Adventurers:
Beena - Elf Ranger
Blake The Luminescent - Deva Cleric
Bullroarer - Threequarterling Warden
Gigantor - Goliath Barbarian
Lucas - Goliath Barbarian
Rock Shroomslayer - Dwarf Warlord
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Active Quests:
Main Quest: Rescue! Ascertain the fate of the following and escort any survivors back to Brindol.
- Jalissa (Status: Unknown)
- Sertanian (Status: Unknown)
- Thurann (Status: Unknown)
- Mirtala (Status: Unknown)
- Zerriska (Status: Alive, Freed, Awaiting escort to Brindol)
- Adronsius (Status: Unknown)
- Kartenix (Status: Unknown)
- Ornate, gilded dragoncrest helm (Status: Not yet recovered)
- Ceremonial platinum longsword (Status: Not yet recovered)
- Set of 3 shields, each with Red Hand insignia, each with a charred hole near the center (Status: Not yet recovered)
- Set of iron gauntlets with extensive filigree (Status: Not yet recovered)
- Heraldic battle standard depicting two hands clasped in a handshake (Status: Not yet recovered)
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Cleared Rooms:
- Chamber of Flame Unbound
- Goblin Warren
- Mushroom Chamber
- Portal Room
- Von Urstadt Crypt
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Ready to move on, our adventurers moved east. Besides its small size, this room's only other distinct feature was some floor etchings on north side of the room. The major etchings were a triangle set into a larger circle. Standing in the center of the etchings was an elderly woman.As they approached the woman turned to meet their gaze. Cautiously the party hailed the woman before approaching too closely. It was Zerriska, the crone of Brindol who had been taken captive. After having threatened to use her magic on her captors, they imprisoned her in a sort of arcane cell. The arcane etchings caused an invisible wall of force to surround the circle, from the floor to the ceiling.
Not actually possessing magic powers, she was not able to determine how the trap could be disabled. Our adventurers did not notice any switches or other means to shut off the invisible field that kept her; they then turned their attention to the field of force itself and began to probe for weaknesses.Initial attempts to deactivate the arcane cell proved ineffective; actually touching the barrier not only caused the object touching it to be strongly forced outward, contact with a body part caused significant pain. Beena was the first to notice that the barrier did occasionally flicker for less than a second, but nothing useful came of it.
So after a few weapons were forcefully repelled into the walls of the room (some with the heroes still holding them), and more than a few bruises, it was Lucas who had the bright idea to start breaking up the floor. One floor piece broken up caused an obvious effect as the frequency of it's visible flickerings increased and were longer. After 2 more of the squares were broken up, the arcane cell had been permanently deactivated.Zerriska, instead of thanking her rescuers, was more than a little rude to them, repeatedly querying them as to when she would be taken back to Brindol. After a few minutes of unfriendly conversation, she agreed to wait in the first room of Rivenroar.
Before the party moved deeper into the castle, however, she did agree to try and gather some mushrooms from the room below which could then be brewed up into something useful for the party. She picked some slumberspores successfully without disturbing them.Retracing steps back west through the makeshift goblin barracks and into the hallway directly above the mushroom chamber (the hallway with the pits), the adventures cut west and through another double doorway. The room was lit, but the source of the light was initially unknown. Walking just a little ways south in the room revealed the image of a grim castle set in a swamp somewhere far away.
It appeared to be a portal, but any object that passed through it would pass straight through and arrive on the other side. After a few moments of examining, something began to come through the image; the portal was still active on the other side!
The form that came through was an amorphous mass of tinged yellow goo - an ochre jelly! It immediately lashed out at the party, eager for its next meal. Fighting the ochre jelly proved less effective than expected as, despite the damage inflicted to it, it showed no signs of having been injured or weakened.While the fight with the lone ochre jelly raged on, two specters materialized and engaged the party from behind. While a couple of party members turned onto the specters, the rest focused on the jelly. The unexpected happened when the ochre jelly split into two. To complicate their lives further, the specters disappeared when attacked and showed up just moments later in an even more advantageous position.
The party had sustained considerable damage, but the damage sustained by the attacking monsters was greater. The two separate ochre jellies, when slain, were reduced to small pools of tinged yellow muck. The specters, finally at rest, dematerialized with a spine-tingling shriek. Another touchdown for the visiting team.Satisfied that it was safe to move on, the party headed through the west doors in the portal room; on the other side was a hairpin hallway which turned north, then east. This hallway dumped right into a new room, this one with burial alcoves set into the walls.
Immediately upon entering the room, double doors on the north side of the room opened, seemingly all by themselves. Not more than 2 seconds later, the darkness in the room was pierced by bright light. Two creatures resembling scorpions magically appeared; their bodies appeared to be volcanic rock, each segment connected by small highlights of molten magma. Things were heating up for our adventurers.Eager to investigate the open doors, Bullroarer and Gigantor ran past the magma claws to find 2 gnomes holding the doors open. The gnomes shut the doors to defend themselves but were cut down only moments later.
The magma claws engaged the party by spewing magma to first immobilize party members, then claw at them. Impressive to behold, but ultimately not a match for a party of six adventurers, the magma claws only lasted briefly in combat. Upon death, the parts of the magma claws that were volcanic rock fell to the ground while the creamy magma center spilled onto the stone tiles. Within a half of a minute, this magma cooled and the room darkened again.One gnome was slain outright; the other was knocked unconscious altogether and set against a wall. Considering the room now safe to explore, some began to explore the alcoves, while others examined the inscriptions on the walls and ceiling. An inscription on the east wall read "Hail Von Urstadts! Ascend with Glory!” while a dust covered fresco on the western wall depicts knights riding pegasi into the clouds. After a few minutes of admiring these features of the room, the gnome who had been knocked out came to silently, and quickly made an escape into the east hallway(rope tying fail).
After a few minutes of searching the alcoves, the party found an unusual mace, 80gp, and a small valuable gem worth about 100gp. The mace was curious, and had to be passed around the party until finally Rock successfully identified it as possessing the Holy Healer's Weapon enchant. Blake was eager to give it a spin and no one contested it.----------------------------
Where did that gnome run off to?
How many more things do you have to kill to finally get some answers?
Am I remembering all these details close to how it happened? Please let me know so I can fix it if needed.
Did you know that picking shrooms isn't all that Zerriska is good at?
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