Gygax & Greyhawk Session #7 - On To New Adventures

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 1)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 1 / Magic User 1)
Skeff Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 1 / Thief 1) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 1 / Fighter 1)

Balthus (Human Fighter 1)  

Date/Time

Planting 5 - midday to Planting 11 - morning

Before making any decision between exploring the isle or moving on to other things, Skeff charms a blackbird to gain aerial reconnaissance . The bird reports no human structure on the isle except some stones and a long narrow thing separating one side of the island from the other. A large serpent lay on one side of the long thing, and the only human was on the other side. The shinning light they party observed from the mountain came from a cliff at the end of the island, beyond the serpent area. The party is still uncertain whether they should alight on the island, citing a combination of low spells and multiple wounds, as well as reluctance to interfere with the scaredness of the island to the Kharan tribe if there was no clear reason to do so. Leaving the second question unresolved, the party retreats back to the gnoll cave to rest for the night and address the first. 

Next day, they head back to the lake and make steps to cross the shallows. They get halfway and are challenged by a wild man in robes of strange material, yelling at them and swinging a staff over his head. He forbids them entry. Questioned, he explains the tribe worships Mok' Slyk, the Serpent who consumes souls of the dead. The island is sacred to him, and the valley on Hardway Mountain is the path cut by Mok' Slyk as he descended from space to the primordial Oerth.  Goro notes this being is some sort of ur-deity, ancient and long forgotten by the world. After several more attempts to talk their way past Arn, the party decides to leave and not provoke a confrontation. Instead, now that they know roughly where they are in Tenh, they head west towards the crossroads town of Oxton. After a short but frightening encounter with a troll one night, and a pleasant one the next day with a group of pilgrims of Beory going to worship at some sacred burial mounds to the north, they arrive safe and sound in town after a few days travel. 

They check and reject a few inns (Dancer and the Dark Mage, The Troll's Hand, The Hellgate) before settling in for a few days at the Ox & Lyre. In addition to resting and refitting, the party looks for rumors of further adventure. They learn of three possibilities:

• Hygar the Ox-Driver is heading east to the Troll Fens and the borders with the Theocracy of the Pale. Duck Ehyah II is there again this campaigning season, upgrading defenses against both the trolls and the Faithful Bands of the Pale across the Yol River. He looking for company and protection along the way. 
• Jakael Foss, recently arrived from Nevond Nevend, passes word that the Duke has put out a call for armed bands to clear old bandit holds and orc lairs along Rockegg Pass above Calbut. It seems the Duke wishes to deal with the raiders from the Hold of Stonefist in the next campaigning season, and wants to clear out any minor annoyances along the way first. See Marshal Iaba of the Tenha Host in Nevond Nevend  for more details. 
• While discussing their encounter with the pilgrims with  a local man (Gyar Uldan), they are reminded of the reverence the Flann of Tenh have for their dead. It would be unwise to disturb barrows and graves in the Duchy. On the other hand, non-Flann burials are free for the plundering. Gyar tells them of one such place just a few days away in the Griff Mountains. A local near-do-good by then name of Black Odo headed off to the tomb just as the snow cleared from the uplands. She and her henchman have not been seen since. Another group followed after her just a few days ago.

The party decides to stay local and (hopefully) loot-rich, and get directions from Gyar to the tomb, beginning  their journey back east the next day. 

GAINS

none

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 Troll

LOSSES

none