Gygax & Greyhawk Session #27 - Blowing in the Wind

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

Goodmonth 22 late afternoon to Goodmonth 23 late afternoon

The party swiftly retreats from the burial mound and heads back towards the entrance of the valley. Before leaving the misty vale completely to camp on the plains, they explore the dark entrance between the two marble slabs. Inside is a shrine and burial chamber dedicated to Allitur and Pelor, with battered statues of the gods looking over the smashed remains of an alter and several sarcophagi. Goro says a prayer and the party tries to tidy up,  reinterring the bones to their resting place as much as possible. And are rewarded with  faint and temporary yellow glow from the figure of Pelor. This they take as a good sign, and decide to rest here for the night. And in the morning, Goro, Solcha and Ranzel find their wounds from the battle with the phantom warriors have all healed. 

Waiting awhile, they find the overnight mist lifts very slowly. Rather than wait all day, they plunge into the fog and continue along the path past the burial mounds. This leads them to to banks of a shallow stream. By now the mist has lifted enough for them to see, on the other side, a village of crude stone and sod huts surrounded by poor fields of oat and barley. On a rise above the village lies the remains of some long collapsed wooden building.  They see signs of life, so Skeef if chosen to scout, cloaked in invisibility. He sees no more than a few dozen inhabitants, all dour and moving as if in an unenthusiastic funk. And they are dirt poor. The ruined building he finds was a longhouse, long burned and collapsed. And following the trail a little further, he comes to a small stone chapel with a smashed stone head of Allitur lying in the grass outside. 

The druid/thief returns to the party, and Goro and Socha decide to cross the stream to the edge of the fields and politely grab a farmer to talk to. They find the villagers believe the barbarian 'masters' and King Thorlandor are still alive, simply away at war. Even evidence to the contrary i.e the ruined longhouse, does not sway the man. They also learn of the four spirit guardian of the valley; the worm, the eagle, the wolf and the bear and the peasant points out the holy sites of each in the four cardinal directions.

Goro figures the village in under a curse of some sort, so the party avoids it and pushes to the chapel on the mountainside above. Skeef repairs the stone head as best he can and places it on the statue inside. And is rewarded with a barely perceptible gesture of thanks from the statues clasped hands. Keeping this place in mind as another possible safe resting place, they push on. They encounter a body sticking out of the ground, only the head buried. When disturbed, it attacks and tries to suck out their brains with blood red routes that have taken the place of its head. It is killed, and the hole from which it was plucked is looted of a magical mace, chain mail and healing potions. 

Pushing further, they follow the trail up a narrow valley and then up onto the spur of the mountain overlooking the village. There they see a strange round boulder and a tall form of a man built out of rotting, mossy logs. Climbing the log man allows them clear view of the whole valley now that the mist has lifted, and they make note of all the features. Skeef approaches the stone, and notes the stylized form of a bird carved on it. And then  a distant booming voice echo's out, demanding what the party wants. Saying they seek knowledge, the voice demands either blood sacrifice or successfully passing a trial. Skeef takes the trial, and is told he must climb the boulder and stay there for 4 minutes. Thinking this is easy, the druid is suddenly buffeted by gale force winds.  He holds on at first, but is blown off the boulder and down over the side of the mountain, where he lands on his head with a sickening 'crunch'. The party plays out rope and lowers Solcha down to bind his wounds, which are severe ... 

GAINS

footmans mace +2

chainmail +2

2 potions of healing

golden holy symbol of Allitur [25gp]

KILLS/VICTORIES

Cursed Plant Priest

LOSSES

Part of Skeef's skull