Gygax & Greyhawk Session # 80 - The Ghost Tower

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 7 / Thief 7) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 7 / Fighter 6) 
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 7) 
Chanee (Human Paladin 6)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 6)]

Date/Time

Reaping 14 (morning) - Goodmonth 10 (midday)

The party spends the next three weeks around Trigol, preparing for the next stage of their adventures. As the date of the double full moons approach, the party departs town on the carpet, Skeef eagle in tow. Their destination is the rugged southern shore of the Nyr Dyr and the Ghost Tower. And there they  intend to finally rid themselves of the midnight opal, and perhaps rid themselves of the constant trouble it has brought. 

Their travel was wet and cold, but otherwise uneventful. Arriving at their destination in the evening, they see high on a promontory over the Nyr Dyv a ruined square keep. Though the walls still stand, they are pieced by numerous gaps, and the four corner towers are tumbled down onto themselves. And from their flying perch, they see the central keep or tower has likewise collapsed into a pile of rubble. After confirming that there are no foes about, the party lands and sets up camp for the night inside the confines of the keep. 

Next day, they begin to explore the ruins. Approaching the SE corner tower, they find a door still stands leading from the courtyard into the tower. The door is of an odd, untarnished metal. But barred by a terribly rusted lock. Solcha knocks this open, and then pushes open the door. Inside a spiral metal staircase, in remarkably good shape, leads down into darkness. Reaching bottom, they proceed along a long 20' wide corridor. Along one wall is an inscription, written in massive letters: "NOT TO BE BELIEVED. Passing carefully through one room, they explore another that leads off the corridor. It contains a strange set of desiccated membrane-covered wings, pinned up and hanging from the ceiling.  Beyond this further down the passage, they enter a room in which the ceiling has partly collapsed. As they attempt to move through, a beastly creatures springs atop one rubble pile. It has the face of a man, body of a lion, and wings of a bat. And with  drooling rumble says only "man flesh!" before firing spikes from it's tail. Spells and swords take it down, but not before it peppers the party with piecing. Behind the rubble pile they find the remains of previous victims, and a small smattering of treasure: a scroll case, two potions and a suit of unrusted chainmail.  

GAINS

Potion of Flying

Potion of Water Breathing

MU Scroll - Rope Trick

Chainmail +2 (elf sized) 

KILLS/VICTORIES

Manticore 

LOSSES

none

Gygax & Greyhawk Session # 79 - Depths and Death

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 7 / Thief 7) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 7 / Fighter 6) 
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 7) 
Chanee (Human Paladin 5)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 5)]

Date/Time

Richfest 3 (morning) - Reaping 14 (morning) 

The party spends the next day in rest and recovery under the protection of Willowrose and the treants, who are getting ready to move the forest back to it's original position. That night, under the Midsummer Eve moon, Skeef and the two initiates of Obad-hai, Ban and Malichi, harvest their mistletoe. Next morning, as the party prepares to leave, they decide to go check out this cave/cleft and lava flow where Duncan said the trolls originated. They are concerned that something else could emerge and wreck more havoc. They find the rock face easily, a hours flight south of the current location of the forest.  It is a narrow cleft in the stone, half filled with a now solid lava flow.  There is just enough room to squeeze in, so the party decide to delve a little to see what lies beyond, and perhaps find out where the trolls had come from. It proves to be no simple cave however; 8 hours of descending through the narrow passage and the party finally emerges into a wider tunnel of terraces, flowstone, strange rock formations, all lit by a faint mauve radiance from the lichen growing on the walls. Skeef questions a blind cave salamander, who can provide little information except that two and four legged creatures do pass this way at times. The party is wary of going too much further, but Solcha does send a wizard eye to scout ahead. At the edge of its range, she spies a pair of humanoids with pitch-black skin and white hair, standing guard and watching the passage. She recognizes these as drow, the dreaded dark demon worshiping elves of the Underdark.  Her eye  also spies another 10 drow resting in a side passage. This looks like too much to just blunder into, so the party quietly retreats back up the passage. Once they've gone a fair distance, Skeef blocks of the passage with stone shape to protect their rest tonight and the surface world in general from further excursions from the Underdark. 

Next morning, the party continues back towards the surface. Just as they sense sunlight ahead, Goro at the head of the line is surprised to find the entrance webbed shut.  A quick search for giant spiders ensues; none are found. But they do hear a chuckle, and they see a man suddenly appear on the opposite side of the web. It is Polistera the wizard, back again! He once more offers them their lives in exchange for the Midnight Opal. The party answers with violence. And is quickly in a very tight spot. Magic just bounces off the wizard, but he cuts down Solcha, Chanee and Baqua with a cone of cold. With just Goro and Skeef still standing, the half orc bursts through the web thanks to his ring of free action. He then turns to lay into Polistera with his sword, while Skeef transforms to a giant skunk and sprays the wizard. This causes him to make a flying retreat, while Skeef pursues as a giant eagle. Goro turns to grab the opal for safe keeping, and is then attacked by some invisible foe. Skeef chases off Polistera and then he and Goro finish off the unseen attacker. And then they immediately pile everyone onto the carpet and fly at full speed to the town of Trigol to get assistance for their deceased friends. 

The next week are spent in the care of the priests of Heironeous, followed by some training and other upkeep as they party prepares to head off to the Ghost Tower to deal with the Midnight Opal once and for all.   

GAINS

none

KILLS/VICTORIES

Invisible Stalker 

LOSSES

Solcha

Chanee

Baqua