Sessions 12 to 25

Session 25 - Entering Izabra

Our hardened adventurers set out from Xalter on a mission to locate Queen Vania's lost son and fine the pilgrimage to Valar's Winter Palace.

While tending the horses, Billy, Bowie, Maevis, Dan and Van Petrol were set upon by a minotaur and a band of gnolls while guarding the horses. Billy bravely tried to fight off the minotaur but was nearly overwhelmed before he convinced it to eat the horses instead of him.

Left with only 2 horses the party beat a retreat into the woods and regrouped before setting off for Izabra.

On the way to Izabra the party encountered a group of Pearlholders that had dispatched a horribly mutated deer. They said it was a sign of the end times and warned the party not to transgress against their gods.

On approaching Izabra a group of hunters approached asking to search your belongings. Mina used the hoar fox cloaks to convince them that you were important people from Xalter and they let you pass to the gate.

The gate guards summoned an Aquilonian patrol who requested 25 silver for entering the city. Bowie and Billy sneaked off into the lower citadel. The rest of the group were invited to a feast with King Glyptus the Good. After offering gifts a feast of sumptuousness the like you peasants had never encountered was presented. Mina tried to exit but was prevented by Queen Jocestis. Eventually she and Joe made an exit. Barrett was getting along swimmingly with Princess Hecis. Fraffolk the king's advisor started to expound on his theory as to why the snows hadn't lifted.

Session 24 - Dicing with demons

Our hardened adventurers set out from Xalter on a mission to locate Queen Vania's lost son and find the pilgrimage to Valar's Winter Palace.

Going through the misty door into the ethereal half world, a ghost of one of the dead hunters warned you that the creature that killed them all was still here. One of the stalagmites turned into a gruesome creature with four arms. Cyril blasted it with a mighty magic missile but still it did not go down. It retreated back into the real world and discorporated into a wall.

Gina snuck down in the fleshy, cancerous lower temple. There she found the 3 demons arguing. The spawn of Orcus was due to be born by Sexitilia but Caliadne had placed a spell around the woman. They needed sacrifices to end the spell. Caliadne had turned into a stirge and escaped. Gina was discovered and legged it up the stairs.

Mina again negotiated with the demons, this time promising another one 40 sentient beings to sacrifice. Again in two weeks time.

You returned through the lizard men's encampment. A small battle had taken place between the escaping cultists and the lizard men. G'ruk was not happy but wanted Epicaste as a slave. She spoke his language.

You headed back out and avoided a confrontation with another statue.

Session 23 - In the hall of the Stone King

Our hardened adventurers set out from Xalter on a mission to locate Queen Vania's lost son. Who's apparently a servant of the Cult of the Bloody Tongue but then Annen Sone, King Yalaring's right hand woman, persuaded him to come with her. G'ruk the lizardman shaman said he was after the Heart of Valar hidden by a sphinx.

Two of the demons disappeared down the staircase following Caliadne. The third was still transfixed by Gastric's spell. You thoroughly searched the temple, finding a potion of invisibility in the chaos. Then Gastric's spell ended and the demon threatened to kill you on leaving the sanctuary. He agreed not to kill Mina if you returned in two weeks with a triceratops head.

You then proceeded search all the corridors leading off the temple. Down one you found a long passage leading to a dead end. Down another was a room lit by purple flames with an ebony statue. You stole the immensely valuable crown from the statue's head.

Making it back to the main temple, going into a side room, you found a secret door into a frozen room with 2 dead bodies in it. You dragged the bodies out and one of them, the woman, came back to life.

You headed back into another door and felt your soul separating from your body. You backed out. Going into another door, it turned you into mist. Barret and Mo proceeded onwards.

Session 22 - A ceremony interrupted

Our hardened adventurers set out from Xalter on a mission to locate Queen Vania's lost son.

In the lizardman village Torath Manover once again asked you to rescue him. You assured him you were on the case. You traded the degenerate lizard men with G'ruk for a green and furry magic potion. You traded a large ruby with G'ruk for a secret passage way leading to the temple of the Cult of the Bloody Tongue.

