[D&D 2e] The Tomb of the Lizard King 1
Mist: Human Shadow Walker (Mage/Thief) Level 4
Jairus: Elven Mage/Thief Level 3/4
Kell: Human Ravager (Barbarian) Level 4
Sanaka: Human Windwalker (Priest) Level 4
Gunel: Human Fighter/Gladiator Level 4
Droop: Goblin Lackey (Fighter) Level 1
Jairus: Elven Mage/Thief Level 3/4
Kell: Human Ravager (Barbarian) Level 4
Sanaka: Human Windwalker (Priest) Level 4
Gunel: Human Fighter/Gladiator Level 4
Droop: Goblin Lackey (Fighter) Level 1
(Previous notes)
The Palace of the Count of Eor
The party was Quested by the church of Ilmater to assist the Count of Eor in his time of need. They traveled north then east from Neverwinter to Vendare, the capital of Eor. (Meta: Do not look for this on a map of Faerun. I plopped it where it was convenient. Think east of The Crags.)
They met with the Count and his clerical advisor. They passed whatever final tests the cleric secretly put them to and were taken into the Count's confidence:
The party was then invited to an audience chamber to hear the complaints of merchants whose caravans had been waylaid by brigands when traveling near Waycombe. The merchants start out all at once, in a cacophony of moaning about goods and soldiers lost. Sanaka hushed them and began questioning them one at a time. The stories were all the same: the attacks happen along the main highway near Waycombe, the brigands always come from the south, the attackers look like normal men, guards have been ineffective and run away when the attacks begin, and the attacks always start with an old man who stops the caravans asking for directions.
Before the question and answer session is finished, Mist turned around sharply at something she overheard with her lip reading skill. One of the priests in the corner of the room who was previously chanting blessing instead said "Oh great power of evil, destroy now thine enemies." Mist rushed to interpose herself between the priest and the Count. A column of fire blazed from the ceiling (Flame Strike), knocking over the Count, his advisor, and Sanaka, who stood beside the Count. The priest who cast the spell started a hasty retreat out the door, casting another spell.
The priest's Sanctuary spell went off, and Mist and Jairus were the only two left paying attention to him. Jairus interrupted another spell by use of his wand of Magic Missile. A third spell was ineffective against Jairus, and the elf Webbed the attacker into place in the Count's anteroom.
The priest would answer no questions, though threatened by the elf and stabbed in the foot by Droop. Jairus, unwilling to bloody his hands, set Gunel to killing the priest. In the audience chamber, Sanaka set to healing the wounded, with the help of the Count's loyal clerics. Jairus returned to the chamber to give half a rousing speech about protecting the lands and dispatching the Count's enemies. (Meta: I should have asked the intent of the speech, and then had him roll a Leadership check. My bad.)
Journey to Waycombe
The party wasted no time leaving. They hooked up their horses to their cart and headed east by south. They reached the town of Arth by noon. There was no better news in Arth, due to its proximity to Vendare. At nightfall, the party arrived at the town of Newcombe.
Neither was there fresh information at Newcome. Droop was sent to prepare the cart for travel. He hitched up the horses behind the cart. Jairus threw him a copper piece for trying, and rearranged the horses for travel.
They party journeyed the better part of a second day before 5 ogres jumped out from the scrub brush near the road. "Yer money or yer lives!" Droop threw his copper coin at the ogres. Everyone else attacked.
Jairus cast Grease directly into the path of two of the ogres. They both fell. Gunel, being none too bright, also charged through the grease and ended up on the ground.
Jairus alternated helping Kell and Mist fell two ogres. Sanaka killed a third with his claymore. When Gunel finally stood up (and it took a while), she chopped an ogre clean in half with one blow. The fifth was kept for questioning.
Only Droop could speak a common language with the ogre. The two conversed in Orc long enough to find out the ogre knew nothing about brigands to the east. The ogres had come from the forest to the west. Droop told the ogre he could go, but Gunel slew it from behind, thinking it was trying to escape. A short while later, the party arrived safely at the Safe Haven Inn.
Day 3 was off to an ominous start when the party was ambushed by 3 hill giant just a couple hours east from the inn. There was no warning, until Gunel was struck by a large rock thrown from a hill to the north. Droop immediately threw his copper coin into the road.
Mist used her Shadow Aura to sneak up on the giants (it also helped her avoid a thrown rock which would have otherwise hit her). Jairus stealthily sneaked around, keep out of view as well. Kell charged the three giants, followed by Gunel after she picked herself up off the ground.
The fight was intense, and the party was badly hurt. Gunel felled a giant in single combat. Kell traded blows with two of the giants. One would have struck her down, however, Mist had used Spider Climb to ascend the giant and had stuck it in the neck with her pin ring coated with a paralyzing poison. The poison did not fell the giant, but it made the creature numb enough to miss with it's club. Sanaka, Jairus, and Gunel also helped kill the two giants attacking Kell.
