Session/Game: Marches 3e #6                                                     Date: 10/22/00

 

Campaign Date: Quoct 27—Povem 9  Imperial Year 468

 

Characters:

Ydarik, dwarf cleric, level 2, LG,  Chuck Tillinghast

Rannos, human fighter, level 4, CG, Bob LaForge

Bayne, elf, ranger, level 3, CG, Matt Diguglielmo

Kronin, dwarf fighter, level 4, LN, Dave Hanley

Ragnar, human rogue, level 4, CG, Shaun Sipple

Manfred, Movar and Jakbar, human, warriors, level 3, N, hirelings

Agrippa, human, cleric/sorcerer, level 2/2, LN, NPC

Dirk, Nasty, Stig and Barry, halfling, warriors, level 2, LN, hirelings

 

Log:

Quoct 27^th

            At Baltburg cathedral  the dwarf cleric Ydarik (sometimes erroneously know as Aardvark), was talking with a fellow priest named Agrippa.  Agrippa was concerned about the undead appearing south of the Baltburg-Old Fort Road and believed that they had sprung from the abandoned Chapel Perilous in the wasteland. Agrippa had tried to raise a force to deal with the menace, but had only managed to hire 4 halfling warriors, Dirk, Nasty, Stig and Barry.  He had heard of a crusading knight, Sir Malakai, who had a band of bold retainers who might be able to do the job.  He had heard some disturbing rumors about them and was vexed as to what to do.   Ydarik himself, however, decided to try to convince these adventures to undertake the task and cleanse this evil.  So, he rode out on his pony toward Fort Blacksword.

            Meanwhile, after six weeks or so of traveling, training and shopping, Kronin, Rannos, Ragnar and Bayne had settled into Fort Blacksword.    Sir Malakai, however, was gone.  He had come down with a case of Finster Weevils and one morning awoke to announce: “I have sinned against Bor, I received knighthood and lands from a secular lord, when all my allegiance belongs to the Order of St Hugo and to Bor.  Bor has cursed me with this weevilly blight and I must atone.” Taking Ashmar with him as his lackey, Sir Malakai rode off to the West to seek the Knight-Commander at Weston to do penance.  Perhaps the weevils had gone to his head, but he appointed Rannos as his steward over the fort until his return.

 

Quoct 28^th

            Late that day Ydarik arrived at the fort and was met by Bayne who escorted him in.  He convinced Rannos, Bayne, Kronin and Ragnar to join him in his quest against the dead menace.  Whitefire the wizard was heard to say “It’s wrong to fight the dead” and stayed behind to guard the fort.

 

Quoct 29^th

            The five adventurers set out for the ruined chapel, riding right past Ludwig and camping the wasteland nearer the chapel.     During the early evening they were attacked by 10 skeletons whom the easily defeated.  Later that night, however, a group of 8 Ogre-zombies attacked the camp.  In a grim fight Rannos was killed by an axe-blow to the head, Kronin was grievously wounded almost to death, and the others received major wounds as well, Bayne however worked out that the slow speed of the zombies could be used to his advantage and eventually, Ydarik, Bayne and Ragnar killed the zombies with arrow-fire and saved Kronin.  Grieving and fearful the party fled back in the direction of Baltburg.

 

Quoct 30^th

            Party travels toward Baltburg.

 

Povem 1^st

            Party travels toward Baltburg, arriving in early evening.

 

Povem 2^nd

            Ydarik appeals to Bishop Lucius to raise Rannos from the dead.  The  bishop agrees, for the lawfully ordained price, a knight’s steward can surely afford it.   They sell Rannos’ masterwork throwing spear and Bayne chips in 106 gp, the fee is paid and Rannos returns from the dead.  Bayne meanwhile goes to visit Tobar the Sell-sword agent and offers 50 gp per month for top-notch mercenaries.  Tobar says he’ll find some for him.  Ydarik prevails upon Agrippa to gather Dirk, Nasty, Stig and Barry and join the expedition.

 

Povem 3^rd

            As Rannos rests and recovers, the rest of the party purchases equipment and supplies.  Tobar introduces Bayne to Manfred, Movar and Jakbar (three crack warriors from the village of Pep) and Bayne hires them for a rate of 50 gp each per month plus bonuses.

 

Povem 4^th

            Entire party travels toward the neighborhood of Ludwig.

