The D&D Dynasty: The Path of Alzar the Mighty

[Abe Sargent]

The corridor gradually descends away from the there and there is a lot of headroom here. They find Derek here again. He must have snuck past them at some point in time. “She’s near, never you worry.”

Alzar and Estaish moves towards him, and he pulls on a cord on the ground, and a constrictor snake falls from the ceiling right on top of Estaish. It surprises, strikes for 4 damage and begins to squeeze Estaish. Alzar moves to cast Sleep and it fails. Derek sees the sand spell component, and smiles. “I’m immune to sleep and charm spells, mage. I’ve got elf blood in my veins from some long ago ancestor.”

Alzar files the fact that Derek is not charmed away for now and swings his staff at the snake. It misses and, does he hit Estaish? Yep, for 5 damage The snake constricts for 3 damage. Estaish tries to hack at the snake and manages to hit it for 4 damage.

Estaish is at 7/19.

Derek throws a dagger at Alzar and hits for 2 damage. The snake constricts for 2.

49/51
5/19

Estaish hacks the snake for another 10 damage. Alzar needs a get out of jail card to free Estaish. Unfortunately, he cannot think of any with his spells (Sleep, Animate Dead Animals, Detect Magic, Ray of Ondovir, Skulltrap, Searing Serpent.) His wand of paralyzation may not work on a snake, and may not work even if it does. Same with the Rod of Terror. No potion will work. So, all he can do is swing that staff. It hits and doles out 6 damage and kills the constrictor.

Derek smiles, and then runs. He knows Alzar needs to help Estaish for now.

85 XP each

The cavern moves a bit to the rear, like a corridor, and then stops. Since this whole place is built and not natural, that cannot be random. Alzar searches and finds nothing, and fire soff a charge of his wand, and it reveals a secret door.

He opens it, and sees a room with a low ceiling. Inside is a cell with Aleigha unconscious in the bottom. There are also three chest in it. Alzar has the fremlin check each of the chests and open then. Inside are Aleigha’s belongings, missing 100 gold. They do not have a key, but Alzar uses the acid to open it, but due to the toughness, has to use it all.

They grab her and awaken her. She has taken no damage, and she is quickly able to don her armor and grab her things.

[Abe Sargent]

They move to leave, and find that Bertram has disappeared from where he was knocked out and tied up. Suddenly, the inn door opens up, and Derek is handing Bertram to a cleric of Bathala, who takes him and escorts him away. Probably got found out that he wasn’t charmed anymore. Alzar orders Megala to follow flying above. They get close to the temple, and Bertram tries to make for it and is Held by a Hold Person spell probably and recaptured. No one is on the street.

Twice the clergy of Bathala have been seen or mentioned as in on the whole thing. Time to pay the temple a visit.

They emerge from the inn, and grab the wagons and horses and ride out. Megala has followed the folks to the temple. They pass by a lot of homes and houses to get there, on its hill on the outskirts of town.

The courtyard is open and they ride in, all the way up the double gates of the temple. Alzar orders Megala back and to guard the wagons. He leaves the 12 animal skeletons in each as further guardians. The purple moss has grown and is now in two urns – Alzar’s wagon and lab/library wagon. The wagons are locked.

They fling open the double doors like they are in a hurry and inside is a central sanctuary. Alzar has already told them the plan, and they head in. This is a very large room with a tile floor decorated with the picture of a sheaf of wheat crossed with a scythe. There is a statue to the goddess of gold, and looks to be worth about 5000 gold, but weighs at least double there. There are five pillars, and doors to the east, west, and two that flank the south from the entrance. Inside is a temple servant, who greets them and tells them that people not servants of Bathala are not allowed past this area. Alzar tells the servant that his man was injured by a snake and asks for healing. The servant bows, and apologizes. Only those who serve Bathala can be healed by the clergy here. Alzar looks at him oddly. How do you know I don’t serve Bathala? The servant has no answer to that, and Alzar looks back at his man and shows him the wounds. The servant leans in closer and dies when a +2 throwing dagger slides into his ribs and kills him.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar orders the corpse removed outside, and taken into a wagon to hide it for now. They head back in, find no one has noticed them yet, and do a quick search. Nothing. East, west, or one of the souths? The south to their right. (random roll) They open a door into a antechamber with wooden benches and a few pieces of art. There is a door to the east. They open the door, and a female cleric looks up suddenly. This is the female cleric that took Aleigha. Alzar plays it straight. Thank Bathala I found you! My man here needs healing! You’ve just got to help him! She makes an INT check.

Instead, she begins to cast a spell. Alzar cannot get one off, and she has silenced him successfully. No spells may be cast, or orders given. Aleigha charges with the Sword of Spartusia’s ruby blade out. Alzar’s throwing dagger misses badly. Aleigha nails the cleric for 6. Estaish is entering the battle. The cleric misses with a mace. She doesn’t have her full armor, so there is a strong advantage to Alzar’s squad. Alzar nails her for 3 damage, Aleigha misses and Estaish deals10 damage ti her killing her.

XP – 150 each

They search and find a secret necklace with a snakeshead, with gems of rubies, worth 1000 gold. Alzar identifies her ring as Ring of Protection +1. Because he doesn’t have enough of those. Nothing else looks magical but the magic pile they go. They find nothing, but the silence of Alzar made the battle silent, so no one should know about it. There is a door to the north and Alzar opens it. This is a gleaming white tile floor with a series of alcoves along the east wall. In each are statues of plants that Bathala’s blessing helps to nurture – potatoes, wheat, oats, corn, parsnips, etc. They are made out of valuable materials. Alzar skips them and they walk down the corridor, passing the door from the grand chamber that was to the east. The hallway bends around and goes for a long time. A search find a secret door, and at the end is a regular door. They take the secret door and inside is a small meditation room. There is a door on the other side. Opening it shows them in a hallway lined with four other such doors and another at the end. They open the next one, and inside is a monk meditating. He springs up and attacks. As he does, two more doors open and two more jump out and attack. Alzar’s sleep spell puts down two of them. Aleigha and Estaish both hit for 14 damage and kill the third, and then Alzar has to make a tough decision and decides to just incarcerate the two sleeping ones. Normally he’d just kill, and he will kill any who stand against them, because he can’t know which are charmed and which are not, and he doesn’t care that much. But there’s real reason to kill these so he has them tied, and put back in a meditation room and the door is shut.

XP – 100 each

A search finds nothing on them, or their rooms, and they open the last one and find nothing either. The door at the end is opened into a large dining area, with tables and chairs. There is no one here, and the cabinet has nice wines, and local foods in it. This is the room the door from the central chamber opened into. They head south into the kitchens. Nothing here, even after a search. They head back to the chamber, check the final south door, and it’s just a meeting room with nothing found in a search. They go back to the hallway, hit the door at the end, and find stairs up. So they go up.

[Abe Sargent]

The hallway curves and they come to a door. Alzar opens the door and inside is a surprise. 8 skeletons standing around wooden benches, who move to attack, just before all of them join Alzar’s team.

XP 100 for just Alzar


You never know when you are going to find friends!

A search of the room finds nothing. There are two doors to the south. Alzar grabs the one farther away. Inside is a library with many shelves of books and two small tables with chairs. They are about agriculture, and the service of Bathala, with one sample book called A Most Worshipful Guide to Benign Bathala. A search finds nothing.

They head back out and the skeletons open the door to the next room. This appears to be a small meeting room with a table, chairs, and an unopened bottle of wine on a shelf with glasses. They open the door to the east and as they move into the small hallway between the two rooms, out come 15 goblins, five from a secret door in the meeting room, five from the hallway, and five more into a room in front of them and they all attack!

The skeletons are ordered to attack, while Alzar and crew have goblins in their rear and front.

The goblins win init because of their ambush. A skeleton takes 4 damage. (they have 6). Alzar takes 8 damage.

41/51

The ones in the back arrive. Alzar kills a gobby. Estaish does too. The skeles kill three. Alzar wins and misses. Aleigha kills a gob. The skeles finish off the other two. 7 left by the group. Alzar takes 6 and Estaish takes 2. Alzar orders tem to switch with the skeles. They do so.

Alzar 35/51
Estaish 3/19

The goblins attack the skels and kill two. They swing back and kill 3 gobs – 4 left. They win init and kill two more. A skel takes 1. The gobls win and miss. The skeles kill the last two.

6 skeletons left.

XP – 50 each

The secret doors are one ways and cannot be reentered, so they move into the big room with a rack and table, and a few other minor torture implements recently added. A search finds up nothing. They can go south or eash into the room the gobs came from. They go east and enter a large room with a giant table and 16 chairs, numerous bed rolls, and more. They search twice and find nothing. They head back out and go through the south door.

[Abe Sargent]

The walls of this chamber are scratches and stained. There is an exit to the southwest, and nothing in the room.

(Abramo casts Prayer, the party will be at -1 for their saves, and him at +1).

They move to the exit, and it bends 180 degrees and goes north. The undead in front, it has another bend in it.

(Abramo casts silence on a coin and leaves it at the entrance to his room and backs outside of the silence radius.)

They round the bend and it again curves with another exit from the south exit. The skeletons enter the room . Abramo uses Turn Undead and kills them all in one go.

Alzar and group draw weapons, and notice the silence in their area.

Init – the cleric casts Spiritual Hammer and attacks Alzar with it. Miss. Alzar throws the dagger miss. Dryshik Mist Balls him and he makes it easily. Aleigha and Estaish draw weapons, and Alzar holds back Estiash while Aleigha moves forward to engage.

Aleigha swings and just misses (rolled a 13, need a 14). Alzar moves forward and leaves the silence area behind, and Estaish comes with him.

Alzar takes 5 from the spiritual hammer.

30/51

Abramo casts Cause Blindness on Aleigha and she fails. It is permanent. She is at -4 to attack, +4 to AC. Aleigha swings and misses. Alzar summons a Searing Serpent. Dryshik, breathes in another Mist Ball and the cleric fails and takes 3 damage and is blinded for 3 rounds. Estaish arrives and misses.

The serpent deals 2 damage to the cleric. Alzar’s staff crits him for 8 damage. Aleigha misses. Estaish gets a 15 and hits for 4 damage. The cleric casts cure light wounds through the blindness somehow.

Alzar swings and hits for 6. Aleigha misses, Estiash misses. The cleric casts Curse and they all get -1 to their saves more.

The cleric is not blinded and sight is restored. He casts Cause Fear on Estaish. He fails his save and runs away. He will run for 2 rounds, and then take 2 rounds to return. Alzar misses and drops his staff. Aleigha hits for 9 damage. Thunk! Dryshik breathes again for 5 damage and the cleric falls!


XP – 250 each

They have no way to restore Aleigha’s sight, but any 3rd level cleric can cast Cure Blindness. With a blinded werebear, and a wounded warrior, and no undead, it’s not looking that great. Alzar searches the room. Estaish does as well. There is a chunk of the building floorplan missing in the corner, about 50 feet of room missing, so Alzar uses the wand. Door found.

[Abe Sargent]

The items Abramo had are added to the magic pile.

The next room is 50’ by 40’. There is a secret altar and shards of rock in here. In the southeast corner is a huge jade statue of a snake with a human head. It’s worth roughly 7500 gold and weighs a bunch. There is a jail cell in another corner with a teen girl in it, and Bertram on the floor unconscious. There are two brass bound chests on the east wall. She stands as she sees Alzar and crew enter. She shows them where the key for the jail cell is hidden, tells them about a secret door in the floor, and says her family was enspelled and now are much different. She tells Alzar that there is a hidden cavern to the west a few days and that is where they say they take the prisoners. Alzar orders her to hide away for a few days, keep Bertram safe and away, and then it should be safe to return, and she nods and leaves. He now knows the general direction where the trail to move on is located.

The trap door is opened and it leads the female cleric’s room.

They leave, grab the horses and wagons, and move east to hide away from the temple for a bit. Alzar spends some time in his lab/library wagon and Aleigha and Estaish wait, with Dryshik and Megala on lookout duty, and Alzar feeds the moss with the flesh of the dead servant whose corpse was left behind at the temple. Alzar casts detect magic on the magic pile before they leave, and the cleric’s chain glows. It’s grabbed. Everything is discarded.


After a few hours, Alzar has emerged. He tells Aleigha and Estaish about the Naga that they will be facing. These intelligent and evil creatures can cast mage and cleric spells, and one of them, a Spirit Naga, can charm with its gaze. Alzar suspects that is their final foe, a Spirit Naga. They are also very valuable, since their teeth, eyes and skin all have a lot of uses to mages.

They begin to rest for the night, and after an hour, two figures arrive boldly, and knock on a wagon door. They introduce themselves as Dorian and Llywillan, elves that were campaigners with the mayor years ago in the Trow Wars. He asked them to come and help him investigate, and after clearing out to dens of cultists, they are trusting him. They each give the other info, and they recommend that Aleigha be taken back to Hochoch to get healed at the Temple of Harkangi there, and then return in another day, and in just two days, their party’s strength is restored. Smart idea. They learn of the foe – a naga, and wish Alzar good luck, and they go to the girl and Bertram to help them for a while.

