snack, tore the hobgoblin in half. Haruspex took advantage of the bear’s pause by aiming a lightning bolt at it, but when the bolt only succeeded in making the bear mad, then no one wanted to stick around to deal with it! More hobgoblins were tossed in the bear’s path to distract it, but the Company ran for the hills. Literally for the hills - the hills outside the city. And the trails leading east to…</p><p><br /></p><p>Wealsun 8, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<br /><br /><br /></p><p>The Companions found Elysande and asked for their remaining 1,000 gold. The elven maid had not, after all, specified exactly what had to be on the map, and they had made a map - just a very incomplete map. Elysande was displeased that they were not respecting the spirit of the agreement. Finally, after much discussion, it was decided a written contract was necessary. Every street larger than an alley would need mapping, and every significant building, with very tight definitions of what constituted as significant. Finally, the contract was finished and notarized, giving the Company the promise of another payout ahead.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unexpected revenue came from another angle - when they took the berries to be identified by an herbalist, they learned the berries were magic! They got 60 gold for the berries they brought back.</p><p><br /></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-62810430753552148912022-06-06T10:03:00.002-05:002022-06-06T10:03:35.726-05:00Century Man - Rough Pencils<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReS3XG1AO-wSin-QZfbykGyRFPVzJq__afoYQgeTyvKZzZiG_oUOs42EPWuCd7b0J2-17nqUidhX8EpEma1nsMMrkWPIOB5INPhroXkhmt76_A0ehWEJdqtM03UcU_HQEJb2p8AtKBkl5njkxN-9vZXwpBtVYq5zP7Fo0Lbs8wzbdBi6j_lbkr9gk/s3300/20220603165124_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReS3XG1AO-wSin-QZfbykGyRFPVzJq__afoYQgeTyvKZzZiG_oUOs42EPWuCd7b0J2-17nqUidhX8EpEma1nsMMrkWPIOB5INPhroXkhmt76_A0ehWEJdqtM03UcU_HQEJb2p8AtKBkl5njkxN-9vZXwpBtVYq5zP7Fo0Lbs8wzbdBi6j_lbkr9gk/s320/20220603165124_001.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>For years, my plan to start in comics was to produce an ongoing superhero series called <i>Century Man</i>. This went through various permutations, starting as a story set in 1890s England, and in its final stage was a modern 21st century story. I had an outline for the first few issues and a roster of characters planned out. <p></p><p>I never thought I had the professional art skills to pull this off myself, so I was always on the lookout for a young artist willing to do this for free, for the experience. I even had two lined up at two different times, but they fell through because working for free, naturally, is always going to be your lowest priority. </p><p>Eventually, I decided if I wanted this to get at least one step closer to being done, I would need to at least do the art breakdowns myself, and then work to find someone who would finish them for me. And even <i>that</i> I never got around to completing. But this is my favorite page from those breakdowns, as I think I got a lot of energy and motion into these roughs. </p><p> <br /></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-85153785109583471682022-05-23T16:37:00.005-05:002022-05-23T16:37:54.076-05:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - Sessions 47 and 48<p> Session 47</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
Planting 21, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk <br /><br />Fulton Ironstone wanted to go adventuring again. Why wasn’t the Company of the White Oak contacting him about going back to Castle Greyhawk? <br /><br />He sought out Reed Underbough, one of the senior members, but Reed was busy. <br /><br />He sought out Percy, another senior member, but Percy was occupied with important matters. <br /><br />He knew of Haruspex Niv, the remaining senior member, but did not know how to find him! <br /><br />So he was in a tavern, sulking out loud, when something nearby asked him about adventuring. The creature looked like an ugly hobbit and called itself Zivka. <br /><br />Zivka was tired of working in this tavern for scraps (and living off of petty theft on the side). She (for she was a she, though few people recognized it) had connections with the New Thieves Guild, but hadn’t trusted her to do anything yet. If she could prove herself to them, she might be able to become somebody…but to do that, she needed allies. <br /><br />As she talked to Fulton and urged him to reveal more about what he knew about adventure opportunities, Zivka noticed a man at a neighboring table was eavesdropping on every word. The man did not look particularly dangerous, but he did have a sword. Maybe he would be useful too! <br /><br />The man known as Onyx had only come for a drink, not to find adventure. But that did not mean he was not interested. He needed work and, supposedly, there was money to be found in adventuring. He was quickly talked into it. <br /><br />Now, as it just so happened, there was a member of the Company of the White Oak present that day -- Robert, the adopted dwarf brother to Rom Riverbluff. Robert was mulling over an offer he had recently had to sell Rom’s villa, Robert’s main inheritance. Robert heard Castle Greyhawk mentioned and his interest was piqued. But what Robert was really interested in was something different. In the last conversation with Rom that Robert had ever had, Rom had mentioned that he always was interested in the rumors of an abandoned temple north of the city, somewhere south of Castle Greyhawk, but he had never been able to convince the others to go look into it. So Robert got up, went over to this conversation, and mentioned the temple. <br /><br />Castle or temple, it made no difference to Fulton -- he just wanted to go adventure! Zivka, though, had other ideas. Adventuring was actually too risky, but there was good money in bounty hunting and adventurers could make good bounty hunters. She had heard that Reed Underbough, fast climbing the rungs in the guild, was now also a successful bounty hunter. This could be her path to success too. Onyx liked the bounty hunting idea. Even Robert was swayed into it and the temple idea was tabled. <br /><br />But what bounty to pursue? They all split up to find out what options there were. Zivka got the first nibble from the guild. Her contact, a young footpad named Nordell, said there was a 300 gp bounty on a conjurer named Mandel Flox. Flox might have a vendetta against a senior guild member - nothing that member could not deal with himself - but the guild could show how dismissive the threat was by sending the low rank and file to take him out. Or not, the bounty was 300, dead or alive. Zivka was fine with the dead part. <br /><br />But where to find this Mandel Flox? Zivka was the one who came through again. She reckoned that the Conjurers Guild would know where this guy was, and she knew where the Conjurers Guild was. She went and knocked on the door. <br /><br />A man answered the door and tried to get her to scram. He was not going to tell anyone where any guildmember could be found, even if he did happen to know, and certainly not for anything less than a cut for half of whatever they were going to make off this information. <br /><br />Luckily, Onyx just happened to have reached the same conclusion about trying the Conjurers Guild and arrived in time to hear the tail end of this. Wouldn’t this doorman get in a lot of trouble, Onyx asked, if word got out he could be bribed to give away information on guildmembers? Suddenly, the doorman was most eager to assist -- for a one-quarter cut instead. It was a deal! <br /><br />Mandel Flox was staying at the Left-Handed Inn, in the Slum Quarter. It was one of the nicest buildings in the Slum Quarter, though still pretty slummy. The four adventurers showed up that same afternoon to case the joint. Onyx and Fulton had the easy jobs of being paying customers. Zivka had to beg for a job serving drinks. Robert asked for a job as a bouncer. He had to wrestle the innkeeper’s best bouncer for the job. They stalemated for three minutes, but he still got the job.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTqrKJNinvik-s2nd_Xx8y7jK1vmLbZxER7UF_8GOxoMMU0mpHqFLdAgJumpl9UQ14ss0z4wNqY_Q7Lx8k5TF84R5FQfSG__4ngSjYkE7M_EKf6rO8dK7hLSdcriMldc3HDIyDZjlfNhKtSOYZ1yQYatu-e9tHJXOtDviqj0hOj8UY1OGc3_UwizF/s254/beetle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="198" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTqrKJNinvik-s2nd_Xx8y7jK1vmLbZxER7UF_8GOxoMMU0mpHqFLdAgJumpl9UQ14ss0z4wNqY_Q7Lx8k5TF84R5FQfSG__4ngSjYkE7M_EKf6rO8dK7hLSdcriMldc3HDIyDZjlfNhKtSOYZ1yQYatu-e9tHJXOtDviqj0hOj8UY1OGc3_UwizF/s1600/beetle.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><br />From there it was a waiting game. The inn slowly filled up with people, though many were heading to a gambling room in back. And there was much drinking and drunkeness as the day turned to evening. A drunk guy picked a fight with Onyx who punched him in the nose, then Zivka and Robert broke it up. Right after that, they heard a serving wench call a customer by the name of Flox. <br /><br />Robert shadowed Flox easily to his room, a second floor room that Flox had his own key to. Robert could not pick the lock on the door, though. Everyone else joined him at the door. Zivka tried to lure Flox to open the door, but he was not interested in being disturbed. Finally, Zivka tried the lock, even though she was sure she would fail, and succeeded. They burst in on Mandol Flox - as he was feeding his cat! <br /><br />Three times Flox tried to cast spells at them, but Zivka managed to hit him with a thrown dagger each time and disrupted his spells. Onyx stabbed him as well, but it was Zivka’s last stab that was final and soon Mandol Flox was bleeding out on the floor. The cat had tried to attack them too, but Robert threw it out the window. Robert and Fulton tried to keep him alive, but they did not have the skill. Zivka was fine with letting him die. Onyx, overcome with bloodlust, decided to cut the head off. Everyone was disgusted, but no one stopped him. They even helped him sneak the head out of the room, with Robert tossing it down to Onyx, waiting in the street outside the window. Mandol Flox’s headless body was hidden in his room’s wardrobe. <br /><br />Planting 22, 622 CY <br />City of Greyhawk <br /><br />The next day they collected their 300 gold from the New Thieves Guild -- and even gave the doorman from the Conjurers Guild his share. Then they went shopping! More weapons, silver weapons, holy water were all acquired. Because…these four people had been bitten by the adventuring bug - and now going to explore that abandoned temple was too tempting to resist! <br /><br />But how to find an abandoned temple in the wilderness? Again, it was Zivka that came through. Now that she had money, her superiors at the guild were more interested in talking to her! For what seemed now like a pittance (but would have been expensive yesterday), the guild was going to tell her exactly what she wanted to know. What she was looking for was the Temple of the Latter Day Elder Ones. He even warned here that the last time anyone had been there they were attacked by giant beetles. And they even had a map showing how to get there… <br /><br />Planting 23, 622 CY <br />North of the City of Greyhawk <br /><br />Off any road, off any path or trail, the four adventurers set out from the northernmost gate of the City of Greyhawk. They crossed through cultivated fields, and then reached the hunting grounds of the rich people of the city. Well, if they were caught poaching, that could go worse for them than cutting off a conjurer’s head, so they went very wide around those grounds… <br /><br />…and, seven miles later, came to a four-story, square step pyramid made of weathered stone and covered in ivy. Stairs led up one side to the uppermost level. <br /><br />Zivka suggested they circle around it and see it from all sides. So they did -- stumbling across six giant dung beetles the size of beagles! The battle was joined! Well, by everyone but Zivka, who backed out of the melee, leaving the other three to be even more outnumbered. Robert was pulled down and bitten until he lost consciousness, and then the beetles started to eat him. Since she had a bow now, she picked off the ones eating him. Onyx managed to defeat the beetles on him, as did Fulton, now the only member of the Company of the White Oak present. <br /><br />With the last of the beetles disposed of, they collected some goods off of Robert (man, did he have a lot of flasks of oil on him!) and turned their attention back to the temple. They had come an awful long way to not check it out any further… <br /><br />Zivka suggested searching the ground floor to see if there were any hidden entrances. The ivy was so thick, though, it was hard to say if anything might be concealed beneath. She came up with the idea of burning the ivy away, and they did have a lot of flasks of oil to do it with. <br /><br />As the ivy burned - large spiders the size of cats sprang out of the burning ivy! Ten of them died on the spot, but a full dozen managed to leap clear -- and were looking for something to kill! Three against twelve? Those were not odds any of them wanted to face - but did they flee back to the city, or up into the temple…? <br /><br />The temple steps were the closest avenue of escape, so up they went. And, as they climbed, something very strange happened to the sky. The sun seemed to be sailing through the sky very quickly and, by the time they reached the top -- it seemed to be already nightfall! There was no sign of the spiders now, but the sky above looked menacing… <br /><br />At the top of the steps was what looked to be a doorway, but it was blocked by a stone block that perfectly fit the doorway. Examining the doorway, they did see small markings, possibly magic runes, upon it, but none of them could decipher them. Zivka made a rubbing with some parchment, so she could take it back to the guild. Fulton was going to try shouldering the block and see if he could budge it when - he passed right through it! <br /><br />Zivka was able to figure out quickly that the block was an illusion and passed through it, but Onyx could not convince himself the block wasn't real. He had to tie a rope around himself and have them pull him through when he wasn't ready for it. And then they all found themselves…in the first room. <br /><br />It was a large room, mostly empty, except for three pillars. Upon touching each pillar, they found that a doorway appeared in the pillar, revealing a ladder that went down to the next level below. Fulton volunteered to go down first. With his sword in one hand he slowly climbed down into the shaft on the left…and found he was not alone in there. Three more dung beetles, of the same giant size, were lurking in the dark of the shaft and skittered to attack. <br /><br />Zivka had more oil and she tossed it down, hoping to catch the beetles with it (and also thinking there were more at the bottom of the shaft), but she was getting more on Fulton than on the beetles. <br /><br />"No torch! No torch!" Fulton yelled up frantically. <br /><br />Not that it mattered. The beetles' bites were too much for Fulton and he passed out from the pain. He fell 10' off the ladder to the floor of the room below, along with one of the beetles that was on him. Zivka threw down the torch, burning the beetle on him, but also alighting the two beetles in the shaft as the lit torch sailed past them. They fell to their deaths in the conflaguration below. <br /><br />Now there were no members of the Company of the White Oak left. <br /><br />Onyx volunteered to go down next. He took what he could off of Fulton, but Fulton and much of his equipment was char now. <br /><br />The room below was in the same dimensions, but the outside perimeter was cluttered with what looked like construction equipment and bits of scaffolding. There were also three doors out, and a pedestal on which something shiny and silvery sat. <br /><br />Onyx completely ignored the pedestal and dug through the scaffolding, finding nothing but normal-sized bugs. <br /><br />By now, both of them were thinking this was too dangerous to continue and they needed to get out. The illusory block was only visible one way, so it was easy for them to leave. They descended the steps of the temple, noting that the sky did not change back as they came down. <br /><br />Taking one last look back, they noticed just one of the large spiders was skittering towards them. This time, they ran and fled back to the city! <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Session 48</div><div><br /></div><div>Flocktime 10, 622 CY</div><div>City of Greyhawk</div><div><br /></div><div>Eirenden, the elven veteran/seer, could live comfortably for a long time on the wealth he walked out of Castle Greyhawk with, but unlike the only other survivor of their expedition, Vincent the Acolyte, Eirenden longed for more adventure. But who to adventure with? Who was willing to brave the upper levels of the keep of Castle Greyhawk other than he? Well…there were rumors that the Company of the White Oak had made many expeditions to the castle over the past two years…</div><div><br /></div><div>Eirenden at last found Reed Underbough, the Hobbit Sharper and senior member of the White Oak Company, in a tavern. Although Reed was also comfortably well-off from his adventuring career, he had ambitions to upgrade from his modest house to a private tower, and that meant going back out into the field. Reed had been mulling over either a return to Castle Greyhawk or at last taking that heist job of raiding the Mannering Manor treasury. </div><div><br /></div><div>Haruspex Niv, the thaumaturgist, was normally happy to remain locked away in his library, but he was a good friend of Reed’s and indeed they had just been discussing the Mannering Manor job. If Reed wanted to do it, Haruspex was on board…but he was wary of going up against a magic-user at least as skilled as he was, and the steward at the manor was said to be a thaumaturgist too.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the same time, Bowie Laughingbottle, hobbit lyrist, came around looking for Reed. Bowie had just dropped a lot of money at an auction, had a new harp to show off, but also was interested in replenishing his fortune again. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then they got distracted talking about how Rom Riverbluff’s old villa was for sale. Should they buy it? </div><div><br /></div><div>Then Eirenden told them about the wealth he had walked out of Castle Greyhawk with, having explored the second floor of the keep. This piqued everyone’s interest, for the White Oak Company, after all this time, had barely seen any of the second floor. Now they all wanted to go back! But they were also wise enough to know that they needed a cleric with them. There was always Percy…but Percy was such a goody-goody and did not fit the direction the rest of the Company was now taking. They needed someone else, so they dropped 270 gold on a fast recruitment drive for a new cleric and met Brother Vincent (not the same Vincent Eirenden had escaped Castle Greyhawk with -- pure coincidence). Brother Vincent was a priest on the adventurer’s path -- and a Boccobite; it had been important to Niv that he be a Boccobite -- and eager to come along for a ¼ share. But their efforts were in vain, for word got to Percy that they were going back to Castle Greyhawk and he invited himself along. Now they had two clerics!</div><div><br /></div><div>Flocktime 10, 622 CY</div><div>Castle Greyhawk</div><div><br /></div><div>And soon three clerics! When they reached the castle, Brother Vincent wanted to pray at the Chapel to Boccob. Once there, they met Father Vortigern, now a vicar (he had only been a priest when Langdon once knew him). Vincent and Vortigern knew each other, yet somehow had no idea they would both be at the castle at the same time Vortigern was unwilling to leave the chapel, as he was needed there for some ritual, but he had a healing spell available if they needed further aid later. And he’d check on their mules in the stables every so often.</div><div><br /></div><div>Reed, Haruspex, Percy, Eirenden, and Bowie, accompanied by the hencmen Herv, Muelara Wynna, Brother Vincent, Ambrosio, and Lem Rim Grink, went from there to the main entrance of the keep. It seemed much more deserted than ever. Eirenden was able to tell them things the others did not know, like what happens when you pull the arm of the statue in the corner, and about the king and queen on the upstairs balcony. </div><div><br /></div><div>First they climbed the southwest tower all the way to the top and found there were giant spiders up there (Eirenden, remembering how much trouble the spiders in the southeast tower had caused, thought he was back there for a moment). Nobody wanted to face giant spiders, so they were ignored. The Company came back down to the second floor and quickly made their way to the balcony. They could all take turns approaching the entrance and seeing the thrones where the king and queen sat. But now that they were there, no one had the nerve to mess with them. The door was closed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The room before the balcony room had been passed through before, but had never been examined. There was a trapdoor in the ceiling that pulled down. Reed wanted to open it - but cautiously, tying rope to the handle and standing a good distance away before he pulled…</div><div><br /></div><div>And that was when they heard the ghostly wails coming from outside.