 

Povem 5^th

            Party arrives near Ludwig

 

Povem 6^th

            The party dashes across the Waste, and arrives within 5 miles of the Chapel ruins.  During the trip Bayne and Agrippa exchange heated arguments because of Bayne’s repeated and purposefully provocative blasphemies against Bor, and against Agrippa’s adherence to Borial ritual.  The camp is attacked soon after dark by some skeletons that are destroyed or driven off.  A second attack by ghouls claims the life of Stig, one of the halfling warriors. The party remains awake the rest of the night to avoid surprise attacks, destroying a second group of ghouls.

 

Povem 7^th

            The party rides into the area surrounding the chapel and finds more than they bargained for:  an ancient tower, ruined village, granite obelisk, several spooky forests, all in addition to the ruined chapel itself.  Spying some orcs near the tower, they move in that direction, but the orcs flee. 

After making a quick search of the ruined village, they approach the ancient tower.  They find it sealed by a magic door with a blue crystal key lock.  They retrieve a blue crystal key, which Rannos had found in the elfish ruins near Old Fort some months before, and find that it opens the door.  While the tower itself is hollow and empty, they find a second door in the basement, which is also opened by the crystal key.         

Avoiding some ancient forks in the hall, they find a sealed door, inscribed with a message that reads, “Sealed, move on” in the Celestial tongue.  The lock is ancient and rusted, and Ragnar gives up after one attempt to pick it.    Moving on they destroy the animated skeletons of three giant-sized lizard-men and find a room that has the symbol of the serpent god on one wall, and the skeleton of a long-dead elf, holding a cedar pole lying in the middle of a circle of mushrooms.   In a charcoal bin Kronin discovers some golden treasure and gems. 

In another room, several ghoulish undead spiders dropped upon Ragnar and paralyzed him, and one or tow of the other party members.  The spiders were soon destroyed however.  After the victims recover, more treasure was discovered.  Bayne found a secret door and opened it to see a room with a 10 ft pool of oily stuff in the middle.  From the doorway, Rannos threw a spider’s leg into the pool, igniting it.  At the same time 5 Azers (dwarf-like creatures from the plane of fire) appeared in the spider-room and attacked the party. 

While the party is fighting the Azers, Bayne sneaks into the pool room, discovers a secret panel and opens it.  This  triggers a magic piston that shoves Bayne into the flaming pool.  Ydarik, hears the commotion and rushes to help Bayne as the party finishes off the Azers.  Grabbing the rope Ydarik threw, Bayne climbs from the pool, all ablaze, barely escaping with his life.  It takes the remainder of Ydarik’s healing magic to restore Bayne to fighting condition.

Scouting ahead, Ragnar is later swarmed by 10 small fire elementals that appear from nowhere.  The party rescues him and slays all 10.  They then find another room with some ancient debris: a spike, a hook and some markings.  Bayne finds a secret door that hides a long narrow room containing a cage and a serpent-statue.  Ragnar scouts ahead and detects some magical trapping enchantment on the objects.  Nevertheless he attempts to open the cage, this causes 5 hellhounds to appear in the debris room and attack the center of the party.  Jakbar was grievously hurt, but Agrippa’s magic allowed him to regain consciousness and mobility (barely), but Barry the halfling wasn’t so lucky, he was killed by the hounds.  The hounds were at last all killed.  While the fighting raged, Ragnar discovered a wand hidden under the cage. 

Worn out, the party returns to the surface, to find a group of 30 orcs waiting for them, led by a huge Ogre with demonic features and huge bat wings. Agrippa gives Rannos a bull’s strength potion, and Ydarik casts an enchantment on his Great Axe.  Bayne meanwhile leaps to attack the leader, only to be cut off from the rest of the party by the press of the orcs.  Bayne is brutally clubbed to death by the ogre lord, the sword Bayne was using was a fine quality blade discovered in the dungeon, but it had not been sharpened for 4000 years, so gave him no advantage.  Meanwhile, the rest of the party hacks the orc force to pieces, killing 20 and forcing the remaining ones to flee.  One orc killed Jakbar, who was badly wounded already, Manfred and Movar were both grievously wounded, but rescued by the halflings.  Ragnar handed his wand to Agrippa, who used it to good effect.  He healed some characters and when at last the ogre lord flew to the attack used the wand to inflict holy damage on it.  Working together, Agrippa, Ragnar, Rannos, Kronin and Ydarik at last wore down the ogre enough that it flew away to fight another day.  Gathering the bodies, and sealing the tower with the key, the party withdrew back towards Ludwig.

 

Povem 8^th

            Party arrives at Ludwig exhausted, at just in time for boiled egg night.

 

Povem 9^th

            After the treasure is divided, Agrippa and the halflings return to Baltburg at first light, Agrippa vowing never to journey with such a band of blasphemers and fornicators again.