[Abe Sargent]

A few hours later, a shadow sneaks in, and Megala and Dryshik miss it. He picks the lock on Alzar’s Lab/Library and is totally shocked to see undead animals there who attack and the alarm is sounded. He shuts the door, locks it with his tools, and waits.

In a moment, Alzar and Estaish have joined the area, and see Derek Desleigh. He introduces himself and asks to come with them. He says he was picking a lock in order to hitch a ride, not to steal. His cover was blown when they found he had skimmed money from Aleigha’s capture. He was never charmed, but he pretended to be, in order to not be fed to the creature’s pets. Since there are scores of cultists, he kept up the shenanigans and stayed out of the light, just skimming off gold from the captures from himself, and dodging their attempts at doing anything else. He would aid captures by sneaking to the secret doors in the inn, and then turn over people to the temple, where they stay for 10-20 days until there are enough to head out.

Now, Alzar doesn’t trust Derek too much, but there is no question that Derek knows the path, knows the creatures, and knows the enemy. He has confirmed the bad guy is a spirit naga. Derek;s scar almost glows in the dim light. Alzar agrees for tonight, and has him watched.

They make for Hochoch at easy light, just as soon as Alzar studies his spells and casts ESP to confirm Derek’s story and agreement that he won’t steal from the wagons, or the other,s or run away once they get to Hochoch. He agrees and means it.


Derek Densleigh – Level 4 thief, 15 HP, AC 5, +1 leather armor, Dec 16. Pot of gaseous form, poison, healing. Short sword does 1d6 damage. Neutral Evil.

They arrive in Hochoch and Estaish and Alzar are healed while Aleigha is cured when they mention their quest, and what they have done so far. The clergy of Hochoch have been very suspicious. They head back out and the next night, they stay outside of town in the wagons.

We drive through town with Derek hidden. We arrive on the other side. Alzar will be changing his spells on the day that Derek says they will get there, but until then, he is sticking with the normal range.

[Abe Sargent]

The travel supposedly takes four days, and it is a road most of it, good for the wagons, but along a road that enters the fens of the local river, so there could be swampy creatures, weather, etc in the vicinity.

The first day is largely plains, and very quiet. The wagons roll steadily, the road is nice, and the travel quick. The second day they have entered the bogs and the swamp road is okay, but not great. Twice they have to get a wagon out of a muddy rut. Once, in mid afternoon, they encounter a group of 7 goblins who just out, and then 6 fall asleep and the7th looks confused on until a Mist Ball drops him. At night, during the first watch, Aleigha and Derek hear a wild boar tromp through the brush, but it avoids the big group.

The next day, the fens thicken but the road is better than the previous day. They run into a nasty creature. A loathsome, bizarre creature with a long neck, a heavy head, thick body and legs, and a large prehensile tail with a mace looking end is nearby. The swamp terror, or catoblepas, is looking onward, and not at them.




Alzar orders Dryshik to Mist Ball it immediately. It does so, before the catoblepas notices them. It failed its save, and it is blinded for 3 rounds and takes 2 damage. Alzar orders a full attack by everyone as fast as they can.

They take a turn getting there.

The next turn, Alzar drops his staff, Derek hits for 3 damage, Estaish cuts into it for 4 and Aleigha adds a crit for 4. It misses.

The final round while it is still blind sees Derek crit it for 12 damage, Estaish cuts out 7 and Alzar and Aleigha miss. Dryshik breathes again and it fails, taking 4 damage and it dies.


250 XP to everyone (Derek too)

[Abe Sargent]

Nothing disturbs them at night. The fourth day arrives. They will arrive tomorrow night. The bogs get bigger and the road smaller and smaller. Alzar knows that, eventually, they will have to abandon the wagons. Two times, then four times they have had to get a wagon out. Then dinner arrives and the goal is close. They run into some troglodytes, just three of them. 2 go asleep, and then the last one join after another is cast

They arrive, camp, and will go in tomorrow. The dungeon is hidden, but Derek knows its location.

Alzar’s spells:

Charm Personx2
Sleepx3
Dispel Magic
Searing Serpent
Ray of Ondovir x2
Blastbones

Going against someone magical means Dispel is good, and Charm is great vs a charmed person, in case they run into any here.

The morning arrives, they hide the horses and wagons to the side. Alzar unloads 36 animal skeletons, leaves behind Megala, and they move in.

There are a muddy set of stairs going down behind a rock. There is no other sign of anything here, and without Derek, they might have had a hard time finding it since the road ended a bit away.

The dungeons has been excavated in an area of soggy dirt. The walls are supported by massive and sometimes rotting timbers. It is wet and moist. There is an odor of rot, mold and swamp gas in the whole place. The floors are slippery and there are places with thick mud instead of wet ground.

[Abe Sargent]

The stairs down are made of wood and creak. It is very slippery and Alzar has the Rope of Climbing secure everybody to make sure no one falls. They descend 60’. The entry room at the bottom is much dryer than the stairs.

The chamber is unlit, but four human guards move to attack. This is what the undead are for, so Alzar sends 9 at each. They go first and kill two skeletons. One guard is hit 4 times for 8 damage – dead. Another once for 1 damage. A third and fourth are each hit for 7 damage and they die. Alzar tosses a dagger at the living one and misses badly.

He moves to run, but Alzar’s skeletons have surrounded him. They bring him down and kill him.

34 left.
XP 25 – each

Everything is checked by Alzar for magic while the other s search, and then added to the Magic Pile. All rooms will be inspected. I will mention if anything is found.

There are tunnels left, right, and forward. They go right. The corridor is long and ends at a door, with no traps according to Derek (he will always check doors for locks, chests for locks/traps, etc). There is a room almost completely filled with a murky brown water and swamp gas smell. There is a slime covered column in the middle of the room, and a shelf on the other side of the room.

Splashing can be heard, and two killer frogs are hopping over. Alzar orders the skeletons to stay back and out of the water. A dagger crits one for 10 damage and kills it. The other arrives. It attacks Estaish and misses. It it hit twice for 12 damage and dies.

XP 50- each

Alzar now orders the skeletons into the water to search and there is nothing down there. They found something else though, and Alzar can’t tell what it is, so as much as he doesn;t want to, he jumps into the water. It’s gross. He finds what they found – a plug underwater. After a couple of tugs, Alzar gets it (he has a16 str remember). He swims back out, and in a few turns, the pool has drained. There is a ledge to the other side, one hidden by the pool. He heads over, and they find a secret door here, and open it. This has 6 small chets in it. Derek finds no traps. Three are unlocked, and have 12000 copper in them combined. The fourth is locked – 4000 sp. The fifth is locked and Derek can’t get it. The 6th has 87 10 gold stones.

(The other has 450 ep and 17 25 gold gems)

[Abe Sargent]

They run them out the wagons just outside. Alzar dries off. They can go the same direction as forward from the first room. They head back to the first room and go left. The path goes forward or right, they go forward, and an animal skeleton is dissolved when it steps on a green slime that is covered in mud. Alzar uses a Flask of Oil to burn it off. There is a fake door at the end to force you into the slime. Smart.


33 skeletons left.

XP 50 - Alzar


They go right and there are four doors in quick succession. The first has four more cultists in here, all chicks. They yell and grab weapons. Alzar hears doors open and sees a bunch more. Maybe ten or twelve are here. He casts sleep. 8 fall sleep. Four more charge on, and the animal skeletons cut them to shreds. The other eight are tied up and tossed in a room with the door then locked. The rooms are all searched and weapons and such added ot the magic pile. They also find a storage area with foodstuffs and nothing else of note in the back of one of these rooms. The corridor bends around and then ends at a door or forks right twice. He goes forward. That door is locked, and Derek opens it. Inside are crates, barrels, cases and such, plus weapons. All are added to the magic pile. Hee comes back and takes the first right. It gets really muddy as it passes a shallow pool of clear water with nothing in it. They hit a door and It is locked. Derek. Cannot get it open. They come in on the south side of the empty hall, a large room with four pillars forward from the original room. There is a pool of mud in here. They search and find nothing.

The corridor continues on and bends to the right. There is a door at the end and they go to it. The door is heavily barred. Derek has nothing for this. Alzar grabs his axe and starts hewing at the bar. In a few turns, it is weaken, and then they punch through it. Inside is a room with four soft chairs and several tables, and a fire burning in a large fireplace with wood next to it. Three people in here are right inside the swing and they swing immediately.

They get surprise on Alzar and his group. Alzar is nailed for 9 damage. 42/51.

He backs up and orders his skeletons in. Two die in the attacks. Only four can attack each in the doorway, they have terrain on us. All miss the one in scale armor and a shield, Two hit the one in leather with a shield for 6 damage. He dies. Everybody misses the other.

31 left.


They win init and both kill two more. Then the one in leather dies from 7 damage while the armored one is again completely misses. Alzar’s dagger misses him. 8 can now attack him. Alzar’s skels won init. One crits him for 6 and another hits for 2. His longsword dices another. He wins init and fumbles his sword. He is hit twice for 3 damage. He is hit for 6 and then slices another. He finally dies to 5 more damage. Weapons and armor added to magic pile

27 left

Search find four bed rooms of nice ness in here and nothing else of much, except a chest in the bed. Derek finds the trap and fails to disarm it and is paralyzed for a half hour. It opens and inside is a scroll with cleric spells on it ,and another with a mage spell on it.

While waiting for Derek to unfreeze, a pair of hobgoblins swing by and are immediately eviscerated by the skeletons.

5 XP each

[Abe Sargent]

They move on and get back to the space below the drained pond and go forward. The enter a room where the roof got so wet it caved in. They find nothing in it. They head forward and find an empty pool with blind fish in it, nothing else. A little further is a door, and past that is an arched room with four pillars in it, and a large hallway at the other side. As they explore the room, they hear the singing of a harpy from the next room. Derek is immune. Aleigha makes her save, Alzar and Estaish fail. The harpy flies in, and Derek and Aleigha attack her. Dryshik panics and Mist Balls her. She fails her sails, takes 3 damage and is blinded for 5 rounds. Aleigha misses and Derek misses. The next turn, Derek sneaks around and backstabs the blind harpy for 10 damage. Aleigha Nails her for 4. It dies. The others are freed of her curse. They search her, this room and the next room. Alzar finds a Necklace of Adaptation, a ruby medallion with 800 gold, and jewelry worth 250 total, and a 100x2, 90, 75 and 50x4 gems. Dryshik flies up to its nest way up but nothing visible is up there.

They leave and take a left and arrive at the edge of a large underground pond/pool. This the only area left, they have searched everywhere else (so far). There is a stagnant smell to the area. Who knows how far it goes. It’s about 4’ deep. Alzar sends Dryshik to scoutit out to see where they need to go. It finds several interesting things:

1). There is a hidden boat on a jetty just inside on the other side, which they can walk around to get to
2). They need ot go forward from the entrance
3). There is a pack of crocodiles just lounging on a muddy beach area to the north.



They go around, grab the large rowboat which can hold 10 people, load it up with animal skeletons, and then row to the space to get off and they dismount. The corridor intersects – forward, right or left.

Forward. It’s muddy and dead ends. Nothing here. Right. It dead ends too, and a search turns up a very large and heavy belt pouch bursting with 300 gold and 800 silver.

They go left. The corridor goes for a long time and then ends at a door. Here are three troglodytes in here, and they bang on the walls and heft their stone axes They let off a stench and Alar’s squad coughs – except for him and his undead, which he orders to attack. Alzar’s dagger misses. The skeletons hit one three times in six attempts for 4 damage, hit another once for 1 damage, and hit the third 4 time sfor 5 damage. Two are smashed.

25 left.

Alzar’s staff connects with the most damaged one, and after taking 8, the trog dies. Three more round the bend and arrive. The skeletons kill one and miss the other. The other kills a skeleton

24

The trogs win init and three more arrive, Alzar has backed up. They kill three skeletons. 21 left. One takes 2, one is ,misse,s and the third takes 9 and dies. Three trogs left, the fourth is missed. They win init and miss all of the skeles (rolled a 1, 2, and 8). The skeles kill one. They win init and wound another for 3 damage. One trog smashes a skele. 20 lef.t The skeles finish off the trogs

XP – 50 each

20 skeletons left

They search this three room trog complex. It stinks, and they find 16 gold, 20 electrum, 57 silver, and 180 copper. Plus stairs down.

They head down.

[Abe Sargent]

The walls here are more winding, and there are fewer places that have tried to keep to traditional building principles, like straight walls. Instead, it looks like a natural cave by dimension, but it was carved and made. There ar stepping stones across deep mud, and you can go forward, left, and leftish-forwardish. Left. A few mud sections are passed and the stepping stones were left behind, when people appear at an empty, dirt filled chamber – a welcome respite to the mud in here. As the animal skeletons cross in, a Huge Spider leaps down and smashes it.