Gina sneaked ahead down the passage and found an untidy sleeping area. At the end of a short flight of stairs was a secret door. This lead into a makeshift shrine for a lizard god. From a passageway leading out of the shrine Gina heard the sounds of chanting. She fetched the rest of the party.

In the shrine of the lizard god, you interrogated the Dark One. He said you could not foil the Cult of the Bloody Tongue's plans. Before he died he revealed that Caliadne the nymph came from the Black Goat Woods and became part of the Cult of the Bloody Tongue in Fort Vulgar.

You set light to the Dark One's body and Mina, protected from fire, hurled it into the ceremony happening in the in great temple. Barret starting freeing the sacrifices from their cages. Mina got in a spell duel with Caliadne the nymph. Joe and Mo charged headlong into the crowd and guards. Gina and Cyril attacked from the side.

The spell duel between Mina and Caliadne got out of hand and three monstrous demons were summoned into the middle of the room. Everybody started running. As Mina was running she cast the most powerful sanctuary spell and converted the temple into a place of worship for Ishtar. She then managed to convert most of the people in the room to worship of Ishtar. Apart from the followers of Valar who hate her.

Session 21 - A minotaur darkly

Our hardened adventurers set out from Xalter on a mission to locate Queen Vania's lost son.

You headed back to the lizard men and found a fight broken out between a group of tribesmen and lizard men. The lizard men were led by a minotaur.

You quickly dispatched the tribesmen but the lizard men started attacking you. When the fight went bad, the lizard men betrayed their minotaur leader. Eventually a confused fight ensued with the lizard men running. The furious minotaur took many blows before he was finally downed by Mina.

You made it back to the bronze doors. The escaped lizard men were before the doors conversing with the lizard men on the other size. Gastric hypnotised some of them and you subdued the rest. You knocked and G'ruk opened the door.

G'ruk said the other lizard men were a different tribe and that you could do with them as you wished. He granted you the Dark One as a captive for killing the gnolls.

Session 20 - Scouting for gnolls

Our hardened adventurers set out from Xalter on a mission to locate Queen Vania's lost son.

Pushing north through the dungeon you came into a large natural cavern. Gastric advised that you headed down the south side of the cavern. While searching the cave-in in the middle of the cavern, one of the stalagmites started talking to you. Quartz the stalagmite said that the Cult of the Bloody Tongue were responsible for the massacre of Yalvan's party. He described the great temple and terrible temple lower in the Ruins. He persuaded the party to wait for the wise Spinacite to return.

Gina went off and scouted the eastern end of the cavern. She found a gnoll guarding a staircase up to a platform. Gina sneaked up, trying to surprise the gnoll, only to find more gnolls hidden behind columns on the platform.

The rest of the party, on learning of the presence of the gnolls, decided not to wait for Spinacite and deal with the immediate threat. Once again Gina sneaked forward but this time stumbled and attracted the attention of a flock of stirges. The party were surrouned by stirges and gnolls.

The stirges were quickly dispatched after one had latched onto Mo. But a mighty fight with the gnolls ensued on the staircase. The gnoll commander called for reinforcements. Gina slunk around the edges of the battle, shanking the gnolls. Mo made a fool of a gnoll by his superior halberd skills but the gnoll was so outraged that he pushed Mo off the platform, dealing him a grevious wound. Eventually the gnolls were all dispatched, with just one managing to flee for its life.

Session 19 - Lizards

Our hardened adventurers set out from Xalter on a mission to locate Queen Vania's lost son.

The giant, Gastric Hammerclay, was actually an outsized gnome, outcast from his tribe. He was grateful to you for dispatching the gelatinous cube and agreed to accompany you to the temple.

He guided you past striges and the carnivorous stalactites. You found the Dark One being toyed with by a group of lizard men. Their leader, G'ruk, invited you to eat food with them. The food was unidentified meat. You found Torath Manover, the high priest of Valar from Xalter, held prisoner by them. You had words with him and the G'ruk ended the conversation.

