Gygax and Greyhawk Session #47 - Beyond the Hellgate

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 6) 

Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 5) w/ henchman Usborn (Gnome Fighter 2/Illusionist 2)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 6/ Thief 6) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 4 / Fighter 5) 

Date/Time

Sunsebb 3 (morning) to Sunsebb 11 (morning)

The party leaves Nevond Nevnend in a blustery snowstorm, and their route to Oxton over the next 4 days is buffeted by snow and cold all the way. Even through the weather is fit for neither man nor monster, they run into a pair of hungry trolls and a somewhat hostile mounted patrol out of Oxton. The patrol, they learn, is looking for bandits, giants and other foul things that creep out of the mountains when the winters snow starts to fall. 

Arriving in Oxton, they settle in to their favorite inn for the night. Next morning they first visit the sage Pharnabazus to ask about the Hellgate and the nepenthe flowers that grow along the River Styx and River Lethe in the Hells. They learn little new about the Hellgate, but the sage does give them a lengthy lecture on  nepenthe  and ways to turns the blossoms into syrup, which will relieve exhaustion and permit sleep in the agonies of the Hells.  

They spend the rest of the day in the Hellgate tavern, casing the joint and deciding how to open the gate without too much fuss and destruction. Noting the slip-shod working currenting holding up the roof in place of the missing keystone, they use the gnome Usborn as a front and offer to repair the stone in return for drink and lodging. This offer is accepted, and the party gets to work in the early hours of the morning, once the patrons are passed out in drunken stupors and the landlord and staff have retired. They place the gate keystone, and suddenly there appears a view of a blasted and barren wasteland. They party passes through to this unwelcoming land, leaving Usborn behind to cover their tracks and help them back through the gate should that becomes necessary. 

On the other side, they first feel a dull throb and vibration through their bodies, a slow and continuous agony that dulls the senses and drags their motions. Standing atop a crag of rock, around them they see a wasteland of drifted ash, deep canyons and distant blasted mountain. Occasional pallid fireballs burst across the landscape, and the sky is a ashen grey. On the crag with them are four gates, one of which holds their pulsing red keystone. Which they immediately remove to close their gate. They notice now a group of five creatures just a short distance down the slope; devilish-dragonish in appearance, the five are tearing apart a human body. One, wearing the corpses' scalp as a toupee, approaches. In a telepathic whisper, it offers to give them an augury by reading the fallen man's entrails (which the beast holds in its hands) in return for respite. The party agrees, handing over a single wafer, at which the creatures laughs and then gives a vague prediction of success in their endeavors. He and his companions then fly off. 

With no clear idea of where they are going, and there being no signs of any destinations, the party heads off to skirt the canyon edges and see what they may encounter. At one point they avoid a rockfall that nearly drops them to the distant canyon floor. After untold and unknown hours of travel, they come around a pile of rubble. On the opposite side, near the top, crouches a strange creature. The size and appearance of a huge wolf, but with a prehensile reptilian tail, the thing speak telepathically to them. It questions them, asking who they are and why they travel the Chromatic Dragon's realm. After some bluff and hesitation, they party simply tells him the truth; they are looking for the Herald of Hextor, the pit fiend Chamazi. The creature, whom the party now learn is Amducias, Duke of Hell in the service of Tiamat, considers their story for a moment before chuckling and making a comment about 'a little more chaos is good'. He directs them to the Sundered Tower of Astaroth; if the Herald is on Avernus, he will likely head there. The Arch-Fiend's senses cannot penetrate the magic of Astaroth's tower, and Asmodeus would unlikely be displeased to learn of machinations by Hextor among his underlings. When asked for directions, Amdusica once more laughs and says something about it not being his job to guide wandering Primes lost in Hell, before turning away and leaving the party to its own devices. 