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was an arrow slit facing the east end of the courtyard just outside the room they were in, so they headed there and took turns gazing out at an amazing sight.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flying over the courtyard were three lamassu - the man-lion spirits that were said to be watching and protecting the Company of the White Oak as they progressed towards their “destiny.” They were being attacked by three flying, wailing wraiths, accompanied by a cackling witch on a flying broomstick - hurling lightning bolts from a wand! The lamassu were able to physically attack back the wraiths with their claws without being energy drained and were holding their own, but just barely. </div><div><br /></div><div>Should they get involved? While others were uncertain, for Percy that was a resounding yes. He stepped up to the arrow slit and turned the wraiths. The wraiths who, upon further inspection, bore weapons and armor identical to John Grond, Father Langdon, and Rom Riverbluff, and still wore tattered tabards of the White Oak Company….All three of them fled and flew far out of sight as Percy called down the wrath of the Gods of Law on them. </div><div>The witch was distracted by the lamassu and the loss of her aerial support, so she did not even notice when Harusex Niv unleashed a magic missile at her and it missed, and it was too late for her when he followed up with a fireball spell. She was only moderately hurt by the fireball, but it was enough to make her lose her balance on her broom and she plunged 30’ to the ground below and stopped moving. </div><div><br /></div><div>The battle appeared to have been won, until a powerful roar announced the arrival of a new combatant. From around the north side of the keep flew a red-scaled dragon - an armored knight with a lance mounted on its back! The knight and dragon renewed the assault on the lamassu, ignorant of the voyeurs watching from the arrow slit. One of the lamassu crashed to the courtyard floor and was as motionless as the witch, and the other two appeared quite battered. Both dragon and rider remained unharmed by magic missiles that missed from both Haruspex and Muelara, but when Eirenden hit with an arrow from his bow, the dragon turned its attention to the arrow slit…</div><div><br /></div><div>Everyone ran, and just in time, as the room behind them was engulfed in fire that licked at Bowie’s heels! </div><div><br /></div><div>They fled south, to the landing at the top of the grand staircase, and then past that into the southwest tower again, on the floor below the giant spiders. Here were plenty of arrow slits for them to mount a better offense from relative safety. From here, Muelara used her necklace of missiles to launch her own fireball at dragon and rider, lightly injuring the rider. More arrows flew from Eirenden’s bow, and Reed and Herv were able to join in with crossbow and bow respectively. But what really turned the tide of battle for them was when the lamassu grasped the dragon by the wings and hurled the dragon to the ground. For a short while, the battle continued on the ground, but the knight retreated around the south end of the keep, leaving the dragon to face the two remaining lamassu alone. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now the odds finally looked good enough for the White Oak Company to leave the building. When they emerged into the courtyard, though, they found the dragon already gone. It was not too late and Percy was able to cast a healing spell that brought the downed lamassu back on its four feet. Then the lamassu all bowed to the assembled Company. They thanked the Company for coming to their aid, but warned them that they were about to be tested again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Two things happened next. The dragon and rider, reunited, circled the keep for another pass at them. Again, the knight and rider were more interested in the lamassu and the Company was spared. But at the same time, the ghostly image of the witch rose out of her own body! </div><div><br /></div><div>This was too much for Eirenden, Herv, and Lem Ren Grink, who all bolted from the scene. Eirenden and Herv both happened to flee in the same direction, towards one of the northwest towers in the curtain wall, while Lem ran to the southwest. To keep the group together, everyone chased after Eirenden and Herv, leaving Lem to his own devices. </div><div><br /></div><div>When Herv reached the tower he started battering the door down. Then he and Eirenden hid in the corner and soiled themselves. And for good reason, because the witch’s ghost was floating after them. A plan was hastily concocted to flee to the roof of the tower and cross the top of the curtain wall back to the east side of the castle, and seek sanctuary in the Chapel of Boccob. But how to keep the ghost from following them there? </div><div><br /></div><div>Percy raised his enchanted mace and told the others to go; he would guard their backs, alone. </div><div><br /></div><div>Everyone was good with that. But once on the curtain wall, the rest of the Company saw an opportunity to assist the lamassu again. Spread out on the top of the wall, even Bowie and Ambrosio, who had been lurking in the background all this time, were able to join their slings to the cause of assaulting the dragon and rider. And the missile weapons were apparently taking their toll; for the dragon and rider soon fled the scene again. </div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, Percy held the ghost at bay with his mace. Trying to turn it had no effect, but neither was …whatever the ghost was trying to do to him. It felt like an out-of-body experience for a moment, but he resisted. When the dragon bellowed in its retreat, it distracted the ghost and it floated outside to check on the scene there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Soon, Reed, Haruspex, Bowie, Vincent, and Ambrosio were back at the chapel, explaining to a frightened Father Vortigern what all those terrible noises he’d been hearing outside were. How, they asked, do they defeat a ghost? Vortigern suggested holy water, and procured a vial for everyone. Would he come with? No, but he would pray for their success, and keep the chapel safe until their return. Percy arrived, having bolted after them as soon as the ghost turned away. Percy was carrying Eirenden with him, having had to make the choice of which cowering comrade to rescue when he fled. Eirenden was just now starting to recover…but what of Herv?</div><div><br /></div><div>The Company crept out of the chapel and back across the courtyard. The dragon, rider, and lamassu were all gone this time. The only one around was…Herv, just standing there, outside the northwest tower. Or was it Herv? He looked to be 70 years old! When they approached him, he responded to their questions very strangely, saying they should all rest and post no guards now. To test if this was Herv, Ambrosio was pushed to the fore and made to offer Herv a vial of holy water to drink. Herv quaffed the drink, and choked in pain. </div><div><br /></div><div>Battle was joined at that point - the aged Herv versus everyone else. Despite his advanced years, Herv seemed bolstered by supernatural power and easily held his own for minutes against everyone else, until they finally brought him down. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now what do they do with him? They dragged him back to the chapel to ask Father Vortigern. He was mostly sure that no ghost would be able to enter the sanctity of the chapel, which meant Herv was no longer possessed. Percy risked healing him. When Herv woke up, he called Reed “boss” and everyone agreed it sounded like Herv again. </div><div><br /></div><div>The remaining question was…what happened to Lem Rin Grink, Haruspex’s lost apprentice? They found him when they scoured the rest of the courtyard, lying against the curtain wall, his head bashed in by a blunt weapon. Who had slain him? The mystery went unsolved.</div><div><br /></div><div>One silver lining…the witch’s corpse was still there, and she was loaded! A vain creature, she was wearing a fortune in jewels, plus there was the matter of a broken wand and broom that could hopefully still be repaired…</div></div><div><br /></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-65420034784814151772022-05-19T10:28:00.002-05:002022-05-19T10:28:26.892-05:00Random Comic Strip<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mMo8GNhPx5OrVx5bPapyiWAJXsSk-0z6McHTX7N_M1rL5hlLIEzye8B-6HkBV8LEdNnTMtB6DLA6XxVlXBwdgEPzxHOOYejzOJ-qykuaqh3uBGvUU2LaPtiTl0LvmoxJJegh1E5u8loJIInpc8-a3NcRd8q8-smywE8em1mZrIDeQRxGKiDyHOj2/s1381/comic%20strip.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1381" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mMo8GNhPx5OrVx5bPapyiWAJXsSk-0z6McHTX7N_M1rL5hlLIEzye8B-6HkBV8LEdNnTMtB6DLA6XxVlXBwdgEPzxHOOYejzOJ-qykuaqh3uBGvUU2LaPtiTl0LvmoxJJegh1E5u8loJIInpc8-a3NcRd8q8-smywE8em1mZrIDeQRxGKiDyHOj2/w640-h448/comic%20strip.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />I did this many years ago, so I don't remember if this was something I did in a class, or if I just set myself the goal of roughing out a comic strip as quickly as possible. I think it turned out very well, maybe <i>because</i> the rough pencils keeps it from looking as stiff as my inked work sometimes does. And also I think it's pretty funny.<p></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-8524092566837013662022-04-24T19:51:00.004-05:002022-04-24T19:51:41.895-05:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - Bonus Gary Con Session + Session 46<p>(From my Gary Con report: )</p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite my providing pregens we spent about a half-hour on people’s characters. I also gave them the chance to take on 1</span>st<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> level hirelings, since their numbers were lower than I’d planned on. But maybe that was okay, as it gave them a chance to familiarize themselves with what they were playing (or hiring). After that, with very little background, we launched right into an expedition to the castle!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">It was interesting to see how they played differently from my regular players. Getting into the infamous castle dungeons was not important to them! They spent time investigating the outside of the hill the castle stood on and found a concealed dragon lair entrance no one had ever found before. Now, they were playing 3</span>rd<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> level characters, so I was plenty worried about this session ending super early! At first they were debating about whether this could be an illusion, but they did the right thing in the end and ran.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Next they explored the main keep in the upper works of the castle. They triggered an illusory trick of unending stairs downwards and, when they got back “up” found a pack of skeletons -- nothing they couldn’t handle with some turning. The ground floor rooms were mostly cleared out, so they went up. In the southeast tower, they went up again, to the third level of the tower, and encountered giant spiders. The spiders nearly killed two party members who went up a ladder to investigate, but the adventurers were able to suck the venom out in time and save themselves (second saves).</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Staying on the second level, they killed some goblins…found the magic sword in the throne room and claimed it (after they nearly lost a Lawful character from grasping the Neutral sword)… found the wraiths watching in the balcony over the haunted ballroom on the first level. They used a ladder from the tower to get down into the ballroom, where the dwarf drank magically nourishing ale, and then fell off he ladder as he was trying to bring food back up for the “king” and “queen” in the thrones. The wraiths were not as appreciative as the party had hoped; the “queen” began energy draining one of the clerics until he went from becoming a priest to an acolyte. The other priest turned the wraiths and sent them flying.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXqDr0NEasEq7g85rGXH2baw2kqLZaOZiYubHtF79uO3GBlmxVvO_bwSu3Hw7XhGQ6kwWdpwPSAglopnO_AMSSm9Wpe7vHERJIwuK07QBM1gKKvpY6HNYyzeDF4w98FXDKpRMKjwtB4NGKCsywiifTz2_LrKDX2XNbt2iBSq9pKxXsK-BCPA1Tpry/s800/white%20ape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="800" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXqDr0NEasEq7g85rGXH2baw2kqLZaOZiYubHtF79uO3GBlmxVvO_bwSu3Hw7XhGQ6kwWdpwPSAglopnO_AMSSm9Wpe7vHERJIwuK07QBM1gKKvpY6HNYyzeDF4w98FXDKpRMKjwtB4NGKCsywiifTz2_LrKDX2XNbt2iBSq9pKxXsK-BCPA1Tpry/s320/white%20ape.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They found an armory where they found platemail armor for everyone who didn’t already have some. And then they moved up again! On the third floor they found a study guarded by a giant lizard! They put the giant lizard to sleep, but then forgot about it while they were searching the room and they wound up having to fight it after all. The study had a small fortune in books (plus some other items, but mainly for the books). In reading one of the books, the now-acolyte learned that they would waste away from a curse in a matter of minutes if they took too many valuables from the room -- unless they won a game of chess first.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The now-acolyte sat down at the chessboard and his mirror image appeared in the chair across from him. They played and the acolyte was checkmated. The dwarf and one of the elves (the one who’s player made lots and lots of puns) were able to checkmate their duplicates, though, so they were able to leave the room and cleared out all the treasure on multiple trips, leaving it all by the front door downstairs.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">And they could have left there with a good-sized haul, but they got greedy and pressed on. They found a master bedroom where the floor was covered in all kinds of animal skins -- tigers, wolves, and bears mostly. As the other elf moved into the room, he felt compelled to go lay down on the bed and fall to sleep. As the acolyte moved into the room to retrieve him, the animal skins all animated and attacked. The other cleric thought it was madness to go in against such odds, as there were 12 animal skins attacking, and they were out of healing spells, but the others went in. And started dropping. Three party members were mauled so badly they were dying on the floor. The first elf and the second cleric fled with the hirelings (and the dwarf’s mule), leaving the second elf to enjoy his sleep while the others bled out around him.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">But for those two, it was a very successful expedition, having netted more than 6,000 gold in treasure!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Session 46</span></p><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Planting 7, 622 CY<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">City of Greyhawk</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was still unusually cold for this time of year, and a rainy, dreary day. Word had reached Haruspex Niv and Percy that Reed Underbough was assembling his own Company of the White Oak. Unable to ignore it further, they confronted Reed at the Green Dragon Inn today. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reed seemed flabbergasted that anyone would suspect him of anything. He was just recruiting to fill out the Company again, after the loss of six of their members. Reed reminded Percy that he had helped out (once or twice) at the St. Cuthbert Orphanage that Percy was so attached to. Percy, of course, knew that Reed was a thief and thieves were not to be trusted…and yet, it seemed that this was perhaps no power play by Reed. The matter would be ignored, this time. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Niv, for his part, was more aligned with Reed, and had only come to see how Percy would react.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also present at this short confrontation had been new recruits Niall Brightflame, elven swordsman and seer; Runeflinger, elven conjurer; Bowie Laughingbottle, hobbit lyrist; and Fulton Ironstone, human veteran. They were unaware that the Company was gradually drawing closer to the day when they would have to choose sides in the ultimate battle of law vs. chaos (and Runeflinger would not know unless someone translated if for him, as he only spoke Elven). They only knew that the Company of the White Oak meant adventure, and were eager to have one. Reed had been telling them of the sewers under the city and the strange characters he heard lived down there.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why not? For most everyone in the room, the sewers were just rumored to be a place of adventure. For Haruspex Niv, the only one who had been down there, this was a chance to see how his new companions would fair against the strange, otherworldly men…<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As everyone knew, the sewer grates in the city could only be opened with magic keys…unless, as Reed pointed out, someone possessed an uncanny knack for picking locks? Reed succeeded at the same old grate, behind the Music Building in Grey College, that Niv had once gone down (with a borrowed key). <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With them were their henchmen, the familiar Herv and Muelara Wynna, plus new hirelings of Haruspex’s and Percy’s – Lem Rem Grink and </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arlin Fadagoria.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk smelled bad, in parts, the air down there was remarkably fresh, as if protected by magic, some genius of engineering, or both. The sewers of Greyhawk, though…this was where every bad smell in the city went down to die. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Niall, accustomed to pleasant odors, wished he had a perfumed handkerchief to wear over his face. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Haruspex led them northeast, “upstream,” beside a trench of sewage. Up ahead, the trench crossed in front of them, blocking their way into the first chamber they encountered. Niv knew that the entrance to the otherworldly men’s lair was on the southeast side of that chamber.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reed was the first to jump across -- easy as pie with his magic jumping boots. He climbed the far wall of the chamber and spiked rope to the wall, then ran the rope back to the trench. He tossed it across to Percy, who spiked it to the wall on his side. While Runeflinger was telling everyone who could understand him that they should go back up top and find materials to build a makeshift bridge from, Percy tested the rope and was the first to cross successfully. Niall, impatient and not trusting the rope, was the first to try to jump across without magical aid, but lost his footing on the sewage-slick floor and came up short of the other side. Reed and Percy had to help pull him out, as the elf was too covered in slick sewage to pull himself out on his own.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Niall, as he spat something he hated to think about out of his mouth, said he was ready to leave and go risk his life at Castle Greyhawk, but Haruspex pulled rank and told him he was going to have to stay. They would all prove themselves down here.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meanwhile, the rope held for Runeflinger, but Bowie and Fulton tried to cross together, the rope unraveled, and dumped them both into the sewage.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once everyone had wiped themselves off as clean as they could get, they approached the large steel doors. A bright white light shown around the chamber from a glass window in the door. A shutter opened and a man shouted at them in an unknown tongue. Niv tried to charm the man, but it didn’t work and he shut the shutter. Niv also tried to cast a Sleep spell through the door, but they could not hear that it did anything. Niv cast ESP and sensed no sleepiness; only someone’s deep feeling of depression and fear that he would never see home again.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Company decided to exit the chamber up the northeast exit and, from the next intersection, watched the chamber they had just left. Fifteen minutes later, they could hear the steel doors scraping on the stone floor as they were pulled open. The chamber flooded with light and three men in loose-fitting clothes and round helmets came out, carrying weapons that looked kind of like spears without spear tips. Muelara cast Sleep and all three men went down. But how to get to the three men, with others watching from the room beyond? <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Runeflinger turned invisible, thanks to one of his own spells, and walked in front of the open doors to look beyond. Beyond was an enormous cavern flooded with what looked like magical light coming from large bulls-eye lanterns, but also coal-burning braziers scattered about. There was a central tower with some sort of machine mounted atop it that two men could operate, that incorporated a large pipe. Around the tower were three things that looked like small metal shacks, and a fourth one was closer to the entrance. There were three more normal-looking buildings at the rear of the cavern. Sixteen men, all dressed in the same uniforms and carrying the same strange weapons, were in sight, but only half were actively watching the entrance.