Post by David on Sept 21, 2009 14:20:09 GMT -5
After the heroes guard the stone circle of Tovag Baragu overnight without incident, a group of centaurs escorts a red-haired, fair-skinned woman to the party's location in the heart of the menhirs. The woman introduces herself as Aine Nadeerg the screech owl on her shoulder as Dresher. Torr greets the woman and after some initial probing, discover that she is a witch of the seelie court while her familiar is an opinionated animal able to speak (in an annoying way) with humans.
On the morning of the 8th, the group steps through the 40' tall lintel at Tovag Baragu to appear amid torrential monsoon rains on Charn. The firegate is out and Montrose is nowhere in sight. The group gathers wood and attempts to build another firegate inside the nearby mill house in an attempt to transport themselves to Turquoise Rain's village outside of Calvados, but the spell fails, implying that their fire is no longer burning either.
Using a easy march and aura of comfort on most of the heroes, the group follows the "iron road" from Pommeville to Chateauenfer. There is no incident over the three days of travel and the heroes happily weather their evenings in Maedhros' secure shelter. The group does realize that during this weather, the skies of Charn seem almost perennially cloudy and full of rain and gusting winds.
Once outside the sprawling city, the heroes encounter seven ghouls charging through the downpour. Maedhros turns six to dust while Lowdog destroys the last in a single blow.
Later, only Aine and Dresher notice two gargoyles flying at the group from out of the gloom. Aine cast faerie fire on them, revealing the stone monsters to the rest of the group. The creatures attack Aine and Stephan, bitting off the assassin's armor on his leather armor and savaging Aine. The assassin and witch both dive behind Torr as the party moves to attack the gargoyles. Torr's strikes and Maedrhos' magic missiles kill one and Lowdog kills the other. Squattingbeaver tends to the party's wounds and heals.
Continuing on, the heroes encounter nine manes, whom Maedhros manages to turn (to his own surprise). Torr and Lowdog chase after the tiny demons, quickly catching them. A single glancing strike from Torr's holy sword annihilates the fiends and together with the totemic warrior, the paladin makes quick work of the lot. Unfortunately, 'Beaver decides to "help out" and starts casting call lightning before the fighters finish their work. The group decides to wait for the next foe (with Stephan turning invisible) -- they're not disappointed when twelve ghouls arrive. 'Beaver's lighting kills four and Maedhros dusts the remainder.
The group continues on and the shaman spies a female spirit approaching. It is an ekkimu and it uses 'Beavers attempt to communicate with it as an opportunity to possess the shaman. Used to the exercise, the heroes once again beat the scrawny Flan healing unconscious at which point the ekkimu leaves 'Beaver's body. The fighters swawm the spirit but she howls, paralyzing Stephan (still invisible!). Idky tries an abjure, but the spell fails. Lowdog finally kills the banshee-like thing and the healers restore 'Beaver to consciousness
Continuing on, the heroes later encounter six ghouls. Maedhros dusts one and Torr and Lowdog destroy two more before the half-elven cleric returns the last three to the earth from wence they came.
The heroes begin heading out of town now. A vrock swoops down and telekinesises 'Beaver into the air. The shaman tries a hold monster to no avail but Aine's faerie fire and Maedhros' magic missile both succeed. Maedhros taunts the demon and it comes to thrash him but Stephan attacks from behind, nailing several vital organs. One more blow from Torr's holy sword send the demon back to the Abyss.
As the party approaches the far side of the city, little girl runs up saying "Help me!", fluently in each person's language. Naturally, the "girl" turns out to be a gallu demon in disguise, the very one that took Lowdog's treasure from him...! Naturally, the totemic warrior pounces on the fiend!
Idky attempts and fails to cast faerie fire on it and after getting hit several times, it disappears. Lowdog notices it in a second floor window of a building and starts shooting arrows, but misses. The gallu demon disappears again and Beaver casts perfect perception in an attempt to keep tabs on it. The shaman sees the creature appear in various location and either dig up or otherwise attract ghouls to chase it back to the party as a disctraction. Taking advantage of the momentary chaos, the gallu demon reappears in the middle of the party looking exactly like 'Beaver. On cue, the shaman begins to shape change into beaver form and tells Lowdog "Here he is!"
Maedhros dusts the ghouls while the demon grabs the now short, fat, and furry shaman. But the rest of the heroes surround and hack the gallu demon, slaying it. Searching the bubbling body, Lowdog gets back all of the magical items that it had stolen from him months before.