They did not dare to continue a day's travels, so the party returned to the Safe Haven Inn. They rested the remainder of the day, healed, and continued east on the 4th day.
The day passed uneventfully, and the party made it to the Robin's Breast Inn. Sanaka went straight to sleep (he was out of spells from all the healing earlier in the day). The rest of the party members met a handsome Bard named Sir Dorian (I think). At the request for local information, Sir Dorian sang them a ballad he had composed based on local folklore.
The locals were none too happy to hear the ballad and filed out of the inn, much to the chagrin of the innkeeper. The party paid the innkeeper some gold, and ate with the Bard.
The following day Droop harnessed someone else's horse to the front of their cart. He received a silver piece for getting it half right. A full day of travel was uneventful, and the party had to camp off the road due to lack of another conveniently placed inn or village.
The night was uneventful. Noontime found the party staring at the Great Bridge. Halfway across, they were ambushed by 20 lizard men, who came from the reeds under the bridge. The party easily survived the javelins of the lizard men. The party was quite amazed that they had met everything except human brigands on their travels to Waycombe.
An hour from the Great Bridge, they came upon Barto Trume himself, sleeping below a great split oak. He told a tale of running from a group of 40 brigands in the fields behind the Waycombe Inn. All of his men were missing or killed, he knew not which after his cowardly flight. He pointed the party to a copse of trees beyond the Waycombe field, if they wanted to find the brigands. The party demanded, quite forcefully, that the man come with them for his own protection, amidst many protestations that he must return to the Count.
The Village of Waycombe
The party arrived at the village as the sun was setting. They entered the inn to find the innkeeper packing his belongings and preparing to head out of town. He was the last person left in Waycombe, not including the insane man who lives by the swamp. The innkeeper, Busby, filled them in on the events of the town (not much they hadn't already heard). For the sake of complete honesty, he told them about the large flying shape he spotted in the sky one night. The party convinced him to stay, safe with them throughout the night.
Meta: I ended up with a dead evil priest that the module says I should keep alive at all costs. The party ended up with Barto Trume in town, though the module says he will not travel with the party due to his obligations to the count. And they have Busby the innkeeper, which the module says "nothing the party says or does will persuade Busby to stay...." Either I'm really bad at running modules, or the authors expect far too little from determined players.
The party was Quested by the church of Ilmater to assist the Count of Eor in his time of need. They traveled north then east from Neverwinter to Vendare, the capital of Eor. (Meta: Do not look for this on a map of Faerun. I plopped it where it was convenient. Think east of The Crags.)
They met with the Count and his clerical advisor. They passed whatever final tests the cleric secretly put them to and were taken into the Count's confidence:
"You are accepted for this task. What you must do seems simple. Travel to the village of Waycombe in the south. Learn the fate of my squad of men; they were led by Barto Trume, one of my most trusted soldiers. Then find these detestable brigands and eliminate them; summary justice is approved by my authority. Above all else, find out if there is any further evil behind these vicious attacks. If so, eliminate it."
The party was then invited to an audience chamber to hear the complaints of merchants whose caravans had been waylaid by brigands when traveling near Waycombe. The merchants start out all at once, in a cacophony of moaning about goods and soldiers lost. Sanaka hushed them and began questioning them one at a time. The stories were all the same: the attacks happen along the main highway near Waycombe, the brigands always come from the south, the attackers look like normal men, guards have been ineffective and run away when the attacks begin, and the attacks always start with an old man who stops the caravans asking for directions.
Before the question and answer session is finished, Mist turned around sharply at something she overheard with her lip reading skill. One of the priests in the corner of the room who was previously chanting blessing instead said "Oh great power of evil, destroy now thine enemies." Mist rushed to interpose herself between the priest and the Count. A column of fire blazed from the ceiling (Flame Strike), knocking over the Count, his advisor, and Sanaka, who stood beside the Count. The priest who cast the spell started a hasty retreat out the door, casting another spell.
The priest's Sanctuary spell went off, and Mist and Jairus were the only two left paying attention to him. Jairus interrupted another spell by use of his wand of Magic Missile. A third spell was ineffective against Jairus, and the elf Webbed the attacker into place in the Count's anteroom.
The priest would answer no questions, though threatened by the elf and stabbed in the foot by Droop. Jairus, unwilling to bloody his hands, set Gunel to killing the priest. In the audience chamber, Sanaka set to healing the wounded, with the help of the Count's loyal clerics. Jairus returned to the chamber to give half a rousing speech about protecting the lands and dispatching the Count's enemies. (Meta: I should have asked the intent of the speech, and then had him roll a Leadership check. My bad.)
Journey to Waycombe
The party wasted no time leaving. They hooked up their horses to their cart and headed east by south. They reached the town of Arth by noon. There was no better news in Arth, due to its proximity to Vendare. At nightfall, the party arrived at the town of Newcombe.