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Runeflinger dragged one of the men away. He went back to get the second. By now, the guards seemed to have guessed what was going on and held the spear to his shoulder, pointing it into Runeflinger’s chamber. There was a CRACK like thunder and light and smoke came out of the “spear.” Runeflinger heard something ricochet off the back wall, but never saw the missile. He got away with the second man, but did not go back for the third.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They searched the bodies. They had no armor on, other than the helmets. They had knives, plus another sheathed weapon, though this weapon looked like a like a little crossbow without most of its parts. Niall examined it and could make neither heads nor tails from it. It was Muelara who deduced it functioned like a crossbow, with sling bullet-like missiles in tiny chambers inside it -- but pulling the trigger did nothing. Haruspex had seen these before and sold them off to the Slagg dwarven clan, who were amazed by the metallurgy that went into them. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The men began to wake up as they were being tied up and they screamed in their language, but were quickly gagged. No reinforcements came from the bizarre area behind the open steel doors. The Company cautiously advanced closer again. Niv reached out to sense their thoughts and read their concern, and that they were going back for bigger weapons. The Company debated their chances. Perhaps they could take them after softening them up with a fireball? Would the fireball cross the threshold into this land where a different type of magic held sway? In the end, they completely chickened out. They would not even cross this way again to leave; they would need to find a different way out of the sewers. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The way they chose was north (hoping it would loop back west, where they knew there was another grate to escape from). They passed a side passage where Niv had been a prisoner in a cell many months ago, but whether he had blocked this from his memory or simply chose not to mention it to the others was unclear. They continued past that, and some more side passages that went east, and focused on two that went west. Both of them led to doors (up short flights of steps). Niv’s ESP spell was still active, so he searched for thoughts behind the doors and detected boredom, and waiting for a fight, behind each door. Unless this was just a coincidence, it was likely the same group behind both.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Niall was jokingly encouraged to knock on the door, and he surprised everyone by doing so. When someone on the other side asked for a password, Niall responded with an insult in Orcish. The man on the other side thought that was hilarious and let him in. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both doors led into the east end of the stands around a small arena. There were six men, in leather armor and lightly armed, just hanging out here in the stands. There was going to be a big </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">show here at midnight and they were just killing time. Niall asked them if they could show the way out of the sewers. The man who answered the door agreed, but demanded </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">quid pro quo</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of an unusual nature – he wanted Niall and his friends to form into teams and fight each other in the arena, and they would show the winning side out.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One Sleep spell later, only that one thief was left standing in front of Niall, and Niall beat him unconscious with his fists.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the sleeping ones was woken up and asked the same question, and he became much more compliant. Reed had an additional question this time too. One of the bounties on criminals in the city Reed knew about was for Garyne the Shroudrender. Was he in the sewers? <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, he was! Garyne was a wanderer, but would likely be at the arena games that night. The Company was shown to an exit, with all their prisoners in tow! The exit was through a private building neighboring Grey College, a building owned by the Iron Workers Guild.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The footpads from the arena were marched to the nearest watch station and turned in. They were minor criminals with minor bounties – the Company collected 35 gold pieces for all of them, and only 15 gold more for all the armor and weapons they had stripped off of them. The two otherworldly prisoners were turned over to Niv’s Magicians Guild so they could be magically interrogated. There was some discussion about the strange items taken off of them – sell them or keep them? The Company resolved to keep these ones. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And with that, the Company split up to rest. Spellcasters wanted their spells back before midnight. Niall went out and bought that perfumed handkerchief he had wanted earlier. Because they were going back. They were going back down at midnight for Garyne.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At midnight, they saw a crowd of people being admitted into the Iron Workers Guild’s building, defying the curfew (as they all were). Rather than pass for paying customers, they decided to let themselves back in through the grate, cross the sewer trench, and take those in the arena by surprise. Only…<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There were a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lot</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of people in the arena. A crowd of 50 had come. In the nicer seats in the northwest corner was Garyne, plus one of those otherworldly soldiers – and a man in dark blue clothes and a silver mask over his lower face. This last man stood up and addressed the crowd with a megaphone. He was clearly their leader, which meant he could only be one man – Black Cobra. In addition to welcoming them to tonight’s games, he also bragged about how soon they would be ruling over the City of Greyhawk, for which he received a standing ovation!<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then the games began. Six men in rags, armed with spears, were led into the arena from the lower level portcullises. And then another portcullis opened – and a large white ape entered the arena! To wild cheers, the men fought against the ape. Blood was getting spilled on both sides, but chiefly on the men’s.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that was when Haruspex began casting a Fireball spell. The thieves were well-rehearsed for such treachery and called out to alert crossbowmen in the room to the presence of the spellcaster. Niv would have been skewered by two bolts – but Niall jumped out and took both hits himself. Niv launched a fireball into the northwest corner of the room.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black Cobra and Garyne were both lightly injured, but everyone around them had gone down in flames. Black Cobra resisted a Hold Person spell from Percy, but was moderately wounded by a backstab from Reed, who had already quietly moved into position for this. One more missile from across the room dropped Black Cobra. Garyne tried to escape through the northeast door with Black Cobra under one arm, but dropped the man when he found both Reed and Niall hard on his heels. Both Reed and Niall resisted a Hold Person spell from Garyne, and then they both stabbed him and he spilled so much blood that he was seriously injured – and surrendered to them.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meanwhile, in the battle for the arena, Sleep spells dropped on either side took care of most of the nearby spectators, but more moved in to attack. Niv’s new apprentice, Lem Rim Grink, was the first to fall on the Company’s side and Niv had to drag him out. Runeflinger turned invisible around that same time and escaped from the room, fearing the worst. Bowie was also seriously hurt and had to fighting withdraw from the room. Fulton was overpowered and was next down on the ground and dying!<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meanwhile, Reed and Niall had only so far disarmed Garyne and bound his hands when they noticed subordinates forming up around the fallen leader, Black Cobra, to defend him. Niall took down a robber, but then a lucky, critical hit from a lowly apprentice thief moderately wounded him and he was ready to back out of this fight, dragging Garyne with him. Reed tried alone to tack Black Cobra back, but was getting overwhelmed by five thieves at once and, after five minutes of furious fighting, he had to flee as well. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the other side of the room, Muelara had just turned invisible as well to beat a hasty retreat when Percy was backstabbed by a sharper and dropped! Muelara came over and administered a healing potion to Percy as he lay dying that saved his life. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Herv had initially done very well against the apprentice thieves around him, but then two robbers were rallying thieves against him and he had to fall back at last, picking up Fulton on his way out. Arlin Fadagoria, Percy’s new hireling, had also acquitted himself equally well, falling back at the same time once seriously wounded. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A revived Percy began casting healing spells in the hallway while Niv and Herv held the exit. He brought back Fulton and Lem, though Lem at almost the last minute before it was too late.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then they all got away! </span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-90403918053721495292022-04-03T22:59:00.002-05:002022-04-03T22:59:36.413-05:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - session 44-45 Session 44<div><br /></div><div>Readying 26, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">John Grond, Father Langdon, Major Rom Riverbluff, Vask, Maximus, and Hence had gathered with the hirelings Harvard, Genevieve, Gendri, Bella, Everard, and the animals Gert the Bear and four mules at the Chapel of Boccob and the stables within the castle grounds. They had already spent the night, planning on heading down to level 3 of the dungeon this morning. They had already learned much.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Just like elsewhere in the hills, there seemed to be much more wolf activity here around the castle, and they heard their howls all through the night.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The elves (led by Garadlius) and the dwarves (led by Finngur) had control of most of level 1 of the dungeon now, with just some hobgoblins holed up in the stockrooms in the southeast corner of the complex. They had mapped most of the level out and found it came to 80 rooms. The elves revealed that they held the Tower of Boccob as well. Indeed, they had already held it earlier when Eneever Zig arrived, but he had waded through them as if they were nothing, killing some of them until they fled out of his way.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Captain Throk’s company no longer held the main keep of the castle; most of their heads were now just skulls on pikes out in front of the keep, and actually had been for some months.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">With this ominous news in mind, they all descended the main stairwell that connected level 1 to level 3 (and beyond), leaving only Bella and Everard to guard the mules. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqyOIQf4VIMMGgpDZrhh-68VXT4QMtr_faHON5BIO9fCPEmRSusuD00peTDUEN0MMZuOcUAogTxZyODbPi2f4AlHPOJitUKXW3KquVmXYwM7hAW2i1K6JAS7E-5YLPID6_ZfQpX5TtzYzgElX6pdX3SvfCaiskYXayeWm1vw0dv6DN4X6OtkLN-k3/s780/download%20(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="780" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqyOIQf4VIMMGgpDZrhh-68VXT4QMtr_faHON5BIO9fCPEmRSusuD00peTDUEN0MMZuOcUAogTxZyODbPi2f4AlHPOJitUKXW3KquVmXYwM7hAW2i1K6JAS7E-5YLPID6_ZfQpX5TtzYzgElX6pdX3SvfCaiskYXayeWm1vw0dv6DN4X6OtkLN-k3/s320/download%20(6).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The first goal was to wipe out the giant spiders – four, the size of shepherd dogs -- they had long known about, and see if that room led anywhere. They were well-prepared, tossing flaming oil into the webs inside, and then making short work of the burning spiders as they rushed out to attack. The spider on Rom took a little longer to finish off, and Rom was accidentally punched hard by John while he was trying to punch the spider off of him, but soon that last spider was a sticky mess under Rom’s boots. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The only treasure in the room might have been an antique wooden throne, but the fire had charred that almost beyond recognition. The room actually turned out to be a dead end, so once the Company was done here, they moved on to a new area to explore.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The next plan was to see what was north of the Hall of Boccob’s Shrine. They found a narrow side passage that would allow them to avoid the Chamber of Vipers, and found themselves in a new chamber, one containing a kettle drum on a dais, and a niche in the north wall. They avoided the drum, but searched the niche and found a secret storage space with a spare drum in it. Langdon checked it for magic, but it had none.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">From here, they took a diagonal corridor southwest – and encountered five ghouls leaping and cavorting towards them! They stood their ground as Langdon turned them, making all five flee the way they had come.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The way they had come was a small L-shaped room with what looked like a well in it. Here, they also encountered two wraiths! Langdon again turned them, and all seven undead fled up a corridor to the north – at which point they heard a loud voice scream “Who is turning my undead?”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Everyone was eager to face this new threat and charged up the corridor in tight ranks – which turned out to be exactly the wrong thing to do. At the top of the corridor stood a necromancer, casting a lightning bolt spell! Two missile weapons attempted to thwart the spell, but it was not disrupted in time. A powerful bolt of lightning flew through the corridor – killing everyone!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p>Session 45</div><div><br />Coldeven 26, 622 CY<br />The Village of Hawfair Green<br />The Leaping Trout Tavern<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Four adventurers had gathered here, at this tavern that had gained a reputation for becoming a launching point for expeditions into Castle Greyhawk’s infamous ruins. Stout Stanley, the tavernkeeper, had gently ribbed them. “Trying to become the next Company of the White Oak, are you?”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The four companions were Graggil Coinpurse, dwarven acolyte of the Old Oeridian Church (the only one to have met members of the White Oak Company); Orina Susantaro, human acolyte of the Church of the Water Gods; Fulton Ironstone, human veteran; and Robert, dwarven burglar (the only experienced adventurer among them). The plan was to go together to Castle Greyhawk the very next day and seek their fame and fortune (and hopefully encounter no dragons!).</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">And then two hobbits stepped in.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">One of them was none other than Reed Underbough, senior member of the Company of the White Oak and sharper, and with him was a new acquaintance, Bowie Laughingbottle, a lyrist. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“I hear you are adventurers,” Reed said, “and I have need of an adventuring party.”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Reed began to explain the job. Five miles south of the city was the Barony of Mannering. The citizens of the barony were cruelly taxed and the baron was hoarding fantastic wealth. The plan was to loot that treasury and redistribute the wealth. There were, however, some wrinkles in the story that gave everyone pause. Reed was very upfront about how he represented one of the competing thieves guilds of Greyhawk and that the thieves guild would decide how the money was redistributed. Also, Reed had no evidence or proof that the baron had broken any laws to hoard his fantastic wealth.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Reactions were mixed. Orina found this highly objectionable. Fulton was just eager to get to the castle and saw this as an unwelcome distraction. Graggil was tempted by the challenge of it, and Robert just wanted to steal something from somewhere! As leverage, Reed offered them all full membership in the Company of the White Oak if they went on the mission with him. Bowie suggested they vote on it. What won, in the end, was the idea of tabling any decision-making until they had all returned to the City of Greyhawk and done their own research into the matter. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p>Coldeven 27, 622 CY<br />City of Greyhawk<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Orina went to consult a priestess of the Church of the Water Gods, who maintained a chapel here in the city. The priestess was concerned about this plan, as Orina described it. The Baron of Mannering was, at the age of 20, still a ward of the Unorthodox Common Church of Greyhawk, which were allies of the Water Gods and surely were not involved in chicanery? </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Graggil’s superiors at the Temple of the Old Oeridian Church were even more concerned. Rather than assist the thieves guild, they wanted Graggil to help bring this thief to justice. Graggil turned down this counter-mission, on the grounds of it being too dangerous. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Robert bought many rounds for people at taverns to get them to loosen their lips. He heard from someone who knew Cambria, a theurgist or thaumaturgist who worked as the stewardess of the barony.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Fulton was not interested in gathering information. He had never been to the city before – he spent all day sight-seeing!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Reed, for his part, went to the Orphanage of St. Cuthbert to see the soon-to-be Baron Mannering himself. Mannering was concerned at this rumor of malfeasance in the administration of his holdings, and vowed to send a servant to look into it. He was not willing, however, to let Reed travel with his servant. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Everyone met up that evening to discuss. Orina, initially so against the mission, now had suspicions the thieves guild was onto something. How could it be legal to keep a 20-year old from ruling his own lands? Bowie volunteered to look into the legal standing of this, but Reed wanted Bowie to accompany them on whatever mission they undertook and promised to have his new apprentice, Ambrosio, look into the matter for them. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">In the end, a majority of hands went up for going to Castle Greyhawk instead. And so…</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p>Coldeven 28, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">On the last day of the month, Reed and his new companions all went directly to Castle Greyhawk. They had secured the White Oak Company’s cart and mules, and Percy’s hirelings to care for the same. Orina had her own mule. Since Percy’s hirelings, Bella and Everard, knew the route to the stables well, they were sent on ahead with the mules. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">And, of course, Reed’s constant companions Herv and Muelara were there as well.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">On the west side of the keep, they noticed something that was news to Reed – skulls mounted on pikes. Orina examined the skulls and found the decomposition was over a month old. But this was only a curiosity that delayed them before descending the courtyard’s trapdoor into the dungeon.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The north part of the level was still clearly in the hands of the elves, who were the only ones they met down below. The elves </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">did</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> know who those skulls belonged to, and explained the sad fate of Captain Throk’s men (who had held the keep for about four months) when they got in Eneever Zig’s way. They also reported seeing more undead skeletons on this level of late, while the last of the hobgoblins were holed up in the storerooms in the southeast corner of this level.