Map of New Gladomain

Adventure's End - Two Year Anniversary Session

Sadrack shows the party that Lolth and Grazzt are fighting each other on the surface of the moon. Meanwhile an asteroid covered in mazes with the bronze tower lyktion on it from shubgottia hurtles through space on a collision course with blackshore. Saint Garret of Ioun, Toth the Swordmage, Iggilzo the Magnificent, and Whosis Kid Dragonsbane join Duke Blackshore on a quest to destroy the object.

As they approach the asteroid-planet in the ziggurat they see a multicolored corona around it indicating it is enveloped in a world serpent. They try landing on the tower lyktion but the world serpents aura drains the magic from the ziggurat and it crashes on the tower.

Inside the tower they find schematics for the tower. Travelling down toward the core where there is a fire burning that provides power to the Doomsphere as it is called, they first find a gate to Limbo guarded by two Githzerai monks. The monks repel their attempts to learn and explore more so the party continues down the stairs.

Further down in the mausoleum they find a sarcophagus floating over a great pit. They explore further and find that the sarcophagus is for pale night and they decide not to disturb it, fearing she may be inside. At the bottom of the stairway in the center they find the furnace. As they get to the center gravity decreases. They find that there is no gravity in the central room, but there is a magical urn burning in the center of the room that appears to have gravity and a pit with gravity below the room where slaves of various species turn a wheel around endlessly to stoke the fire.

As they enter the room, an Immolith born from Baphomet's remnant power comes alive and they fight him in zero G, eventually dispelling the creature. They then free the slaves to stop the wheel from turning so the fire goes out. With the fire out, the world serpent begins consuming the doomsphere and the ziggurat. They rush back upstairs to the ziggurat and get inside. They find that inside the ziggurat magic in the extradimensional space is still intact. They use the Astralgate inside to return to Blackshore along with the freed slaves.

Back in blackshore they wait until they see the world serpents corona dissapate in the night sky, then they travel back through the astralgate with the rod of acererak. They find the ziggurat is inside the world serpents belly, still inactive and the beast has returned to its home plain of limbo.

When they return to blackshore they find the raven queen in the throne room sitting on the duke's throne. She dismisses the duke and summons Brock Mez'gar. She tells the party they will help Brock retrieve the Spellbook of Aseroth so she can cast a powerful ritual to banish Orcus and all of the lands in his mists to the shadowfell, freeing the world from his influence. She gives them each a raven feature amulet that prevent Brock from harming them while they are under her protection. If he strikes them he will be turned to dust.

They travel to the sybarite isle on summoned steeds, bypassing an advancing corps of 100 frost giants. They find the garden of proferio profundus has been frozen over and the labyrinth in the garden leads to Aseroth's monastery on soulfreeze.

They enter the monastery and find two Frost Chimeras and a couple elementals guarding Kord, the god of Might. They also see several murals inlaid into the floors.

The first image depicts Bahamut as a silver and white dragon with pale blue eyes and his queen Tiamat. Their twin sons Kord and Dol Dorn stand at their sides, depicted as a silver dragon and a white dragon.

The second image shows Tiamat fighting demons in the abyss outside the Soulfreeze Monastery.

The third image shows Tiamat succumbing to the abyss and turning evil.

The fourth image shows Kord and Dol Dorn fighting demons with their father Bahamut, this time they are in human form. Dol Dorn is dressed as a knight in silver armor, and Kord wears armor made from the hides of many different colors of dragons. Bahamut wears golden armor and leads a host of seven large gold dragons.

The fifth image shows Kord burying his axe in Orcus’ skull at Marshgate, petrifying his body.

The sixth image shows Kord cutting off Vecna’s hand with the Sword of Kas, while his brother Dol Dorn, gouges out his eye. They are leading the armies of Gladomain in Shuggotia, the endless maze.

The seventh image shows the forces of hell and the armies of Gladomain victorious over the abyss, with the demon armies retreating back through the astralgates into their own world.

The eighth image shows Kord and Dol Dorn turning away from their father in anger as he lets Asmodeus’ generals take Tiamat in chains with them back to Baator.

The ninth image shows Kord and Dol Dorn fighting as Gurmorel Glimmergaunt watches from Glimmergaunt tower.

The tenth image shows Dol Dorn as a silver dragon guarding Glimmergaunt tower with Gurmorel Glimmergaunt standing at the top of the tower weeping. Kord is in human form walking away from them.

The eleventh image show Kord standing alone on the icy plains outside Soulfreeze Monastery. He strides toward the structure solemnly.

The twelfth image shows Kord wearing a white cloak, calling down the ice and snow around him, while abyssal creatures bowing to him.

The thirteenth image shows Glimmergaunt Tower and Dol Dorn the silver dragon covered in snow. Lady Glimmergaunt stands in the window of the tower with her visage changed into that of the wicked ice medusa.


Narrative of Aseroth-Kord, founder of the Dark Six, when he addresses the party:

1. After the bloodwar, I lamented the imprisonment of my mother Tiamat. I mourned those lost in the mighty army of Gladomain. The brave who perished in the assault Shubgottia. I grew cold when the beloved lady Glimmergaunt refused me for my twin Dol Dorn.
2. I vowed to find a way to free my mother of her madness and avenge her injustice or die trying. I would resurrect those who died in vain in the endless maze. I resolved to win the heart of Gurmorel, by any means.
3. My journey to free my mother’s soul lead me here to the Soulfreeze Monastery, where she had lost her mind and heart in the abyss. I studied in the arcane library and learned the secret magics of the old lord she vanquished here, the first Winter Warlock. In time I became initiated into his lost art and with his spirit as my guide I became the Second Winter Warlock, Aseroth, which means the conquering blizzard.
4. Using my newfound powers I raised my old army in Shubgottia, but when I brought them back they spat upon me, praying for the oblivion of death. I cursed them to roam the maze for eternity as undead, and cast their magic standard into the Shadowfell.
5. I redeemed myself to Glimmergaunt and won her affections by saving her from the wrath of the Raven Queen. I spirited her and her kingdom away to my own plane in the abyss where she would be safe.
6. I drew up a pact with Lolth and Baphomet, that they would create a great army of Tanar’ri hybrids to assault Gladomain, that the world would again know the glory of battle and the sound of sword ringing on shield. I made a pact with Graz’zt that we would raze Baator, and that he should stand victorious over his father Asmodeus one day in palace on Nessus, the ninth hell. I struck a pact with the cultist of Orcus and Tiamat that I would free their beloved god and goddess, and bring destruction in their name. Thus, the pact of the dark six was born.
7. First I knew that my father Bahamut would oppose me where I to arrive in the world with the armies of the abyss. We conspired with the doomguard lady Xyrlynn, a sacred order dedicated to the dissolution of all things. Xyrlynn disguised herself as a princess from the southern tribes and summoned the famed Heroes of Blackshore on a quest to save her tribe from an ancient evil. Skillfully she lead them to the tomb of Nortumal on the Isle of Death, where they unwittingly released him from his prison and began his reign of terror that would tie up my fathers forces in the southern lands.
8. Nortumal dispatched Xyrlynn to search for the Crown of Commanding, the Hand of Storath, and the Dagger and Idol of Tanar’ri. Four powerful evil artifacts known to him that were hidden in Gladomain Keep. With these implements, we would wage our war against the Northern Kingdoms, as he continued his campaigns in the south. Of course you know the outcome of this, as it was you who interfered with this plan by capturing the artifacts and disappearing for a year in the garden of propherio profundis on the sybarite isle. We spent that time searching the Northern lands for you, but no one could scry your location during that time.
9. Once we had banished you to Shubgottia, with three of the four artifacts of power in our grasp, we turned out sights back toward the fall of the Northern Kingdoms. Xyrlynn’s plan to cause a war in Mistmeadow between the elves and men was thwarted by the Heroes of Blackshore who sought revenge against her for her betrayal on the Isle of Death. Still she escaped to Shadowmarsh Cliff, where she successfully assumed the form of Lord Shadowmarsh and took over his kingdom, rallying his armies for war with Ironview’s forces in Marshgate. We waylaid many of the heroes of Blackshore, and banished two to outer planes, where they are still lost to this day.
10. I froze the city of Blackshore, and my daughter Princess Frostbite, took command of the city, disguised as Xyrlynn. I arranged for the support of the Goblin Lord and Baphomet sent his champion the Norselord with his fleet of pirates to capture the city. My servants were woefully unprepared for your attack upon the city. My daughter was slain, and the goblins retreated when you destroyed my Icewarp Sphere and released Glimmergaunt Vale from its dimensional hold in Soulfreeze. For his crime against me, your friend Kodrus the Minotaur’s soul will be eternally punished, raised and destroyed each day into a thousand pieces, like the mirror portal he shattered.
11. Still even with the loss of Blackshore, the battle to take Marshgate was a success, and I tricked two of the heroes of Blackshore, and my devout followers of Kord Gracekain Songsteel and Ravakain Kittenstouch into releasing Orcus’ avatar from his petrified sleep. During a desparate battle, I inspired them to remove my axe from Orcus’ head in my Temple of Valorous Deeds. With Orcus freed, the invasion of the north began with renewed vigor. Nortumal pursued more ancient magics in the Underdark, while Lolth and Graz’zt challenged each other to find the world tree first. Baphomet continued to toil in the laboratories of his dark tower Lyktion, designing great war machines to renew the siege at Blackshore.
12. Our ally among the cult of Tiamat, Baron Redspawn, took advantage of the chaos caused when we assassinated Emperor Goldspawn, and he assumed command of SummerSpring. First he consolidated his power there, then he marched on Lighthedge. The desertion of Vicmorn Shieldheart’s Myrmidons was a disappointing turn of events that lead to an unforeseen loss, but the Norselord’s forces quickly recovered Lighthedge, driving the imperial defectors into the wilderness, where they continued a guerilla campaign.
13. We had thought that with your self indulgent escapades into the Tomb of Acererak and later into Baator itself, that we were finally rid of the Heroes of Mistmeadow’s interference. Thantiskorlweir abandoned the astralgate in Shadowmarsh Cliff, but it was a small loss compare to the improvement in our fortunes with you all out of the picture.
14. Now I regret to see you have returned, and are once again a thorn in our sides, brining your ancient ziggurat to attack our armies, ruining our siege at Blackshore. You may have defeated Baphomet and those other allies of mine you have encountered before, but you will fall before the might of Aseroth-Kord, the conquering blizzard, lord of battle, god emperor of the abyss.