19 skeletons left.

It poisons, so Alzar lets the skeletons handle it. They go first and attack 8 times nad hit three for 5 damage/ The spider nails one for 1 damage and it survives The spider wins init and misses. The skeletons hit three times again for 9 damage. It dies.

XP – 30 each

A search finds nothing. They head back and go forward, and then east when the corridor forks. The fork again, left or right. Die says…right. They swing and down a bit, then open into more water. It’s about three feet here and goes around a bend to the left. Alzar sends Dryshik out and is gently bends 180 degrees after 50 feet into an alcove with chests. No baddies are seen. Alzar sends in the animal skeletons and they all make it to the alcove and back underwater – no issues. Alzar decides to come back. Maybe they can find a boat or something. They head back and go the other way and hit a door. It’s a bit swollen from the water, but Alazr is able to kick it open. In here is a large chamber roughly 50’ on each side with a huge pillar in the middle supporting the room. They enter and then a zombie looking creature comes out from behind the pillar. Alzar makes his Necrology check.

“Back up Derek, this is a Coffer Corpse – immune to normal weapons.” He tries to control it, knowing he will probably fail (needs a 16 on a d20). Yup, failure. The three with magic weapons get close and get ready. The Corpse wins init and swings. It misses. Alzar and Estaish hit for 8 damage and Aleigha misses. Next turn it wins init again and fastens it s fingers around Alzar’s throat for 3 damage. Alzar misses but the other two nail the corpse for 9 damage and it dies.


39/51

XP – 35 for Alzar, Estaish and Aleigha.

[Abe Sargent]

A search finds nothing. They open a door forward, and then enter a hallway with a door to the left. It’s locked. Derek opens it in 15 seconds. Piece of cake. They enter a room with several cells and behind two of them are a pair of kids of Orlane’s carpenter and another has a merchant ambushed outside of town. They were all brought here and taken to the Naga, where they successfully resisted its magic, and then brought o these cells for later use as food for its minions. They tell them that the naga is on a platform past a large lake that is around and a few caves. There is a boat on the shore that can be taken to get there. They leave up the same way, and Alzar has them wait by the wagons until they emerge. Megala flies down to show them the way.

A search of the jail finds nothing. They go forward and enter a bare room except for wooden benches. There is nothing else here. They take the door in front of them, and there is a long room with wooden panels on the walls. At the end is a wooden dais with a statue of the reptile god on it (the naga). Next to it is a cleric in brown robes with weapon in hand, expecting company. There is a shadowy form is a human in the shadows behind the statue.

The shadowy assistant attacks (it’s a Wight) while he destroys 6 Alzar’s animal skeletons by turning them. Alzar tries to control the Wight (needs a 10). Success. He orders the group to attack the cleric.

13 skeletons left. He wins init and casts Darkness at Alzar’s eyes to prevent him from successful control attempts. It works, Alzar fails his save. Alzar cannot cast spells or control while he is blinded, but he can see through Dryshik’s eyes and he can attack (Blind-Fighting nwp). Aleigha and Estaish and the Wight use this turn to get to the cleric.

The next turn, The cleric easily wins init and tries to get his wight back. Success. Aleigha hits him for 7 damage. Estaish misses. Alzar grabs his staff and moves forward. The cleric moves back, Alzar orders Aleigha and Estaish to move to the Wight. Alzar nails the wight for 6 damage. Derek concentrates on the cleric for a dropped sword. Aleigha and Estaish miss the wight. The cleric destroys 8 more skeletons. 5 left. The wight claws at Estaish and cannot puncture his armor.

Finally Alzar’s group wins init twice in a row. He slaps the wight for 3 damage. Derek misses the cleric. The wight takes 8 from a very motivated Estaish. The cleric casts Hold Person. Estaish stops moving. The wight attacks once and gets a 3. The next turn Alzar wins init. His staff cracks open the wights skull for 8 damage and kills it. Derek misses. The cleric destroys the remaining skeletons.

Alzar has moved his people to the cleric. Derek stabs him for 3 damage. It casts Cure Light Wounds on itself. He wins init and grabs his Warhammer with a snake head and misses. Alzar misses, Aleigha crits him for 10 damage, Derek add 5 and the cleric dies.

The darkness spell ends shortly thereafter and Alzar can see again. Estaish will be unparalyzed in a bit. Alzar searches the cleric to see if he had anything of magic. It doesn’t look like it, but they take the key chain. They search the room and find nothing. While they are doing so, attracted by the noise here 3 large spiders enter from the only door to the room. They easily dispatch the large spiders (only about 4 hp each, little guys).


XP from fights. 500 each.

[Abe Sargent]

They returns and go forward-left-ish. It moves into an area that is just chocked with mud, more than a foot deep. It’s a huge cavern. Alzar sends Dryshik to investigate it. There are multiple large centipedes in here along the sides of the room and moving on top of the mud easily. The room stretches for more than 60 or 70 feet, and at the end is another tunnel. The centipedes are poisonous. Alzar has them leave and hit a passage by the spider room they found earlier. They go around the centipede room and past an empty chamber (after searching it) and then enter a muddy tunnel. Right or left? They go right, and pass by the opening to the centipede room Alzar saw earlier. They take right branch at a fork and hit an odd room.

The corridor descends and the water from the dungeon all trickles to here. In here are a system of buckets, rope and pulleys that are being operated by 5 zombies. They are getting the water out of the area by winching the buckets up and out and then back down empty. Alzar and company search the room and find nothing. Alzar shrugs, controls the zombies, and orders them to lead him back.

Wait.

Alzar orders them into the centipede room. One takes 2 damage, another takes one, and all of the centipedes are killed.

XP – 100 for Alzar

They skirt it to avoid the mud, and return to the room with the water all over it. Alzar orders the zombies to enter this deep water and retrieve the chests on the other side. They do, and two chests return. The keys open them. Inside are300 pp, 600 gp, 1000 sp, 600ep, a 1000 gp jeweled bracelet, and 20 gems worth 25 gold each.

They take the two chests and they are just able to fit inside the Bag of Holding.

They head back to the zombie room and keep moving. Attracted by all this noise, they come across a Carrion Crawler, and the zombies automatically kill it.

They enter a long muddy tunnel that winds its way around and enters a dank and dingy, and there is a small chest on a raised wooden platform. The floor is very muddy. Alzar sends in the wounded zombie to wade into the foot deep mud and open the chest. The lid springs open, and there appears to be nothing inside. The ceiling supports suddenly fall and massive amounts of mud falls down and captures the zombie. 4 left.

[Abe Sargent]

They leave and head north into a giant cavern. It smells nasty. All of the sudden, a troglodyte is relieved and he throws a whicker cage at them with several mudvipers in it, but luckily it doesn’t break. Alzar pushes the cage aside and 12 more trogs un camouflage and charge in. A few make their stench. Alzar and the undead are unaffected. Derek makes his save, the others fail.

Alzar casts sleep. 3 fall asleep. 9 left. Derek slashes one for 6 damage. They attack and kill two zombies and Derek was missed twice. Alzar and crew win init. He casts Sleep again and 2 more go down. 7 left. Derek kills the wounded one. 6 left. The zombies all die, and there goes the cannon fodder.

Alzar casts Blastbones on the corpse of a zombie and orders everybody back. The trogs move into it and it explodes. They take 7 damage and Alzar was caught in the blast. 32/51 Dreek misses. The others recover next turn. The trogs swing. One drops a stone axe, and two more hit. Alzar takes 5 and Estiash takes 2.

34/51
17/19

Alzar’s team continues to win init and They kill three trogs after three hit. Only Derek misses. Alzar takes 9 from two hits. 25/51. The trogs win and begin to back away. Alzar and Derek throw daggers. Alzar misses, Derek hits and kills one for 4 damage. 2 left. Dryshik pursues them into a lair with a hundred or so trog eggs. This is what they are protecting. They search the current room and find a sack with 47 pp, 273 gp, 490 sp, 4 gems worth 350, 200, 110 and 80 gold.

XP – 100 each

25/51

They skip the hatchery and round a bend into a room with a loud Bonesnapper on a chain, a small t–rex looking guy who lives in swamps. It snaps and tries to get to the characters, but there is plenty of room to go around.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar reminds everyone of the way to win. The naga has a gaze attack, so if Dryshik can blind it, it will be safe to attack. They need to rush it as soon as it is blinded. Otherwise, stay back and do not meet its gaze. It can bite to kill with poison. They have no cannon fodder to have survived this far. Alzar quaffs a healing pot. Alzar tries to get Dryshik to gate in some more mephitis, but he fails.

He is at 33/51.

They move into a giant cavern. There is a boat on the shore of a pool/pond/lake things. The boat can easily hold the party. There are eight columns that seem to glow, and there is a show in the distance. They get in, check their stuff, and move out.

As they get closer, the platform is wide, and on it is a large snakelike figure with a human head. The naga.



It is coiling around and on bones and treasure. As they boat, the naga casts Fireball at them. Alzar reacts quickly, pushing Derek out of the boat while ordering Dryshilk under the water too. The fireball hits while Derek and Dryshik are underwater. The fireball goes off. It will deal ten damage or 5 for save vs half, against the fire resistance of Estaish, Aleigha, and Alzar. Alzar takes ten.

Estaish – 12/19
Aleigha – 23/28
Alzar – 23/51

Derek and Dryshik take nothing. Derek is pissed off at beingin the very cold and very muddy water but he saw the flash of fire above, and knows Alzar might have saved his life. The naga casts Shield. They arrive at the beach and two people attack. Dryshik breathes the first Mist Ball, and the naga casts Sleep. The naga gets the spell off first and Estaish falls asleep. Alzar orders Derek to wake him up. The naga fails its save and takes no poison damage (immune) but does take blindness for two rounds. Alzar summons a Searing Serpent and Aleigha closes.

The next round, the serpent attacks and crits the naga for 4 damage. Aleigha hits the blinded naga for 8 damage. It tries to bite and fails. Alzar misses with a tossed dagger and Aleigha misses and drops her sword and the serpent hits for 2. The naga misses Aleigha. Estaish is awak and groggy, and the naga gest its sight back.

It wins init and stares at Aleigha. She is now charmed. Alzar casts Charm Person on her. It fails. The serpent hits the naga for 1 damage. Estaish and Derek close and Dryshik breathes. The naga makes its save.

The naga wins init and casts Web on Alzar and the area around him. Alzar is immune to Web! Derek and Estaish stab it and Derek hits for 3 damage. Alzar casts Charm on Aleigha again. It works, and she is freed . The serpent hits for 6 burn damage. The naga wins init and casts Cure Moderate Wounds on itself. The serpent misses. Estaish hits for 6 damage.

The next round, the naga STILL wins init. It casts Darkness at Aleigha’s eyes. Success, and once again, Aleigha is blinded. She misse.s the serpent hits for 4 damage. Alzar movs in. Estaish and Derek miss, Dryshik breathes and…the naga makes it save. No more Mist Balls left.

Alzar’s group finally wins init. He swings and misses. Derek’s weapon bounces off the nagas fine scales. The serpent torches it for 8 damage and it shrieks. They wounded it. Aleigha stabs wildly. The Naga tries to charm Alzar. Success.

The next turn, the naga wins init and charms Estaish successfully. That leaeves just Aleigha – blinded, and Derek and the sereaing serpent, which is almost out of rounds. Aleigha can’t connect, Derek misses, and the serpent misses.

The next round, they win init and Aleigha manages to hit the naga for 6 damage. Derek adds 2. The serpent misses and dissipates. The naga knows it cannot charm Derek, so its tries to bite him, but he dodges out of the way.

They win init again Derek stabs up and misses. Aleigha manages to hit again, for 9 damage and the naga falls.

Spirit Naga is worth 5000 XP, so that’s 1250 for each of them as 9 Hit Die creature. The charms leave, and Aleigha will be unblended in a few round. They pause and collect their thoughts.

[Abe Sargent]

Time for finding out what is here.

110 pp
890 gp
1302 sp
400 gp bracelet
Ruby ring – 800 gp
Bag of Holding – capacity half that of the one they already have 5000 coins.
Boots, Elven
Horn of Bubbles
Ring of Sustenance (only needs to sleep two hours daily, no need for food or water)
Ring of Free Action
Potions =- Gaseous Form, Invisibility, Clairvoyance, Philter of Love, Healingx2

There are also two ivory scroll tubes of brilliant white, sealed and elboraltely carved with leafy patterns that can be moved. Derek looks at it, exclaims it is a locking mechanism, and starts working on them.

He easily finds the pattern for the first one, and it pops open. The second one takes about twice the time, and it pops open. Scrolls in each.

Alzar hands Derek a +1 Ring of Protection from the temple as payment and thanks. He puts it on.

Alzar turns into a taxidermist, grabbing the naga’s teeth, eyes, and skin+scales. It takes a bit, and Derek happily helps with the grim work. The eyes are added to a jar Alzar prepared in Hochoch as a preservative, and the teeth are saved. The skins and scales will need to be cured, but they can be turned into a +2 set of armor.