Unable rest and still lost, they party moves on. After another wearying and numbing trek, they enter a wide plain scattered with vast cemeteries of unknown origin. Thankfully nothing emerges from the grave to confront them, and they soon see off in the distance a caravan of some sort. They move to intercept, and find two rakshasa leading a half dozen stench kine loaded with gear, one of which is also pulling a palanquin. The two tiger headed humanoids eye the party warily, and one goes to the palanquin and and assist the passenger to emerge; a much more richly dressed rakshasa who introduces himself as Emir Takasha.  The party learns they are traders, and Takasha offers they party opportunities to trade from his extensive selection of goods. The party takes advantage of this, acquiring unspoiled (and un-spoilable) food and drink, as well as some respite in the form of honey cake. When asked of the Sundered Tower, the Emir nods and says he knows of the place. He offers a contest; if a champion of the party can subdue one of his guards (non-lethal and non-thaumaturgic of course), they may join his caravan and journey with them to the tower. If they fail, one of the party will become his slave. The party warily agrees, a contract is made, and Goro steps forward to fight one of the rakshasa sentinels. It does not go well for the half-orc, as the sentinel is unnaturally fast and almost impossible to hit, whereas Goro is struck by claw and bite multiple times. Getting frustrated, he throws down his weapon and throws himself at the rakshasa, successfully grappling the creature. The rest of the party now raises a legal point; the sentinel has been subdued. The Emir grins wickedly and accepts the ruling, inviting the party to join them on their journey across the broken wilds ... 

GAINS

none

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 troll

1 rakshasa [subdued]

LOSSES

none

Gygax and Greyhawk Session #46 - Final Preparations

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 6) 

Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 5) w/ henchman Usborn (Gnome Fighter 2/Illusionist 1)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 6/ Thief 6) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 4 / Fighter 5) 

Date/Time

Sunsebb 2 (afternoon) to Sunsebb 3 (morning)

As the party tired to decide the best way across the open water, Ranzel tossed some dried meat in the water. And was rewarded with a thrashing about in the water as something large gulped the offered food. Uncertain of the rowboat and what lay beneath the surface, they decided to send just Ranzel and Solcha across first, with a rope tied to the stern in case they had to be dragged back. About halfway across the  voyage was interrupted when a scrag, an aquatic troll, bust out of the water at the rowboat. There was a  short fight where Ranzel was nearly dragged into the water by the attacking beast, but the scrag was suitably hacked to bits and the crossing was completed by all the party with no further interruptions. 

A little further along the trail, they observed a human figure in the midst of some trees. It was acting strangely, bouncing about an waving to get their attention. But it seemed to draw back as the party approached too close. When they did enter the thicket, they realized the figure was actually a lure, attached to a huge mawed beast that burst from  a boggy hole. And was summarily dispatched by the two-handed sword wielding duo of Ranzel and Goro. 

Continuing along the LRRSS directions, they party eventually comes to a dead end, where the trail ended at a copse of willows. A cluster of larger dead trees lay at the far end, and close investigation showed one to be split right down the middle and filled with inky blackness. Above the opening was a curious silver sigil. They tired various things to uncover the voids' secret, but it then it it simply required touching the sigil. A bell rang from the depths of the darkness, the void disappeared and a burst of light came forth. Taking their chance, the party passed through and found themselves in a quaint, if over-color saturated meadow. At the far end at the edge of a wood was a small manse with smoke rising from the chimney, while over head they were treated to a view of the depths of the cosmos.   

At the mase, they were met by the sage Emas Mere, who settled them in his gothic study (and made them fresh rolls) and proceeded to answer their inquires about Avernus and what they may expect from their travel to the Hells ...  

GAINS

none

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 scrag (aquatic troll)

1 swamp angler

LOSSES

none

Gygax and Greyhawk Session #45 - Sage Swampcrawl

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 6) 

Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 5) w/ henchman Usborn (Gnome Fighter 2/Illusionist 1)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 6/ Thief 6) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 4 / Fighter 5) 

Date/Time

Patchwall 23 (morning) to Sunsebb 2 (afternoon)

The party spent the next month in Nevond Nevnend counting their treasure, training, spending gold, and scribing spells. All in preparation for their forthcoming expedition to Avernus, the first layer of Hell. But first they needed a little more information. While the temple of Heironeous could offer advice of a more general nature, the party had some specific questions to ask. Inquiring about to town, they learned the best source of such information was the reclusive sage Emas Mere, a specialist in the inner and outer planes, and especially the lower planes. He was not to be found in the city though, choosing to dwell in a dismal marsh a short distance south of the city and on the right bank of the Zumker River. Though it is unclear exactly where in the marsh he dwells, they being directed to a cave, hut or grove of trees by various sources. 

Hauling themselves out into a cold and blustery day, the party heads south and finds a local riverman to give them passage across the water. There they are dropped at a dilapidated dock and follow a faint trail away from the river. As the trail branches and twists through the fens, they encounter a recently occupied cave formed of huge boulders, a dead body facedown in the muck, and some strange swamp gas bubbles.  There was also a crazed man by the name of Yordolin, holed up in a rickety reed hut on slits. While they first suspected he was the sage, it was soon obvious he was mad, raving about the 'knowledge' written in the plaster of the hut walls; a mass of the same nonsensical letters 'LRRSS'. The party guessed this may be directions, and headed out to the left, right etc. Which lead first to a bush of screaming berries, and then a dilapidated rowboat on the edge of a wide channel ...

