Gygax & Greyhawk Session #26 - Misty Mountains Cold

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 5)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 4 / Magic User 4)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 4/ Thief 4) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 4 / Fighter 4)

Date/Time

Reaping 27 morning to Goodmonth 22 late afternoon

The party spends a night in Orlane to rest and recover, and then seek rumors of the assassin Derek or Abbott Grosso (to no avail). They then decide to return to Oxton for training and to sell some of their finds. And to seek further information and rumors to plan adventures going forward. Along the way, a midnight attack by a trio of ankhegs left them battered and short a pair of horses. But they otherwise made it to the crossroads town without trouble. 

After a number of weeks training and fencing goods individually, the party reconvenes at the Ox and Lyre to decide what to do next. Plans of revenge against Derek are shelved for now, as was any plan to follow up on the cult of Wastri (largely due to a lack of information for both). They did have the Salander prime rod and it's directions to another site, but visions of undead hoards made them wary of that right now. Conversation turned to their need for weapons  of magical power, a conversation overheard by an old codger by the name of Geth of Kodof. He began to ramble on about legends and hints of magical weapons. From his yarn, the party plucked two likely threads:

• A berserker hoard had burst forth from the Griff Mountains and ravaged the lands of northern Tenh a hundred years ago.  They were eventually run to ground by the Duke and the Tenha Host, and the mighty barbarian king and his champions were slain. The remnants retreated back into their mountain valley and buried their fallen, and it is rumored the king's mighty bronze great-sword was buried with him. 
• Geth reminded the party that to find weapons of renown, turn to the halls of the dwarves. For the dwur are known to  hoard weapons and armor. He tells a tale of a long abandoned mine of the dwur, dating from before the great migration of the Suel and the Oeridians into the Flanaess. There, undoubtably, could be found weapons of mithril from the metals mined in the dark of Oerth.

Both stories appealed to the party, and in the end they choose to strike north and seek the lost valley of the barbarian king in the remote vales east of Nevond Nevnend. After six days on horseback, they reached the largely uninhabited downs below the north facing ranges. Following the old mans' instructions, they follow a small river into a narrow canyon. Dark mountains of pine and mist loom around them. They found signs of the ancient battle here and there, included a tumbled barbarian watchtower. Also discovered is a pair of marble slabs set into the side of the mountain, covered in names that Ranzel recognizes as mostly Flann/Tenh. Between then a dark passage is cut into the stone. 

The party opts to not enter the dark hole just yet, but instead strike deeper into the mountains where they see the canyon open up into a valley. There they spy barrow mounds, and head straight that way. As they do, the mist starts to drift into the valley, and soon the party is encased in thick, chill fog. They climb the closest mound, and are attacked by a band of ghostly barbarian warriors. They fight these off, but are badly hurt in the process, and start thinking to pull back and rest elsewhere for the fast approaching night ...  

GAINS

nil

KILLS/VICTORIES

3 Ankhug

8 Phantom Warriors 

LOSSES

none