On the way back, they run into a nasty wild trow who they kill after many blows, and Alzar ignites with oil after it is dead. They also grabbed the captured charmed ones from the room where they were tied up and tossed after Alzar put them to sleep. On their way out, Alzar saw that the entrance was below the level of the swap, so he had several people move rocks and such, so that the swamp and ponds began to flood the dungeon. Without anybody pumping it away, no problems.

125 XP for everyone


Magic Pile - +2 chainmail, +1 shield, short sword +1, +2 vs scaly creatures, Scroll of Cure Light Woundsx2, Scroll of Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Scroll of Heal, Cure Disease and Dispel Magic for clerics, and Scroll of Stinking Cloud, Haste and Proof against Teleportation.



Used two charges of Wand of Secret Door Detection.

[Abe Sargent]

When they get back to Orlane, everyone is back to normal, and the people are hailed as local heroes, and let those in their wagons from the trip out, and the town cheers as ten people they thought were dead emerge and rejoin them. They only killed a few cultists in Orlane – just those in the temple. They also killed all of those charmed underground –priest, and guards, and a few captains, but no more than 12 were actually killed everywhere since the others were ensleeped.

Of course, the cultists themselves killed many others for a while – whoever failed the saves vs charm was killed.

On the way back, Alzar failed to learn Haste, but did memorize Proof Against Teleportation.

Derek wishes the party well, and now that the Cult is dead, he is free to collect his things from the cultist that took them from his room, and no one is chasing him. Alzar offers him a spot with the group. And Derek ponders it for a moment. He then refuses. Time for him to move on, and he’s a solo kind of guy.

[Abe Sargent]

XP Gained: 3055 for everybody, and extra 175 for Estaish and 550 more for Alzar.


XP Totals:


Alzar is now at 33,118
Estaish is now at 7165 and 3rd level
Aleigha is now at 11580


Estaish gains 4 hp to 23. His THAC0 increases.

Gold Gained: 5883. Alzar gives 442 each to Estaish and Aleigha.

Snakeshead Necklace worth 1000 gold. Ruby Medallion 800gp, jewelry worth 250. Jeweled Bracelet – 1000, 400 gp bracelet, Ruby ring – 800 gp

Gems: 10 gp x87, 25x37, 100x7,75x2, 50x4,


Ring of Protection +1 – Given to Derek
Necklace of Adaptation – Given to Aleigha
Bag of Holding, half size – 5000 coins
Boots, Elven
Ring of Sustenance
Ring of Free Action
Potions =- Gaseous Form, Invisibility, Clairvoyance, Philter of Love, Healingx2
+2 chainmail, +1 shield, short sword +1, +2 vs scaly creature


Scroll of Cure Light Woundsx2, Scroll of Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Scroll of Heal, Cure Disease and Dispel Magic for clerics, and Scroll of Stinking Cloud, Haste

Alzar detects the curse on the Horn of Bubbles. He chunks it.

The boots would prevent any tracks from being left and allow you to move silently as far as boots are concerned. Of course, a lot of noise is made from the armor, clothes, weapon, etc. You aren’t compeltley silent. Alzar doesn’t relaly want them. He really can’t envision many times when he would want to go trackless.

The Ring of Sustenance he dons and puts on. That’s a nice little find.

Estaish has Ring of Pro +1, Ring of Fire Resist, Shield +1, Chain +2, Longsword +2. – AC of 0. Aleigha has Shield +1, The Sword of Spartusia, Necklace of Adaptation, Ring of Fire Resist and Ring of Pro +1. They each have been given 1500 gold

[Abe Sargent]

Gold Gained: 5883. Alzar gives 442 each to Estaish and Aleigha.

Snakeshead Necklace worth 1000 gold. Ruby Medallion 800gp, jewelry worth 250. Jeweled Bracelet – 1000, 400 gp bracelet, Ruby ring – 800 gp

Gems: 10 gp x87, 25x37, 100x7,75x2, 50x4,


Ring of Protection +1 – Given to Derek
Necklace of Adaptation – Given to Aleigha
Bag of Holding, half size – 5000 coins
Boots, Elven
Ring of Sustenance
Ring of Free Action
Potions =- Gaseous Form, Invisibility, Clairvoyance, Philter of Love, Healingx2
+2 chainmail, +1 shield, short sword +1, +2 vs scaly creature


Scroll of Cure Light Woundsx2, Scroll of Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Scroll of Heal, Cure Disease and Dispel Magic for clerics, and Scroll of Stinking Cloud, Haste

Alzar detects the curse on the Horn of Bubbles. He chunks it.

The boots would prevent any tracks from being left and allow you to move silently as far as boots are concerned. Of course, a lot of noise is made from the armor, clothes, weapon, etc. You aren’t compeltley silent. Alzar doesn’t relaly want them. He really can’t envision many times when he would want to go trackless.

The Ring of Sustenance he dons and puts on. That’s a nice little find.

Estaish has Ring of Pro +1, Ring of Fire Resist, Shield +1, Chain +2, Longsword +2. – AC of 0. Aleigha has Shield +1, The Sword of Spartusia, Necklace of Adaptation, Ring of Fire Resist and Ring of Pro +1. They each have been given 1500 gold

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar’s Stuff:

Gold:

Jewelry and Gems

Crowns: 5000x2 and 50x4, bracelets 600x2, necklace 1500, 700, 50x3;Tiara 200, wristbands 100x4,bracelets 10,000,500, 300; pearl necklaces, 400x2; Gold Medallion, 300; Jeweled Dagger 850, 300;Gold Statues – 2000 gold each; Gold Diamond Bracelet – 750 gold, Platinum and Ruby Pin – 2000, String of matched fire opals , 15000; Gold Medallion with Topaz – 1000 gold

Gems: 1000x2, 500x5, 300, 250, 200, 100x68, 50 x29, 10x5

Six pieces of jewelry worth 6000 gp total
Jewelery worth 3500
26 gems worth a total of 3100 gp
10,000 in jewelry
Silver Serving Set worth 4000 gp
Alabaster box worth 800
ivory box worth maybe 50 gold
2 bolts of fine cloth worth 60 each
a crystal flagon and 4 goblets with 80 total
an inlaid wooden box with ivory handle worth 45
China and Silverware – 600





Books:


1000 gold worth of texts from Tower in Rahasia
2000 gold worth of Castanamir’s own personal journals.
3 books on golems and repair – 500 gold.
5000 gold in books on summoning and conjuring.
10 alchemy texts, 100 coins heavy, 1000 gold value to a library.
15,000 specialized summoning and conjuring texts
2500 gold Gingwatzim information, and the five books and two manuscripts that show it.
1000 gold, 12 books, info on making portals
3000 necromatic tomes for research



Items:

Potion of Sweet Water, Diminutionx2, Gaseous Formx2, Poisonx2, Telekinesis, Healingx5, Levitationx2, Spider Climbing, ESP, Animal Control – Horses, Clairvoyance, Invisibility, Fire Resistance, Philter of Lovex2, Undead Control
Gauntlets of Ogre Power
Bag of Holding, 10000 coins, Bag of Holding, 5000 coins
+1 Scimitar, Short Swordx2, Daggerx3, Mace, Battle Axe, Longsword, Two-handed sword, +1 arrows x4
-1 Dagger
+2 Longsword, Throwing Dagger
+1 Plate Armorx2, Chain Mailx3, Shield
Ring of Protection +1
Ring of Free Actionx2 *
Ring of Sustenance *
Wand of Secret Door Detection – 1 charge
Wand of Paralyzation 4 charges
Rod of Terror – 8 charges
The Sword of the Rock
Longsword +1, +2 vs Undead, Short Sword +1, +2 vs Scaly Things
Crystal Ball
Necklace of Adaptation
Periapt of Proof Against Poison +2
Rod of Cancellation
Rope of Climbing
Scrolls of: Read Languages, Aganazzar’s Scorcher, Odeen’s Magic Cloud, Levitate, Ray of Fatigue, Tongues, Invisibility, 10’ Radius, Push, Stinking Cloudx2, Haste, Fly, Minor Globe of Invulnerability Scrolls of Protection from Acid, Demons, Undead
Bracers of Defense AC7
Amulet of the Planes (with command words)
Javelin of Lightning
Gloves of Fire Resistance (As the ring, but a pair of gloves)
Belt of Flying, 52 charges.
Cleric scroll – sanctuary, fire resistance, cure light x4;Heal, Cure Disease, Dispel Magic
Paperweight, Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancer – 2 charges
Left Boot, Elven
Pair of Boots, Elven
Cloak of Displacement
Staff of Striking 18 charges
Phylactery of Action



The Book of Years, Windscribe, 4 teleport jars, Mead Pitcher

Spellbook:

2nd level Darkness, 15’; Magic Mouth; Breath of Bewilderment; Bladeleap; Levitate; Flash
3rd level Icelance; Nystul’s Expeditious Fire Extinguisher; Item


Chest – 2 spellbooks for enchantment, 9 for evil, and 3 others, all trapped


5000 gold on a workshop/laboratory


Temporary Magic Items - Ring of Monster Summoning 1, Wand of Repulsion and Sphere of Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere – just waiting on Permanency to make them a real magic item.

These gingwatzim: Amulet +1 save vs spells, a Tim Gingwatzim. +1 staff technically a Pakim Gingwatzam. Short sword +2, technically a Graegzim Gingwatzim, and a multiform one too, can turn into Fremlin. Staff (+3, one of the Gingwatzim in bound animate form, and it talks a lot to its owner and complains)

[Abe Sargent]

They head back to Hochoch, where the clerics thank Alzar by handing him a small case of scrolls, and then travel south a few days until an inn marks the turn east back towards Fort Amber and the main road their circuitousness route has taken them from Hommlet. Just a week or so from here.

They head east, and the road is still off the beaten path. They run into some monster,s but nothing a sleep spell or two won’t handle, or the sight of 9 horses, three deteremined humans and two flying imp-ish creatures keep away. These evenings include Aleigha’s three nights of Werebear-ing, but not issues.

In a few more days, they move onto the main road for aday, and then arrive at Fort Amber.

Fort Amber is a frontier city of about 25,000, and known for its magic, strength and determination. A couple of centuries ago, the Amber family, a wealthy magic-inclined family, built a fort here along the River Storm, nine days sailing north of the major city of Chonae. Due to the fact it was the last majo settlement in the area before heading north, people began to settle in and around the Fort, until a sizeable city had grown up here.

Wanting to once again relocate for privacy reasons, the Amber family left Fort Amber and founded a Castle two and ahalf miles ot the north east, on a mount overlooking Fort Amber. Castle Amber can be seen from the city, andvice versa, and became the center of government for the area.

Alzar can stay here in Fort Amber, sail or travel the main road south to the almost 100,000 city of Chonae, or try and find other areas near here. The River Storm is very well settled in this area, and for a strip of land 3-4 days east and west, the area is very well settled, but get too far out of that, and the wilderness hits hard. The south foothills of the nearby mountains are sharp and harsh. The River Storm continues about ten days north where it starts at alarge large in the mountains. It is wide and navigable here, but as you get farther north, has much more difficutly with travel. The River flows strong and wide downstream past Chonae and will hit the ocean in about two weeks later. Therefore, there are sea/river vessels that sail up the River Storm, and comes as far north as Fort Amber, and will head out again.


This area also has a lot more racial diversity. Some of the Taurians, whose island kingdom was destroyed almost 150 years ago, can be found in this area. Dvergr from the Mountains of Eternity have stores and crafts in the larger cities. There are several peaceful Guzak tribes who brew a special brandy and sell it to the locals and in turn use it to purchase tools, weapons, and more that they cannot easily make. Even a few of the civilized trow can be seen in the larger cities here and are tolerated. The qwith are no where to be found. Their woods, home, and such simply aren’t anywhere nearby. Neither are the lizard-like Sis’Sharr anywhere to be seen. This is far and away from their homes.

Estaish is closer to home here, although he’s from the Chance Protectorate, which is about 500 miles along the coast east from where the River Storm hits the ocean.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar’s group rolls into Fort Amber easily. The toll to enter is 5 silver and unlike Athaly, it all goes to the government instead of the guard pocketing some. Farmers get in free to sell their stock, but Alzar is not a a farmer. He pays the toll of 1 gold and they enter the city (Aleigha will not enter Fort Amber. She moves off in a different direction and will wait.)


They find lodging and lots of fun over the next few days in Fort Amber.

Alzar first starts trying to find spellcasters to trade spells with. Over the next week, he trades for Alarm, Wizard Mark, Sepia Snake Sigil and Empathic Control. Alzar particularly likes the 2nd level spell Empathic Control.

No material component, enchantment spell, dominate a creature of 6 hd or less and some other restrictions, and force it to do your bidding, but it can’t act against its nature. 25% of the damage it takes will be taken by Alzar. It will be controlled by Alzar until Alzar takes damage from another source, stops concentrating, or loses sight of the controlled creature. A save to prevent it, and then that’s it.