The party fights Kord and his minions. The two elementals fall quickly but the chimeras persist for some time. Brock sneaks up next to Kord and plunges Hellsong the Godslayer into his chest, causing him to revert to his true form as a massive white dragon. Whosis Kid vaults onto the dragon clinging to the blade impaled in the beast's check. The dragon savagely crushes whosis in his jaws and his body goes limp, his belt caught on hellsong's hilt. The god-beast is dying slowly as the godslayer steals its life essense, it thrashes around in pain.

Mez'gar finds the spellbook in an alcove and claims it. When he does this, he along with Toth, Garrett, and Iggy are teleported to Ravenspeak Tower, where the Raven Queen dwells on a rift between Gladomain and the Shadowfell. Whosis kid is left to die along with Aseroth and the godslayer in the abyss (he cursed the raven queen earlier and so she left him there to die out of spite).

The Raven Queen takes the Spellbook of Aseroth and casts the ritual to remove the lands of Barovia and the surrounding misted area from Gladomain, taking them into the shadowfell. As she concludes the ritual she is exhausted and Brock Mez'gar approaches and stabs her with the Scythe of Nerull, an artifact that once belonged to the old lord of the Abyss who the Raven Queen banished long ago. Her power drains into Mez'gar and he becomes even more fearsome, turning invisible and stalking the party.

Iggy uses his dust of appearance to show Mez'gar and prevent him from hiding. The undead gnoll assassin flits around the tower trying to find a strategic point to attack or flee but is unable to escape the party, and they run him down after a long pursuit. As the gnoll collapse, they hear a voice from the pit in the center of the tower and Vecna rises, released from his prison below (the Raven Queen's power kept him bound there and with her dismissed he was free to escape).

Garret dealt the killing blow to Brock, stealing the Raven Queen's essence from him in the process. The party battles Vecna and Veszafein, who now has become a mind flayer with the eye of vecna and a sword he took from Orcus earlier in the campaign. After a long battle Garrett slays vecna and Veszafein flees the tower, leaping over the side into some mists.

When Garrett slays Vecna completing the prophecy, Ioun's spirit escapes from his body. However, since her soul power was the only thing allowing him to control the hand of vecna and his lycanthropy he begins to convulse and writh on the floor. Ioun takes the rod of acererak and the Spellbook of Aseroth and asks Toth and Iggy to accompany her out of the tower.

She uses the ritual in Aseroths spellbook to banish Ravenspeak to the shadowfell, trapping Garrett, the new mad god of the death and lycanthropy, on that plane, where he lives out his days alternating between the forms of a goodly priest of resurrection, a lunatic serving the hand of vecna, a berzerker werewolf, and a necromantic mad scientist, depending on the cycle of the moon.

Ioun offers Iggy and Toth the chance to join her in the Black Library at the heart of the Jeweled Ziggurat in the belly of the world serpent. Toth accepts and becomes her companion. They take the rod of acererak and the tome of Aseroth with them. Iggy chooses to return to blackshore where he is hailed as a great hero and accepts a position as head of the magic college, replacing Marfalcon Moonshadow who becomes the court's magician. The magic college pursue research into finding a way to retrieve Garrick the Mad's body and soul from the other dimension he is trapped in.

Triel the swordmage becomes the head of that order and establishes Shadowmarsh Cliffs as their new training academy. It is learned that Ilmak was slain in the seige of Hammerfast by Brock Mez'gar a few weeks ago and his body was lain to rest there. Sadrack continues to dwell in Falconsreach as custodian and governor of that new community.

The Duchy of Blackshore experiences prosperity and expands to encompass it's original members, the small islands around blackshore, Lighthedge Point, and Mistmeadow. In addition to the original members, they are joined by SummerSpring, Lapis Wood, Falconsreach, Shadowmarsh Cliffs, Laxryxith, and Kodrus Vale. The lands to the south that were removed by the raven queen's ritual to the shadowfell became a great crate lake in the marshlands of the foreverglades, ruined and desolate, stalked by only the most reclusive monsters and people.

Dragon Army

Garrick, Garrett, and Duke Blackshore teleport back to Castle Blackshores tallest tower to confront the invaders.

A fleet of three dozen Githyanki skyships have come down from the sky and deployed an army of dragons to attack the city, riden by githyanki knights. They are assaulting the gates of the city along with the keep and the ziggurat. Meanwhile the Norselord and his minotaurs are assaulting the docks and the seas are freezing over into great icebergs while snow pelts the eastern walls of the fortress.

Garrett and Garrick slip up to the control tower, attacked by many dragons. Thantiskorlweir the elder red dragon and his rider baron redspawn, the scourge of summerspring slip past the disintegrating barrier shield and attack the mage and cleric. Duke blackshore repels the dragons attacking his palace guards and their seige weapons on the high tower.

Meanwhile, whosis kid discovers an astralgate inside the ziggurat. As he approaches some teifling mages emerge. He engages them and then slips into the portal. On the other side he finds he is surrounded by Rakshasa, along with Prince Zirakas the evil jungle prince, and Mini-Mammon, who has gained some size. He is quickly subdued and beaten into submission and a soulrider devil is placed on his head to control his actions.

Outside the battle rages. Duke blackshore and his men kill some of the dragons attacking the tower while Garrett and Garrick manages to force Thantiskorlweir through the disintegrating force shield and then strike down the Baron. The battle ends in a standoff as an illusion of Vlaakith, Lich Queen of the Githyanki appears and she says her fleet will level the city unless they agree to a trial of possession between the Norselord and the Duke.

Duke Blackshore and the Norselord, both descendants of the first minotaur king of Blackshore, square off on the tower and after a stuggle the Duke forces his rival off the high tower. The Norselord plummets to his death and his forces try to retreat but the seas are frozen and they are trapped, killed, or captured by the city guards.

Vlaakith has no interest in the city beyond her pact with the Norselord, so she advised she will leave and grants and audience to the Duke. During their meeting he mistakenly advises that he knows of the location of the Illithid they are hunting. Lord Exhalus, her doomguard ally, mocks the Duke as this means that her fleet will destroy Gladomain. Vlaakith says that she will destroy Blackshore last as a favor to him.

As the Duke returns to the Ziggurat the devils emerge from it intent on taking the fortress from the heroes. Whosis,under the command of his soulrider, leaps toward the disintegrating barrier, which Garrett drops to prevent his demise. Whosis knocks out the cleric and Mini-Mammon climbs atop the pyramid. Duke Blackshore slays Zirakas the Rakshasa Prince in single combat, while Garrick the mad subdues whosis and revives Garrett. When the shield is raised again they drive the avatar of mammon back through it destroying him.

They pursue Vlaakith's fleet in the ziggurat and Garrett uses the power of the hand of Vecna and the ziggurat to communicate with Vlaakith. He offers her a bargain that they will destroy the Illithid for them in return for her sparing their world.

She agrees and her fleet escorts them to Ironview. The Githyanki fleet bombards Ironview tearing a hole in the side of the mountain that leads down into deeprift chasm. The ziggurat flies down through the hole to the plains of Erelhi-Cinlu where it uses its powers to shake the city and collapse a great section of the plains down on to the illithid city located below.

The Illithid begin to flee through a great crystaline teleportation device. The ziggurat fires cold at one side while Garrick the Mad flies out and heats the opposite. The temperature differential cracks the crystal and the magical gate implodes, drawing Garrick into it as the rest of the heroes depart in the ziggurat. The githyanki fleet departs.

The party parks the ziggurat under water near Falconsreach under the protection of Sadrak's illusory powers. The meet with the allied forces to determine their next move and decide to approach Castle Ravenloft to stop the poisoned mist from spreading. The mists are enveloping the world and drawing it into the shadowfell. They decide to approach on foot to catch Count Strahd and Orcus unaware and prevent them from being dominated and stealing the ziggurat from them.

Sadrak places a magical boon on the party so anyone who is dominated will forget about the Ziggurat so they cannot be forced to reveal it's location. They rest for a week and prepare for their journey.

