Monday, August 3, 2009

Session 10 - Clearing Thistletop

Starday Rova 14 Around 8PM

The group decided to rest in a shed out in the courtyard, that way the horse may alert them in case anyone passes through. Near the end of their resting, Phain hears the horse stir and then someone running through the courtyard closing a door. He follows the person out and hits him with a magic missile from the wand as the man crosses the rope bridge. He says his name is Orik and was hired as a bodyguard for Nualia. While the money was good, and he hasn't actually had to do anything so far, he has realized he was over his head for some time. He had wanted to leave, but was afraid they would kill him if he tried. When he discovered everyone was dead on the lower level, he grabbed his stuff and decided it was his chance. Phain allowed him to leave making him promise to do make up for the wrongs he had done.

Sunday Rova 15 Around 8AM

After they finished resting the went back down the stairs and continued to explore. The first room they went to was a Shrine of Lamashtu. When Budwar went in to smash the altar, two demon dogs came from the ceiling and bit him and knocked him down. The rest of the group came in to fight, preacher got hit and knocked down. Budwar called upon Torag and landed a mighty blow on one of the dogs, while Phain hit one, and while his gauntlet did nothing to it, his spells managed to damage it. Budwar finished his off while Xantumal killed the other. Budwar approached the shrine and started to wail on it with his adamantine hammer until the altar broke apart.



Searching the rest of the level, they found a prison cell area, and a bunch of sleeping rooms that were all empty. At this point they decided to try the stairs behind the secret door and head down.

As they came down the stairs, two things stuck out to them. First is that the whole level was at an angle, sloping up to the east. The second was that the air on this level was cool and refreshing, despite being two levels down and not open to the outside.



After finding a room with some statues of Karzoug, the Runelord of Greed, the continued down a corridor where there was a smooth spot on the floor. Suspecting a trap, Phain searched but couldn't fins anything to suggest a trap. Budwar decided to move on, but there was indeed a trap, two portcullis drop down and two statues carrying glaives would swing in the spot where someone would stand, then a pit trap would open up and close. Luckily, Budwar was ready for something to happen and jumped ahead before the portcullis came down. Phain used his Spider Climb boots to walk along the ceiling and avoid the trap, but as he got to the other side a door opened up and a woman with a demon claw hand and a scarred midriff was there....Nualia.

She swung a huge bastard sword and hit Budwar. Budwar reacted and while calling upon Torag to assist him in battle, landed a mighty blow with both his Hammer and Shield. Unfortunately Nualia herself responded in kind with a massive hit with her claw, dropping Budwar to the ground. Meanwhile Phain was being kept busy by another one of the demon dogs that could fly so it was fighting Phain at the ceiling. Xantumal, having seen Budwar fall, lept over the trapped area in the hall and flung some flame at Nualia and hit. Barely able to stand, Nualia called to Lamashtu for aid and slammed her sword and her claw onto Xantumal. Where the claw hit him, Xantumal started to get deformed and grew a vestigial arm from that area. Phain trying to finish her off, tried to maneuver but somehow failed and fell to the trapped spot. Quickly he jumped out of the way. Still wielding fire, Xantumal hit Nualia with it and she fell dead. While Phain finished off the demon dog, Xantumal touched Budwar stopping the bleeding and keeping him alive.

Preacher decided to jump over the trap and help heal Budwar, but couldn't quite make it and landed on the trap, getting hit by two glaives and falling in the pit. Xantumal made sure Nualia was dead, so Preacher channeled holy energy and healed Budwar's wounds. Phain examined the trapped area and finally found how to disable it, rescuing Preacher from the pit. On Nualia they found a magic medallian with the seven pointed star on it. Phain decided to examine and study it later. They also found a bunch of notes and a journal detailing her life and the plans for Sandpoint.

Heading south from this room, they found a room where there was a pillar made of coins. Studying it Phain discovered it glowed with illusion magic, but couldn't find out in what way. They decided to move on and found the Runelords' crypt. In it were three shadowy creatures, much like what they fought in the kobold caverns.

After killing those and searching the room, they headed back to the gold coin pillar. After trying multiple things, Xantumal noticed there were two small slits, one on each side of the pillar. They put in a gold coin in each and the pillar lowered to the floor.

In the chamber beyond were three doors. Behind the first door was a room with surgical equipment, plus they found a disk with a handle on one side, and blades and grooves on the other. Not knowing what it could be used for they kept it and moved on. To the door to the north they heard talking. Busting down the door they dsicovered it was an illusion of the Runelord Karzoug talking to someone and the words were looping. A door remained to the south, so they went there and figured out that the disk they found earlier was a key. The used it and opened the door.



Inside there was a fire pit. Budwar enetered and was attacked by a large dog. Seeming resistant to some of their blows they fought on eventually wearing it down enough and killing it. Examining it, they discovered it was some sort of planar creature. Inside was a secret door with a box of sand with a magic ring inside of it, shaped like the seven pointed star. When used, it created a magic force shield.

Feeling like they might have missed something, they spent time searching all the rooms. Back in the crypt they found a secret door. Following the passage way they came to a room that was collapsing and slowly filling with water. Inside was a helm sized for a giant that was over five feet across. Phain detected magic and swam to get it, and a monstrous crab came out of the helmet and attacked. Despite being bruised, battered and out of spells, they killed off the crab and found some money and a magical amulet.

They finished searching the lower level and found no more secret doors. They decided before heading back to Sandpoint they would search the rest of the complex. First however would be rest.


Moonday Rova 16 Around Midnight

After resting the spent the rest of the time searching the remaining underground level and the stockade. In the stockade behind the latrine they found a secret door. Behind it was a small room with a chest. Inside was the goblin's accumulated wealth. After searching the rest of the complex and finding nothing else of value, they headed back to Sandpoint for some deserved rest.

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