GAINS

12 sp

gem [75gp]

KILLS/VICTORIES

none

LOSSES

none

Gygax and Greyhawk Session #44 - Maddok

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 5) 

Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 4) 
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 5/ Thief 5) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 4 / Fighter 5) 

Date/Time

Patchwall 18 (noon) to Patchwall 23 (morning) 

The party then proceeds to move quickly through the rest of this newly uncovered complex of rooms; they want to find the keystone, but also don't want to leave the dragon hoard unprotected for long. They search through a wizards lab scorched by fire, and very briefly look into what appears to be a summoning room with a smudged summoning circle on the floor and sign of fire, death and destruction. Solcha used her wand to uncover a spellbook, a scroll and a curious box containing pale grey wafers. They also find a curious non-magical volume entitled "Of Fabolous Relics and Artifacts, Thaumaturgical and Magical, being a Catalogue of Items of Power and Prestige from Times of Sorcery Past” by Ostolic of the Tales that contains stories and legends of various magical items including: Daoud’s Wondrous Lanthorn and Iggwilv’s lost treasures, the Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless, Codex of the Blood Tyrants, a a trio of weapons (the sword Blackrazor, the trident Wave, and the hammer Whelm, hidden long ago by the wizard Keraptis in White Plume Mountain. 

They quickly secure these items, and having not found the keystone here, decide to check the dragon's hoard. But as they leave the double doors and step into the recently unearthed stairway, they are met there by a somewhat devilish looking fellow and the dwarf Akbad. The devilish fellow, the mysterious Maddock, starts to cast a spell but is interrupted by a blow. And then an intense combat ensures, with Skeef falling to a lighting bolt, Akbad trying to stop the fighting, and Goro and Ranzel pinning Maddock so Solcha could stab him. In the end the party kills him, and Akbad snaps out of his charm. As the party loots Maddocks body, the dwarf explains Maddok had surprised the dwarves as they built their wall, sleeping and slaying the rest, and charming himself. 

On the body, they find a range of magical and monetary treasure, Maddoks spellbook, and a sheaf of papers with notes about the castle and the excavation. And there is a small map of the lost wizards lab, showing a secret room the party had not found. They quickly head back in, get into the hidden room and there find the pulsing red keystone to the Hellgate awaiting them. 

After that, they now head to the dragon's hoards, and are pleased to see it is undisturbed. They break open the chess and crates and find a pile of coins, a handful of jewelry and gems, and a number of magic items. Over the next day and a half, all of it is carefully winched out of the cave and packed onto their wagon and journey back to Nevond Nevnend. 

GAINS

9014sp

1930ep

11746gp

7 x amethyst [100gp each]

4x jade [100gp each]

10x sardonyx [50gp each]

6x jasper [45gp each]

5x hematite [6gp each]

Silver and gem comb [1015gp]

Ivory harp [2000gp] 

Longsword +2, “Fiendtongue” 

Bracers of Defense AC 4 

Ring of Protection +1

Scroll of Protection from Devils

Scroll of Protection from Lycanthropes

Scroll of Protection from Breath Weapon - Dragon

Spell Scroll [MU] - 1/Detect Invisibility

Spear +2

Shield +2 (Lion Rampant)

Platemail +1

16 Arrows +1

Potion of Extra Healing  

Potion of Extra Healing

Silver Amulet

12 grey wafers

Nyda's Spell book [partial]

4th: Fear, Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Plant growth, Polymorph Self

5th: Distance Distortion, Mordenkainen’s Faithful Hound

6th: Anti-Magic Spell, Guards and Wards, Bigby’s Forceful Hand 

7th: Cacodemon, Phase Door 

Maddok's Spellbook

1st: Charm Person, Sleep, Magic Missile, Identify, Read Magic, Enlarge, Hold Portal, Write, Protection from  Good

2nd : Mirror Image, Magic Mouth, Web, Rope Trick, Stinking Cloud, Darkness 15' Radius 

3rd : Lighting Bolt, Monster Summoning I, Slow, Haste

4th : Wizard Eye, Ice Storm 

KILLS/VICTORIES

Maddok

LOSSES

Skeef (Unconscious) 