Meanwhile, Iggy catches up to the party. He was in the Imperial city of Westport shopping and found a strange artifact, a sword hilt with a symbol of pelor on it.

Pyramid of Shadows - Servants of Mez'Gar Storyline

The Thri-Kreen wanders off into the dungeon in search of food. The Warlock also heads back to the first level of the dungeon to check out a room reported to have treasure in it.

The rest of the party advances into the next room where they encounter two ghosts and a hearth golem. They fight them and halfway through the battle, the warlock returns to aid them. After the monsters are defeated they take an extended rest, but some of the party has terrible nightmares and does not recover use of their powers.

In the next encounter, they are attacked by a Grick, two Far Realm humanoids, a Destrachan, and a Teifling Wizard (one of the many incarnations in the dungeon). They fight them and during the battle the walls turn to flesh and acid begins oozing out of the walls as the living dungeon tries to digest them. The manage to defeat the creatures and destroy the beating heart of madness in an adjacent room after they cut their way through the regenerating, fleshy walls.

They pass on into a long hallway where they find they are traveling for a long time and getting progressively weaker. The Paladin scouts ahead and sees three shadowy humanoids up ahead. He runs up to catch them and attacks the one in the rear. It turns out he was following the rest of the party and attacks Rune, the warforged fighter. They determine they are trapped in a teleportation tunnel and must find a way to escape. The warlock can teleport past the gate but the rest of the party cannot. The skull tells them to dig under the teleport trap, which they do. They rest and regain their drained energy.

In the next large room they encounter another incarnation of the wizard with a far realm creature and several more humanoid servants. The party starts to fight them, but the warlock convinces them to parlay. The wizard offers them safe passage if they give him the talking skull. He crushes the skull and allows them to move along.

In the next chamber they find the final incarnation of the wizard who says they can free him from his magical prison by destroying the field around him. They do so and he asks them to submit to him so he can drain their essence to cast a ritual allowing them to escape. The party refuses to submit and attacks him. He summons several tentacled creatures and turns into a giant monster himself. The party furiously fights against them and eventually defeats the great beast, freeing themselves from the magical prison.

They return to the sewers and claim the small black pyramid artifact that originally trapped them inside. They return the artifact to Emperor Mez'Gar and become his lieutenants.

Gladomain Conquest Map

In the underdark, Veszafein is rumored to have retreated to the Drow city of Erelhi-Cinlu. When the party was last there, the city had fallen to the Mind Flayers, but now it's said that Veszafein is in charge there. The dark lord Nortumal is also rumored to have reincarnated again, and has returned to the ancient Temple on Nidhogg Isle where the party first encountered him.

Summoned by the Emperor - Servants of Mez'Gar Storyline

A party of villains is summoned and bound to Brock Mez’Gar by a Geas. The party consists of a Hobgoblin Paladin of Bane, and Orc Barbarian, a Warforged Fighter, a Teifling Warlock, and a Teifling Warlord.

They assemble in a sewer and Emperor Brock Mez’Gar tells them they must all find a magic artifact shaped like a pyramid for him. They travel down deeper into the sewer where they encounter a large lizard, some human rogues, and several dwarves. They fight and defeat them.

A ghostly apparition appears and points to the pyramid. They touch it and are instantly transported into a dungeon where they are knee deep in corpses. A thri-kreen is battling an ettin, two carrion crawlers, and several zombies. They help the thri-kreen defeat the dungeons monsters and he joins the party.

They move into one of the adjacent chambers and find a pair of harpies and four sahaugin guarding the room. They demand that they hand over a speaking orb they recovered in the first chamber. The speaking orb has informed the party that they are trapped in the dungeon and can only escape by defeating a powerful mage that dwells somewhere in the dungeon. The monsters leader says they want the orb so they can escape. The party refuses and attacks them. The party defeats the monsters and finds they have a map of the dungeon.

They head towards a stairway they believe will take them towards the next level and hopefull the mage they must defeat in this magical prison. The stairwell is a magical trap that bucks and tries to tilt them into a pit. The paladin falls in and is rescued by the rest of the party. When they finally navigate their way to the top of the stairwell, they are attacked by a Bloodfire Harpy and two gargoyles. The party defeats the monsters but sustains some damage. The last surviving gargoyle carries off the cowardly Teifling Warlord that never fought and eats him. The rest of the party doesn't try to save him.

Liberation of Mistmeadow

Whosis Kid pursues a small invisible creature he says is somewhere in the black library. The party parks the ziggurat above Blackshore near the tallest tower of the castle and they put defenses around it.

Duke Blackshore joins the party and travels with them by magic gate to Shadowmarsh Cliffs where they find Triel with about 50 swordmagi and 100 civilians. She also has the banner of Gladomain and a Shadow Army of around 200 shadow knights under her command.

They summon steads and ride to Mistmeadow the next day. First they try the marshlands to the south, but the will-o-wisps have overrun that area. They head north and find evidence of lolth's spider ship walking around the city.

They see commotion at the north gates from a distance. They approach the fire on the gate and offer help pretending to be mercenaries. The mercenary captain accepts their medical assistance. While they are helping, the War Pigs attack them with bombs, mistaking them for the enemy. They clarify the situation and the War Pigs lead them to the town square and proclaim that the heroes of mistmeadow have returned. The mercenaries drop their arms and flee when this is announced.

The 150 townsfolk take up refuge in Mezgar's fighting academy while the War Pigs and 50 able bodies townsfolk hide in some buildings and towers with bows to defend the city. Garrick sets up a trap in the tunnel leading from the fighting academy to Gladomain Keep.

When the sun sets the tanar'ri approach across the open field from Gladomain Keep. Down below, Garrick sees a column of 60 drow advancing through the tunnel so he sets off his trap setting them all on fire. He then seals the tunnel with ice to prevent the smoke from choking the townsfolk in the building above.

Lolth's spider ship is invisible but lumbers across the landscape. Iggy sneaks under it and uses dust of appearance so they can see the ship as it moves to attack the walls. He climbs atop the spider to the bridge and deploys a whirlwind and spike attacks to damage the controls and kill much of the crew operating the ship. The spider ship crashes into the city wall and crushes several buildings but the party slips aside.

Triel leads the shadow army against the Tanar'ri while the party focuses on the ship. They climb up to the bridge and Duke Blackshore smashes open a porthole so they can enter the ship. The Lady of Spiders inside delays them with several powerful attacks that trap them in poisoned webs. She also summons a large spider to attack them.

Garrick the Mad slips around to the back of the spider ship. An acid web tries to deploy from the ships weapons to destroy him, but he turns himself into a fireball and burns them away. Several drow minions rush out to fight him and are quickly dispatched by the demi-god of fire's raw power. He advances into the back chamber of the spidership and engages four elite drow shadowblades. He divides himself into four mirror images to trick his foes. The fight rages for several minutes but his fire eventually consumes them.

The Lady of Spiders manages to take the controls and points the ship at the moon. As the ship flies quickly towards space, the party finally takes her down with a flurry of magical attacks centered on her as she operates the controls.

Garrick the Mad finishes off the last drow shadowblade warrior and approaches the stairs to the lower level where he encounters General Thrax the Draegloth Abomination. Thrax casts darkness around him blinding him and ravages him with his claws. Garrick is near death when Duke Blackshore comes to his aid.

The battle goes poorly for the two as they fight blindly in the darkness. Finally Iggy and Garrett arrive to support them and the foul general is defeated by Garrett's radiant aura.

Iggy scouts ahead and finds that in the front of the ship there is a temple area with an Avatar of Lolth and several driders. He teleports out quickly and they evacuate the ship.

Garrett's boots that let him jump down land him in a large lake near the mouth of the dragon river by an imperial port city. Garrick sees Garrett fall and hauls him out of the lake to it's shore. Iggy carries the duke on his magical glider down to the surface, where they meet up with wizard and priest.

The Duke is soon informed by Marfalcon Moonshadows magical communication that a dragon army is attacking Blackshore and the ziggurat. They are lead by Thantiskorlweir, Baron Redspawn, and Lord Exhalus the doomguard commander that Xyrlynn worked for.

War Pigs! insurgents of Mistmeadow Storyline

Encounter 1 - Toth, a goliath swordmage constructed in Ironview joins the party. The party disguises themselves as a drow, mercenary, and three prisoners to slip past the gates to the east where they believe the prisoners from town have been taken.

They meet a band of goblins digging up some strange earth along the road. They also meet some elves a ways down and they help the elves kill the band of prospecting goblins. The elves grant them sanctuary for the night.

Encounter 2 - The next day they head out to the eastern ruins. They find two Ogres chained to the gates and two drow guarding the entrance to the mines. They are searched and the drow find weapons. A Battle ensues. The drow guards are killed and they free the chained ogres who leave without further trouble. They sneak into the mines through the back way, seeing a large flatworm inside the cave which they evade.

Inside the mines they free three prisoners from town and Took the psion disguises himself as the duergar guard. They return the prisoners along with the weapons they took from the goblins secretly to the main bunks where the prisoners arm themselves. They negotiate with the local guards into leading them to their commander, a powerful drow.