Alzar has found a few magical items of significance, and their money is more than at Athaly, but they are of much better quality:

Of those available, here are the ones that appeal to Alzar:

Manual of Golems, Flesh - 20k
Potion of Healingx2 - 600 total
Scroll of Protection vs Magic – 5000

Alzar has a real desire for the Manual. The Manual will skip the normal process needed to acquire exotic materials and to bind an elemental spriit, and with just a couple of months, and about 25000 of more basic parts and balms and such, he can have a Flesh Golem. Looks like a must purchase item.

He has 14k, and there are a ton of people here that will trade in stuff. Alzar trades in the following:


Six pieces of jewelry worth 6000 gp total
Jewelery worth 3500
26 gems worth a total of 3100 gp


For a total of 11,000, which gives him 25k. He swing sby the buyer, and verifies the item’s nature, and then pays the money and leaves.

He also picks up 2 healing pots and gives one eash to Estaish and Aleigha.

4400 left.

Add: Manual of Golems, Flesh, Scroll of Pro: Magic

Alzar convinces the owner of the Scroll to trade it for a Ring of Freeaction.

Lost: One Ring of Free Action

[Abe Sargent]

Okay, time for Alzar to do something he has been waiting for a long time. You see, everyday, when not adventuring, he has memorized Dispel Magic once and then, before retiring, he casts it on one of three of the spellbooks – 1st, 2nd and 3rd level evil books. He now unlocks the chest and reaches in and grasps the 1st level tome.

Did he dispel the protections? Yes. Alzar opens trhe book, casts Read Magic, and excitiedly looks over the contents. The following first level spells are in the book, classified by Castanamir as “evil.”

Charm Person
Hypnotism
Friends
Magic Missile
Nystul’s Magical Aura
Protection from Good
Sleep
Spook


Corpselight
Dance Macabre
Reflected Image
Spoil Holy Water
Wandbane

There are some goodies in here. Alzar grabs the next book, 2nd level evil spell. All dispelled.


2nd Level “Evil” Spells:


Darkness, 15’ Radius
Deafness
ESP
Fools’ Gold
Irritation
Ray of Enfeeblement
Stinking Cloud
Tasha’s Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter


Choke
Dark Mirror
Empathic Co ntrol
Ghost Pipes
Castanamir’s Magic Missile Reflection
Undead Mount
Wall of Gloom


Another score of some very useful, and some rare spells, and some Alzar is not familiar with. He grabs the third book, for 3rd level spells and…it is save too.


3rd Level “Evil” Spells:


Feign Death
Haste
Improved Magic Missile
Protection from Good, 10’ Radius
Suggestion
Vampiric Touch


Curse Tablet
Dire Charm
Minor Malison
Mummy Touch
Skulltrap
Watery Double
Whip of Pain


Again, some nice new spells here for Alzar to learn and use.

Let’s look at several of these spells.

3rd Level: Whip of Pain is an Evocation spell that Alzar can’t use, ditto Improved Magic Missile. Skulltrap, and Dire Charm he already has and he failed to learn Haste once. Minor Malison is simple – enemies get -1 to their saves. Protection from Good 10’s is just a reversed Protection from Evil, 10’. Feign Death just makes a person look dead, it’s an illusion spell and thus not accessible. Here are the interesting ones:

Vampiric Touch – Deal 1d6 per level to opponent, and gain that much in hit points. Nice, necromancy
Mummy Touch – Necro, can give mummy rot, which akes while to do anything, but is a disease
Suggestion – Force someone to do one thing – strong charm
Curse Tablet – Weird, awesome. Necro and artifice spell. Lasts 2 days per level, and each night, the target makes save. Failure, they wake up and lose half current hp rounding up. Make it three nights, and done with curse.
Watery Double – Conj, cast on body of liquid, 1st creature to csat reflection in it triggers the water to form a double of image maker. Animated for 1 rnd.level of caster. Attempts to touch caster, with Thaco andHP of creature it copies and AC6. Cannot use special abilities. If it manages to touch, it merges with the body, and covers body with film of water. Subject makes a save. Successful, the watery double dies. Failed? Take 1d8 suffocation per round autmaticlaly until it expires or someone dies. Striking it while it is around another does an equal amount of damage to the person.

Nice though, right?

2nd Level: Stinking Cloud cannot be gotten. ESP, Empathic Control already known. Darkness makes it dark, Deafness makes someone deaf, permanently, but can be dispelled. Save vs. to allow. Fool’s Gold illusion to make copper look like gold. Irritaion alteration to make creature itch badly, or have rash. The Ray makes a person weak, and can really hurt a major fighter in a combat, but not always worth it. The Ghost Pipes just waits to play a song on an instrument until someone touches it. The Reflection turns all magic missle back to source, for 2 rnds plus 1/rnd/level.


Interesting Stuff:

Tasha’s….Laughter – Enchantment/Charm spell, save to stop, Slowly begins to laugh a lot, eventually getting -2 to attacl and damage. 1 rnd/level. Save with Int modification. Affect one creature per 3 levels.
Wall of Gloom – Conj spell, lasts 2d4+1/lvl rounds. Barrier of shadow, dims sight almost completely through it, Scares creatures with 4 or less hs who roll save to pass or run away. 5-7 need to save to ente,r but no run.
Undead Mount – makes horse or pony or something animated into steed. Only lasts 2 hours +1 hour/level
Choke – Summons ghostly hands to attack a creature, lasts 1rnd/levl, save vs half each round, deals 1d4 damage from choking, cannot be attacked, victim at -2 to attack.
Dark Mirror – Can 1) Prevent Magic Darkness from forming around him, 2). Reflect darkness attack back, or 3). Allow caster to see perfectly in darkness.


1st Level Spells:

Alzar already knows Friends, Charm, Sleep and cannot cast Magic Missile or Spook or Nystul’s Magical Aura or Reflected Image. Pro Good is just reversed Pro Evil.


Interesting Spells

Hynotism allows the planting of a very small suggestion, such as drop your weapons or walk away. They will not do it that long, 1 rnd per level, and they will do nothing dangerous or complicated.
Corpselight – causes a corpse or part of a body to glow. Lasts 10 rnds.level. Looks spooky. Can affect 1 body per level. Can be cast on undead
Dance Macabre – Necro, causes dead body to animate and move according to caster’s wishes. Has 1d8 hp, and AC of armor. It cannot attack or perform delicate things.
Spoil Holy Water – Turns all holy water in 40 ft cube into normal water (only 50% chance of success if in font)
Wandbane – Bascially, a temporary Dispel Magic for wands, staffs and wands. Save or it cannot be used for 1 rnd/level.


Alzar smacks his chops and goes out and purchases a new spellbook to copy some spells into. (Down to 4000 gold)

He learns:

Spoil Holy Water
Hypnotism
Undead Mount
Tasha’s laughter
Choke
Wall of Gloom
Ray of Enfeeblement
Curse Tablet
Vampiric Touch
Watery Double
Suggestion



He Fails:

Protection from Good


He loves these 3rd level spells. Suggestion, Watery Double, Vampiric Touch, then he has Dire Charm, Skulltrap, Searing Serpent, and Undead Summoning I, so he’s got a lot of goods to play around with.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar’s new spell book:

5/3/2

First Level:

Alarm
Alzar’s Undead Porter
Armor
Animate Dead Animals *
Cantrip
Charm Person *
Detect Magic *
Friends
Identify
Hypnotism *
Mount
Read Languages
Read Magic
Sleep *
Spoil Holy Water
Unseen Servant
Wizard Mark



Second Level:

Alzar’s Familiar
Attract Ghoul
Blastbones *
Choke
Continual Light
Empathic Control
ESP *
Forget
Locate Object
Ray of Enfeeblement
Ray of Ondovir *
Speak with Dead
Tasha’s Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter
Undead Mount
Wall of Gloom



Third Level:

Bone Knit
Curse Tablet
Dire Charm
Dispel Magic
Fly
Proof Against Teleportation
Searing Serpent *
Sepia Snake Sigil
Skulltrap *
Suggestion
Undead Summoning I
Vampiric Touch
Watery Double


Fourth Level:

Dimension Door
Mordenkainen’s Faithful Phantom Shield-Maidens
Vorthala’s Undead Turning Immunity


Fifth Level:

Teleport

[Abe Sargent]

Now Alzar starts working on the three books that were not touched by thieves and available to be taken.

Estaish found a guy good enough to wok on the naga skin and scales, and was paid 2500 to do so. In one month, +2 scale mail armor will be acquired. He started before Alzar went looking for items and spells.

1500 gold left.

Aleigha and the crew see each other daily. She is in the inn outside of the gates about an hour away. They send things back and forth in the teleport jars, and Alzar and Estaish have her with the wagons and horses because they cost too much to store in here at inns inside the city.

They open the scrolls, but they are blank and damp. Alzar has Estaish lay them by the fire so that they can dry and be used, but instead, writing becomes visible! Alzar grabs the scrolls and starts reading. In them, a sea captain and adventurer talks about discovering an isle far to the south in the ocean. There are comments about what town he was at, what sort of monsters were met, and so forth. Alzar will need to research the captain and such. For now, he will continue, but after his learned spells and stuff, the next thing is to see what’s up with the notes.

A few days later, after doing some research, when Fort Amber wakes up, an unhealthy looking grey mist has settled on the mountain above the Fort and it engulfs Castle Amber and the surrounding land. A day later, the mist is still there, and soldiers from the city that have visited the area have returned with dread news.

Castle Amber has completely disappeared!

[Abe Sargent]

X2. Castle Amber





This is another classic Tom Moldvay module, ranked in the Top 30 at slot 15. I probably wouldn’t put it there, but others do, and it’s definately a fun and interesting module of a different kind. It’s not the module I wanted to run right now, I wanted to slide into Isle of Dread, but I’m missing a module I ordered from eBay and hasn’t arrived yet, that I want to do with Isle of Dread. I was going to slide into UK1-4 and then X2 but UK1 is in the same order. So, X2 gets bumped up. I thought it would be cool that for a week Alzar is running around the area and doing adventures before Castle Amber disappeared, then it would be neat to see that incorporated into the campaign. So, I’m mentioning it!

[Abe Sargent]

Fort Amber mounts an expedition into the Castle to investigate its disappearance. Many local heroes of various stripes band together and enter the mists.

Two weeks later, no one has heard from them. The only member of the Amber family, Cousette, is trying to find more people to go, and yet, it appears like few are interested. If the Fort’s best heroes, banded together, failed, what chance does everyone else have?

Knowing she is desperate, Alzar approaches Cousette. She agrees to send three loyal men-at-arms to go with Alzar and whoever and whatever else he wants to take. They will go up the mountain, dismount, and then enter the grey mists, and try to find the Castle or what happened to it.


Each of the men at arms:

1st level fighter, 10 hp, crossbow, longsword shield, chain, 4 AC.

Their wagons are brought in, and she ensures them that she will do every thing she can to make sure it is guarded. Alzar takes a chunk of the purple moss and puts it into a smaller, airtight, chest he has made up. He has made two flasks of acid.

Time to go.


Alzar, Aleigha, Etaiash, Megala, Dryshik, and the three men-at-arms are heading up the mountain now. Alzar has slipped most of the magic items into a bag of holding, in case they need to outfit skeletons or need an odd potion or whatever.

They arrive near the top of the mountain, and the mists are thick above them. They plunge in.

[Abe Sargent]

They arrive at the top where the Castle was, and there is nothing here. They search and find no sign. It is as if the castle never were; no marks, no foundation, no steps leading up to it – nothing at all.

Castle Amber was a bit mansion-y for a castle. It became the home of the Amber family, in addition to the castle, and so it was a bit of a wealthy estate too. It wasn’t a traditional castle with towers and battlements and such. It didn’t need to be. With the amount of magic power said to be at the command of the Ambers, anyone would be foolish to attack them at their greatest strength.

Of course, it looks like someone may have done so. It appears to be night-ish, and they are tired from the hike up and searching, plus the mist has a bit of a draining effect. They camp for the night in the grey mist.

When the group awakens, they find that the scene has completely changed. Instead of on top of a mountain in the grey mists, there are in the foyer of an ornate mansion – Castle Amber. It appears that they are in the west wing of Castle Amber.





It looks like it may have returned in the night, but outside, the grey mist can still be seen. They turn and march to the door of the castle proper, from the foyer.

[Abe Sargent]

The door is unlocked, unbarred, and open a bit. They walk down a hallway, and then see a door on the right. Opening it, they see the Grand Salon. This is a luxuriously decorated room with plush chairs, wood tables, ornate rugs, and so forth. In the middle is an impromptu boxing ring. In one corner stands a man as still as a statue with hands raises as a boxing guard, wearing amber silk shorts. There are two men in armor standing guard quietly beside a man in colorful silks, fancy lace, and rich velvets. He has a rapier at his side and wavy black hair. There are several Wizard Eyes in the room watching what is going on.