Gygax and Greyhawk Session #43 - Dragons and Dwarves

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 5) 

Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 4) 
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 5/ Thief 5) w/ henchman Caron (Half Elf  MU1)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 4 / Fighter 5) 

Date/Time

Patchwall 18 (mid-morning) to Patchwall 18 (noon) 

The party starts to spread out, with Solcha and Caron swiftly crossing the cavern to get a good view into the passage beyond. And there they see a large black dragon stirring from it's rest. Solcha shouts a warning to the rest of the party, and then feels Caron exciting tapping her on the back: 'mistress, let me speak to it". Somewhat perplexed, she waves the magic-user ahead of her. Caron starts to speak to the wyrm in some unknown language. At first things seem to go well, but suddenly the dragon raises it's head and spits a stream of acrid acid across the cavern. This catches the unfortunate hireling, as well as Goro, getting into a charge position behind him. Caron is utterly destroyed, but luckily the cleric is made of sterner stuff. Goro and Ranzel charge in, swords swinging, while Solcha fires arrows aver their heads and Skeef summons some segmented ant-aid.  The dragon releases another breath, this time catching Ranzel. But the cleric and ranger, pumped up on potions of giant strength and heroism, eventually batter past it's scaly hide, while Solcha delivers the coup-de-grace with an arrow between the beasts eyes.

Taking advantage of their potion-pumped state, the party rushes about in anticipation of more trouble. A search of the dragon cave uncovers the skeletal remains of a second dragon(!), a neatly piled stack of chests and crates, as well as the remnants of a recent meal of horse flesh. Rushing to the side chamber from which the warning horn was heard, they find a small sparsely furnished bedchamber and a foul midden pit. but no occupants. Lastly, a search to the south brings them to face to face with another pair of spriggen, standing guard over a bedraggled group of dwarves. The spriggen are cut down swiftly, and the rescued dwarves (led by Akbad) are glad to answer the party's questions. They had been captured about a month ago by the spriggens and brought here to dig out the collapsed stairway that could be seen behind them. The work was being directed by a devilish looking fellow by the name of Madok, who is looking for a lost wizard laboratory. In fact, the dwarves were just about to break into the entrance to the lab when the party arrived and raised a havoc. But they have no idea where Madok could be found; he comes and goes on an irregular basis.

Solcha, using the last of her giant strength, cleared the last of the rubble. This reveals a landing on the stairs with a set of double doors, much battered but still intact. While Razke heads back down into the cavern to direct the dwarves to build a defensive wall, and Goro remained on guard on the stairs, Solcha and Skeef enter the doors. These lead into an entrance hall and then a large, half collapsed circular room painted with frescos of the Kutkuri noble clan and their crossed staves and horn. The pair head for a door on the opposite side of the chamber., but as they open it, are attacked from behind by a shadowy demon. Goro and Ranzel eventually arrive to assist, and the creature is slain ... 

GAINS

4 arrows +1 [from session #42] 

Caron's spellbook

KILLS/VICTORIES

Xilital the Black Dragon 

2 Spriggen

1 shadow demon

LOSSES

Caron (dissolved by dragon acid) 

Gygax and Greyhawk Session #42 - A Cunning Plan

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 5) 

Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 4) w/ henchman Usborn (Gnome Fighter 2/Illusionist 1)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 5/ Thief 5) w/ henchman Caron (Half Elf  MU1)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 4 / Fighter 5) w/ henchman Koreyth the Master (Human Fighter 1) 

Date/Time

Patchwall 15 (night) to Patchwall 18 (mid-morning) 

The party's rest and recovery is unfortunately interrupted on the first night by a pack of prowling wolves. These get within attack range of the watch before anyone knows they are there, and then fall upon those asleep around the fire.  One guard is killed in the exchange, and Usborn and Koreyth both are mauled unconscious. Half the wolves are killed and the rest dispersed into the night. 

Though now short handed, the party pushes on with their plan.  Proceeding back to the hole in the ground, Goro and Skeef receive invisibility spells from Solcha, and further mask themselves with silence from the cleric. The hidden duo then proceed down into the caverns below, followed by the rest of the party at a respectable distance. The two sneak their way down the first cliff face and get into position to surprise attack the two still in place gnome-like guards. Unfortunately their blades do not strike true and the guards are alerted. And suddenly enlarge from gnomish size and shape to 11' tall giants! One is slain quickly, but the other retreats into the side chamber and starts to raise a hue and cry. He is pined in place by skunk stink, silenced, and is soon taken down by Goro and Skeef; but it is likely the party's surprise is blown. 