Gastric guided you up to a gnoll guard post. It took Cyril's cunning ventriloquism to finally open the door leading to a fierce fight with the blood thirsty gnolls. The gnolls eventually fled with you chasing down the stragglers.

Session 18 - Slimed

Our hardened adventurers set out from Holt on a mission to find out what happened to the pilgrimage to Valar's Winter Palace and locate Queen Vania's lost son.

The group to the east quickly dispatched the remaining Hivernian tribesmen. Bowie and Mo interfered with the goat headed statue of the Cult of the Bloody Tongue. Bowie got lightly flamed and Mo got cursed but they each recovered a large gem from the eyes.

To the west Wolda and the villagers were rescued and the party retreated out the dungeon. Wolda told you that Torath Manover and he were abducted by hobgoblins and was about to be handed over to the gnolls when they were ambushed by Hivernian tribesmen. Torath ended up with the gnolls. One of the villagers mentioned that he heard the Dark One talking to an Aquilonian called Publius Sharpaxe about items recovered from a temple.

A group decided to go back into the Ruins of Kupchak. You made it past an illusionary spear trap and down a collapsing flight of steps onto a lower level. The next level was a huge cave with a river running through the middle. You met a small giant who seemed eager for rations when you were ambushed by a gelatinous cube. It had a much treasure inside it but it slid back into the water before you recover all but a few silver.

Session 17 - The auspices of Crom

Our hardened adventurers set out from Holt on a mission to find out what happened to the pilgrimage to Valar's Winter Palace and locate Queen Vania's lost son.

The assault on the bridge turned into two running battles. Mina, Hazel and Joe pushed north, following a desperate call for help. Barret and Bowie went across the bridge east, finding more Hivernian tribesmen.

The battle in the east ended up in a narrow corridor with Barret heading up an initially inauspicious fight marked by a lot of ineptitude. Feeling the other battle going south, he called on Crom for help and started slaying and reaving his way through the heavily armoured Hivernians. The Hivernians ran, with Barret in hot pursuit. Crom was pleased.

To the north the party interrupted a sacrificial rite of the Cult of the Bloody Tongue. The magically armoured Joe got commanded to flee by one of the evil clerics. Dan took a brutal wound from a long sword and retreated. That left Mina, Hazel and a reluctant Gina outnumbered by cultists. Things looked to be going south when Mina requested divine aid from Ishtar and blinded most of the oppostion. Pushing through the wall of armoured cultists, they started to attack the The Dark One. Hazel grabbed him with the intent of pushing him off the ledge. In his desperate attempt to get free, he tripped and fell backwards disappearing with a splash below.

With the disappearance of The Dark One, Mina persuaded the rest of the cultists to drop their weapons and retreat. The man the cultists were trying to sacrifice turned out to be Wolda, one of the guards for the pilgrimage to Valar's Winter Palace.

Session 16 - Shield

Our hardened adventurers set out from Holt on a mission to find out what happened to the pilgrimage to Valar's Winter Palace and locate Queen Vania's lost son.

After spending the night camped out at the top of the ruins, in the morning you venture downwards.

You come to a rope bridge across a deep dark chasm. As you started to cross the rope bridge, bats attacked. Then Hivernian tribesmen attacked and tried to cut the bridge.

Hazel cast an almighty shield, protecting most of you from harm. You routed the Hivernians but one of the giant bats is still going, protected by a miscast shield. Will Joe be able to defeat the bat?

Session 15 - Out of the wolf pack and into the ruins

Our hardened adventurers set out from Holt on a mission to find out what happened to the pilgrimage to Valar's Winter Palace and locate Queen Vania's lost son.

Heading up to the stirge cave you quickly dispatch the remaining stirges. Mina casts a sanctuary spell that makes the entire cave a place of worship for Ishtar and converts Mo, Billy, Cyril, Gina and Bowie into into followers.