The man introduces himself as Jean-Louis D’Amberville, and asks if the group would be willing to box his champion creation. Alzar perks up a bit at that, and he asks the terms. No weapons, no spells, just punching to knock out – so all damage comes back in a couple of hours. He asks about the creation, and Jean-Louis is proud to talk about his magen, a construct Alzar has never heard anything about. In order to learn more, he enters the ring. Each round lasts 6 combat rounds. If Alzar survives 5 rounds (And thus is not knocked out), he wins 1000 gold. If he wins, he instead gets 10000 gold.


Alzar’s AC is 6 with his cloak and bracers, but they cast Detect Magic and force him to remove them. He drops to AC 10. He will be fighting as a man and punching twice a turn and dealing 1d2+1 each punch, THAC0 is 19.

Round 1:

1 – Alzar hits for 2
2 – Alzar hits for 2, Demos for 3
3 – Misses
4 – Alzar hits for 2
5 – Alzar hits for 3
6 - Demos hits for 2

End of Round 1 – Winner Alzar, Alzar took 5, Demos took 9

Round 2:

1 – Misses
2 – Alzar hits for 2
3 – Misses
4 – Alzar hits for 2
5 – Demos hits for 3
6 - Alzar hits or 2, Demos hits for 1

End of Round 2 – Alzar wins, Alzar took 4, Demos took 6

Round 3:

1 – Misses
2 - Demos hits for 2
3 – Alzar hits for 3
4 – Misses
5 – Alzar hits for 2
6 – Misses

End of Round 3 – Alzar wins. Alzar took 2, Demos took 5


Round 4:

1 – Alzar hits for 2
2 – Demos hits for 3
3 – Misses
4 – Misses
5 – Demos hits for 3
6 – Demos hits for 3

End of Rounds 4 – Demos Wins. Alzar took 9, Demos took 2


Round 5:

1 – Demos hits for 2
2 – Alzar hits for 2, Demos hits for 2
3 – Misses
4 – Misses
5 – Alzar hits for 3 – DEMOS HAS BEEN KNOCKED OUT

Just before the end, Alzar finally dealt enough damage to the demos magen to knock him out (25).


Jean-Louis applauds Alzar, and reaches down into a large silver chest and orders his other two guard magen to count out the gold while they talk. Alzar asks about the Amberville name and Jean-Louis mentions that they haven’t used that surname since returning home, more than one hundred years ago. Amber was just the name they took when they were in Thorasia.

Jean-Louis thanks Alzar, lets him rest here for a while, and then gives him the gold pieces after they have been counted by the magen. Then he says, No chance for error and smiles.

[Abe Sargent]

There is a door at the other side of the grand salon or they can go back and continue along the hallway. They go into the door.

The room is paneled in polished mahogany with a large marble fireplace. The furniture was moved except for a chest and it has all been replaced with bedrolls and items. There are about 15 or 16 guzaks in the room. Guzaks are smaller, humanoid catlike creatures about 4 feet tall with a calico coloring. Like many humanoids, they are neither good nor evil, and just tend towards survival, with individual members of their species varying.

The guzaks are not moving at all, or grabbing weapons or anything. It’s obvious they’ve been here a while, and probably with the permission of the powers that be. Alzar moves in and tries to talk with one, but it doesn’t not know Typic.

[Abe Sargent]

There is a door to the left and one in front. The go forward and enter another large room, this time one with an obvious purpose as a dining room, but in an advanced state of decay. There are tables and chairs that have been here a long while. As they move into the room, 24 men and women in expensive clothes walk into the room by entering through the right wall. The room changes to a rich and opulent banquet with the furnishings losing their age in seconds. The guests are transparent. They sit down and begin to talk. There are place names at each setting, of that guest’s name. In front of several empty place settings are the names Alzar, Estaish, Aleigha, and the names of the three men-at-arms. Do they sit at the ghost banquet table? Alzar sits.

They first service is onion soup. It looks like normal onion soup, with croutons and melted cheese. Eat it or not? (I roll a die). Alzar checks it for poison, but finds nothing in it. He tastes it gently. It is very savory. Deciding to commit, he eats the Onion Soup;/

Save is made vs spells. Alzar makes the save, Nothing happens (in this case, that’s a bad thing, a failed save was good for the Onion Soup)

There is a mellow amber wine served. Alzar drinks. Any remaining bruising is completely healed from the fight. The next dish is a tossed salad. Again inspected, and again eaten.

Alzar fails his save. Here is what happens: He loses one Wisdom permanently and gains…2 points of...Charisma. He will not realize that until the end of the meal.

The Roast Beef is delicious, and not magical. The wheat bread is a save. He makes it easily. Alzar is immune to starvation. He will still want the food, but he cannot die to it, or take damage from it. The Green Beans are not magical, just tasty.

The Mushrooms in Wine Sauce are not eaten. They look like poisonous ones to Alzar. A red wine follows and Alzar is drunk for 9 rounds. The Apple Streudal is failed. Alzar can use ESP once a week just like the spell. Alzar finishes with Brandy. He makes it.

So, Alzar gets +2 Cha and -1 Wis, cannot die from starvation, and can use ESP once a week for free. And he’s drunk. He could also have had some permanent hit points, a permanent +4 save vs poison, or die, so he came out okay.


A necromancer needs a 16 Wis to be a specialist, but Alzar is no longer a necromancer so he doesn’t lose anything when his requirement changes. He now has:

Str: 16
Dex: 12
Con: 10
Wis: 15
Int: 18
Cha: 16

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar takes the left door up and into the hallway. While wandering around, they group encounters 9 hobgoblin servants running into the hallway with various brushes and such, and then they turn the corner and are gone from sight.

The hallway has exits to forward, right, and then forward left three times back the way they came. There are many mirrors here, large and small. Hundreds it looks like. They have different designs, and styles and shapes. There is a lush red carpet in the middle and white marble is revealed on the sides. There are polished brass candelabras hanging from the ceiling, unlit.

They go back to the beginning and start with the door across from the entrance. This opens into a short hallway with three doors on the right. The first one is opened. It’s covered with a slimy green goo. The only part not covered is a small four foot square stone platform 2’ off the floor in the east. Looks suspicious. Alzar grabs a flask of oil. He opens it and pours it all over the goo. He then tosses a light and it ignites, The green slime rustles in pain, and coalesces and moves toward them. Alzar orders everybody back to the hallway. It’s much, much larger than a normal green slime. He casts Searing Serpent and orders it to Attack the slime. While it does so, Alzar grabs another oil flask. It hits three time sin five rounds for 17 damage. The slime is still coming. It attacks twice more for 10 damage and then is gone from its summons. The green slime is still around. It took 13 from the flask, and 27 from the serpent, and it is still rocking. As it moves, another flask is poured on it by Megala flying above it. Then Alzar grabs a candle, lights it, and tosses it. 12 damage. It just dies. The stench is powerful and Alzar warns everyone to cover their noses.

Alzar solo’d it, and gets full XP – 1500

[Abe Sargent]

They enter the room and get close to the platform and chest, and Alzar pulls them back. Why is it wet? The floor isn’t, despite the slimes having been just on it. He raps the thing with his staff and there is a film, grey, that is beginning to gather as well. Grey slime? Nope, Grey ooze. Alzar prepares his last flask, tosses it out there., and lights it. But nothing. Must be immune to fire. It usually works on such creatures.

He orders the men-at-arms to fire at it. They load, and then fire. The Ooze is moving now. One bolt thunks into it and tears off a piece for two damage. He orders everyone to back up and bolts fired at it until it dies. It’s slow, so it doesn’t take too long.

None for the party except the men-at-arms – 90 each for them.

Back into the room and a search finds another creature on the ceiling, but it’s not attacking them. The chest has a heavy top, and it is easily opened b the men-at-arms working together. Alzar grabs the stiff inside:

3000 gold
1000 platinum
Staff of healing – unknown number of charges (10) – Priest only
Long Sword – Un’id

They leave quickly before running into the animal from above. The next room appears to have been quarters for Amber family servants a long time ago, but are now filled with spider webs, and soon, aranea move and attack!




These spider-like creatures have human hands and are quite intelligent, capable of speech, and can cast magic like a 3rd level mage. They are also poisonous, so Alzar knows a good deal about them. He orders the crossbows up and ready to fire. One of the Aranea casts sleep and the men-at-arms fall asleep.

Alzar orders weapons up, and to flank the doors in the hallway and wait for them. Out here, they have the advantage, away from the aranea webs. Seeing the strategy, all three burst through at the same time. One is hit by a weapon for two damage as it runs through. They turn around. Battle begins.

The Aranea go first. One casts Light at Alzar’s eyes. Failure. Another casts Continual Light at Alzar’s eyes – success – Alzar is permanently blinded by the Con Light on his eyes until it is dispelled. Aleigha’s Sword of Spartusia digs deep into an aranea for 8 damage. Everybody else misses.

Two magic missiles fly out and nail Aleigha for 8 damage. Two more aranea attack for two misses.

20/28

Alzar misses, Estaish swings for 5 damage on a damaged aranea. Aleigha nails it again with her ruby blade for 6 damage. It dies.

They miss again. Only Aleigha hits for 9. One Aranea bites into Estaish for 5 damage and he makes his save.

19/24

The wounded Aranea is killed by Alzar and Estaish for 14 damage. The last one misses. Alzar nails it for 4 damage. Alzar wins init and Estaish crits for 4 damage. Dead Aranea.

Alzar can see through Dryshik and Megala’s eyes, and has Blind-Fighting, so he is not fully without power. The men-at-arms are awakened and the aranea room’s webs burnt down. Inside, they find a box once in the webs. It is unlocked, and inside:

Gem – 100x2, 500, 10, 50; jewelry worth 1500 and 1400

[Abe Sargent]

They hit the third door and find shelves of supplies and linen, fresh. A search finds nothing. Moving forward, they come across a group of guzaks moving around from one room to another.

Back to the hallway, they hit the first door on their left. Inside is the master bedroom, with an ornate bedroom and a large four post bed, and curtains drawn on it. As they head in, they can tell that something large is on the bed. There is a rustle, and then a meaty hand pushes aside the curtain. An ogre wearing silken night clothes bursting at the seems emerges. She apologizes for her manners, and says that she was enchanted. She accidentally curses and then smacks herself for her rude manners. She says her name is Janette D’Amberville.

A little weird. Alzar moves forward and introduces himself and the ogre bows, then remembers it should curtsey, and curses at itself, and then remembers that ladies don’t curse, so she smacks herself again.

She tries to welcome them in, and Alzar, intrigued, accepts. They move in and she pulls out a chair, and then remembers that men are supposed to pull them out for her, and smacks herself again. Then she remembers that ladies don’t smack people, and curses. Frustrated at all of these violations of proper conduct, she is enraged, roars and charges!

Alzar orders the crossbows raised and to fire. One thunks the ogre for 4 damage. A dagger misses. They get close to it, and draw weapons. Alzar wins init and swings his staff – miss. Aleigha hits for 10. The ogre misses. Alzar nails it for 4, Estiash adds 9 and it dies.

XP – 50 each (inc men-at-arms)

They search the room. They find the corpse of Janette in the fireplace. Nothing else is found, and Alzaar has a problem. He heads back to the hallway and sees at least thirty feet between the end of the bedroom and the wall behind the three rooms down that middle hallway (its actually 40).

Where is this secret door? Thinking it may be in one of the small trio of rooms, they head back and search each again. Nothing They head back to the master and search again, all six of them. Nothing. Alzar grabs his wand and fires off his final charge and two secret doors are revealed, one on each side. The wand crumbles. “We didn’t find either of those?”

This is another bedroom, even more richly decorated. The bed is much longer than normal, and standing next to it, dressing, is an 8’ tall creature with the body of a human and the head of a guzak.. A jeweled crown rests above his head and he wears gold plate mail. He is Richard Coeur de Lion D’Amberville. He introduces himself as the leader of the Guzaks here. Nothing else to be found, so they leave. Waste of a wand.

[Abe Sargent]

The next secret door heads to a room with another bedroom with costly furniture, and two pale, manlike, transparent figures. Alzar orders people behind them. He immediately recognizes wraiths. He tries to control them. Failure (Needs a 16 or higher on d20). He orders the men at arms away and into the hallway, they’ve got nothing to harm these undead which, like Wights, can only be hit by silver and magic and they energy drain too.

Alzar grabs and quaffs the potion of Undead Control as they move towards him. He tries to charm them. One fails its save and…the other makes it. Alzar orders one to attack the other. Suddenly, it finds itself under assault. Alzar watches as they engage each other, and then wings in his dagger which misses.

They each hit for 6 and 2. One hits for 5. They both hit for 3 and 5. They both hit for 2 and 1. The first hits for 5. Alzar attacks the one not badly wounded, and not charmed, and hits for 5. Both miss, Alzar hits for 6. Both hit for 4 damage and both die.