The group finally leaves Chateauenfer and travels across the vast distance between there and Fleurville. They cross the great chasm without incident, arriving in the outskirts of the flooded river valley some six days later.
On the morning of the 8th, the group steps through the 40' tall lintel at Tovag Baragu to appear amid torrential monsoon rains on Charn. The firegate is out and Montrose is nowhere in sight. The group gathers wood and attempts to build another firegate inside the nearby mill house in an attempt to transport themselves to Turquoise Rain's village outside of Calvados, but the spell fails, implying that their fire is no longer burning either.
Using a easy march and aura of comfort on most of the heroes, the group follows the "iron road" from Pommeville to Chateauenfer. There is no incident over the three days of travel and the heroes happily weather their evenings in Maedhros' secure shelter. The group does realize that during this weather, the skies of Charn seem almost perennially cloudy and full of rain and gusting winds.
Once outside the sprawling city, the heroes encounter seven ghouls charging through the downpour. Maedhros turns six to dust while Lowdog destroys the last in a single blow.
Later, only Aine and Dresher notice two gargoyles flying at the group from out of the gloom. Aine cast faerie fire on them, revealing the stone monsters to the rest of the group. The creatures attack Aine and Stephan, bitting off the assassin's armor on his leather armor and savaging Aine. The assassin and witch both dive behind Torr as the party moves to attack the gargoyles. Torr's strikes and Maedrhos' magic missiles kill one and Lowdog kills the other. Squattingbeaver tends to the party's wounds and heals.
Continuing on, the heroes encounter nine manes, whom Maedhros manages to turn (to his own surprise). Torr and Lowdog chase after the tiny demons, quickly catching them. A single glancing strike from Torr's holy sword annihilates the fiends and together with the totemic warrior, the paladin makes quick work of the lot. Unfortunately, 'Beaver decides to "help out" and starts casting call lightning before the fighters finish their work. The group decides to wait for the next foe (with Stephan turning invisible) -- they're not disappointed when twelve ghouls arrive. 'Beaver's lighting kills four and Maedhros dusts the remainder.
The group continues on and the shaman spies a female spirit approaching. It is an ekkimu and it uses 'Beavers attempt to communicate with it as an opportunity to possess the shaman. Used to the exercise, the heroes once again beat the scrawny Flan healing unconscious at which point the ekkimu leaves 'Beaver's body. The fighters swawm the spirit but she howls, paralyzing Stephan (still invisible!). Idky tries an abjure, but the spell fails. Lowdog finally kills the banshee-like thing and the healers restore 'Beaver to consciousness
Continuing on, the heroes later encounter six ghouls. Maedhros dusts one and Torr and Lowdog destroy two more before the half-elven cleric returns the last three to the earth from wence they came.
The heroes begin heading out of town now. A vrock swoops down and telekinesises 'Beaver into the air. The shaman tries a hold monster to no avail but Aine's faerie fire and Maedhros' magic missile both succeed. Maedhros taunts the demon and it comes to thrash him but Stephan attacks from behind, nailing several vital organs. One more blow from Torr's holy sword send the demon back to the Abyss.
As the party approaches the far side of the city, little girl runs up saying "Help me!", fluently in each person's language. Naturally, the "girl" turns out to be a gallu demon in disguise, the very one that took Lowdog's treasure from him...! Naturally, the totemic warrior pounces on the fiend!
Idky attempts and fails to cast faerie fire on it and after getting hit several times, it disappears. Lowdog notices it in a second floor window of a building and starts shooting arrows, but misses. The gallu demon disappears again and Beaver casts perfect perception in an attempt to keep tabs on it. The shaman sees the creature appear in various location and either dig up or otherwise attract ghouls to chase it back to the party as a disctraction. Taking advantage of the momentary chaos, the gallu demon reappears in the middle of the party looking exactly like 'Beaver. On cue, the shaman begins to shape change into beaver form and tells Lowdog "Here he is!"
Maedhros dusts the ghouls while the demon grabs the now short, fat, and furry shaman. But the rest of the heroes surround and hack the gallu demon, slaying it. Searching the bubbling body, Lowdog gets back all of the magical items that it had stolen from him months before.
The group finally leaves Chateauenfer and travels across the vast distance between there and Fleurville. They cross the great chasm without incident, arriving in the outskirts of the flooded river valley some six days later.