In the morning Skintaster and her pack try to ambush the party at the mouth of the cave and Hazel narrowly escapes being eaten. The followers of Ishtar gather at the front of the cave preventing the wolves from entering. After much gruesome talk and threats, Skintaster leaves, vowing to return. You rob Ealswin and he tries to make it back to Xalter alone.

On the way to the Ruins of Kupchak, the party rescues a small girl, Gytheue from the clutches of a troll cat. Maevis brings the girl back after a stray arrow sticks in her throat. You return Gytheue to her parents and convince them to leave for Izabra.

Eventually you make it to the monolithic Ruins of Kupchak and are ambushed by a group of tribesmen. You defeat the tribesmen when Cyril casts a powerful blast of magic at them.

Session 14 - Riverwatch Mountain

Our plucky adventurers set out from Holt on a mission to find out what happened to the pilgrimage to Valar's Winter Palace and locate Queen Vania's lost son.

Hazel, Bowie and Mo tracked down the escaped hobgoblin and killed him to prevent him warning Uilin. You killed the uncooperative apprentice Inzimonar and camped down for the night. Dan ate Inzimonar's heart, climbed a tree, and had a vision of a knight in rusty armour bearing a bright shield. Dan then swan dived out the tree, nearly killing himself. During the night Joe and Hazel were tricked by Ahma the wolverine and Jouni the pine martin. Ahma said he would teach them the secret to starting a fire but instead he stole some of Mina's rations and sprayed on her back pack.

You decided to head towards Riverwatch Mountain as you felt the road was too dangerous and Dan's vision lead towards the mountain. In the mountain you were assualted by stirges that you drove away. You came across a grisly scene of two people devoured by some horrible creature. Heading up to the stirge cave, you came across, Ealswin, a survivor. He said that the attack had been carried out by the wolf Skintaster and her pack. He said that if you don't drink a toast to the wolves they will come back.

You haven't drunk a toast and are heading up to the strige cave for the night.

Session 13 - Where's my wand?

Our plucky adventurers set out from Holt on a mission to find out what happened to the pilgrimage to Valar's Winter Palace and locate Queen Vania's son.

Uilin the wizard sent out an apprentice and a squad of hobgoblins to recover his stolen wand. A brutal fight ensued. Young Hazel took out the apprentice with a single well aimed shot from her sling. The hobgoblin who was guarding her escaped. A bone shattering hit from Joe managed to cover a hobgoblin with the bits of femur. Still the hobgoblins fought grimly on. As the fight ended and the warriors were butchering the remaining forces the hobbits decided it was time for an extra meal.

Inzimonar the apprentice that Uilin sent with you to assist in your quest is unconscious, as is one of the goblins. What do you do?

Session 12 - A mighty wizard

Mina finds out that Dushi Sone has been cursed by a troll, Cragspider. She can only stay in the citadel now and help the crocodiles. She was transporting gold and something else to a dragon who was keeping the lake warm for the crocodiles. Mina, Gina and Joe rejoin the rest of the party.

Hogwash orders some armour and stays behind in Xalter.

The rest of the party bury the bodies of the woodcutters who killed Stan and nearly Dan. Everybody travels north with the horses.

You get caught in a snow storm hampering your progress. In the snow you find a body, strangley killed. The body has some sort of map.

You decided to head off the path to Uilin's Tower. On the way you are attacked by wolves that you quickly dispatch. Eventually making it to the tower.

The tower is surrounded by an iced over moat. After calling out a young wizard appears amongst you and then a door and stepping stones appear in the mote. The whole party tries to cross at once and the stepping stones start sinking, nearly drowning Joe. Mina and Mo rescue him in the nick of time.

Inside the tower you are met by a grumpy wizard who questions you as to what the nature of the quest Queen Vania has given you is. He advises you not to go to the Ruins of Kupchak. And he says he doesn't recognise the sign carved into King Yalaring's head. He sells you animal food, a potion and an ointment.

And then Bowie, by a masterful feat of pick pocketing, steals back the gold you paid and also a short golden wand.