Neither was there fresh information at Newcome. Droop was sent to prepare the cart for travel. He hitched up the horses behind the cart. Jairus threw him a copper piece for trying, and rearranged the horses for travel.
They party journeyed the better part of a second day before 5 ogres jumped out from the scrub brush near the road. "Yer money or yer lives!" Droop threw his copper coin at the ogres. Everyone else attacked.
Jairus cast Grease directly into the path of two of the ogres. They both fell. Gunel, being none too bright, also charged through the grease and ended up on the ground.
Jairus alternated helping Kell and Mist fell two ogres. Sanaka killed a third with his claymore. When Gunel finally stood up (and it took a while), she chopped an ogre clean in half with one blow. The fifth was kept for questioning.
Only Droop could speak a common language with the ogre. The two conversed in Orc long enough to find out the ogre knew nothing about brigands to the east. The ogres had come from the forest to the west. Droop told the ogre he could go, but Gunel slew it from behind, thinking it was trying to escape. A short while later, the party arrived safely at the Safe Haven Inn.
Day 3 was off to an ominous start when the party was ambushed by 3 hill giant just a couple hours east from the inn. There was no warning, until Gunel was struck by a large rock thrown from a hill to the north. Droop immediately threw his copper coin into the road.
Mist used her Shadow Aura to sneak up on the giants (it also helped her avoid a thrown rock which would have otherwise hit her). Jairus stealthily sneaked around, keep out of view as well. Kell charged the three giants, followed by Gunel after she picked herself up off the ground.
The fight was intense, and the party was badly hurt. Gunel felled a giant in single combat. Kell traded blows with two of the giants. One would have struck her down, however, Mist had used Spider Climb to ascend the giant and had stuck it in the neck with her pin ring coated with a paralyzing poison. The poison did not fell the giant, but it made the creature numb enough to miss with it's club. Sanaka, Jairus, and Gunel also helped kill the two giants attacking Kell.
They did not dare to continue a day's travels, so the party returned to the Safe Haven Inn. They rested the remainder of the day, healed, and continued east on the 4th day.
The day passed uneventfully, and the party made it to the Robin's Breast Inn. Sanaka went straight to sleep (he was out of spells from all the healing earlier in the day). The rest of the party members met a handsome Bard named Sir Dorian (I think). At the request for local information, Sir Dorian sang them a ballad he had composed based on local folklore.
Sakatha once was the Great Lizard King,
Said to have power stored in a ring.
O'er swamplands and plains lands his dominions they spread;
His very name filled all creatures with dread.
To build his great tomb in the midst of the marsh,
Many men died in slavery most harsh.
His minions took all our best for his altar;
Not for a day did his bloody thirst falter.
Then there arose the great Count of Eor,
The greatest of heroes in those days of yore;
He slew Sakatha in the Battle of Waycombe;
The Lizard Men carried their slaughtered chief home.
And now he awaits in the cold sleep of death
His day of awakening, his first newborn breath.
Though deep in the ground his followers closed him,
He'll come back for vengeance on those who opposed him.
The locals were none too happy to hear the ballad and filed out of the inn, much to the chagrin of the innkeeper. The party paid the innkeeper some gold, and ate with the Bard.
The following day Droop harnessed someone else's horse to the front of their cart. He received a silver piece for getting it half right. A full day of travel was uneventful, and the party had to camp off the road due to lack of another conveniently placed inn or village.
The night was uneventful. Noontime found the party staring at the Great Bridge. Halfway across, they were ambushed by 20 lizard men, who came from the reeds under the bridge. The party easily survived the javelins of the lizard men. The party was quite amazed that they had met everything except human brigands on their travels to Waycombe.
An hour from the Great Bridge, they came upon Barto Trume himself, sleeping below a great split oak. He told a tale of running from a group of 40 brigands in the fields behind the Waycombe Inn. All of his men were missing or killed, he knew not which after his cowardly flight. He pointed the party to a copse of trees beyond the Waycombe field, if they wanted to find the brigands. The party demanded, quite forcefully, that the man come with them for his own protection, amidst many protestations that he must return to the Count.
The Village of Waycombe
The party arrived at the village as the sun was setting. They entered the inn to find the innkeeper packing his belongings and preparing to head out of town. He was the last person left in Waycombe, not including the insane man who lives by the swamp. The innkeeper, Busby, filled them in on the events of the town (not much they hadn't already heard). For the sake of complete honesty, he told them about the large flying shape he spotted in the sky one night. The party convinced him to stay, safe with them throughout the night.
Meta: I ended up with a dead evil priest that the module says I should keep alive at all costs. The party ended up with Barto Trume in town, though the module says he will not travel with the party due to his obligations to the count. And they have Busby the innkeeper, which the module says "nothing the party says or does will persuade Busby to stay...." Either I'm really bad at running modules, or the authors expect far too little from determined players.