4000 XP for just Alzar.

A search reveals a mirror with a stone chest behind it. Alzar checks it and a load of gas spores is triggered. He is immune, and lets it dissipate. Inside is:

5000 gold

The next room is a giant kitchen, with dozens of ghostlike hobgoblins preparing a large meal. For the dinner perhaps? Alzar orders a search, finds nothing, and then move on to the door at the end of the hallway.

[Abe Sargent]

Note that the Bags of Holding are now completely full with coins, so instead Alzar uses a few spares sack from various places, and has the men at arms carrying gold sacks, that they can drop at a moment’s notice to field weapons.

The next section of the castle is the octagonal center is a huge garden forest. There are many trees of various types, and some reaching nearly 80 feet tall. There is a path in front that goes off the right. Alzar orders the men-at-arms to return the gold to the bags for now, and load crossbows. Alzar can hear a stream in the distance. He sends up Megala and Dryshik to scout around. In front of them is a stream. There is a fountain in the center, a hill to the left, and several dark areas, and things moving in the water.

Alzar decides to stay on the path. They move forward. As the trail snakes off the to the right, suddenly, a Killer Tree attacks one of the men at arms. It gets surprise. It grabs the man with a woody tentacle and begins to drag him. Alzar’ orders the men to fire and the others to try and cut the tentacle. The tree is hit for 3 damage by a bolt. Aleigha severs the branch/tentacle with a mighty chomp. Alzar tosses a dagger and misses. Alzar orders everyone out of range, and then crossbows kill it.

XP -50 each

Megala retrieves the dagger and they continue.

[Abe Sargent]

As they continue, a lady in rich amber dressing walks down the path towards them. She pauses, and then snippily demands that they bow to Isodora D’Amberville. They do. She haughtily asks if they have seen Guillaume D’Amberville, and they have not. She then says that they should avoid him if they do, he’s rather arrogant towards visitors, and moves on.

They round a bend and Alzar orders an immediate halt and tells people to be quiet. He has his eyes move ahead. At a branch in the path is lying a sleeping unicorn and amber-skinned woman with long golden hair also sleeping. They are wrapped into each other, and the chick is sleeping holding a chest.

Alzar has waited his whole career for this. As a student of knowledge of poisons, he knows that the unicorn’s horn has massive power in fighting poison. Additionally, many sages have said that the alicorn is the most powerful natural item in the world. It’s power rivals some of the more powerful magic items. If Alzar can kill the unicorn and get it shorn, that would be a great find. He doesn’t know who the amber-skinned chick is. Maybe an Amber noble?

He gets everyone to back up. The men-at-arms are told to get their weapons ready and load their crossbows, but to hide way back. He tells Aleigha and Estaish to join them. This noble could get really pissy. Alzar does two things. Firstly, he quietly spends a few minutes fashioning the components of a Blastbones spell about 20 feet in front of them. He adds everything there is to add, including a few nails he pulls out of his pocket. He then grabs a skull from his bag and spends a charge to quietly sail above the two sleeping individuals.

He aims the skull with the eyes of his two aides, flying around him. He casts Skulltrap, and then drops the skull.

It lands, and deals 18 damage to both creatures. The Unicorn fails its save and dies. The maiden fails her save and well, and is pissed off

(650 XP from unicorn)

Alzar flies down in front of the blastbones to force the maiden to cross it to get to him, but instead, it does something very unexpected. It changes back into its normal shape. It is a gold dragon (young though). It has 18 hp left, an AC of -2, and many spells. It breathes chlorine gas at Alzar (immune). Dryshik Mist Balls it. It makes it save. Alzar reaches into the bag and pulls out an item he was hoping to save for another time.

The next round, Alzar wins init. He throws the javelin of lightning and it turns into lightning. It takes 26 lightning damage and there is no save for the target of a jav of lightning. The dragon drops dead.

XP – 7000 to Alzar

Alzar hacks off the unicorn horn, and orders the men at arms to skin the dragon. Aleigha is not happy with the death of a unicorn and tells Alzar. He points out that it is just a creature like any other, a pegasus or griffon or manticore – only with myth behind it, but she won’t listen, she is very upset.

Alzar tosses the skins and scales in a Bag, and straps the alicorn to his left leg, inside the pants. When touching his skin, Alzar gets +6 in saves vs poison.

The chest is nor locked, and inside is 4,000 platinum pieces. Alzar’s small bag is full of 5000 platinum, and he orders the chest filled with gold and carried.

[Abe Sargent]

They continue on the path. It bends, and they approach a bridge. A humanoid with the head and horns of a billygoat tells a troll under a bridge that his brothers are right behind and much bigger and fatter, so the troll allows him to pass. When the party arrives, the troll believes they are his brothers.

He charges them, and is slowed by the ascent up from the stream. Crossbow bolts hit it twice for 7 damage and a magical dagger buries itself in its shoulder for 3 damage as well. It regens 3.

Another crossbow bolt does 3 and keeps it from regen-ing basically. Alzar and the others arrive. A Mist Ball encompasses it for 5 damage and 4 blind turns.

Alzar drops his staff, Aleigha and Estaish both hit for 14 damage. It falls, dead-ish. Alzar orders all of the pieces to him, an sees them try to reassemble while he is doing that, but a flask of acid kills it.

XP – 110 each

Nothing here, so they cross and enter the middle area with a circular pool of water, fed by the stream It has three interlinked gargoyles that spray water from their mouths. In the fountain is a chest with a big padlock on it.

They approach cautiously, but the gargoyles do not animate. Alzar stabs into the pool, and at the bottom is a giant amoeba who shakes and moves out. Alzar managed to deal 8 damage to it. It can’t get out of the pool, so alzar tries something. He orders a crossbowman to thunk it, and it deals some damage, but the power is reduced by the water Bolts kill it, but they are running out.

200 XP for Alzar and soldiers.

The chest is retrieved and it cannot be opened. Alzar has it brought with them for now, as he doens;t want to use his last acid flask right now.

(It has 3000 gold and an ornate silver key worth 500 gold)

They continue and come across some amber colored squirrels. They touch a nut, and then it turns golden, and then eat the nut. Weird . Alzar skips them.

[Abe Sargent]

They come across a group of creatures – lupins (good aligned sylvan dog-creatures) a guzak, a sabre-tooth tiger, and Andre-David D’Amberville who approaches. They were going to let Alzar’s party through safely, because he had a werebear with them, and then they attacked the dragon and unicorn, so they rode to attack, but now they have let the gold acorns and squirrels pass. Thus, Andre-David who is on The Wild Hunt want to know why Alzar attacked those two, and yet stayed away. Alzar introduce shim and his party to Aleigha, who talks to them for a bit while Alzar casts ESP. Knowing what he needs to say, Alzar says it. He tells the truth – he though the maiden was a D’Amberville who attacked them earlier, etc. The truth is that Alzar absolutely did not know the maiden was a dragon. He focuses on her and not the unicorn since he doesn;t want to lie if he doesn’t have too. He point out that he was blinded earlier fighting off vermin aranea that had starting nesting in the Castle, and cannot see on his own. His face is shining bright after all. He gets through are pointed towards the double doors to the chapel, where he is asked to pray for atonement. The company he keeps and the decisions to skip the squirrels show he is redeemable.

They follow the path. It continues along the path to the east wing, but they move off and almost immediately reach two large double doors to the chapel. Alzar opens them. Just as he does, he hears a noise from the path behind him, and moves to look. There is a giant rattler snake that moves into the road, and then passes. Alzar orders everyone still until it is gone.

This huge room is the main chapel, easily more than one hundred feet long. It is garishly covered and colored. There are many statues along both walls, with a distinctive Amber family cast. As they walk past a few, they are distinctly different and yet quite detailed. Suddenly, the fifth one down comes alive. It bows to Alzar, and then moves around, stiffly at first and then with more mobility. It springs and leaps. “Long time I’ve been away” it yells, and it hops out of the chapel. They enter the chapel fully and see two doors at th end, and then one on each side. They search. They find nothing, Left.

There are nine zombies behind this door, in cleric vestments. They are not attacking, and not moving at all. Alzar tries to control them, but in this chapel, his energies to do so are tapped. They move ot the right door, and see 9 more. Back to the chapel, and the left forward door is taken and reveals a hallway that winds around a central area. They go down that area and in the back see three doors and the hallway continuing back ot the other door from the chapel.

The first of these three doors has a consultation room where skeletons dressed in amber monk robes are paused in consultation, but one moves up to attack, and its robes reveal many arms. Alzar senses this is not an undead and orders the men-at-arms back. Weapons are drawn and the bone golem engaged. Alzar goes first. He misses, Estaish hits for 7. The golem swings its weapons for a critical miss and 7 to Alzar.

44/51

The golem wins init and swings. One hits Alzar again for 5.

39/51

Alzar misses. Estaish and Aleigha both pierce it for 14 damage. They win init and Aleigha crits it for 8 and Estaish whacks it for 7 and it dies.


(200 each to Alzar, Estaish, Aleigha)

They search the room and find a ornate silver key on the necklace worth about 500 gold. There is a room to the left and forward. They go forward.

[Abe Sargent]

This appears to be a bedroom for a cleric, and is quite lavish., Nothing appears to be here, so they all search. They go back up and take the left door, into the same room that the second door in the back goes too.

This is the storage for various clerical items, like candelabras, aspergills, and so forth. There are four holes in the ceiling. Alzar shoves his staff up one and out fly some killer bees. A Mist Ball from Dryshik takes them all out easily. The next hole has a bunch of gold fall to the ground in a sack. The third just has water. The fourth has a nest of a cockatrice, and as soon as Alzar sees it, he orders Dryshik to Mist Ball it. It fails its save and it is blinded for 4 rounds and takes 4 damage. They attack and kill it easily the next round with more than 30 damage dealt to it.

1000 gold

XP – 100 each

They search and find nothing. There is a door forward they take.

This is a library, and as they enter, Charles D’A,mberville tells them to shush., He can’t stand loud noises. Every little vibration seems to set him off. He thinks his sister is trying to get him to go t her grave and kill her again. Alzar checks the library for useful books and finds a few, pulls them down, and sees that the Amber handwriting is completely illegible. These books are all written by various Ambers, but none are legible. He leaves them.

They move into the next room and as they do, a ghost of Madeline D’Amberville flits by, yells at Charles, and begins to attack him. He launches spells at her. Alzar decides to avoid the confrontation and shuts the door to the library. This room appears to be the old vestry, a place where robes and such fill the room. Alzar orders a search. They find a secret door to the right and it opens easily by sliding it.

They arrive in a room with a man dressed in richly gilded plate mail and amber colored robes, wearing a cross of carved amber around his neck, and is kneeling and praying at a gold plated altar. He looks up as they enter and asks if he can help them. Before they can answer, he rises, and decides to fight them. He begins to cast a spell. Alzar sees it, and begins to cast his own – Charm Person. Simon lets a Hold Person spell fly. The men-at-arms are paralyzed. Charm is cast and Simon makes the save. A Mist Ball flies in and Simon makes the save. Megala, Aleigha and Estaish have used the round to close.

Next round, he wins init and casts Finger of Death at Alzar. Alzar makes the save (if he would have died, that would have sucked). Alzar throws the dagger. It misses. Megala misses Estaish misses and Aleigha drops her sword.

Simon wins and casts Silence on Alzar - success. He grabs the poisoned dagger and runs in for next turn. Megala hits for 2 damage and Simon makes his save. Aleigha hits for 5 damage.

Alzar stabs out and…misses. Estaish manages a crit for 16 damage. Megala misses. The guy casts Cause Serious Wounds on Estaish and he takes 16.

8/24

Alzar slashes again and miss. A Mist Ball flies in and he makes the save. Aleigha hit for 6 damage. Megala misses. He casts cure serious wounds on himself and looks a lot better.

He wins init and casts Cause Fear on Aleigha but she makes her save. Alzar stabs him for 2 damage and the poison takes, so he rolls a save and…fails, rolling a one. Simon Amber falls dead immediately. Alzar cleans the blade off with the man’s tunic, and discards the messy scabbard.

They search him and the room. He has:

Potion
Staff - Snake Staff according to Alzar
Broom
Ring

Nothing else is found, and they return to the vestry, and then the library. Charles is dead and the ghost of Madelaine is gone. They search and find a chest under the table with:

5000 gold
10000 copper
Shield

XP each - 500

[Abe Sargent]

They head back and have finished the chapel area exploration. Back into the indoor forest they go, and they continue down the path, passing some flying wasps in the distance, until it reaches the door to the east wing. There is a vine arch that is dripping blood around the door. One cannot go through the door without blood landing on the person.

They use things to hold over their hands, open the door, and move into the next room quickly, but all six are hit with blood. Alzar makes his save, Aleigha does, One men-at-arms does. Estaish, and the other two are blessed. This blood is the atonement for all of the vil the Amber family has done. In the next room, they will more powerful.