Nevertheless, the party all now push on. Descending the next cliff, they are pelted by arrows from below. Caron ends that opposition with a sleep spell. Fanning out, the party searches another side cave which seems to be the guards quarters, pilfering a small chest of electrum and a spell scroll. Solcha scoops up some arrows to replace the ones she has shot, and the party pushes on behind Skeef, who is scouting ahead into the next, larger chamber. There they see four strange sickly pink man-shaped blobs. These shuffle towards the entering party, but do not seem to be overly hostile. After 'looking' at the party, they simply stand immobile. But Ranzel is having none of this non-hostility. Figuring the little blobs can't be good, he lashes out. The rest of the party follows his lead, and the quartet are chopped down. Though it takes an application of holy water to keep them from regenerating, a fact which seems to justify the ranger's homicidal rage.  

At this point, the party hears a horn sound from a small passage to their far left. And in the darkness beyond the end of the large cavern comes the sound of something large hauling itself from somnolence and into action ...

GAINS

670ep

Scroll (1 MU Spell) 

KILLS/VICTORIES

7 wolves

4 spriggan 

4 lemure 

LOSSES

Usborn [unconscious]

Koreyth [unconscious] 

Gygax and Greyhawk Session #41 - Birds and the Bowels of the Earth

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 5) 

Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 4) w/ henchman Usborn (Gnome Fighter 2/Illusionist 1)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 5/ Thief 5) w/ henchman Caron (Half Elf  MU1)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 4 / Fighter 5) w/ henchman Koreyth the Master (Human Fighter 1) 

Date/Time

Patchwall 15 (mid-day) - Patchwall 15 (night)

The room proves to have once been a laboratory or wizards workshop. But nothing of interest remains, as it shows signs of having recently been searched and smashed. Sometime within the last month by a pair of humanoids, one small and one human-sized, according to Ranzels' read of the tracks in the dust. Moving on to the room on the opposite side of the  stairs, the party once more finds signs of a recent search of this a parlor or study. Papers are strewn about, most of which are the day to day minutia of managing a castle. But they do learn some useful info. First, there is enough to tell them that the castle had once belonged to a cadet branch of the atamans of Kutkuri, who over time fell from nobility into dark and sorcerous ways.  Second, amid the paper is reference to a secret entrance, somewhere outside the bounds of the castle itself. 

Filing this information for future use, the party heads to the uppermost floor of the keep. On one side they find a pair of small rooms with gapping holes in the walls and the wind whistling in; obvious battle damage from the fall of the castle 70 years before. To the other side is a room filled with bloodhawks, several of whom attack Ranzel as he opens the door, before Skeef charms and speaks with them. He learns not only that the raptors collect 'shiny rocks', but that they also see all from their keep-top lair. The hawks tell Skeef they sometime see a 'man-thing' take a large creature (sounds like a horse of similar) out behind the ruined castle. And after being gone for a while, just the man comes back. Filing that information away as hints to the secret entrance, the party leaves the birds in peace (but return that evening to loot their gems after the hawks have flown off on their nightly hunt.) 

The party descends to the ruined courtyard, heading to the western half of the ruins. As they enter however, they see a man leading a horse across the open space, and out through the gap in the north wall. Skeef, accepting an invisibility spell from Solcha, follows silently and unseen. The man follows a trail down the rugged rear of the hill, and disappears into the brush. When Skeef gets there, all he sees is a hole in the ground. Overhanding it from the branch of a large oak is a block and tackle, equipped with  a harness for holding a large animal. Skeef climbs down the hole, follows a narrow passage and climbs down several other ledges (each with a block and tackle) before coming to a larger chamber. Here he sees two small dwarf-like creatures; one obvious on guard ahead and the other in a separate chamber an the right. Scouting past the guard, Skeef finds another decent into a much larger chamber. He sees little, but hears the sounds of digging and stone breaking in the distance. 

Returning, the druid reports to the rest of the party. As a group, they decide to check out the rest of the above ground ruins and then return to camp for the night before taking their chances below. They fight another pair of gargoyles and loot some treasure before heading back to rest and recover. 

GAINS

707sp

16gp

10 gems (200gp, 50gp, 8x10gp)

Silver key

KILLS/VICTORIES

2 bloodhawks [captured]

2 gargoyles 

LOSSES

none