Encounter 3 - The party infiltrates the headquarters where they are mining a magical material and smelting it into weapons. They attack the drow warden and her duergar guards. After a fierce battle they defeat them and they destroy the smelter and flee with the escaped prisoners back to the countryside where they meet up again with the elves.

Rebellion! - Insurgents of Mistmeadow Storyline

Three outsiders trapped in Mistmeadow have befriended each other while enduring the occupation by Lolth's forces. They are Took, the dwarf psion, Kage the teifling bard, and Hilda the Half-Orc. Also, they know Himena, a local human, and Thorin an old dwarf who have lived in town some time.

While drinking in the tavern they get into an altercation with the captain of the guard who is drunk. They take out the captain and his two half-orc guards. Thorin is killed during the melee with the guards, but the rest of the group escapes out the back of the Singing Maid tavern and onto the street.

In the street they see mercenaries on their way out of town to train with their drow employers. A card loaded with weapons and equipment is nearby so they take some arms and Himena leads them to the desecrated temple of Ioun.

At the temple of Ioun they meet with Greg, the temple's keeper and oday, a gnome artificer. Knowing that they are now wanted and have little hope of fleeing to a safe place beyond Mistmeadow, they decide to join the temples ongoing insurgency against the occupation forces.

They initially target the most cruel mercenary working for the drow, a humanoid executioner named Judge Dread. The party plots with Oday and several other loyal resistance members to create a distraction to clear the barracks where Judge Dread lives. They capture a catapult from it's drow and spider guards on the south end of town and use it to propel several firebombs onto the roof of the heavily guarded Armory to the north. Then they use a bomb to destroy the catapult.

Mercenaries flood out of the barracks and work to put out the blaze at the armory, while the party slips out past the ruined ramparts, along the perimeter of the city, and around the back of the barracks. When they enter the barracks, which is on fire from splash damage from the catapult attack, Judge Dread is waiting for them.

The fire spreads while the party battles Judge Dread and his torturer henchman. Two spiders keep Kage tied up while the Psion faces off against the torturer. Hilda takes the main villain head to head. In the end they are victorious, and the adventurers limp out of the barracks.

The resistance members watching the armory burn release their bombs at the appointed time, devastating the local mercenary squads. In the chaos, the party sticks Judge Dreads head on display atop a pike in town square and they escape to their sanctuary at the temple of ioun. The townsfolk flood out of their homes and shops and begin to riot against the occupiers in the streets.

Map of the Ruined Lands

The opposite side of the earth was once separated from the realm of Gladomain by the Chaos Sea which was too dangerous to cross while Nidhogg the World Serpent enveloped the world of Gladomain. Now that Nidhogg has been released and the Chaos Sea is calmer, trade and exploration has resumed between the two hemi-spheres across the ocean.

The opposite side of Gladomain, also called the Ruined Lands, are plagued by barbarism, magical curses, and savage practices. During the first blood war and later during the conquest of Emperor Bael Turath, the Ruined Lands were wracked by powerful spellplagues used in the many wars.

There are few humans, elves, dwarves or other races common to Gladomain in the Ruined Lands. Explorers traveling there must be wary as rare species are valued as slaves and commodities to be captured and sold for profit.

Map of Gladomain

Map of Gladomain. The circle centered on Barovia is the misted land conquered by Orcus' armies.

Last Stand at Stonestown - Refugees of Ironview Storyline

The priest is summoned back to the village because of the announcement of a child being born. The rest of the party explores the dungeons below the ruined city and confront a larger band of goblins inhabiting a far corner of the complex. They capture Snotskin, the goblin king and his queen begs them to spare him. They agree to spare the king on the condition that they tell them what they are seeking in the forest and vow not to attack the refugees in the forest.

Snotskin agrees to their terms. He tells them he was working for a gnoll that commanded him by force to search the forest. Also they tell the party that they were looking for a chest filled with a magical artifact that was supposed to have been taken somewhere in the forest by a band of Kobolds lead by one named Krackilack.

The party sets out to notify the order of Yggdrasil to the north. After several days journey they find the stone circle of the druids and a battle is raging. All but one elven druid has been struck down by the invaders and the remaining elf stands against a large gnoll while several other gnoll raiders look on.

The party jumps into action, evening the odds. The mayor and the chaos mage in the party fall under the gnoll attack, but the ranger and wizard turn the tide back and slay the gnolls and save the last druid. She graciously offers the party shelter.

When the party mentions the kobolds and the chest to her she mentions the only kobold she knows of is a hermit living on the north side of the fallen world tree. The party leaves and travels for several days, finding the hermit's hut alongside the tree.

The hermit is krackilack the kobold and they find out that he did the chest beneath the floorboards of his old home, though he believes that his village was destroyed. The party gets him to come along with them by suggesting that they may be able to restore some of his fellow villagers from their petrified state. The next night while they are camped out he disappears without a trace.

They find a gorge with a river flowing through it. An old bridge has collapsed into the river, but in a slower moving part there are large lily pads they can jump across the river on. The mayor leaps to the other side and affixes a rope for the wizard to use to pull himself across the rapids. While he's in the water he finds that some undead in the water are grabbing at his legs. They are all bound in the foliage growing at the bottom of the murky stream.

The rest of the party attacks the skeletons and helps free the wizard and the ranger hops across the lily pads while the chaos mage tightrope walks across the rope they tied between the two old bridge supports.

When they return to the village they find the chest and dig it up but its been petrified and cannot be opened. No sooner have they arrived than the village is under attack. Kobolds with a seige weapon charge the city gates. Soon several gnolls arrive and join the fight.

The party mans the walls with half of their garrison and sends the rest of the townsfolk through an escape tunnel they constructed under the tree. During the melee, the chaos mage is cornered by gnolls on the wall, dives off into the forest and is taken down by one of the great beasts. The wizard is cornered gnolls on the wall as well, while the ranger and mayor pluck off kobold attackers.

Yllallae Serpenthelm arrives and destroys the seige engine and its crew dramatically. As she runs to their rescue, a shadowy gnoll appears behind her and cuts off her head, claiming it as a trophy. The surviving party members recognize him as Emperor Mez'Gar, the evil undead gnoll assassin.

The Emperor thanks them for leading him to the artifact of power, motioning to the head of Krackilack hanging from his belt as well. He kills the wizard by kicking him off the battlements than dispatches the ranger.

The party and the garrison manage to hold off the invaders while all the townsfolk escape, but during the battle the gate is smashed and a rampaging bugbear tears down one of the gate supports, collapsing a wall and pinning the mayor under some debris. Mez'Gar approaches the mayor after retrieving the stone chest. He tells the mayor that he thanks them for locating this useful artifact and then smashes the chest open. Before the mayor can see what he retrieved from it, Mez'Gar turns and beheads him.

The priest was recalled to town by a woman who claimed to be pregnant with your child. He arrived in town just before the rest of the adventurers and the army that came on their heels. The party decided to hold off the army as long as possible while the priest did the honorable thing and stayed with the pregnant woman. He and the rest of the villagers fled to the other side of the world tree through an underground tunnel and collapsed it behind them.

The Priest, Acting Mayor MacDuff and the pompous windbag Prospiro rallied the distraught villagers. Robbed of their home for the second time in a year, they hardened and strengthened. Determined to put distance between themselves and the army but afraid of being lost in the forest, they traveled for weeks down the length of the World Tree, until they arrived at its base. There they found the remains of a demonic worksite. A large chunk was missing from the Tree, but more importantly, powerful work tools were left strewn about. Additionally, chunks of the forest had been turned from Stone to Flesh (or Wood) by the demons, who needed that wood to power their tools.

Thusly equipped with power tools, wood and stone in construction materials, and a sky-high canvas upon which to paint their dreams, the 70 refugees set to work. Over the years they built a vertical city into the former Tree of Life, dramatically incorporating entire stone trees, branches and trunks into the city as decoration and columns. They named this the Town of Lapis Wood. Word spread, and the Town grew.

At the base of the Town, they built a fountain in the shape of the World Tree, and around that fountain they placed five statues: one for each of the Heroes of Lapis Wood. In time their names were forgotten, but their images remained - The Priest, The Ranger, The Sorceress, The Wizard, and The Mayor.

Plight of Silverleaf - Refugees of Ironview Storyline

The party meets up with more heroes in the small town of Silverleaf, newly formed in the fallen world tree's branches by another smaller group of refugees from the war. During the night, animals carry townsfolk out of their homes. The party follows their trail to a small cave where they find some townsfolk eaten while others are tied up.

They kill the animals and free the surviving townsfolk, including a few heroes, and confront the mad druid who summoned the animals to attack their town. The mad druid believes that the entire forest is dying and he is destroying everything as revenge.

They take the druid back to town to have him judged by the people of Silverleaf and brought to justice, but while he's held he consumes some herbs and dies. The lead the surviving townsfolk back to New Stonestown. As they return to the village they meet Yllallae Serpenthelm, who gives them some useful objects and offers to help them communicate with the Order of Yggdrasil.

Once they return to town, the heroes decide to head toward the great ruined city run by Snotskin the Goblin to see what progress they have made on their searching through the forest and to see what they can learn about their plans. They journey for several days in the woods, then come upon the ruins. They enter the lower level and encounter several goblins and a pack of rats. After they furious battle they defeat their foes and turn their sights deeper into the ruins' dungeon.