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">As much as Reed encouraged them to press deeper into the dungeon, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">the thought of only fighting hobgoblins held much more appeal to the novices. The elves agreed to escort the Companions further south than they had ever gone before, off the bottom of Reed’s maps. And there they left the Companions, outside a door. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The cautious Companions listened to the door and heard noises. Muelara cast ESP and heard thoughts about how much the creatures on the other side wanted bread, but they were scared of the baker. Was it ethical to attack monsters who ate bread? The Companions’ whispered debate ended quickly with a resounding yes. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Behind the door was a small room with three hobgoblins in it! The Companions made short work of the hobgoblins and looted them for some modest treasure. From here, they continued south through a succession of doors into more small rooms that were unoccupied and perhaps part of a larger hobgoblin lair, who were out right now. Or perhaps those three had been the last?</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Reed again worked to steer them towards greater challenges, and convinced them at last to return to the spiral staircase and take it down to level 2. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">On level 2, they headed west to some unexplored territory and, upon turning a corner, ran into an offal-like jelly monster! Instead of running, this time they stayed and fought!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Or at least all the novices did. Reed and his henchmen seemed to run away! They were actually circling around, to come at the jelly monster from behind. In the meanwhile, Orina was pulled to the ground by the monster! Her comrades found the acidic nature of the jelly was damaging their weapons, so they pulled back and tried to pump the jelly full of arrows, despite how dangerous it was shooting into such close quarters. Indeed, it proved to be a fatal mistake – Robert the Burglar shot Orina in the face, killing her just as the jelly was dissolving her legs. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">In the end, the Company won, but at the terrible cost of losing Orina Susantaro. There was a chance of bringing her back with Muelara’s healing potion, but it looked like she would permanently be a cripple if she did come back. Her body was left there, interred underground in the dungeon, and they moved on after Graggil said a short prayer for her soul. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">From there they followed many long corridors, west, south, back east, and then back north. But instead of going in a circle -- they found themselves at a location that Reed was definitely not expecting to see again. It was the Great Hall that contained the Shrine of the Boccobites -- that Reed knew to be on level 3 of the dungeon! They were trying to figure it out when they heard a large number of monsters approaching. Reed told everyone about the waves of orcs that had hit them last time they were here and discretion suddenly became the better part of valor. The Companions beat a hasty retreat back the way they had come and made it safely out of the Castle -- now experienced Castle explorers who had been to three levels of the famous dungeon! </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-41085419992012374402022-03-29T23:06:00.001-05:002022-03-29T23:06:22.089-05:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - sessions 42 & 43<p> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Session 42</span></p>Fireseek 28, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk<br /><br /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Almost the full complement of the White Oak Company -- Haruspex Niv, Reed Underbough, Percy, John Grond, Father Langdon, Rom Riverbluff, Vask, and Maximus, plus the henchmen Peter, Herv, Muelara Wynna, Harvard, Biros Frapple, Genevieve, and Gendri, the hirelings Everard and Bella, and the animals Gert the Bear, and the three mules -- were approaching Castle Greyhawk on this wintry day. They had come, to find and kill their first dragon.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">They were far from the fledgling adventurers they had once been. Haruspex Niv had just joined the Magicians Guild, despite still being a thaumaturgist. Reed was moonlighting as a bounty hunter during downtime, but rising in importance in the New Thieves Guild and was expecting promotion to its Council of Executives soon. Percy was training new workers to replace him at the orphange so he could spend more time on the important rituals and ceremonies of the Unorthodox Common Church of Greyhawk. John Grond shirked responsibility at every turn, reveling in his role as swashbuckler. Father Langdon and Vask, with Gendri, had just come back (though not all together) from Prospero’s house, where Vask and Gendri had been gifted with magic items. Rom had been asked, because of his reputation alone, to become a major in the Greyhawk Standing Army, and was seriously considering it. And Maximus…well, Maximus </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri;">was</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> still a fledgling adventurer, but he knew he had fallen in with the crowd that would help him reach greatness. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U3BhO9mOjI-s39pMSu2ERIkfasIV7Qt-F-LmcmYdbyxmuM8ENYUmvI6pEQW_Qdv9qKsNS1XIw-FAinz-pucyZCxE6wmHFtumyDeUyHFlI1YyPiiY37jUPnhMYZpLf5oVxCkDnjG_Ve53aagMsl2eks-Q_Ra13vhdAlyPMhp4bfikRmQXD9oogsJj/s2297/first%20edition%20green.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2297" data-original-width="1856" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U3BhO9mOjI-s39pMSu2ERIkfasIV7Qt-F-LmcmYdbyxmuM8ENYUmvI6pEQW_Qdv9qKsNS1XIw-FAinz-pucyZCxE6wmHFtumyDeUyHFlI1YyPiiY37jUPnhMYZpLf5oVxCkDnjG_Ve53aagMsl2eks-Q_Ra13vhdAlyPMhp4bfikRmQXD9oogsJj/s320/first%20edition%20green.png" width="259" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The drawbridge was down and they moved in -- but they immediately heard sounds at the high end of the courtyard. Taking the archway stairs to the top single file, they met three guards outside the stables, all strangers. These guards claimed to work for the wizard Eneever Zig, who was busy in the dungeon this same day. The stables were occupied by three wagons belonging to the wizard and there was no room for more…though, after being bribed with a 50-gold piece gem by John, the guards found room for the Company’s cart and two of the mules after all. Everard and Bella would remain with the cart, as always, but because no one trusted these guards, Biros was tasked with staying behind too. Gert was left behind as well; Vask couldn’t bear the thought of endangering her against the dragon. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Taking the stairs down through the tower, they reached level 1 of the dungeon and saw no sign of elf sentries this time. They moved past level 2 -- should they stop and ask Gordon the Chef for food first, the people who met Gordon on the last expedition wondered? No, better to have him prepare a celebratory feast for them once the dragon was dead!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">As they reached level 3, they saw light coming up from below. All 14 of them moved off the stairs to the landing, just in time as Eneever Zig came up, alone, seeing by the magical light shed by the tip of his magic staff. After John identified them, Zig offered them a polite warning -- to stick to the top four levels. Everything below that was his. They said they were on their way to slay a dragon and Zig laughed and wished them luck. All he could tell them about the dragon is that he heard it was green.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">((My players did a great job of pretending they had no player knowledge of what that meant.)) </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">John and Reed, looking at their own copies of the level 3 map, briefly squabbled over the fastest route to the dragon, but the clearest way turned out to be south, over the course of several short zigzags, ignoring all doors and side passages. In this way they quickly reached the trapped hall their orc prisoners had led them to a month ago. They knew the way to the dragon was from this room, but they had never seen the east end of this long hall yet. When they got there (avoiding the magical trap, after enough of them overruled John and remembered how the trap worked correctly), they found three doors -- with no direction as to which one led to the dragon. There was no sound to the north or east, but a low, intermittent rumbling to the south. A dragon snoring? Best to go see and find out!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The front ranks began to file through, but as Herv came through, he stepped on a pressure plate that triggered a pit trap right behind him, in the room! Herv jumped forward and avoided it, but Haruspex, Reed, and Gendri all took a tumble 20’ to the floor of the pit. All were moderately hurt from the fall. Reed easily leaped out with his boots, while the others had to be hauled up. Spells were cast and Haruspex quaffed his long-held healing potion and soon all three of them were feeling better, if not perfect. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">How to get everyone around the pit trap and through the door? It was decided to leave Peter behind here with the mule they had brought down and string rope between the mule and the strong fighters on the south side of the pit. Using the rope, everyone else could pull themselves across over the pit -- and they did. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">To the south, past a side passage west, was a small room where the Company found a 10’ tall stone idol head and shoulders, just sitting on the floor of an otherwise empty room. John addressed the statue to see if it was magical and would respond, but it did nothing. There was also a door to the north and an open passage west -- and from this open passage came the rumbling of a loud snore. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The open passage west soon opened into a large hall, mostly dark, but by their lantern light they could see the head of what looked like a green dragon resting on a small pile of coins. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Reed and Maximus moved into the room first, hoping to circle around the dragon, but the dragon was not asleep after all. Langdon drank what he believed to be a Potion of Speed, only it wasn’t. While the magic users hid in the previous room behind the great idol head, everyone else rushed in to surround the dragon. But the dragon surprised them by wanting to parlay. It did not care to fight, it said in the Common Tongue of Man, and they could help themselves to some old treasure in the open room behind it, to the west. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">John, Rom, and Harvard all went west to check out that room, and saw the pile of treasure within. But they were skeptical and suspected a trap -- skepticism that bore out when Haruspex, who had cast ESP, shouted that the dragon was being deceptive.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The dragon had enough of waiting, but before it could act, Haruspex cast his new spell -- fireball -- into the room, centered on the dragon. The fireball only lightly hurt the dragon. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The dragon then breathed a cloud of chlorine gas into the corner where John, Rom, and Harvard were. Rom and Harvard when down, gasping for breath until they lost consciousness. John was choking too, but still conscious, for now.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Reed, who had been hiding behind the dragon, used his magic boots to spring onto the dragon’s head and “backstab” it in the eye. Now the dragon was moderately hurt. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Next was Herv, who delivered a ferocious stab with his magic spear -- and the dragon crashed to the floor, dying! Vask was close to getting in the next blow with his magic axe, but it was already unnecessary. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The dragon’s hoard, in this room, consisted of 35,000 copper pieces and 8,000 electrum pieces. But what was in the other room? As Percy, Langdon, and Genevieve began casting their remaining healing spells for John, Rom, and Harvard, Herv -- who felt invincible after delivering the death blow to a dragon -- insisted on going in and searching the suspicious room. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">As Herv crossed the threshold, a bright flash of orange light lit the space in which he stood, and Herv fell to his knees in the room, in serious pain. When he recovered, he checked the other pile of treasure…and it was substantial. There was 8,000 gold pieces. There were valuable objects of art and jewelry. There was more copper, silver, electrum, some rare platinum pieces, and even a spellbook! There was the gem-studded chalice the dwarven ambassador at Grossettgrottell had told them about. Herv shoveled it all across the threshold from one room to the other over the course of 30 minutes. And then came the time to see if he could get out of the room safely. It did not look like he could; Langdon detected for magic and found the trap on the threshold was still active. Herv was given some rope to tie off on himself, so he could be pulled all the way through if he lost consciousness.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">He did, so intense was the second burst of pain. In fact, he was dying from it. Vask saved him with their very last healing potion, forcing Herv to swallow it instead of choking and dying on it. Not one live was lost, save the dragon’s! </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Souvenirs were collected from the dragon -- the remaining eye for Reed, the fangs for John. Percy wanted them to stay and skin the dragon. In the excitement of the moment, no one could remember if the dwarves had asked for the dragon’s head or not. But there was the logistics of getting all this treasure topside still to deal with. Multiple trips would be required, even using the mules. They loaded down the first mule and filled their packs to bursting, and returned safely to the surface. Comically, they pretended to have found nothing of value in front of Zig’s guards, even as their backpacks jingled with overflowing coinage. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Unexpected tragedy struck on the way back to the dragon’s lair. While entering the room with the great stone idol, a woman with snakes for hair jumped out from behind the idol and, when John and Langdon saw her -- they turned to stone! Haruspex dropped the monster quickly with a Sleep spell. Vask chopped off the monster’s head and they tossed it into a sack. But how to restore John and Langdon? None of them had that kind of magic. But…they knew there was a wizard wandering about the castle who might be persuaded to help…</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Back on the surface (with another two mules loaded with treasure), they asked the guards where Zig was. He had gone into the tower, they were told. The Company went in, initially planning to find Zig…but as they discussed it, they realized there could be five levels of unexplored tower between them and Zig, and that was a danger they could avoid by simply waiting down here for Zig to come down.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">And, 45 minutes later, Eneever Zig did. He was surprised they had defeated the dragon. He was only surprised they had encountered the medusa as high up as they had; he said they swarmed as thick as giant rats on the lowest levels. Could he restore them? Yes, though he did not have that spell prepared today. Would he? Yes, for a price, and he asked a price for each spell he would need to cast. If they gave him the medusa’s head, he would come back and cast the first spell for them tomorrow.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“How do we know you’ll return?” Haruspex asked.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“You’ll just have to trust that I will,” Zig said.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“It would look bad for you if you don’t…”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“There is no threat you can make to me that I need fear.”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“Not us, but…the Wizard’s Guild might hear that your word is not your bond. And that would not look good for you, would it?”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Readying 1, 622 CY<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The Company camped in the shrine to Boccob, on all floors, waiting for Eneever Zig to be true to his word. Would he come back and cast the spell?</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">He did. John was restored. He looked around, confused, but then spotted a statue that looked like Langdon and, slowly, everything made sense.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Zig then asked for the dragon’s spellbook. The Company didn’t want to let it go at first, trying to get him to accept the dragon’s corpse, but Zig didn’t want that. Zig took the spellbook, promising to return. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Readying 2, 622 CY</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The Company waited another day, but Zig did return again. They led him down to the stone idol room where Langdon stood. One spell later, Langdon was restored. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">They all made it out. And rich!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Session 43</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p>Readying 13, 622 CY<br />The City of Greyhawk<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">While Father Langdon was negotiating with the dwarves over the return of a certain chalice, a few members of the Company of the White Oak decided it was time for another expedition. Reed Underbough and Rom Riverbluff were ready, and they were able to talk their newest recruit, Maximus, into going too. But where? Castle Greyhawk, with such few in number?</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Reed had another idea, remembering Lord Robilar’s Castle, which they had scouted out in the Menhir Hills months ago. They knew it was overrun with orcs. Perhaps this would be a good place for Maximus to really show what he could do.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Readying 14, 622 CY<br />The Village of Grossettgrottell<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Grossettgrottell was a good launching point for reaching Lord Robilar’s Castle from. While there, they were openly discussing at the Corippo Inn how hard it might be to find the trails west under the winter snow.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Listening to them was a man named Hence. Hence desperately wanted to be an adventurer, thinking it was the quickest way to get rich and start the blacksmith shop in Greyhawk he always wanted. So he approached them and told them he knew the way to the castle and could lead them. The bluff worked, and Hence was able to trade his role as guide for full membership in the Company.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Readying 15, 622 CY<br />Cairn Hills<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The four of them, along with their henchmen Herv, Muelara, Genevieve, and Reed’s newest hireling Ambrosio, and two new mules, had picked a bitterly cold day to start out. Their feet felt numb as they walked. The trail stayed invisible, but familiar-looking hills kept them on the right path. They had never gone straight to the castle before, but they figured they could find it again from the Hidden Vale, which Reed and Rom had visited enough times to surely find again. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">That night, they camped outdoors. The hills sheltered them from the wind, but the cold was intense. They set fires and bunched together around them. It was so cold, it even kept all the monsters in the hills away.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p>Readying 16, 622 CY<br />Menhir Hills<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Early in the day, they crossed through the long, straight vale that separated the two ranges of hills. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Later that day, they found the Hidden Vale, or assumed they had when they spotted the skeletons. The Company had long known that, during the showdown with the vampires, on the other side of the vale from them, their own allies suffered great losses holding back the vampires’ minions. The Company had heard the roll call of the dead, but had never actually seen them - until now. The corpses strewn about came from both sides, some as big as ogres. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Among the corpses were seven scavenging giant rats. The rats began to charge at the Company, just as their archers drew their bows (and magic crossbow) and prepared to waste them before they reached the Company. Two still did manage to reach the Company. They attacked quickly, and then tried to move past and keep going.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The reason why became clear soon enough, when ten wolves crested a hill and, howling, charged after the giant rats, right into the midst of the Company. The wolves proved a more serious threat, particularly to the fresh blood; Hence and Ambrosio were both seriously injured by wolf bites. Still, the wolves did not last long, particularly against the more seasoned adventurers, and only four wolves escaped with their lives. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-51358605126898874912022-03-28T12:08:00.006-05:002022-03-28T12:08:57.841-05:00GaryCon XIV Report - pt. 3<p> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite my providing pregens we spent about a half-hour on people’s characters. I also gave them the chance to take on 1</span>st<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> level hirelings, since their numbers were lower than I’d planned on. But maybe that was okay, as it gave them a chance to familiarize themselves with what they were playing (or hiring). After that, with very little background, we launched right into an expedition to the castle!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">It was interesting to see how they played differently from my regular players. Getting into the infamous castle dungeons was not important to them! They spent time investigating the outside of the hill the castle stood on and found a concealed dragon lair entrance no one had ever found before. Now, they were playing 3</span>rd<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> level characters, so I was plenty worried about this session ending super early! At first they were debating about whether this could be an illusion, but they did the right thing in the end and ran.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Next they explored the main keep in the upper works of the castle. They triggered an illusory trick of unending stairs downwards and, when they got back “up” found a pack of skeletons -- nothing they couldn’t handle with some turning. The ground floor rooms were mostly cleared out, so they went up. In the southeast tower, they went up again, to the third level of the tower, and encountered giant spiders. The spiders nearly killed two party members who went up a ladder to investigate, but the adventurers were able to suck the venom out in time and save themselves (second saves). </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Staying on the second level, they killed some goblins…found the magic sword in the throne room and claimed it (after they nearly lost a Lawful character from grasping the Neutral sword)… found the wraiths watching in the balcony over the haunted ballroom on the first level. They used a ladder from the tower to get down into the ballroom, where the dwarf drank magically nourishing ale, and then fell off he ladder as he was trying to bring food back up for the “king” and “queen” in the thrones. The wraiths were not as appreciative as the party had hoped; the “queen” began energy draining one of the clerics until he went from becoming a priest to an acolyte. The other priest turned the wraiths and sent them flying. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">They found an armory where they found platemail armor for everyone who didn’t already have some. And then they moved up again! On the third floor they found a study guarded by a giant lizard! They put the giant lizard to sleep, but then forgot about it while they were searching the room and they wound up having to fight it after all. The study had a small fortune in books (plus some other items, but mainly for the books). In reading one of the books, the now-acolyte learned that they would waste away from a curse in a matter of minutes if they took too many valuables from the room -- unless they won a game of chess first. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The now-acolyte sat down at the chessboard and his mirror image appeared in the chair across from him. They played and the acolyte was checkmated. The dwarf and one of the elves (the one who’s player made lots and lots of puns) were able to checkmate their duplicates, though, so they were able to leave the room and cleared out all the treasure on multiple trips, leaving it all by the front door downstairs.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">And they could have left there with a good-sized haul, but they got greedy and pressed on. They found a master bedroom where the floor was covered in all kinds of animal skins -- tigers, wolves, and bears mostly. As the other elf moved into the room, he felt compelled to go lay down on the bed and fall to sleep. As the acolyte moved into the room to retrieve him, the animal skins all animated and attacked. The other cleric thought it was madness to go in against such odds, as there were 12 animal skins attacking, and they were out of healing spells, but the others went in. And started dropping. Three party members were mauled so badly they were dying on the floor. The first elf and the second cleric fled with the hirelings (and the dwarf’s mule), leaving the second elf to enjoy his sleep while the others bled out around him. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">But for those two, it was a very successful expedition, having netted more than 6,000 gold in treasure!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">As people began logging out of our Zoom meeting after the game, two stayed behind to ask questions. They were curious about the ongoing campaign and expressed interest in joining. Success!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">To celebrate the end of the convention, I had pre-ordered Rosati’s pizza for dinner, which I was able to go pick up because I had got dressed for Day 3 of the con. There would be no Day 4; Sunday was set aside for celebrating my son’s 22</span>nd<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> birthday early with his grandpa (we’ll be doing more on his actual birthday) and for (ugh) working out my taxes. But until then…I had a mostly good GaryCon!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-2060920264934997442022-03-28T12:07:00.002-05:002022-03-28T12:07:30.759-05:00GaryCon XIV Report - pt. 2<p> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">At 4 I left to go watch “Beyond the Barrier Peaks,” with someone’s idea of a sequel to classic module S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, but I wasn’t too impressed and decided I’d rather go back and watch Allen’s game more. Allen’s group completed the adventure and appeared to have a great time. I observed that Allen doesn’t use a DM’s screen, and takes notes directly in his printout of the module, the way I do nowadays too. I stuck around long enough that I was asked to take their group photo at the end.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">By 5, I was getting tired of just watching. I wanted to have as much fun as Allen’s group! Also, the next events on my schedule to observe were Cavaliers & Roundheads on the big sand table, Divine Right on a big board, and War of the Ring -- and I had already walked past all of them before returning to Allen’s group (I got to see Michael Mornard and Theron Kuntz -- Kuntz, I believe, for the first time -- at C&R). The next game on my schedule was “White Plume Mountain Again,” so I decided to ask if I could join that game -- but, again, there was no sign of DM or players at that table! I did get to see Harold Johnson taking down props at a table nearby, though, and said hi. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">I saw down at “Neptune’s Emerald,” which would have been my first experience playing Mercs, Spies, and Private Eyes, but the fourth player showed up at last and I had to vacate her seat. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">I thought I lucked out when I stopped by “DM Charlie’s The Sentinel” and found “DM Charlie” had just started running that classic UK TSR module. I was invited to play and I was in my first game! …Unfortunately.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">I should have taken note sooner that not a single other person at the table was masked. Masking was “required” at the convention, but maybe only 40% of the guests were masked, many of the “celebrity guests” were not masked, and there was zero enforcement going on.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Worse, all the other players were from the same family -- two fathers and two young children. The boy next to me was about nine and, though he talked a mile a minute, somehow managed to slow our game to a snail’s pace by constantly switching his intentions. He would make bad decisions and the DM, not wanting to upset anyone, allowed for no bad consequences. We got through about four pages of the module in three hours and I was glad to excuse myself for another game at 8.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Before 8, I stopped to get some dinner, as I was quite hungry again. I finally bought one of the convention burgers, and regretted it as soon as I bit into it. It was really rare inside, far redder than I normally feel comfortable eating meat. I showed it to the salesman and he was apologetic. He even cut into a second burger, perhaps planning on replacing a portion of the burger I had already eaten, but the next burger was just the same. I’d already spent $6 on that half-raw patty, so I forced it down unpleasantly. Then I ran into Anna Meyer, who maybe wanted to talk Greyhawk, or invite me with her to the wedding she was heading to, but all I could talk about was how awful that burger was. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">I wasn’t feeling very good about the last three hours when I headed back into the Evergreen room, looking to watch or perchance play “Jakala City of the Dead,” but before I found that table I passed Paul Stormberg running “Lost Crypts of the Fire Opal.” Paul called out to me and invited me to play, perhaps remembering how I had missed out on “Sunken City” that morning. It was a generous gesture, but Paul was already two hours into the scenario and had nine players around his tables. I sat at the neighboring table, took on an unused cleric (that the party did seem to need quite a bit), and struggled to remind Paul to look my way as I held up written intentions for my character on sheets of paper. I made a lot of useful suggestions, but most of the players couldn’t hear me so I had to just wait for them to come up with the ideas on their own. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Paul, for his part, seemed a little miffed with us that we weren’t figuring out a puzzle involving a magic statue and was distracted by a phone call he had to go take. He waited for players to shout out their intentions instead of going all around the table and was forgetful, like me, about who’s turn it was in a combat round. Still, he commanded the group’s attention and had well-prepared material. My favorite bit was his new monster (I assume he made it up), the gnarly ghoul, that withered limbs instead of paralyzing. It was not an unpleasant way to end the evening, my first day back at GaryCon, and the only day I would spend there in person. I had to bow out and thanked everyone at 10:30 so I could start the long drive home…</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Day 2 began at 8 am when I got up and started prepping, at home, for Day 2 of GaryCon and my first day of virtual GaryCon. I was running Monsters!Monsters! at 10 and, while I didn’t tell my players, this was only the second time I’d ever run the venerable Tunnels & Trolls variant and I was nervous. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The idea for the scenario had come to me quickly when I was first planning for GaryCon this year and thinking of different ways of running one of my favorite classic modules, T1 The Village of Hommlet. This time, the players would be the monsters, come from the moathouse to attack the village. The idea had filled all eight player slots initially, but one person bailed. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Monsters!Monsters! was </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri;">not</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> a well-balanced system, and this showed early on, despite my giving the werebear and the rock monster and the ghost character-based weaknesses. The goblin and the orc were continually overshadowed in the scenario, but it was the slime mutant, squarely in the middle, who got killed early. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Even split up into two groups, they wreaked havoc on the village, burning almost half of it to the ground and killing Jaroo Ashstaff after a tough fight. They had earlier learned who the Temple of Elemental Evil agent in the village was and the players sicced Lareth the Beautiful on him for a final battle that I was </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri;">not</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> prepared for, so it took place largely off-screen, with just one big melee round determining who escaped and who died in the end. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The players all said they had a good time. I haven’t heard from any of them since, which is too bad, as there were several really good players among them I’d like to play with again.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Virtual events I was interested in were so rare this year that I only had one slot as a player, and that wasn’t until 6 pm. I spent all day in my favorite pajamas, even on Zoom call, just because I could. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">At 6, I played “Museum at the End of Time,” a Mutant Crawl Classics scenario. I had played Dungeon Crawl Classics three times before, but this was my first time playing this Gamma World-like variant. We had only four players after a couple had bailed on him too. And we hit technical issues right away. Our GM was not aware that Google Meet had a one-hour time limit until we were about to hit it. He invited us quickly to another gaming site that reminded me of Habbo Hotel (I had misremembered it at the time as Club Penguin and - holy cow, I just looked it up and Habbo Hotel is still around!). </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Most people seem to play ____ Crawl Classics for the “0 level funnel” mechanic of the game, but I seem to be the wrong type of player for that. When I have four weak characters, I don’t get more reckless with them, I play even more cautiously, to keep them all safe. I lost one and the other three saw several more character die. Two hours into the scenario we had already secured enough hi-tech items from the museum to, technically, accomplish our mission, so the rest of the two hours were supposed to be us going around being greedy and trying out hi-tech things that could kill us. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">And then the weirdest thing ever happened during the game. I went downstairs because I heard a commotion down there and found the rest of the family was tracking the movement of a wild animal in the ceiling! Something, either a large rat or maybe an opossum, had borrowed into the heating ducts from the garage and then got lost and frantic in the ducts, so it was running all over the place in the ceiling. Whatever it was, it was heavy -- when it ran over the vents you could see the vents move under its weight. After a while of this, the critter managed to burst out of the duct work and slide down into a wall cavity and went silent. As of this writing, I still don’t know if it got stuck motionless in the wall and will die in there, or if it somehow slide down underneath the house and escaped.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Well, as you can imagine, it was really hard to get into character after that. That rat (or opossum) had been scarier than anything in the game! Worse, there was a new technical issue where I could only see and hear three of the four other people at a time. I stuck around until the end, but wasn’t really playing for most of the rest of the session.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Would Day 3 be better? I hoped so, and it all rested on my one and only event for Day 3. From noon to 5, I was running OD&D: Castle Greyhawk! At one time I had filled up with eight players, but a w</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">hopping three had bailed on me. Five people were coming to Zoom to play in the version of Castle Greyhawk I run in my ongoing home campaign...</span></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-76047346798740331692022-03-28T12:05:00.000-05:002022-03-28T12:05:00.516-05:00GaryCon XIV Report - pt. 1<p>G<span style="font-family: Calibri;">aryCon XIV 2022</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 1</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">I raced out the door at 8 am and forgot several things -- my hat, some Kleneexes, Chapstick, and…my vaccination card! I was reminded of the first when I checked my head in the car, the second when I wanted to blow my nose in the car, the third after eating some salty popcorn for breakfast in the car, and the last one once I was in line to register. Thankfully, someone was home to take a photo of my vaccination card and send it to me, or it would have meant a 3-hour roundtrip to go get it!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">I had come to GaryCon for one day because, while I had intended on attending virtually only, there had been no Thursday virtual events of interest to me. And it felt good to be back at the Grand Geneva immediately. I started seeing people I knew right away, or at least thought I did; someone who looked like Carlos Lising walked past me so fast I couldn’t be sure it was him. And I never saw him again all day to find out for sure! I did run into Josh Popp and Anna Meyer right away, since they were both volunteering at the registration window. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">I had set an ambitious schedule for myself of stepping in and observing various events for 30-minutes at a time, to minimize close contact. I may be triple vaccinated and wore a N-95 mask, but I was still taking no chances! </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">At 10, I was supposed to drop in on Paul Stormberg’s “Sunken City” (actually Rob Kuntz’s Sunken City, run by Paul), but delays in registration slowed me down, and then I got turned around in the building, having not been there for two years! I had to go outside to reorient myself, and by the time I found the board room I had 15 minutes of scheduled time to observe. Paul had told me over Facebook I could play for 30 minutes and drop out, but 15 minutes was too short a time to bother with, so I watched the players flounder about on rafts, trying to figure out how to retrieve the party member they’d just lost…</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">At 10:30, I was upstairs in the Evergreen room for Legends of Role-Playing. Every year there is a new, exciting display, and this year was one focused on both Chainmail and Siege of Bodenburg, which was fascinating -- mainly because of the Darlene-created new rendition of the Great Kingdom Ur-Map (that I’m guessing Paul Stormberg commissioned?). I want a print and I want it yesterday!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Kevin Maurice was setting up a dragon chess board he’d built himself, but I was really there to watch Knights of Camelot get played. I had seen the giant version of the classic TSR board game there in the past, but never had the chance to play or watch it played. I found it fascinating, like a barebones RPG campaign created entirely by random rolls on various tables, and got some ideas for a Hideouts & Hoodlums board game (as if I had time for new projects) from it.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">At 11, I went to the Swinghurst room for the “Celebrating Greyhawk: a Fandom Renaissance” seminar. Kristoph Nolan was basically recruiting for the Oerth Journal scholarly fanzine, but it was also a chance to see Anna Meyer, Mike Bridges, Jayson King, and most importantly Roger E. Moore, making his GaryCon debut. It would have been nice to have a Q&A with Roger, but Roger’s hearing did not seem to be very good and I doubt that would have worked well. It was great being able to tell him how much it had meant to the Greyhawk fandom when he reached out to us to help with research circa 1997-98…and it was pretty fun fact-checking Kristoph on early D&D/Greyhawk history too. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">At 12:30, I had left myself a mere 30 minutes for both lunch and the exhibit hall. Obviously that wasn’t happening; I spent most of my next 30 minutes at the Black Blade booth alone, talking to Allan Grohe about the works of Rob Kuntz I didn’t own yet. I finally picked up “Beyond the Living Room” a Legends of Roleplaying adventure, and from CASL Entertainment, module A5 Kill Marquessa! Too bad I never found Carlos again to sign it…</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Because I always have to buy something from the Kenzer boys, I picked up Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine #285 with the super-cool Steranko Nick Fury parody cover. I picked up my second art print from Darlene. I was going to pass up Bunnies & Burrows 2</span><sup><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes'; vertical-align: super;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> edition because I thought the hardcover price was too steep, but I couldn’t say no when Zach Glazer told me it was 40% off -- how could I say no? Now I just need to find time to run Bunnies & Burrows again… </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">For lunch, I was going to grab a convention burger, but the stand I was going to buy it from were out and waiting for more to be sent over from the kitchens. So I went to the Starbucks in the building and bought an Italian sub sandwich (that I had to pick the onions out of - bleah), a strawberry-banana drink, and a peanut butter cookie (spoiler: the cookie was the best thing I ate all con long). </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">I had taken my food upstairs to eat outside the game rooms I next planned to visit, but I wasn’t planning on sitting there long because I had already fallen behind my schedule and would miss the Judges Guild module, Tower of Ulission (which I’ve never played or even seen before). That was when someone walked past and recognized me, even though I didn’t recognize him (which happens fairly often to me, so I wasn’t too surprised). It turned out to be Gary Welsh, an old-time Greytalker I had just recently reconnected with on Facebook. We spent the next half-hour reminiscing about old times on the listserv, or corresponding with Gary Gygax back in the day, and I lost watching Erol Otus run Dungeon Crawl Classics. Interestingly, Gary had a copy of my GaryCon schedule open on his phone, which I had previously shared on Facebook, and had been using that as his own guide to the good events. Both of us planned on watching Darlene run her card game Jasmine in the Evergreen room. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Luckily Darlene had found the room on her own (I had given her poor directions earlier in the exhibit hall) and was already getting started with her players. Unfortunately, Darlene is a soft-spoken woman and we couldn’t really hear how to play Jasmine (Gary owns a set of the cards, but I don’t yet). In addition to watching the game, we walked around the other exhibits and cool set-ups for games and discussed them.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">At 2:30, back on schedule, Gary and I split up so I could head to the Linwood room to watch Matt Finch run “Mythrus Tower.” I have known Matt a long time, but had never met him offline and had only seen him in person for the first time earlier that day when I walked past him in a corridor (I hadn’t bothered him because he was talking to someone else). Unfortunately, there was no sign of Matt or his players at his table. This did give me the chance to go find Erol Otus’ game and make up for missing his game earlier.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">It’s interesting, the mental image I’ve always had of Erol Otus. Because of his bizarre art style, I always pictured him looking Marty Feldman-like, but he actually looks boringly normal - normal, except for the green pants he was wearing. Erol didn’t seem soft-spoken, but his room was pretty loud, so I couldn’t hear what he was saying anymore than I could hear Darlene. I was really impressed with his DM’s screen, though, which was (naturally) covered with his own artwork. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">At 3, I went to my second Greyhawk seminar, “Legends & Lore: What’s Going on in Greyhawk?” Anna Meyer, Mike Bridges, and Jayson King were all there from the last one, plus Jay Scott (of course, since Legends & Lore is his Twitch show), and we were joined by Shawn Hille - none other than Brother Ulrich the Maimed from my ongoing Castle Greyhawk campaign! This was like a sequel to the earlier seminar that let Anna talk more in-depth about her projects. She had been working with professional oceanographers to establish the currents of the World of Greyhawk, and it was interesting how they got them to work and make sense, while the</span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> land</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> of the World of Greyhawk is rife with impossibilities.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">I had planned to leave and come back later to this program, but because I was boxed into the corner and the door was going to be shut, it made more sense to stay longer and not come back. So it was 3:45 when I left to go watch Allen Hammack run the module he is most famous for -- C2 Ghost Tower of Inverness. And who should be sitting at his table but Robert Brandon -- none other than Jolith Rhygar from my ongoing Castle Greyhawk campaign! By now they were really far into the module, facing the medusa. The last time I ran C2, it was a TPK against the medusa, so it was pleasing to see they all managed to survive... </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-998679263721548652022-01-31T10:20:00.004-06:002022-01-31T10:20:41.926-06:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - sessions 40 & 41<p> ((Session 39 is missing because no one showed for that scheduled session.))</p>Session 40<div><br /></div><div>Needfest 7, 621 CY<br />The Village of Hawfair Green<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Almost every member of the Company of the White Oak had spent the past month, including most of the week-long festival of Needfest, in the City of Greyhawk. The only exception was Vask, who had accompanied Fridswid, Tor Hiertaal, and some other individuals back to Hook Harbor. Thanks to Vask, it had been revealed that Baron Dolph of Cairnway had been replaced with a doppelganger by the Horned Society, and all but Vask had left for Elmshire to see if the Horned Society had attempted the same trick there. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Without more information to go on, the Company had decided Castle Greyhawk was their best option for adventure and tomorrow would be their first expedition there of the new year. But first they were in Hawfair Green, where the usual winter crowd was gathered at the Leaping Trout Tavern to hear their tales (both tall and otherwise) of Castle Greyhawk. But this crowd was joined by an unexpected participant when the far-traveling wizard Prospero walked in.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Soon they were conversing privately with Prospero, who knew of the threat of the Horned Society, but not if there was any connection between them and the Adversary. Again, Prospero warned them of Petothalraun, the avatar of the Adversary. Of Petothalraun, both communing and contacting other planes could only reveal that the avatar was now somewhere in the western Flanaess – that part of the continent in which the Domain of Greyhawk was. Further, Prospero encouraged them to continue delving deeper into the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk. The castle had awoken, he said, for </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">them</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> – everything they needed to deal with the coming danger was in that dungeon, they just had to be bold enough to delve deeper and find it all. And if they did not all survive…he compared it to separating the wheat from the chaff…</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p>Fireseek 1, 622 CY<br />Castle Greyhawk<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNozhxcIBadPEfc2oxLrZOVmYHc19iAD7QPcMEuuChBxqmWBI2FyQUSoth2X-hgGknYRi-Xu45AotW2TRQWYL2BDG4TKgmegvrn27yN_00DW0Jnd2mtNW8TAPg0fEt3BXH8X2L8vJS7JGBSx0Mbk1LNvkH3WoVXiuqnyha1T53HqB609x9T-eJnk3O=s2190" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1793" data-original-width="2190" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNozhxcIBadPEfc2oxLrZOVmYHc19iAD7QPcMEuuChBxqmWBI2FyQUSoth2X-hgGknYRi-Xu45AotW2TRQWYL2BDG4TKgmegvrn27yN_00DW0Jnd2mtNW8TAPg0fEt3BXH8X2L8vJS7JGBSx0Mbk1LNvkH3WoVXiuqnyha1T53HqB609x9T-eJnk3O=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">After walking the 3 ½ miles from Hawfair Green, Haruspex Niv, Reed Underbough, John Grond, Father Langdon, Rom Riverbluff, and Vask, along with their henchmen Peter, Harvard, Herv, Muelara, and Genevite, along with their cart and mules, and Gert the Bear reached Castle Greyhawk. The drawbridge was up, but this posed no difficulty when several members of the Company now knew the magic word that lowered it. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">First thing, they went to the Shrine of Boccob – to find it occupied by three armed and armored men, ready to defend themselves! The men, Hagrad, Ruran, and Warley, were fighting men and the only survivors of a fledgling adventuring party that had just been devastated by hobgoblins on the first level. So ill-informed were they that they were shocked to learn there was more than one level of dungeon! Langdon warned them crossly about drawn weapons in the shrine and they were apologetic. For the promise of 2 gold a man, the three of them agreed to go stay in the stables with the Company’s cart and mules to guard them, as Everard was not here to do it and no one wanted to spare their own henchmen. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">With that taken care of, the plan was to go down to level 3 of the dungeon for two purposes – one, to show Langdon the shrine to Boccob on that level they had found during his brief retirement, and two, to find the dragon’s lair. If Prospero wanted them to find weapons enough to deal with an avatar, they would surely find them in a dragon’s lair. Plus, some of them were feeling ready to test their mettle against a </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">real</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> threat.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The fastest route down was from the tower stairs. That led to the middle north part of the level 1 dungeons, and from there they just had to proceed a little south to get to the main spiral staircase that led down to level 3 (and below). At the spiral staircase, they were met by six elves with bows out, who seemed only interested in watching the Company. Only when the Company interacted with them did the elves share any news – that the number of elves and dwarves controlling this level was growing and they had the hobgoblins on the run to the corners of this level. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Descending to level 3, they first went south to the great hall that contained the Boccob shrine. Langdon could confirm that the symbol behind the altar matched his particular sect. All the non-chaotic party members touched the altar for its blessing benefit (which did not seem to last long). All the henchmen were very wary of the pillars that looked like giants, holding up the ceiling. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">When it came time to leave, they decided to go single file up a 5’ wide passage north which soon led them into a new room – one filled with snakes! About a hundred vipers were slithering all over the floor of a room that had a glass display case at its center. The Company spent a long time debating tactics to solve this puzzle, but finally settled on one. Rom would pour flasks of oil down onto the floor to drive the snakes back, then someone behind him would light the oil on fire to keep them back. First Rom peppered the snakes with arrows to thin them out between the entrance and the case. The snakes were aggressive, but none of them came close to biting him and quite a few wound up getting burned alive. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The case was actually a sealed glass cube with no openings, but its contents could be clearly seen – 100 gems, or at least ornamental stones, plus a gold ring on a little cushion. But how to get to the items? Langdon’s Find Traps spell had already told them that the display case was not trapped, but after transporting the case from that room back to the great hall, they spent considerable time standing over it, debating if there was any way a trap could have evaded detection. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">It was because they were all so busy that the orcs were able to ambush them (plus, they had seen the party’s light and stayed well back, out of range of Niv’s active ESP spell, until it was too late). Suddenly, 15 orcs were charging into their midst! Thanks to a hasty Sleep spell from Niv, there were soon only 5 orcs in their midst – but Rom, Vask, and all the henchmen had been put to sleep too! Particularly since John was now a swashbuckler who could make many attacks in quick succession, the remaining five were going down fast when – wave two, with 15 more orcs arrived! Instead of casting more spells, Niv was going around waking people (Gert curled up beside Vask and thought Niv was attacking him when he shook Vask – so Gert shoved him away!), as did Reed, leaving John to do most of the fighting. In the end, a few people were injured, but none seriously, and all but three orcs were dead, who all surrendered. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Two of the orcs spoke some rudimentary Common, but Muelara spoke their tongue and did most translation for them. The orcs knew where the dragon’s lair was and were willing to lead the Company there in exchange for their lives. But first, there was still the glass case to deal with. Just to be extra safe, the orcs were made to shatter the glass, revealing all the treasure, which the Company quickly scooped up. Wary of the ring, no one put it on.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Now the orcs led them south from the great hall down a 10’ wide corridor, turned east past stairs going up (the Company had seen these before), and went further east here than before. At the end of the corridor was a door to the south. This led into a parallel east-west corridor, and they took another door to the south. This led to a third parallel corridor, but this time they took it east and then north and then east again. And this took them to a large, unusual chamber.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">What was most unusual about it was the big “X” on the floor made out of five squares of black stone laid out in the floor, 10’ on a side. In the center square sat a big chest. The way to the dragon was through the doors on the east side of the room…but now the Company was consumed with curiosity about that chest. The orcs said the only safe way to approach the chest was on the black squares – if you touched the white in between squares, you “disappeared forever.” Because none of the orcs were charmed and compelled to tell the truth, they were made to step out on the black squares and retrieve the chest – if they did so, and then opened the chest, they would be free to leave with their lives. So they did open the chest – spewing a cloud of spores all over the chamber.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">More than half the Company was still cooling their heels out in the corridor, but John, Langdon, and Muelara had all been supervising in the chamber with the orcs. They all rushed out. John and two orcs kept coughing and coughing. The two orcs literally coughed themselves to death. John was only lightly hurt by all the coughing, and finally it stopped for him. The remaining orc was forced to retrieve the treasure from the chest, but all it found was a silver gem-studded ring and a clerical spell scroll. Langdon claimed the scroll at once, which would let him cast Bless, Find Traps – and Raise Dead. Again, no one put on the ring.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Now everyone was thinking of leaving the dungeon; the dragon could wait for another day, now that they knew roughly where to find it. En route to the spiral stairwell, Reed stepped in an ochre jelly spread out on the floor! It closed up around him, seriously injuring him with its acidic body, but John and Herv pulled him out quickly and they all ran. This was their second time encountering a blob-like monster on the way to the stairs down here – possibly the same monster! – and they used the same route to circumnavigate it. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">There was no sign of the elves on the first floor, nor anyone else. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Back at the stables, they found one of the three men, Ruran, had lost his nerve and fled the castle. The other two had remained and now collected their gold, and then got escorted safely out of the castle to boot!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">John Grond didn't know it, but after he breathed in the poisonous spores, he had 11 hours left to live. It was then 11 am.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">By noon, the White Oak Company was done talking to their guards at the stable, being in no hurry to brave the cold.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">After a 3.5 mile walk, they returned to Hawfair Green at 1 pm. The Leaping Trout Tavern had people there waiting to see them return, but Stout Stanley, the tavernkeeper, was not ready for the "feast" he had planned for them yet, plus more people wanted to be there for it, so it was pushed back to 3.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">It was at 3:30, halfway through their dinner, that John noticed his lung congestion had not fully gone away. Concerned, he left dinner at once.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Concerned for John, people followed out onto the road, where John looked like he was trying to steal a horse. His friends took over negotiating for the rental of the man's steed when John, sensing urgency, just took off on it.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">It was 10 miles back to Greyhawk, with 1 hour of daylight remaining. He made good time that first hour, crossing 7 miles, but had to slow down at that point, due to the growing darkness and the bitter, below-freezing cold, which made galloping painful for the horse. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">With 4 1/2 hours remaining, John reached the gates of Greyhawk - but it was late enough that the gates of the city were closed for the day, and the chapels he wanted were all on the other side. He had to bribe the guards 2 gold to let him in.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">He knew where he could find a shrine dedicated to the Gnostic Oeridian Patriarchy and forced his borrowed steed to continue on, even though the city guard told him to dismount and walk his horse. The shrine was occupied, but not be a cleric who could help him; they would need a curate who could cure diseases.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">John showed lots of gold and one was fetched. It took a half-hour for one to come. John was told he would need to pay 400 gold, but what he needed could be done. And so it was.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">With just four hours left to spare.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><br />Session 41<br /><br />Fireseek 14, 622 CY<br />Village of Hawfair Green<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">With much of the Company of the White Oak tied up with other activities back in the City of Greyhawk (or living comfortably on their spoils and unwilling to brave the fierce winter), only Reed Underbough and Rom Riverbluff, with their henchmen Herv, Muelara, and Genevieve, were heading to the castle. But they were met by two novice adventurers who wanted in on this next trip to the castle. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">One was Maximus, a veteran who won his way into full membership of the company on a bet, by out-wrestling Herv. The other was Veronica Flameglow, an acolyte of Genevieve’s acquaintance, and Genevieve spoke up for her character, and that she would be an asset to the team.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">A 3 ½-mile march later, they were crossing the drawbridge into Castle Greyhawk. They had brought only one new mule along, a last-minute purchased in the village, and brought the mule with them instead of dropping it off in the stables. The castle was silent as the grave…</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Breaking the silence, the companions finally stopped to talk about how they would enter the dungeons, and how far down to go. It was decided to explore more of level 2, and to access it via the stairs from the tower, and then use the central stairwell the elves guard.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">As it happened, three elves were on sentry duty at the stairwell. They bowed respectfully when addressed in Elven by Reed and Rom, or when Veronica asked Rom to translate for her. The elves had little news to report about level 1; there were still a good number of hobgoblins eluding them in the corners of the dungeon. About level 2, they reported there were areas in the middle of the level where only orcs would be found, making it an ideal place to test the mettle of the new blood. Maximus, in particular, was eager to test himself against orcs.