The next room is the giant throne room of the Amber family. From here they would rule the area around Fort Amber with dignity and respect. Something must have happened to them, but what? The walls are covered with mosaics, the floor is still a polished marble. There are two exquisite thrones on a raised dais with a rich red carpet down the middle. There are skeletons in the two thrones. One holds a jeweled mace. There are twenty more skeleton guards, ten flanking the throne on each side. Their armor is rusting. There are another 13 courtiers beyond them, frozen in time with rotting clothes once very fine.

Alzar tries to control them, but they are not alive or moving. This was the court of Henry Amber, the lord of Castle Amber at the time of its disappearance, and this looks to be Henri D’Amberville, sitting here on the throne with his queen. There are double door exits on the other side, and a door on the right.

One of the men-at-arms creeps forward, and then he is attacked by a spell. He is one of those made lucky, so he gets a +3 bonus to this save. He makes it, just by the bonus itself. There was an attempt to take over his body b Catherine D’Amberville, in a Magic Jar container. He mentions what he just felt, and Alzar is unsure what it is, and orders everyone back. There are no further attempts. He asks the man what he felt, and he said a tearing a his soul, like someone was trying to get in. (Alzar makes an INT check). A common, powerful necromancy spell is called Magic Jar, and Alzar believes that may be it. It requires a place to be the focus on the wizard, so he orders Megala and Dryshik into the room to pick up every thing fragile and throw it down and break it. They break cups, pitchers, and more accoutrements of the court.

Alzar orders the same man-at-arms forward and he does so reluctantly. Another attempt is made, which he easily passes and Alzar orders him back. There is a focus item somewhere. Which person in the room is the mage?

Not the soldiers, they are all dressed inappropriately for it. The courtiers might be, but they are so far away, to thin they would have a focus all the way down here makes no sense. That leaves the king and queen. Alzar has the jeweled mace collected and taken away, that’s an obvious focus. They take it all the way to the other side. They then take all other items, like shows and such, from the thrones. There are no other obvious items left. Alzar tells the man to say “Gold Dragon” if he is not being controlled by another, and sends him back in again. One again he makes a save against control, and once again, it was by the bonus.

What is left? The bones themselves? Something hidden? He orders Megala and Dryshik to study the thrones carefully. He is looking through their eyes as they do so. (he is still blind afterall)

Within a bit, he has found something. Right…there. Dryshik pushes in a claw, and out pops a secret compartment with seven very expensive gems inside. (worth 12,000). Alzar has a small bag sent to Megala, who gathers the stones, puts them in the bag, and flies away with them. Alzar sends out the fighters again, and nothing. It looks like one of the gems was the culprit. Alzar orders the gems to be kept by Megala for now, flying above.

[Abe Sargent]

They take the right door. The walls and ceilings of this room are painted blue, and there is nothing in it. They take the door to their left. This has snow-white carpet, white walls, and a white lizard in the middle.




Crossbow bolts fly out at the Frost Salamander. One crits it for 10 damage. It creates and launches an icicle at one of the men and misses him barely. Alzar’s dagger sinks into it for 7 damage. K-thunk. The others arrive. It lashes with its frost trident and misses. Estaish nails it for 7. Alzar arrives. Alzar swings and deals 6 damage with his staff Aleigha crits it for 16 damage and it falls.

XP – 350 to all

They search the room and find:

6000 silver
8000 gold

In a snow pile.


The door in front leads to a green room with painted green walls, ceilings, carpet, etc. At the end, before a door, is a giant green skinned human, who says that in order to pass, you must behead him, and you can use his giant sword to do it, but he will attack you until you do. Alzar retreats back to the throne room.

They take the double doors of the throne room. They enter a hallway with double doors on the left, a door on the right, and it keeps going after a turn. It has mirrors and candlesticks again. They search and find a secret door at the end. They go into the double doors for now.

[Abe Sargent]

This is a giant ballroom with chandeliers, musical instruments playing themselves, and several small misshapen figures dressed in fine clothes dancing about. They are apes. One is speaking now. Alzar addresses him. He hates the Ambers, and asks Alzar to prove that none of them are Ambers. He shows the five fighters - just plain and simple, and none likely to be Ambers. The figures points out that is too reasoned to be an Amber and introduces himself. He was polymorphed by the Ambers, and then punished to live here in the castle, but he took his revenge when he learned some spells form the Amber’s books over the years, and polymorphed three of them into apes. However, he was then cursed and cannot leave the ballroom without dying. Alzar tells him of the death of several Ambers they have witnessed, and he is delighted. Alzar and the group leave after telling him goodbye.

They try the door across from it. This is a library for the castle. It’s walls are lined with shelves and books and scrolls abound. There is someone sitting in a leather covered chair in the center of the room and reading. He has the body of a human, is wearing amber colored robes, and has the head of a dog. He greets the party and welcomes them in. He apologizes if any of the other Ambers have been rude or attacked them, but they don’t always listen to him. He is Claude D’Amberville. Alzar asks if they can serach the library for any useful books or scrolls, and he agrees for a 5000 gold fee. Alzar asks if he can cast Detect Magic first to see if anything is triggered, and Claude assents. Three scrolls glows, and Alzar orders 5000 from a sack carried by a men at arm to be paid.

The books here have the same handwriting issues as before – they are not legible and they cannot be followed because of sentence writing issues. They scrolls are opened. Two are mage scrolls, and the third is very interesting. It tells about the ritual that must be performed in order to escape the grey mist.

Castle Amber is in a new place, away from Thorasia, but the mists are in both places, and can move you from one to another. The Ambers came from this place originally, and the castle is from Thorasia. While this world pulled on the Ambers, Alzar’s world is pulling on the castle, so that pull can be used to hijack the mists and return. In order to do it, they have to find items from Price Etienne’s tomb must be uncovered and used. They are listed in the scroll.

They thank Claude and continue. They take one of the three regular doors left. This is a small bedroom with normal furniture, nothing in it. As they walk back into the hallway, Guilliame D’Amberville enters and approaches. He draws an evil looking mace, and tells them that intruders will be killed on sight. Alzar orders everyone into the ballroom. Keeps the door open, and tells the apes to prepare for visitors. He comes in, and the ape casts Polymorph Other on Guilliame. Success. Alzar and the ape shake hands and they leave.

[Abe Sargent]

The next door has a card room, with wood paneled walls, a plush carpet, gaming tables with chairs, and a woman at a table with fortune telling accoutrements around her. She is Mere Camille D’Amberville, and she will read the characters future. Interested? Alzar says no. One of the men-at-arms is feeling adventurous and picks a card. He reveals La Roue de Fortune. Nothing happens though. Alzar orders people to knock it off, and search the room, finding nothing. The final room before the secret room is a bedroom with 8 humanoids of unknown ancestry, but they look canine, milling around. There is furniture in there. They are not attacking, and as Alzar’s people move around, they start growling, so he retreats, and opens the secret door.

This is a red room with red carpet, walls, ceiling, and furniture. In the middle is a large man with scarlet skin, yellow hair, and a shield that shines like the sun. He points out the other door and tells them they can go through it if they want. Alzar thanks him, and they do.

The next room is the black room, with dark and ebony everywhere. A search finds a secret trap door in the floor. They open the next door, and find the green giant there, so they close it, and lift the trap door.

They enter a staircase heading down, and find themselves at a door. It opens and they enter a room with a large square grid on the floor, with giant letters in Typic in each square. On the other side is a door. Here are what the letters say:

GOHEN
ORARE
HAZAH
ERARO
NEHOG


Dryshik flies over and has no problems. Obviously, there are three words in here – Gohen and backwards Nehog, Orare and backwards Eraro, and Hazah. Is the goal to try and avoid spelling a word? Or to try and spell it.

Alzar can use his Belt, fly over, and keep searching while everyone waits here. But this place is too dangerous. He asks a fighter – make a word or not, which do you want to do? The fighter wants too…avoid making a word, so he steps on NEAAH and leaves. He says nothing happened, and he is fine. Alzar orders another fighter to pick a row, and walk across, spelling out a name. He chooses ORARE and walks across fine.

Want to take the name, or take something else? The other fighter takes someone else. Want to try Orare or another name or mix it up? Estaish and Aleigha are waiting on him. He easily makes an INT check. He walks across Orare, and suggest to Estaish and Aleigha to do the same, and they do.

(The first time someone spells a word, they are affects by an ability. The first guy permanently gets +2 to his saves. The other choices are bonus to WIS, bonus to CHA, blind, transformed into a werewolf. By not spelling a name, they are give the Curse of Lunacy).

[Abe Sargent]

They check the door and move on.

The next room has a door on the left, a door at the end of a passageway, and four cells down that passageway. They are made of stone, with iron bars. In one cell is a long haired man holding a paint brush and paint bucket. He is huddled in the corner of a room staring at a painting on the ceiling. In another cell is a large Taurian. The other two appear to be empty.

Alzar has one of the men at arms check the locks, and they all appear to be open. They start with the one with a Taurian, but as the door is opened, the illusion of the bullman has disappeared. The next one is the one with Gaston D’Amberville, silently staring up at the moon he painted on the ceiling. He is not responding to any stimulus. They search the jail and find nothing. Forward or left?

Left. They have entered a long long room, with another door on the same side that they entered, just down about 60-80 feet or so. This room contains a large number of metal vats and cauldrons. Some contain frothy and loathsome liquids. Magical symbols are engraved on them. There are many shelves and tables holding flasks, and vials of various liquids. Standing in a silent row, naked, are four human-like beings, unmoving. They close, and suddenly, the beings move and spring to attack.

A crossbow hits one for 2 damage. A dagger misses. They arrive. Battle ensues. The magen go first. The first and last one miss,. The second one hits Aleigha and tries to charm her. She fails her safe, and drop her sword and removes herself from combat. Another one (a caldron) hit Alzar for 4 damage and wraps him in flexible arms, that secrete acid. Alzar orders them to concentrate on the charm one (a hypnos). Estaish hits it for 5 damage, and Dryshik breathes in and hits. For 4 poison damage and blindness damage.

The next round arrives. Estaish kills the charm one. Alzar cannot damage the one grabbing him, and the men-at-arms are freed to shoot another one not by Estaish and Alzar. The one on the far right sticks out its hand, and casts lightning bolt at Alzar for 11 damage and a failed save. The other one misses. Alzar takes 9 from the acid oozing. The crossbow bolts fly in and they hit the demos one for 1 damage.

18/51

Alzar orders a new target – the one squeezing him. Alzar is squeezed for 7. The Demos hits Estaish for 2.The other misses.


6/24
11/51

Estaish hits the caldron for 7 damage. A Mist Ball flies in for 3 damage and a blinded caldron. One crossbow bolt hits it for 6 damage and another rolls a 1 and hits Alzar for 2.

9/51

Aleigha has shaken off the charm from the dead guy and is back next round. Alzar orders Estaish to withdraw. They win init. Aleigha misses. Crossbows hit once for 5 damage, and it dies.

Aleigha takes 12 from a lightning bolt.The Demos misses.

16/28

Alzar stabs with his staff at the jaw of the galvan and cracks it for 6 damage. Aleigha adds 9. Everybody else misses. The Demos is running after Estaish and swings at him – hit for 3 damage. The galvan misses. The Demos falls from crossbow bolts. They are almost out of crossbow bolt s(5 shots left each) and Alzar orders them to hold their fire.

3/24

The galvan reaches out and lightning bolts Alzar for 12 damage, saved to 6. Alzar smashes him for 8 damage and it falls.

XP – 170 each of the six of them.

[Abe Sargent]

That was a bad battle. He orders the men-at-arms to search while he takes a breathers. They find a chest under a tank with:

5000 gold in platinum dust
2000 gold in a small case of gems
800 gold for a tiny human shaped figurine of onyx.

At this point, they are loaded with treasure, and very wounded, with no spells left but a few. Alzar wants to end it now. He can’t, but he wants to.

Alzar quaffs a healing pot and orders Estaish to do the same.

9/24
9/51

They rest for a bit, and allow Dryshik to recharge. Alzar looks at the vats but without books to tell him what the processes are for, he can’t make any of this stuff out. Alzar decides this is the proper time to unveil the true form of his Gingwatzim. He turns the sword into a Fremlin and talks with it. There are a few unused vats here, and Alzar has the people work on turning on into a mobile treasure chest. The men-at-arms remove the bottom half from the cart that transports various equipment in here. It’s too shabby for much treasure, and open, but with a enclosed vat on the wheels, the treasure can be safe from attack and hold a lot, and just has to be pushed.


They move to the next door. It opens into a sort hallway with a door on every side, including one back to the jails. They go forward and open the door. This long narrow room, almost the size of a passageway, is very cold. There are slabs of marble with five bodies, each of which is missing its brain, after an incision and opening has been placed in the corpse. Alzar orders a search, they find nothing. There is a door down, and it is opened.

[Travis]

Continuing to be a great read. Should be interesting to see how things go for the next little while given the current health factors going on right now. Going to be a lot of fun for Alzar once he clears this area out and can put some of those new found items to use.

[Abe Sargent]

Yup!