Refuge of the Fallen - Refugees of Ironview Storyline

100 Ironview Refugees travel into the forest, making their way for the fallen world tree. Lost and confused, they were inspired by the (perhaps unrealistic) message of a former village mayor named Prospiro, who suggested carving a city into the side of the trunk. The heroes protected the caravan from a kobold attack and found a map of the forest, divided into grids, with many grids X'd out.

Then they led the refugees to the tree (after suffering some setbacks) and found an abandoned kobold village, much of which had been turned to stone when the tree fell. They made this their home, and spend the next three months building human-sized dwellings, a city wall, a militia yard, and a lumber mill. They name the place New Stonestown.

One of the refugee heroes, ran for mayor on a platform of military strength. When the village suffered a major attack by Goblins and Kobolds together, another map was discovered on an attacker's corpse.

The heroes deduced that the map meant the forces they had encountered were searching the forest for something, and set out for the Druid Circle to see if the Druids knew what was going on in the forest.

They were interrupted in their journey by the discovery of another village of refugees, this one with few survivors and in desperate need of help, named Silverleaf.

Escape from Hell! Saviors of Blackshore!

Kodrus Jr. and Atticus follow a lead to find the missing chicken. It's rumored to be with King and Queen Turath who are travelling in the hells and were recently seen in the port city of Jealous Heart on the edge of Phlegethos.

The rest of the party reposes in the Crystal Palace by the lake of fire for a few weeks. Talking with Captain Skullblade, a devil who is the highest ranking officer in army after they killed Gazra and his chief lieutenants, the learn the following information:

"Lady Inanna, the ruler of Jealous Heart is the most beautiful enchantress in Baator. All who meet her bend to her will. It is rumored that she was once consort to Levistus, the ruler of Stygia. Levistus assassinated Asmodeus' Queen Bensozia, a crime for which he was merely imprisoned in a great iceberg on Stygia, though he still rules in title. All of the duties of ruler are carried out by Asmodeus' loyal general Geryon the arch-fiend.

Belial is the father of Fierna, the current ruler of Phlegethos. He was once ruler her himself, but after the last reckoning of hell, he surrendered his title to his daughter, believing he would continue to rule behind the throne. While true for some time, Fierna eventually gave up her indifference towards governance and now asserts herself defiantly against Belial's wishes.

Fierna is the ruler of Phlegethos. She is powerful, beautiful, and lascivious. Most in Baator consider her to be one of the highest achievemers in the dual virtues of sin and discipline. She has recently grown defiant towards her father's advice on how to govern Phlegethos, and has even banished him from her dark spire palace.

During the last reckoning of hell, a bloody civil war, two factions warred for power. The first faction was composed of Baalzebub, Belial, and several other devil. The second faction was composed of Mephistopheles, Mammon, Dispater, and Geryon. When Baalzebub's faction seemed close to victory and they prepared to turn their sights on the throne of Asmodeus , the lord of Baator had his loyal pit fiend generals stage a coup against both factions, effectively ending the war. Asmodeus then executed the most treacherous members of Baalzebub and Belial's cabal, though they both survived his purge. Mephistopheles and his faction suffered little more than a slap on the wrist as they pledged themselves to Asmodeus for saving them from Baalzebub's wrath.

Baalzebub was once the lord of Baator and ruled the ninth plane in Nessus. Rumor has it that the original lord of Baator, now long past and forgotten was deposed by Baalzebub. Baalzebub was in turn deposed by Asmodeus when he still commanded the armies of heaven and fought against the first fallen angels. When Asmodeus' pride was slighted by his masters in heaven, he murdered several of them with his sword Hellsong, until he was finally driven out and took up residence in Baator. Baalzebub still seeks to reclaim his lost title.

Graz'zt is the Son of Asmodeus, the lord of Baator, and Pale Night, the mother of demons who resides in Shubgottia. Graz'zt was raised in the courts of Baator, but always showed a rebellious streak. When his mother was deposed by the other demonic factions in the Abyssal civil war, he sought to lead the armies in the Bloodwar to invade the abyss. While on his conquests, he captured several layers, but in time became corrupted and turned to the ways of chaos. Some say that Graz'zt's membership in the dark six is merely a cover, and that he spies on the abyss for his father Asmodeus. Graz'zt is said to have a strong rivalry bordering on hatred with Orcus."

Invitations pour in from the three major devils on Plegethos. They decide to avoid Inanna, who is notorious for charming and dominating visitors and head to Phlegethos' largest city, ruled by Belial. They ride several nightmares across the firey plains and arrive a day later at the city gates. They are welcomed to the city keep and meet with Belial, a tall and impressive devil.

Belial advises that he believes Mammon intends to deceive them and he helps Whosis remember that Mammon actually on said it was within his power to give them the Ziggurat, he never actually promised to give it. Belial suggests that they tell his daughter Fierna that they intend to give Mammon the title of general and to invite him to the ceremony, then when he arrives they will actually name Belial to the title. Belial agrees to write a contract with the following conditions:

1. The party names him general of Phlegethos, as is their right.
2. Belial will help them sieze the Ziggurat from Mammon
3. The party will leave Baator and never return, unless invited by Belial or his superiors. Also, Belial will not return to Gladomain with his army unless invited by a member of the party, or if he is ordered to go there by his superiors.

The party gladly excepts and signs the contract in blood. They set of to speak with Fierna who is always partying in her dark spire. The imp at the front gate remembers whosis who tipped him generously last time and lets them in again (after another large tip). They enter the court and find a bunch of naked devils eating and drinking. Whosis accepts a poisoned chalice from Fierna and chokes to death as the court laughs at him. They later resurrect him.

Fierna says that the ceremony will take place in nine weeks time. Though they plead with her to speed this up, she says there will be no exceptions. They leave the her dark spire palace and travel back to the crystal palace to train with the army. They try to contact Belial but he sends word that it is not safe to speak as Mammon's spies are everywhere.

At the ceremony, Mammon arrives outside the dark spire palace with the jewelled ziggurat. Fierna comes out the front gate and brings a chalice, asking the party to name the person who will be the new general. To her surprise, they name her father Belial who steps from among the ranks of the army and claims the title, drinking from her cup.

Mammon shouts and charges down the stairs of the ziggurat onto the stone plains. The shadows of the party and everyone in the army twist and writhe becoming horrible black ooze devils that envelope everyone in their acidic coils. As the party struggles to free themselves from Mammons trap, Belial fires a pillar of flame into the heavens and calls upon his master Baalzebub. Mammon in turn shoots an arrow into the sky, calling upon his lord Mesphitopheles. The two charge into combat with each other.

The party dispatches most of the ooze devils, though whosis and garret have some trouble fighting off Mini-Mammon, who turns out to be a little tougher than anticipated. As the two gods Mammon and Belial fight, their older and more power masters arrive. Mephistopheles and Baalzebub silent charge towards one another.

The party scrambles to get out of the way as the two colossal powers meet. They retreat to the ziggurat and Garrett struggle with the controls. Garrick the mad imprisons mini-mammon in a wall of ice. Mammon knocks Belial to the ground though he is injured by several icy spikes that iggy casts on him.

Everyone looks up and in horror they realize that the tower itself has a large shadowy ooze devil enveloping it and dissolving its foundation. The entire tower is starting to collapse and will fall and crush the battlefield and the ziggurat. Mephistopheles and Baalzebub fight on coldly, but Mammon, Belial, and Fierna scramble out of the way.

Most of the army has been destroyed by mammon's ooze devils as garrett activates one of the controls on the ziggurat which creates a great tornado that holds the tower aloft and begins to spin it around violently, preventing it from falling on them but breaking it into several large pieces with start to fly outward randomly bouncing across the landscape. Everyone hangs on for dear life at the force of the cyclone so close to them.

As Mephistopheles knocks Baalzebub down with a mighty blow, Asmodeus himself arrives and begins throwing massive fireballs at them, knocking his unruly subjects to the ground. He seems unaffected by the tornado.

As the last of the party clamors aboard garrett activates the controls he believes will take them out of there. He disengages the cyclone and they blink out, just as a mighty piece of the tower hurtles towards them. They escape to Gladomain, just seconds before certain destruction.

They appear several hundred feet in the air over the city center of Blackshore. They see the city is under attack by the Norselord's minotaur fleet and a great metal war zeppelin is attacking the city walls and merchant district by the docks. The zeppelin has a great minotaur head on the front of the bottom turret and from the eyes and mouth pour great streams of burning liquid that set the towers, walls and neighborhoods or Blackshore ablaze.

As the zeppelin sees them appear is approaches and launches fireballs at the ziggurat. Garrett returns fire, first with a cyclone the spins them about, then with a poison gas the chokes several of their gunners. A magical barrier protects the pilots and ogre marines aboard the zeppelin from the poison gas. Next Garrett tries to use the earth power on his foe, but instead accidentally rips a great chasm across the fields to the southeast of Blackshore and collapsing the wall near the main gate.

Both try to gain altitude as they approach one another and finally they collide and the ogres begin to board. Garrick the mad tosses a wall of fire down the ziggurat's stairs, blocking their advance. Garret blasts the zeppelin and Baphomet, the dark six lord who is piloting it, with a storm of meteors. The meteors stike the dark lord but don't appear to harm him significantly. Garrett then uses the ziggurat's defenses to blast a wall of air at the ogres, halting their advance and blowing them back toward the edge.