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The Company took the stairs down to the second level and headed immediately west and then south. There were only two previously explored doors down that way and the Company moved past them into the dark unknown of a long corridor. It turned out not to be too long after all, and ended at two doors. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Behind the east door was a large-ish room, dusty, uninhabited, yet someone had left a very wide, valuable-looking painting hanging on the back wall. The walls were swept for secret doors while Reed made sure the painting looked safe to take down. Since it did, he had Herv and Muelara remove it from its frame so they could roll it up and carry it, but Herv tore the corner of the painting. There were no other ways out of that room, so they returned to the south door.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The south door led to what looked like an abandoned artist's studio, with dusty easels, but nice-looking rugs on the floor. They took the rugs, found nothing underneath, and headed through a door to the south.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The next room was more art gallery, this time with a single tall painting on a wall of a horse. Rom helped with removing this painting from its frame and they had no trouble this time. There were doors to both the east and south here and they opted to head east after Muelara heard a door slamming somewhere behind it.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The east door led to some short, windy corridors that snaked around a kitchen, and one that someone had just left, since there was a kettle still bubbling in the hearth! Rather than check out the kettle, they raced after who had left, soon finding a group of seven men, unarmed and unarmored, just standing around a lit torch and talking at an intersection of corridors. The men seemed very glad to see adventurers and introduced themselves as belonging to the Order of the Gilded Spoons. Their purpose was to feed adventurers who braved coming this deep into the dungeon, and they had not seen any for some time! Instead, they spent their time feeding orcs, a sort of culinary tribute to keep the orcs from attacking them. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The orc lair, in fact, was behind a door the Company had just passed while racing after the chefs. The chefs told them to return to the kitchen for a feast after the orcs were dealt with.The orc lair was actually an old game room with chess tables, and the Company surprised five orcs who looked like they were either playing chess or just examining the boards. Muelara could have dropped them immediately with a Sleep spell, or between Herv and Rom they could have mopped up the orcs quickly, but they all hung back to give Maximus and Veronica a chance to prove themselves. Neither of them proved particularly effective in combat, as one would expect of novices, and it was mostly the old guard who finished off the orcs. The orcs, for their part, had very little in the way of treasure, the best being the wooden chess pieces. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">There was a trapdoor in the floor of the room and the Company spent a lot of time trying to open this door, finally breaking most of the orcs' weapons on breaking the hinges off. When they finally pried open the trapdoor - they found it had been a false trapdoor and there was nothing but smooth stone beneath it – and no secret door under the trapdoor to be found. So they left the room through the south door, and right over the </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">concealed</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> real trapdoor. Muelara set off the trap and was impaled on a spike at the bottom of it, while Maximus was seriously hurt by the fall and Herv just lightly hurt. Luckily Genivieve could now cast healing spells or Muelara would have died right there. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">With everyone fished out on the east side of the pit trap, they followed the corridor east, north, and west, and finally came close to the kitchen again. They had passed some ways to go east and north to accomplish this, but tummies were rumbling and people wanted their feast. When they returned to the kitchen, only one of the chefs was still there. He explained that the others had raced off to other kitchens to await them, as their adventure continued. Excitedly, the chef scooped the contents from the kettle into wooden bowls for the Company and they found their "feast" was nothing but rather plain looking porridge. Everyone, particularly Maximus, was suspicious of the porridge, but while they were quietly discussing among them how to detect poison, a hungry Rom was woofing down his bowl. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Instead of being poisoned, Rom felt better, like he'd just been healed a little. Maximus was the next to eat his bowlful and felt the same. After that, the porridge seemed to lose its potency and it did nothing for anyone else. The chef was quite pleased with himself and said they knew other recipes they would make for the Company in the future. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Everyone was taken aback when Reed asked for the chef's name and he said he didn't know! None of the chefs remembered their past lives before finding themselves chefs in the dungeon. Reed named him Gordon, and everyone – including Gordon – liked this name. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Saying good-bye to Gordon, the Company set out again, but Reed was growing increasingly concerned about straying too far from the stairs up, and Maximus, who was still seriously hurting, was not excited about risking worse encounters in the dungeon. So they all agreed to return to the surface, but not necessarily to leave the castle yet…</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The tower that was adjacent to, but seemed detached from, the keep, had never been explored beyond parts of the ground floor. They started with the shrine to Zagyg on the ground floor, but this time found it guarded by three warriors, two with crossbows trained on the Company. They were hostile, quick to accuse Maximus of blasphemy when he spoke of Zagyg, but Muelara decided she would end their debate with a Sleep spell. The crossbowmen were excellent shots, though, disrupting her spell with a seriously wounding crossbow bolt, while Herv was hit by the other bolt. Once melee was joined, though, the warriors found themselves easily outnumbered and outclassed. Two were rendered unconscious instead of outright killed, but the Company decided to kill them anyway. They were going to take urns out of the shrine as loot, but they appeared to have ashes in them and they left them alone – but still took the rugs. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">In a nearby storage room, they found more urns. While going through them, they found more ashes – and a small gelatinous monster that popped out of its urn. Everyone backed away, but Veronica remembered how they had all been afraid of the porridge and that turned out fine. The gelatinous monster was somehow cute, in a way. Was it safe to pet it…?</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0000pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">No, turned out to be the answer, as its acidic surface dissolved some of her glove and burnt her skin. Now everyone fled – fled the room, the tower, and the castle!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0000pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-73614754765823461112022-01-30T15:52:00.003-06:002022-01-31T10:10:59.441-06:00Reviewing the Beatles Solo Albums in Order - The End<p>At some point I stopped blogging about this project, as I had fallen behind in writing up what I was listening to, and then I would have to go back and listen to them again. Which was enjoyable, but time-consuming. <br /></p><div><div dir="auto"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc dati1w0a e5nlhep0" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_2e8"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I am not used to finishing the big projects I start, which is why I'm happy - but also sad - to have finally finished listening to all the Beatles solo albums in chronological order*. </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I have listened to many a fantastic album, and some terrible albums, and some just not-so good albums, but it was a journey worth taking. It's been a parallel journey to my own my entire life, though I was only paying attention to it periodically.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">What have I learned? I'm astounded by people who still say John or George are their favorite solo Beatles. Though they all have produced impressive work, Paul has produced almost five times as much material as John did in his life, almost four times as much as George produced. By sheer volume alone, Paul is unmatched, but add the dazzling quality of RAM, Band on the Run, Flaming Pie, and New on top of all that, and be staggered by the sheer awesomeness of it all.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">And I've learned that Paul in particular never runs out of contributions to make to us. At the age of 79 - 79! - he produced McCartney 3. And, while much of it is admittedly self-indulgent, and his voice is obviously weak from age, the song "Women and Wives" is, at least, a worthy addition to his catalog. Then he encouraged young people to remix this weak album as McCartney 3 Imagined and they actually managed to make it weaker, telling me that the younger generations *still* aren't ready for Paul to hand the baton off to them yet.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">And Ringo, poor Ringo, with a bum rap for so long, has produced some fantastic albums, long since the days of Good Night Vienna. Time Takes Time, Ringo Rama, and Zoom In are all things you need to hear if you haven't already. His last EP, the very last thing I listened to for this project, was Change the World. And, boy, did they ever. Interestingly, as if anticipating this might be his last album, he brings us full circle at the end - no, not back to "Love Me Do", but to a cover of "Rock Around the Clock." This has been a time-bending trip across the entirety of all of rock n' roll. The solo Beatles have been my Virgil, leading me to Paradise. Thanks, guys.</div></div></span><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">(*"All" albums means all albums with new material or new arrangements on them. I did skip some of the best of and concert albums.)</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div></span><div dir="auto"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto">...</span>No, I'm not done yet. I was thinking about the rhetorical ending I tossed in at the last moment and realized it was a more apt metaphor for the project than I'd at first considered it to be. Dante's Divine Comedy has some interesting parallels to my listening project.<br /><br />I started my journey, like with the Inferno, by listening to John and Yoko's experimental albums. If there's an Afterlife where bad people are punished, they are made to listen to Yoko Ono there. <br /><br />And there are periods of Purgatorio I heard too. George, when he just didn't care anymore and churned out albums like Gone Troppo. Ringo and Paul both went through dry periods where they had trouble finding a way to reconnect to their audience.<br /><br />And there is Paradiso - not as an end goal, though, to be reached. My Paradise are the moments you pass through where everything is perfect. Being emotionally swept up in the powerful early tracks on All Things Must Pass. Listening to RAM for flaws and finding none. Feeling joy for Ringo when he clearly got his groove back on Time Takes Time. Hearing John happy and just having fun on Rock n’ Roll. </div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-47661569068657719362022-01-06T22:59:00.005-06:002022-01-06T23:00:14.088-06:00Company of the White Oak Campaign - Interlude 9 + Session 38Patchwall 13, 621 CY<br />Sewers of Greyhawk<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXSv8AJC1kR83SgHBhQxZSDW0Y472WtI3g3oRo4kM56-SLhM8gAMIKeeKEaRh5n89EZBxnvi5FWzXMwElapIzAryqyA4wskPc3DGl9dtPFara93G8pDlB-A7zlu4wL_q1jfHtyrkGqVaoNrBJMNFeZjQooYcdGc9txrophF_4L6b3vRep8KEVlRDcI=s851" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="851" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXSv8AJC1kR83SgHBhQxZSDW0Y472WtI3g3oRo4kM56-SLhM8gAMIKeeKEaRh5n89EZBxnvi5FWzXMwElapIzAryqyA4wskPc3DGl9dtPFara93G8pDlB-A7zlu4wL_q1jfHtyrkGqVaoNrBJMNFeZjQooYcdGc9txrophF_4L6b3vRep8KEVlRDcI=s320" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">At long last, Lara Darro had got her wish. Now she just had to survive it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">In a dark, dank recess of the Greyhawk sewers, as sewage rained down into the basin at the back of the chamber, the man known as Black Cobra stood on a raised platform over the edge of the basin, speaking to a subordinate holding a lantern who had followed him here. Whatever secret message Black Cobra was telling the man to go deliver did not matter to Lara Darro, as the man was not going to live long enough to deliver it. Her first poisoned crossbow bolt was aimed at the subordinate, not Black Cobra. To kill him like that, without him even knowing who killed him…it would be too easy.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The crossbow bolt flew true and the venom on the quarrel was even now making its way into the bloodstream of the man through his chest. The lantern fell out of his hands as the man clutched at his chest, but the lantern rolled and did not break as it hit the platform. Burning oil did spill out from it, creating a small pool around where the lantern rolled to a stop.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">In an instant, Black Cobra spun around and hurled a throwing dagger in the direction the crossbow quarrel had come from. It came up short -- </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">he had to have known it would come up short</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">, Lara thought, but hitting had not been his main goal. The dagger shed bright light that illuminated the high corner of the room where Lara was, the recess in which she perched with her crossbow, quickly reloading. It was her turn now and she fired her second shot – only to see its trajectory veer slightly before it would have hit him and missed him by less than an inch. No doubt he was shielded by some abjuration magic – a magic ring or bracers, perhaps.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Black Cobra raised his right fist, on which he wore a ring over his black leather glove. He spoke a command word three times and three glowing arrows appeared in the air, one after another, and flew at Lara. One missed and flew backwards through the air until it hovered next to Black Cobra.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The two that hit dispersed into nothingness on contact, leaving Lara unharmed. Lara was glad she had spent that gold on researching her foe and learned of his primary weapon. The risk of stealing that Brooch of Shielding from Roger Bacon had paid off. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">But now Black Cobra had tossed something on the platform between them and dark, thick smoke was quickly erupting from the object. She could not risk losing sight of her target. Lara would have to abandon this position. Discarding the crossbow, Lara leaped into the air and did a double flip on her way to landing on the platform, about 30 feet from Black Cobra. She had no weapons in hand now, but she did not need them nor want them. Her exposed hands had no fingernails, but retractable claws that unsheathed as she stretched out her stubby, paw-like fingers. She charged forward, straight into the smoke cloud. She felt resistance as her claws tore something. When she emerged from the smoke cloud, so did Black Cobra. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Lara Darro, being only three feet tall, had to look up at him. She wore a padded coif around her head, but her human-like face was exposed. In the darkness her pupils had narrowed so that they looked more like cats eyes now. She wore leather clothes – dark brown coat, surcoat, and hose -- but not leather armor, and her short hose was cut in back to let out her long, furry, prehensile tail.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Black Cobra was not wearing any kind of armor either, but wore a leather surcoat stained a dark blue color. His gloves and boots were black leather, and he wore a black skullcap from which hung a black mask concealing his face. There was a tear in his surcoat, but no sign of first blood yet.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Black Cobra’s underling was lying on the platform nearby them, already dead. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Flickering light from the burning spilled oil illuminated both of them. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“So not unexpected to see you,” Black Cobra said. He had a dagger in his off hand, but his ring hand was still free to direct the magic missile hovering beside him. “It is so exciting having a personal nemesis, is it not?”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“This is no game, murderer,” Lara said. “I have come to avenge my kin. And reclaim the weapon that is my birthright.” </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“That weapon I am saving for a special occasion. But if you want revenge, take it if you can.” With that, he sent his last missile flying at her and went for the short sword sheathed at his side all in one swift motion. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The missile was dispelled by the brooch, as the last two were. Lara closed the distance between them again in an instant, her razor claws getting closer. Black Cobra blocked one set of claws with his dagger, but was too slow drawing the sword and felt the other claws slash into his right thigh. Lara was in close now, almost too close for the sword, but Black Cobra was able to bring his knee up between them and kick her away. Now he brought both weapons into play, but Lara did a backflip to escape the whirling blades. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">It was Black Cobra’s turn to charge now, but before his sword reached its mark Lara tumbled past him, her claws catching his hamstring. He cried out, in frustration as much as pain, but as he spun around he found her tail within reach of his boot. He stomped on it, and his sword bit into her shoulder. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">It hurt, and worse, Lara had every reason to expect it was envenomed. She would need to finish this quickly so she could quaff the antivenom potion she had in the pouch at her back. Luckily, she saw the opening she needed. While his sword was on the backswing, and he had his dagger raised to defend himself, she leaped up, jumped onto his left forearm, and was about to tear both his mask and most of his face off with her claws. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">That was when the crossbow bolt punctured her right shoulder. In that moment of blinding pain, Black Cobra was able to throw her off his arm and bring his sword around for a quick thrust, stabbing her right in the gut. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Lara fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Black Cobra could have finished her off right there, but he was now in a toying mood and landed his dagger’s blade deep into her thigh. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“I…should have broken into you…home, killed you in your sleep…” Lara said, fighting back the pain. Would she bleed out before the poison coursing through her veins finished her off? “I know…who you are.”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“Then you take that secret to your watery grave,” Black Cobra said. With his good leg, he kicked her hard enough to send her plunging over the edge of the platform and into the basinful of sewage beneath them. He came up to the edge and watched to see if she surfaced. She did not.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“A well-timed shot,” Black Cobra said without looking to the crossbowman who had assisted him. “I am glad I suspected I was being tailed and had you follow me. I am also glad you are taking to our world’s weapons so quickly, </span><i><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #202122; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Feldwebelleutnant </span></i><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #202122; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-shading: rgb(255,255,255); mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Lantz.