Iggy jumps aboard the zeppelins control turret and casts a vortex of his own to damage the controls and he finds himself confronting Baphomet. Blocking his sight with the cyclone, Iggy teleports out to escape.

A surprise attack from Harthantor, an ancient blue dragon, and the oldest and largest dragon in Gladomain, knocks Garrett to the earth as he crushes him between his wings. A great blast of electricity arcs through Garrett and Garrick, knocking out the priest and sending the mage rolling down the side of the ziggurat to it's edge. Garrick takes flight soaring up above the pyramid.

Whosis grabs Garrett's hand on his dying body and taps the controls, activating the ziggurat's defenses. A blast of cold kills the boarding ogres and badly damages Harthantor, but the great dragon shrugs off the ice attack and redoubles his efforts to kill Garrett. Whosis Kid leaps onto the dragon's back. Garrick the mad tosses a blast of fire at the beast, mocking it and drawing it's wrath.

The great dragon roars in rage, striking fear into all who hear its cry. As Garrick flies away and the great dragon clears the edge of the fortress, whosis kid knocks the monster unconscious and backflips off it's titanic form back onto the ziggurat. He catches hold of the edge and looks down to see Harthantor's limp form hurtle to its death hundreds of feet below at the bottom of the chasm created by Garrett's earthquake attack earlier.

in his battle with Baphomet, Iggy targets the body of the Zeppelin and knocks a large chunk of it off, which falls to the earth and shatters into many pieces. Baphomet begins targeting Iggy and Garrett forcing them to attack one another, before Whosis sneaks up and backstabs him causing a great gush of black ooze to splatter across the halflings face. The dark lord continues to bleed profusely and takes more damage from subsequent attacks as the rest of the party converge their force on their remaining foe.

Garrick lands the killing blow to the demon lord and an arc of energy surges into him, making him a demi-god of fire magic.

They return to Blackshore and survey the damage to the city. They learn that the dark six have come to Gladomain again to take over. They rest a few days then travel to Mistmeadow to liberate it's people from Lolth's tyranny.

Gazra the Pit Fiend General of Phlegethos

The party journeys to Jangling Hiter to descend on the elevator of despair down to the next layer of Baator, Phlegethos.

As they enter the city, they see ditches filled with black oil. A slimy pool with mist coming out of it has shadowy forms moving around in it. They cross a bridge and three chain devils emerge from the pool to attack them. A huge chain golem rises out of the moat of oil and drags Garrick and Garret into in, crushing them until they teleport themselves out.

Two stone golems rise from the moat as well and attack iggy and atticus (a fighter the party met after their prision escape on the first layer of Baator), who they encountered on Minauros. Atticus is on a quest to find a chicken lost by his neighbor's daughter in Lighthedge Point. It's a prizewinning bird that lays the best eggs in the region and possibly the world. He suspects that the King and Queen of Turath stole it and are now somewhere in Baator with it. As Atticus engages the golems his shield arm is crushed and hangs limp for the rest of the battle.

Kodrus and Whosis deal with the chain devils. Garrick the Mad sets the moat on fire, eventually melting the chain golem. Atticus and Garret work with Iggy to destroy the stone golems and they proceed to the elevator of despair. It lowers them down slowly for several hours until they finally reach the flaming landscape of phlegethos. They stop briefly at the tower of Fierna, the ruler of this layer and chat with an imp guarding the door, then move along.

The do recon on the crystal palace next to the lake of fire where Gazra lives and do not see him, but several of his generals, two fire giants and an efreet are training their soliders. They determine that Gazra is in the barracks and wait several hours resting before they aproach and attack the outpost.

In the opening surprise attack many of the footsoldiers are killed. Garrett chokes one to death with the hand of vecna and turns another with his other hand. The others cast spells that cut down the lines and they charge into the barracks to engage the leaders.

As they fight, Whosis challenges Gazra openly though he is nowhere in sight. A moment later two huge fire elemental titans rise from pools of lava outside the building along with three rockfire dreadnoughts who charge in casting waves of fire and throwing magma.

Gazra himself appears a moment later to answer Whosis kid's challenge, dispelling his invisibility. He calls in several legion devils and begins stricking with his flametongue mace and poisoned tail attack.

Whosis knocks out one of the fire giant generals and atticus steps in to hold of the other. The efreet is taken out by the rest of the party who rallies outside to hold off the charging elementals. Iggy splits into several mirror images of himself and distracts the elementals who chase him about.

Under the onslought of Atticus' furious attacks and Whosis kid's backstabbing, Gazra falls back, teleporting out of the center of the battle and moving two of his elemental guardians into position to protect him. Garrett falls as the fire titan's flames consume him. Whosis tries to dive through the elementals protective lines and falls as well, making one last strike against Gazra as he is consumed by the ring of fire that protects the general. Kodrus is near death as he charges in to gore the general.

Finally, Atticus wades through the remaining soldiers and slays the pit fiend with a series of vicious strokes from his sword. When the general is slain, the surviving elementals cease their attacks and return to the lava pools nearby.

The party is camps out at Gazra's crystal palace. There are hundreds of legion devils stationed in the barracks nearby but they are not drilling or doing anything productive until a new leader is selected. It takes a few weeks for them to sort through all of the red tape and paperwork to determine how succession will be handled, but inevitably they advise it will all need to be approved by Lady Fierna.

In the meantime, messengers have been sent from the three courts of Phlegethos granting the party an audience and requesting their presence as soon as possible.

The first invitation comes from Inanna, from port city called Jealous Heart on the edge of this layer of Baator. She congratulates you on your victory over Gazra and says she looks forward to meeting those strong enough to best Hell's finest general.

The second invitation comes from Belial (the father of Fierna, who rules this plane), who lives in the largest city a days journey away. He urgently requests you meet with him to discuss the details choosing Gazra's successor.

The last invitation comes from Fierna, the ruler of Phlegethos, who reigns from the dark spire near the crystal palace (where you spoke with the imp earlier). She invites you to taste the pleasures of her court.

Slayers of Tiamat

Garrick the Mad cures himself and Ilmak of the mindflayer seeds in their skulls. Ottian has Ilmak take him to Ironview to check out what has happened to the swordmagi under Veszafein's rule. Garrick is magically transported by Ottian to Avernus to join the rest of the party in the city of Bel in finding the jewelled Ziggurat.

The party is granted an early audience with Bel in his Bronze Citadel due to the rising status of Whosis Kid in the local barfighting scene. Whosis and Iggy arrive late to the meeting to find the rest of the party, Garrett, Garrick, and Kodrus Jr. enjoying Fire Wine with Bel and his vassals.

Bel accepts a magical item as a present and then discovers that Whosis kid's crown is a scrying device for Graz'zt the demon lord. Assuming they are servants of the dark six he casts them into the sea of maggots below his palace (actually a dry plain covered in a shallow swarm of maggots stretching for miles).

A crowd assembles on the battlements to watch the fight between the party and Tiamat. Whosis jumps on Tiamat's back until he is stung and killed by her poison tail. Garrett is stung and dies next. Garrick is stung but does not die. Kodrus lands the killing blow to Tiamat and he obtains her life essence, becoming a demi-god himself (he becomes stronger and tougher).

As they travel past the dragonspawn pits near the tower of skulls (made from vanquished demons from the bloodwar), they set up camp near a far cliffside that they must scale to reach the next layer of Baator called Dis.

While they are encamped in a magical circle, the devil thrax and a swarm of spine devils gather round and proclaim they are bounty hunters seeking the price that darkspire has placed on their heads. They capture Thrax and kill the spine devils. Thrax agrees to gain them an audience with Dispater the ruler of the second layer of the hells, in exchange for his life.

They meet Dispater in his hall and tell him that they wish to travel to Minauros to seek the jewelled ziggurat. He says they will likely find it there and gives them the book of vile darkness to return to Mammon, the ruler of the third layer. They ask how to get there and he says that Baba Yaga, the innkeeper at Baba Yaga's Hut can provide them with safe passage.

At Baba Yaga's Hut they get into a barfight with several gods and cliff the drunken minotaur. Then they are transported to the stinking swamps of Minauros. Baba Yaga takes a magical item as payment for transporting them.

In the swamps they head to Mammons sinking city and he greets them. They tell him that they seek the jeweled zigurrat and he says that as the Viscount of Minauros it's in his power to give the jeweled ziggurat to them. He asks that they defeat a rival on the next layer Phlegethos for him and he would gladly give it to them. Mammon swore an oath to Asmodeus not to challenge Gazra the pit fiend on the next layer, but any other can defeat him and name his successor. Mammon wants to serve on that layer because he detests the swamps and wants to live near the fires of the volcano city where Gazra leads the Armies of Phlegethos for it's lords.

Mammon invites the party to enter the Ziggurat and they find it is very large inside and has open gardens and the black library of legend where Ioun dwells. Garrett meets Ioun and his hand raises to attack her with the sword. He controls the sword with his focused faith but Ioun tells him to fulfill the prophecy by allowing it to slay her. Garrett beheads Ioun and gains her power becoming a demi-god and gaining ultimate power over the hand of Vecna. He is now bound to defeat vecna with his own hand, fulfilling the prophecy or die trying.

The party also learns that Wee-Jas (the raven queen), vecna, and Ioun all once served together in the same magical order. Wee-Jas learned the secret of immortality and vecna killed her to obtain it. Wee Jas resurrected as the raven queen and gave the secret to Ioun to avenge her death. The conflict among the three has been going on for over a thousand years.

Ioun also shows the party that in the past month they've been in hell, Orcus has freed himself and flown to Barovia. Brock Mez'Gar has lead an army of Gnolls to conquer the Imperial Capitol of Draconis, where he now reigns as Barbarian King. Veszafein has opened a portal to the shadowfell and freed Vecna, who now rules Ironview, with Veszafein as his lieutenant.

Welcome to Hell

The party steps into the courtyard. Orcs surround them and begin to close in. The orcs' shaman is a moon priest and summons the moon during the daytime, causing Garrett to convulse and fall to the ground, struggling with his Lycanthropy.

Whosis jumps up on the castle wall and begins taking out the archers who fire poisoned arrows down on them. Iggy attacks the moon priest. Kodrus attacks several axe wielding wild orcs in the courtyard.

Thantiskorlweir, a huge red dragon, and chief general in the dark sixes armies on Gladomain, emerges from inside the keep. Iggy immobilizes the dragon before it can take to the air and breath fire on them, but it does immolate Kodrus. Iggy kills the moonpriest and Garrett begins to recover from his wolf-form. While in his weakened state, the hand of Vecna charges toward the red dragon as it is impaled on some of the magical spikes Iggy summoned.

Whosis Kid opens the front gate of the castle wall and sets one of the battlements on fire by lighting up its armaments and greek fire. The tower explodes violently as he leaps off the castle wall to join the battle. He leaps from the roof of a structure near the dragon, but fails to grab onto it's neck. He falls to the ground and is stomped on by the beast.

Kodrus blinds the dragon and hauls Garrett along with him into the castle's inner keep. He calls on the other two to retreat with him as a legion of devils comes charging through the front gates toward Thantiskorlweir, surrounding the red dragon. A furious battle continues and Thantiskorlweir destroys the first wave of devils then retreats by taking to the sky as Zirakas, the Rakshasa prince and the bulk of his army arrives.

They find the inner keep has been burned thoroughly. Garrett uses the signet ring given to him by Lord Shadowmarsh in Shubgottia and opens the vault. They find that the treasure has been significantly depleted by the plunder of Lady Xyrlynn when she paid off the mercenary army to conquer Marshgate. Still there is some treasure.

Also in the vault is a giant Astralgate, inscribed with the emblem of Nidhogg the world serpet. The Rod of Acererak dials the gates runes and opens a portal of swirling rainbow colored mist, though they notice that the mist seems to fade along with the fading auroras in the sky, as though the gates power is linked to the world serpent and will be gone when they world serpent departs from Gladomain.

They boldly step through the gate and are transported through the rainbow mists to a vast broken plane with rivers of lava and craters everywhere. In the distance they see high mountains topped with iron towers and humanoid creatures with bat wings fly off in the horizon. Great fireballs fall from the sky randomly hitting the earth and exploding violently.

As they rush towards the nearest cluster of towers, six large winged red devils land in front of them. The largest introduces himself as General Malenbranche, commander of the armies of Darkspire. Whosis tries to convince him that they are working for Zirakas and wise to continue on their journey, but Malenbranche insists that they come back with him to Darkspire to be questioned by the Osyluth Thought Police there to confirm their story.

A battle ensues and the party is victorious, though several of the devils try to fly off, they dispatch them with ranged attacks before they can escape and warn their allies. They also find boots that allow them to safely walk on fire and lava and they find a map of the 9 hells of Baator. They realize that they are on the first layer of Baator called Avernus. The rod points them towards the Bronze Citadel of Bel the Pit Fiend, but to reach it they must first cross the River Styx (a river of blood that steals the souls of any who imbibe its waters or drown in it).

On the other side of the river styx is darkspire, a great walled city with a central tower with a burning magical eye that illuminates beings like a searchlight, reads their thoughts, and freezes them until the police can collect them if it is displeased with them. They find a Githyanki boatman who offers to smuggle them across the river in exchange for a powerful magical item. At one point in their journey the searchlight is shined on them and they need to crawl beneath the ship and hold onto the underside, holding their breaths a while.

The panopticon suspects something and draws them in toward the docks where several undead extraplanar being guards inspect the ship along with an angry devil captain of the guard. As the party sneaks away from the ship and comes ashore, Kodrus' loud plate mail summons the guards. The searchlight shines on him and he freezes in place. Iggy hides, Garrett becomes invisible, and Whosis takes a small rodent form and runs off.

Iggy does some recon work and finds the Kodrus is being held in the prison below the panopticon. He learns that the citizens of the city all live in fear of the Osyluth thought police, hug skeletal devils with poisonous scorpion-like tails. The various families of Darkspire all inform on one another to stay on the good side of the authorities.

When Iggy arrives in the dungeon of blood he finds that the devil captain from the docks and an Osyluth bone devil are interrogating Kodrus. Kodrus is weakened from days of torture when they strapped a great helmet to his head (with room for the horns) and electrocuted repeated during questioning. Still he has not broken.

As the Osyluth steps forward to try a mild meld again to learn his true intentions, Iggy lets lose with several magical spike attacks. Thinking these magical attacks are the work of Kodrus, the undead tiefling soliders take no notice of Iggy.

Kodrus is enveloped in a great metal sarcaphogus construct full of poisonous gas. He beats on the inside with his horns and a crowbar he still had in his equipment. Meanwhile Iggy whips up a great tempest and takes out the minions in the hall. Kodrus breaks out of the iron maiden and takes out the Osyluth. A half dozen legion devil guards flood the hall and close in on Kodrus. As he is about to die, Iggy's tempest kills the minions and the devil captain is quickly destroyed. They find Kodrus' equipment and Garrett and Whosis, drawn by the commotion as they searched the dungeon themselves, both arrive.

They free the Githyanki boatmen who helps them escape from the sewers and they travel down the river to the Bronze Citadel of Bel the Pitfiend. The city of Bel is actually a fairly diverse and pleasant city, and Bel himself is rumored to be very hospitable. The party rests for several weeks until they can be granted an audience (there's a very long waiting list).

Dark Future (14th session, May 2nd, 2010)

Snotskin insists on following the party wherever they go.

Garrick the Mad (the wizard) and Ottian (the demi-lich skull of the party's mentor) are taking Ilmak (the swordmage) back to the temple of Ioun to do research on him to see if they can find a way to cure the mindflayer in his skull while he's in suspended animation.

Meanwhile, Brock Mez'Gar (the undead gnoll assassin) is giving the Rod of Acererak to Garret (the cleric of Ioun) and retiring to the newly built "Brock Mez'Gar's Fighting Academy" in Mistmeadow, where he intends to train the locals to better defend themselves.

Kevros (the shifter paladin) is working on recruiting a party to lead back into the Tomb of Horrors to see if they can recover Hotspur's soul and defeat Acererak, the demi-lich. Meanwhile, Hotspurs body lies preserved at the temple of Ioun. The rest of the party is heading north towards Kodrus Vale in search of Whosis Kid's remains so they can resurrect him.

Triel the swordmage heads to Ironview to see how the order is fairing under Veszafein's rule.

In Mistmeadow the city guard enforces the Duchy’s decree that all goblins are to be killed on sight if they enter town, though they have not pursued goblins they see passing by as they have learned of the Goblin Lord’s deal with the party. They aren’t happy about having trolls camped out in the ruins nearby. Iggy and Snotskin, the goblins with the party hide from the Mistmeadow guard.


Kodrus Vale:

As they enter the city of Kodrus Vale they see the former Sheriff of Lighthedge Point (who retired after being resurrected in the battle with Baron Redspawn) training ogres and feral elves how to farm. The elves look happy, but the ogres look bored and frustrated.

In the main square near the life-sized statue of Kodrus with the inscription "He wanted to be bigger." they meet Kodrus Jr, pulling an ox cart through the square and reposing for a moment in the sun along the street vendors.

One of the street vendors recognizes the resemblance and a mob forms around him. They grow restless until Iggy the goblin entertains them by teleporting around and shooting off some fireworks.


Ogre Hall:

Ogre Hall - Grawrsh is arguing with the ogres current leader Malxish. Malxish assures the warriors that plans to liberate Summerspring draw near and meanwhile they must tend to the crops to ensure there will be something to eat when the war is done. Grawrsh offers them adventure and wealth if they leave tomorrow with him. The hall seems evenly divided between ogres who want to leave and who want to stay and wait for the big battle. Everyone agrees as they drink their Ogre Mead that farming is for elves and does not concern them, though Malxish does fairly point out that without the crop there will be no ogre mead. The ogres insist on resolving the dispute with a drinking contest which Grawrsh fails. When he loses consciousness (along with Kodrus Jr) he reverts to his true form. It turns out that Grawrsh was Whosis in disguise.