“</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The man at the far end of the platform still wore the grey military uniform of the 243rd Infantry Division of the Imperial German Army, but the crossbow he held was one of this world. “</span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Jawohl, herr</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> Cobra,” Lieutenant Lantz said, “but we had crossbows on our world too. We consider it a primitive weapon, but we must adjust to our present circumstances, do we not?”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“Only for now,” Black Cobra said. “The day will yet come when all your world’s weapons will be of great use to you.”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“You believe that, do you not? Hence why we have our alliance.”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">“I do. I have dreamed that it will be so…” </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><br />Session 38<br />Prologue<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The Company of the White Oak had received job offers in the past and turned most of them down, but they had two unusual ones this time that they were too curious to ignore. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Gendri had continued to procrastinate about exploring Odd Alley. He was feeling restless, thought of himself as no more than a hireling with a full share in the company, and was contemplating leaving their active roster. During this time he was was approached by a man who works for a man called Undron Nalvistor, and wanted to know if the Company of the White Oak was willing to undertake an unusual job in Hook Harbor, a small port town where the Selintan River passes through the Barony of Cairnway up north. He wanted them to create a ruckus that would keep the entire town guard distracted for four hours there, but it had to be this Starday, and the job would pay 500 gold. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Ulrich Fallingwater had recently graduated to an adept of the Unorthodox Common Church of Greyhawk, where his patron deity Odin was revered, and was busy learning how to cast clerical spells most of the time. One day, while off in the city enjoying some me time, Ulrich was approached by a woman who represented a party who wished to remain anonymous, who wanted to hire the Company of the White Oak to thwart whatever happened in Hook Harbor this upcoming weekend. She knew they had already been offered 500 gold; she could match that offer, or any other better offer the first party made.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">No one wanted to be beholden to these mysterious benefactors, but clearly something intriguing was about to happen in Hook Harbor. So they resolved to skip the upcoming expedition back to Castle Gyeyhawk and travel further north instead…</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><br />Sunsebb 3, 621 CY<br />Selintan River<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The Midbay Cruiser</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> was a merchant cog going upriver to the Nyr Dyv, the Lake of Unknown Depths. There was room on board for Haruspex Niv, Percy, Reed Underbough, John Grond, Father Langdon, Ulrich Fallingwater, and Vask, plus the hirelings Harvard, Biros Frapple, Herv, Muelara, and the bear Gert (which got a ride in the cargo hold!). With a team of oxen pulling the cog on a towpath on the right bank, and men with poles keeping the cog from being pulled ashore, they made their way slowly but steadily up away from the sprawling city, past Castle Greyhawk (out of sight, off to the east), under the Great Stone Bridge, through the Selintan Gorge, and finally to Hook Harbor, overlooking Midbay (the southern portion of the lake) where it met the Cairn Hills, on the west bank. By now it was well past dark and past Hook Harbor’s curfew, so the team camped on the shore near the boat. The boat was staying overnight because there was a new play debuting at the local theater the next day, called </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The King in Yellow</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">. Captain Basil had heard such good things about it that he was going to let the whole crew go see it. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">They also asked Captain Basil if he had ever heard of an Undron Nalvistor, but he said he had not.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><br />Sunsebb 4, 621 CY<br />Hook Harbor<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">That morning, the Company stuck together to investigate, but did not want to walk around town with all their adventuring paraphernalia, so they stopped at the Mercenary’s Guildhall at the center of town. Here, a man named Edzin served as a contact liaison to all four of the major mercenary guilds of Greyhawk – the Bronze Band, the Fellowship of the Torch, the West Kingdoms, and the Blackrazor Guild. The White Oak Company was independent, unaffiliated with any guilds, but became officially recognized in Hook Harbor before renting storage space for their arms, armor, and gear, with everyone choosing a different amount to leave behind. Edzin even knew Baron Dolph was expected to arrive in Hook Harbor today, presumedly to see the play’s debut.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">It was still early morning, around 8:30 am, when they heard tell that the first act of disruption had occurred in Hook Harbor – an attack on the weaponsmithy, The Arsenal, on the west side of town. By now, the Company already had a good idea that the theater was going to be the real target and this attempted robbery was just a distraction, so instead of rushing there to investigate they all headed to the theater to guard it. There was a lot of noise behind the fence surrounding Gileon’s Playhouse & Hostlery, but as Reed observed from a neighboring roof, this was last minute set construction going on inside and not any kind of attack. They stayed here, spread out around the playhouse, even after hearing that the group that attacked the weaponsmithy had fled west into the woods.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Now, the Company decided it was time to look elsewhere for information, and what better place than a tavern? They moved, </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">en masse</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">, to the Sign of the Bat-Winged Boar. There, they spoke with the hobbit tavernkeeper, Stevo. Yes, Stevo said, he did know Undron Nalvistor. After the companions shared their theory that Undron wanted to stop the play, Stevo confirmed that Undron hated all plays and this was definitely the right call. He even described Undron for them. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Now the Company split up. John and Reed, with Reed’s hirelings, went to question the weaponsmith, William. Percy and Ulrich went to see the chapel in town. Everyone else stayed behind at the tavern. Vask, who was with Gert, was not going in anywhere, but stayed outside performing with Gert, and attracted a small audience everywhere he went.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">At The Arsenal, John, Reed, Herv, and Muelara found it under attack a second time! A mixed group of clerics and thieves, a fighter, a gnoll, and a skeleton were killing the town watch members guarding the place. Muelara dropped them all with a sleep spell, save the skeleton, which was easily destroyed. John and Reed bargained with the town watch for possession of the robbers’ loot and managed to get half, plus first dibs. Then John questioned William and learned that William had been most concerned about </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">what</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> the robbers might have been there to steal. After some coercion, William revealed that he had magic ore in his possession (or, more specifically, buried in his yard) and was waiting to ask Baron Dolph to hire him to make a magic weapon from it. John was trying to scam William into hiring them to protect him for 100 gold when Langdon showed up, having followed John with questions of his own for William. By now, John had got William up to 60 gold and he offered to pay this in front of Langdon as if the idea had been his. But now John was intrigued by this magic ore and wondered if William could craft a magic item for them instead…</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Meanwhile, </span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">en route</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> to the chapel, Percy and Ulrich heard the Winchester Brewery, also on the west side of town, was just attacked. But they went on to the chapel, where they met a canon named Belmary, who explained to them about the Water Gods pantheon of Geshtai, Osprem, Zerbo, plus Beory and Procan, and all three of them prayed together for a safe resolution to the ordeals of the day.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Around noon, a slow-moving carriage surrounded by wagons full of armed men arrived in town and headed straight for Hook Keep. The Company, regathered at the tavern, followed this carriage and its retinue, only to see a man who must have been the baron exit the carriage and speak with his vassals at the main gate. The Baron, in turn, spotted them and bade them approach – though, it turned out, mainly out of curiosity about Vask’s bear. Gert was able to dance while balancing a helmet on her nose, which amused Baron Dolph enormously. He found more serious, though, the Company’s pronouncement that evil forces were at work in town. Learning what they knew, he was prepared to go announce the play would be cancelled, but the Company counselled him not to, in the hopes of drawing Undron and any other villains behind this out into the open.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">At this point, the Company became officially deputized by the Baron and sent to guard the playhouse. At last, they spoke to Gileon at the theater. Gileon was very excited for the play, having been a big hit in the Great Kingdom for the past three years and finally making it out here to the “wilderness” of the Domain of Greyhawk. Gileon not only did not recognize Stevo’s description of Undron, but laughed at them for believing such a well-known liar. Stevo, after all, also said he was a wizard and had been hunting the bat-winged boar on his sign for decades. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Around 1 pm, a crowd started to gather outside the playhouse, of people wanting to get good seats when the play started in two hours. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">At 1:30, the next assault happened – on the crowd outside the playhouse! From out of nowhere, two men in platemail, leading a group of zombies, a goblin, a gnoll, and an ogre, slunk out from around the nearby buildings and attacked the would-be theatergoers. The assault was over almost as soon as it begun, thanks to the zombies being blasted into dust and the rest being put to sleep (along with a lot of the crowd). Only one of the two men in platemail was still on his feet, and he was handily defeated by overwhelming force. The non-humans were killed on the spot, while the town watch dragged the human prisoners to the stocks outside the keep, where the Company was able to question the man they had just defeated.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">His name was Reynard and, while everyone else they had defeated all day had no idea who hired them or why, Reynard was important enough to know. This was all prelude to keep the town in disarray before an attack on the Baron himself. Reynard was in charge of the prelude, while the actual attack would be conducted by a woman named Oriel. Haruspex’s ESP spell confirmed none of this was deception.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">The Baron agreed to serve as bait for this trap and the play began to a full audience. The Company was spread out in the audience. The play was proceeding just fine until – a ghostly woman, matching Oriel’s description, floated out onto the stage. She said that Dolph would be punished for his crimes and she moved towards him. Those closest could see she had something in her hand. At first, it did not seem like weapons could stop her, as sling stones and crossbow bolts just passed right through her. Vask’s magic battle axe was able to injure her, but she was still able to reach the Baron and place a brooch on his chest. And then – the Baron vanished! </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-68176914892167438512021-12-20T15:44:00.006-06:002021-12-20T15:44:32.328-06:00Moondog's Comicland newsletter<p>I'm only including a small selection from this one issue. One reason I'm sharing it is nostalgia, for at one time Moondog's was <i>the</i> comic book chain in this area. Another is a reminder, thanks to that published letter, that Moondog's newsletter had a limited print run. Someday, collectors are going to consider these valuable and I'll be kicking myself for letting my collection mildew so badly that I'm throwing them all out.</p><p>Another reason to share these pages is because they prominently feature two former Moondog's employees who I now consider friends -- Keith Anderson, who <i>still</i> runs a comic book store in Schaumburg to this day, and Chris Ecker, co-founder of Big Bang Comics. Though most of my Big Bang Comics-related business has been with his partner, Gary Carlson, I still run into Chris almost annually, selling antiques at some show or another, and a good conversation always ensues. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikyppb8jvhNRpQ38jDei0imx1XBAKmj9WQG4HDGe0zcVi1HmCNzn0wzTToZxT2uMFZ0sWKvqUFyXidyrIEG4Lv6D9PZUMhS_f0MQeKVJNE-0GVy8mvcT3O7DA66svrpgryjuLEdma0n6iPtBgPzJdL6TbpHxAjLPlVKWRmIRbB6XK-9ZReEDn4RwnY=s3293" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2971" data-original-width="3293" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikyppb8jvhNRpQ38jDei0imx1XBAKmj9WQG4HDGe0zcVi1HmCNzn0wzTToZxT2uMFZ0sWKvqUFyXidyrIEG4Lv6D9PZUMhS_f0MQeKVJNE-0GVy8mvcT3O7DA66svrpgryjuLEdma0n6iPtBgPzJdL6TbpHxAjLPlVKWRmIRbB6XK-9ZReEDn4RwnY=w400-h361" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBJFwwecNjTBwMb0l_kRBdXvTchsOVJd-vc04GXChlphD6GPMrbeQ6P-K5p37nLO8GzsnXIPxfTOwJaPXBeUpB7SSjES3YGB8gm2rXTNdbA37aPObitRgktnODLlL_L5BOdZkCFm5w8jKS__OHW-wp1RGQ57kA7fGLODs_w2EkvnIYd0P6kUSeinfC=s3294" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2702" data-original-width="3294" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBJFwwecNjTBwMb0l_kRBdXvTchsOVJd-vc04GXChlphD6GPMrbeQ6P-K5p37nLO8GzsnXIPxfTOwJaPXBeUpB7SSjES3YGB8gm2rXTNdbA37aPObitRgktnODLlL_L5BOdZkCFm5w8jKS__OHW-wp1RGQ57kA7fGLODs_w2EkvnIYd0P6kUSeinfC=w400-h328" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVk-uWO5G0LassRdbru7iaPOwgVIIfCwazdPgetb-CPmUG7Tl2ksprhDjQDMGdu1iiH7u0-x8D9hYkpC-rhwxBEFACk4wjzI7RFz_wDXHe5YGz8jfqw3OkpPH2cuDlN0ROYBLSwrnRC2X0W16FpLKOLtEx1DleSdFZjbMS956NvBvaNlwsyXK_Q4UR=s3288" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2962" data-original-width="3288" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVk-uWO5G0LassRdbru7iaPOwgVIIfCwazdPgetb-CPmUG7Tl2ksprhDjQDMGdu1iiH7u0-x8D9hYkpC-rhwxBEFACk4wjzI7RFz_wDXHe5YGz8jfqw3OkpPH2cuDlN0ROYBLSwrnRC2X0W16FpLKOLtEx1DleSdFZjbMS956NvBvaNlwsyXK_Q4UR=w400-h360" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2_yO-3scE-K2Q7cMSFzlBtuF2dBNX6UL5GV2X15w9Qjnji7BUid9G9wVuS6Xd_NOLm_E5WrbLMCDhgxROKWtrrkgAWESxC2zVTrVt5oAnlHw9Kyw5TPlxUQci3R5VJn8syqSREObM0xJBfNnslqZRRWzz6-5W7ABFGkHLSRcCs5nY_xe0wKZNH3aR=s3281" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3263" data-original-width="3281" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2_yO-3scE-K2Q7cMSFzlBtuF2dBNX6UL5GV2X15w9Qjnji7BUid9G9wVuS6Xd_NOLm_E5WrbLMCDhgxROKWtrrkgAWESxC2zVTrVt5oAnlHw9Kyw5TPlxUQci3R5VJn8syqSREObM0xJBfNnslqZRRWzz6-5W7ABFGkHLSRcCs5nY_xe0wKZNH3aR=w400-h398" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7pEDWQkUyRzR1NENGGzg4iSq6fpq8sV4P9xuYQLzG1lEO8ny2n6K6LsoNmVnzn5zk3eZ40rXAlDilelQSmhZ8rUXorwyqjG6WdCMh0RRmmXxM-pr4HgJ2kgl7T4jzFZNBXPEqVdm2hE7zXFPOyX0SFkhwFSa1W2r8o7SIyT2vJlxRiW0sKmXJVa4v=s3295" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3295" data-original-width="2545" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7pEDWQkUyRzR1NENGGzg4iSq6fpq8sV4P9xuYQLzG1lEO8ny2n6K6LsoNmVnzn5zk3eZ40rXAlDilelQSmhZ8rUXorwyqjG6WdCMh0RRmmXxM-pr4HgJ2kgl7T4jzFZNBXPEqVdm2hE7zXFPOyX0SFkhwFSa1W2r8o7SIyT2vJlxRiW0sKmXJVa4v=w309-h400" width="309" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-46513451537694202942021-12-19T15:20:00.002-06:002021-12-19T15:20:22.822-06:00First "paycheck" for being a writer<p>Okay, not a paycheck, <i>per se</i>, but a prize in a Valentine's Poem writing contest at Elgin Community College. I had shown up with nothing in hand but, underwhelmed by the competition, I had borrowed a pencil and paper and wrote up a joke poem on the spot that not only won me second prize*, but the poem was published in The Spire, ECC's literary magazine that year. </p><p>*I remember it being first prize in its category, humorous poems, but it's possible it was considered second prize because the serious poem category was considered more important.</p><p>When I was 20, I figured I would be making enough to live off of from my writing by the time I was 25. Little did I know how little more I would be making for my writing by 50!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5xuvRSf976OfVJ1tZO79s85XOULoDPynN4RH_klFlKdLUORjR_uENB1uo9Lk7hOMdWAoFD912wnQZkCN5NibZ4ZI-OStRTu6ZCnMDHJG9iJKKJsiWDOrt5I_YOngc0pP3Nmg9cGj_Syo1b8eZyPM8qFvagAgTtG6UlMTN5PBnEvfYyZvUgirLQLUJ=s2542" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="2542" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5xuvRSf976OfVJ1tZO79s85XOULoDPynN4RH_klFlKdLUORjR_uENB1uo9Lk7hOMdWAoFD912wnQZkCN5NibZ4ZI-OStRTu6ZCnMDHJG9iJKKJsiWDOrt5I_YOngc0pP3Nmg9cGj_Syo1b8eZyPM8qFvagAgTtG6UlMTN5PBnEvfYyZvUgirLQLUJ=w400-h164" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-37915523645406118472021-12-19T15:09:00.003-06:002021-12-19T15:09:31.910-06:00Rejection letter from TSR<p> My first and only time being published in Dragon magazine was "Treasure Trove of Tomes" from Dragon #253, of which I am still immensely proud. But it was not my <i>first</i> attempt to get published therein. I believe that would have been this 1994 letter suggesting a series of Marvel Super Heroes related articles. 23-year old me didn't understand that the reason Dragon had stopped publishing MSH articles was because they didn't have the license for it anymore, as Dale Donovan quickly explained to me in that corner note, rather than enclosing an entire rejection letter in the Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope we had to use back in the before-email times.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsUqajzFELjvlPSPOBUqkHpMvCVJ1t60p3_COnq6qejfgoIqlsNvRq9Slx1skJo5H6S_NHTDmgrGNa3CfNvPLm1fFfnWdbWfbaY9TcJmnNR7642uYmIGPtuEM9Rc0JSZpiTqObH71jaufgjbTgik6PJL2kWyp8hyJQXVwFYqbbVUYi80eNhVLTTi5n=s3282" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3282" data-original-width="2532" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsUqajzFELjvlPSPOBUqkHpMvCVJ1t60p3_COnq6qejfgoIqlsNvRq9Slx1skJo5H6S_NHTDmgrGNa3CfNvPLm1fFfnWdbWfbaY9TcJmnNR7642uYmIGPtuEM9Rc0JSZpiTqObH71jaufgjbTgik6PJL2kWyp8hyJQXVwFYqbbVUYi80eNhVLTTi5n=w309-h400" width="309" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvJ7CWnOKEryrkO0HW_vpJENzcxgt-DKKcg-L_sk11Z_9AT46UeGDGpCqHJv0WG4MovswjcTS0tMbpztWxMqqTl0adoffZuipUBGsgg_x5fl0VUx4xMVJ12DwlcmP9S8k5sGj1r9ANwgTzO1OzEE31JcTFyAbUpYcLxqYEGPjpG5hCHu5O60XMl5AW=s3287" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3287" data-original-width="2535" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvJ7CWnOKEryrkO0HW_vpJENzcxgt-DKKcg-L_sk11Z_9AT46UeGDGpCqHJv0WG4MovswjcTS0tMbpztWxMqqTl0adoffZuipUBGsgg_x5fl0VUx4xMVJ12DwlcmP9S8k5sGj1r9ANwgTzO1OzEE31JcTFyAbUpYcLxqYEGPjpG5hCHu5O60XMl5AW=w309-h400" width="309" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579874734648165250.post-77338651520656890762021-12-19T14:56:00.000-06:002021-12-19T14:56:01.605-06:00Bill Justice<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">William Barnard Justice was an animator and engineer for The Walt Disney Company. Justice joined Walt Disney Studios as an animator in 1937 and worked on such features as Fantasia, The Three Caballeros, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan. He died in 2011 at age 97. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I got to meet him (I think) in 1991, when he was 77, at the Stay Tooned Gallery in Barrington. He spoke to the audience before the signing. I don't remember anything specific that was said and I know he didn't say anything to me; I was just another person in line. Still...</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I wish I had taken better care of this print he signed.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6xxVRWAjLWDDVYaJKAKwgdfYOfdKsTQQFhaGXiAznzBSZY7lqlHSEQc2Av_llLFLKd8kt6p-G7V_tZg4WcFWe6umJoxodU9JQ03nx3cVQe1C7bXC0zl2DPFtol1Nj6Oi_Zu401TUG0rdE-vblX_tWkoOh2LjAOdfQnL3d5diUPbpOLaIGM0qHtSon=s3285" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2537" data-original-width="3285" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6xxVRWAjLWDDVYaJKAKwgdfYOfdKsTQQFhaGXiAznzBSZY7lqlHSEQc2Av_llLFLKd8kt6p-G7V_tZg4WcFWe6umJoxodU9JQ03nx3cVQe1C7bXC0zl2DPFtol1Nj6Oi_Zu401TUG0rdE-vblX_tWkoOh2LjAOdfQnL3d5diUPbpOLaIGM0qHtSon=w400-h309" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0