Glimmergaunt Tower:

The party sees a flock of Ravens perched in a tree near the entrance - few of them circle the tower overhead cawing monotonously. The halflings welcome the party with a special reserve of ice wine and lead them to Gurmorel's chambers. She is ill. Juliana, Vicmorn Shieldheart, the young Sir Blackshore (slayer of Arushantis), and the Mayor Hobbins from Lighthedge Point are assembled around the sick bed of Lady Glimmergaunt. With Blackshore incapacitated by the Norselord's seige and the rest of the island duchies fallen to his pirate raiders, the situation for the Duchy are precarious. Those assembled are proposing a new Guardian Council, headed by Glimmergaunt, with each of the four other cities as members on the council, pledged to mutually assist one another. First they wish to liberate Summerspring, them move to end the siege at Blackshore. As they proceed the party notices a large Raven perched on the window watching them (when Iggy tries to shoo the raven it becomes the Raven Queen).

The Raven Queen issues an ultimatum - the party has failed to kill Orcus, and so per their agreement the soul of Lady Glimmergaunt will be hers when her time comes, and that time appears to be sooner than later. Glimmergaunt promised her soul to the Raven Queen so that winter would never come to her lands, and now the Raven Queen intends to collect. For although Aseroth granted Glimmergaunt agelessness to protect her from the ravages of time, she can still die by disease. She mentions that her revenant Brock Mez'gar has been delinquent in his duty to perform her will. Orcus is still alive and the Raven feather she gave to Brock was never delivered to Count of Barovia. While her rival Orcus lives and his pawn the Count sits in his castle, she decrees that no one on this earth shall be resurrected. She will horde all of their souls in the Shadowfell. The Raven Queen says that the only cure for lady Glimmergaunt's illness is the tea made from the cone of the world ash.


Road to SummerSpring:

While travelling the party notices that Garrett is casting two shadows. Nortumal appears. Nortumal states his intention to find the world tree. They attack him, at which point he fights to the death. Whosis and Kodrus Jr wakeup to aid in the fight. Nortumal is defeated and slinks off into the shadows to reincarnate again.


Path to the Enchanted Grove in the Feywoods:

See the Order of Yggdrasil in the wood, assembled around a stone circle honoring the passing of Hotspur.

Next, they will come across the ruined city in the heart of the feywild. This was the kingdom of Graceothantis. The evil fey creatures there surround and welcome them as victors, offering them the crown of their deceased king, though the kingdom bears a curse that you must marry someone of the royal line to rule. None have claimed the throne because the royal bloodline is so terrible. Graceothantis took the Witch Queen Hektiss as his bride. Several foul fey creature of royal blood are offered to Snotskin since he's the only one to claim the prize. He selects a goblin bride.

Also, at a great wedding feast, they hear the legend of the stag told by a captive pixie bard, a creature which none in the ruined city have seen because they are too evil to witness it. The party frees the bard Friskus the next morning and he directs the party to the sacred glen where the Stag can it can be found drinking from time to time.

They follow the white stage from the silvery glen through the forest to the world tree. The stag leads them around a flock of hundreds of harpies nesting in the trees above.


World Tree & Graconithantis:

The huge green dragon slumbers at the base of the tree, surrounded by a vast field of treasure and skeletal remains of past heroes. World tree cones have been collected and lay in a pile under the beasts claw. Whosis sneaks up and retrieves two cones.

the large raven crows and becomes the raven queen. Then graz'zt leaps down from the world tree and kills the dragon with a mighty blow as it awakens. the raven queen then reveals itself as the lord of illusions and mocks them. Graz'z congratulates the party, then reveals his plan. Two large Tanar’ri appear with great axes and begin chopping at the tree. The Lord of Illusions tries to stop them as this is not what he agreed to, but Graz’zt breaks the ground open and throws him into the pit. Graz'zt takes control over Whosis who aids him in attacking the party. When the tree finally falls a great shockwave tears through the forest petrifying everything in a mile radius. A moment later a great and powerful explosion blasts the land, killing all living things nearby.


Resurrection:

The Lord of Illusions and Drandis stand over the party. They are lying on a battered broken land. Petrified tree stumps litter the landscape in all directions. He explains that it took him a long time to find them. The Lord of Illusions tells them he now goes by his true name Sadrak. He’s changed his ways and is committed to undoing the damage that he caused all those years ago when he helped Graz’zt find the world tree.

Gladomain has been shattered into a cluster of rocks orbiting the moon, where Graz’zt has created a new world he calls Nightgleam. When the old world of Gladomain was destroyed, Nidhogg was freed. Graz'zt then planted a new world tree on the moon and became a god himself.

Graz’zt’s three generals rule their kingdoms with fear and tyranny. The dark six raised a large army and then used the world tree to create a giant battering ram to smash a portal from the moon through to Baator and their armies invaded the hells, freeing their imprisoned sister Tiamat.

The abyssal forces have fought 100 long years to claim all but the last layer of hell. Asmodeus has been captured and Baalzebub rally’s the last remaining forces hell can muster for one last defense. It appears inevitable that the bloodwar will soon be over.

After the death of the world tree, Sadrak had two world tree cones. With one he created a new distant world in his own image, a fanciful place of dancing stars and illusions full of joy, wonder, and mirth, but in time he grew weary of it and godhood, as the guilt over his participation in Graz’zt’s plan plagued him. He found Drandis and tried to create a refuge for some of the good people of Gladomain with the second cone, but their sanctuary was eventually found by the dark six and destroyed.

Drandis and Sadrak have though long and hard of how to right things. They believe the best strategy was to find the party, resurrect them, and send them back in time to the day after their deaths so they can save Gurmorel Glimmergaunt and have her replant a new world tree. If they succeed, Nidhogg will still be freed but Graz’zt’s plan to destroy Gladomain will fail. The only way they know of to do that is with a wish from the tomb of Proferio atop the tower in Graz’zt’s domed palace.

The garden of proferio as the party knows was once a beautiful jewel on the sybarite isle, but Graz’zt has corrupted it and made it his den of evil. Drandis reminds them that when they get to the tomb they must wish very specifically to have their present soul restored into their resurrected bodies on the sunrise after the world tree was destroyed. Too early and the lands will be swarming with Tanar’ri. Too late and they will not have time to save Glimmergaunt to replant the world tree.


Moon Landing:

The arrive on the surface of the moon outside the city. They intend to meet up with a caravan of lunar nomads who will disguise them and lead them into the city. The nomads turn out to be werewolf raiders.

Sadrak explains that Graz’zt ordered most of the populace of the shattered lands sent to the moon where he and Baphoment began infecting them with lycanthropy. On the surface of the moon, they live in a state of endless frenzied rage, prowling the countryside and attacking anything outside the city. He calls on the horde to fight in his wars from time to time. During the battle with the lunar werewolf nomads, Garrett is bitten and infected with Lycanthropy before they defeat the creatures.

As Sadrak and Dradis fight back the horde coming out of the crate nearby, some lizardfolk motion to the party to enter into a concealed crater entrance. They find the undercity and are lead to the lizard king who explains that he knows a secret way into the domed fortress. He sends the lizard men along with the party.


Dark Garden:

The crystal cave is dark and sinister looking. The waters churn violently and a mist drifts over the waters. Time does not appear to be changed anymore in this place. They find that the creatures of the garden are being hunted to extinction when they arrive.

Pale Night stalks the garden with her minions. They fire poisoned deadly arrows at the party. The lizardfolk heroically sacrifice themselves to lead her hunting party away while the party moves on toward the palace, killing some of Pale Night's Yuguloth guards.

As they run toward the palace they see that the waters in the lake are black and giant tentacled things grab large rodent-like beasts drinking at the shore. One side of the dome is cracked open and guarded by Tanar’ri but the palace inside the dome appears unguarded.


Conference:

Graz’zt’s three generals present Asmodeus to him in his court along with the other dark six. Graz’zt tells the generals that when their conquest of Baator is complete they will each be granted their own layer to rule as they they wish. He then turns to execute Asmodeus. The party continues their climb on the outside of the palace to the top spire.


Homecoming:

The party returns to Kodrus Vale a day after the world tree was destroyed. The sky has a strange aurora as Nidhogg begins to uncoil from around it and regurgitate the earth. In a few days they will see the aurora begin to fade from the sky as the world serpent starts its departure back to limbo.

A huge rift has been torn in the earth between Kordus Vale and SummerSpring.
Glimmergaunt takes Drandis and departs to give the world tree cone to the order of Yggdrasil so the High Druid can replant it and save the earth.


Investigation:

The party goes to talk to Brock Mez'Gar. At the academy they find he is absent. Iggy the goblin investigates the fighting academy and finds three secret basement levels that house an assassins guild, a temple to the raven queen, and a shrine to Mez'Gar. They also learn that he has left towards Ironview and has the Ring of Acererak. Though he told them he couldn't find it in Graceothantis' remains he did indeed locate the object.


Departure:

The party rests for several days then continues on towards Shadowmarsh Cliffs. They find the Evil Jungle Prince Zirakas the Rakshasa and his army of infernal creatures parked out front laying seige to the city. They are starving out the orcs who are are camped within.

Iggy creates a magical barrier so they can sneek through the keep's walls. The Rakshasa's forces see the party approach the front gate, and once inside Kodrus Jr knocks over some metal objects and alerts the orc guards on the main wall who turn to attack the party.