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.

Tomb of Horrors (13th session: April 4th, 2010)

The party goes to meet the Goblin Lord.

"The hall is cold and damp. The smell of rotting flesh emanates from a vast lake of fetid waters beyond the ruined temple you now stand in.

Atop the temple dais you see a cracked and bloodied altar to some long forgotten god. The body of Ilmak hovers suspended a few feet above the altar. A light bluish green glow surrounds his body, and the shimmering aura bends light around him distorting his image. His body looks limp and pale, somehow magically preserved, frozen in time or in some sort of suspended animation.

Flanking Ilmak's form to either side you two trolls. The ruler of this hall, King Skalamad the Greenest, stands to one side, and his champion, a lumbering mountain troll stands to the other side. Both glare in your direction with stern gazes, but without any apparent menace.

As you approach closer you see that Ilmak's body appears to have been violated. It looks like the side of his head and skull have been partially removed and the skin peeled back. You see some tentacles extending out of his mouth and the side of his head, though they too seem frozen in time.

Behind this horrible image a huge bulbous form emerges from the lake of mire. A giant eye above a hungry fanged maw gracefully levitating above the earth with frightening speed and stealth. The foul waters drip from many stalks with smaller eyes in them attached to the round head-like body of the creature. The beast's breath mists as it speaks to you.

"Heroes of Mistmeadow, welcome to the hall of my chief ally the Troll King Skalamad, the Greenest. I am Cy-mek-mar, the Goblin Lord. You are my guests, so be at ease and welcome.

If I look strange to you, it's because I am not from this world. I came to this dull pebble in the cosmos from across the astral sea almost a millennium ago. A great civil war among my people broke out and in the final battle between our kin, my fleet was lost and I was shipwrecked here on this alien world.

Skalamad and I have ruled the underdark near the surface world for many years. At times I've allied with the surface folk, and at others time I've been at war with them. We owe you a debt of gratitude not only for removing the undead king Gladomain from his tomb beneath his ruined keep, but also for killing off the kruthik hive that has long plagued both our kingdoms.

Our alliance with the armies of the dark six has come to an end. It was one of convenience for mutual benefit that proved to yield little for us. The dark six's leaders are unpredictable and treacherous. Lady Xyrlynn was in my employ to find the Hand of Storath, and the Ring of Acererak upon it. You succeeded where she failed in this task, and though she attempted to take the artifact from you, I understand you killed her and retrieved it.

Among our people your pursuit of revenge and merciless destruction of your foe Lady Xyrlynn is admirable. We like those who realize the value of power and driving fear into the hearts of their enemies. The dark six fear you. The Archmage ruler of Ironview fears you as well. He has offered a bounty of 50,000 platinum for the priest of Ioun. I'm not here to collect the bounty, as I have all the money I could desire. I wish to employ you.

You are familiar with the ring of Acererak and the legendary archmage who created it. Acererak was once a lieutenant of Vecna who fought alongside him during the blood war in Gladomain. Vecna came to this world in the jeweled ziggurrat, a mightly flying fortress that could destroy any city or fleet. Though Vecna alone held the power to control the ziggurat with his own hand, he created a ring, which he gave to his friend Acererak, that allowed him to control the fortress as well.

After their victory in the blood war, the ziggurat was lost. None know where Vecna or Acererak hid it. Vecna was destroyed by treason among his ranks when his general Kas the Bloody Handed, a vampire with uncontrolabe bloodlust, turned on him and hacked him to pieces. Vecna's enemy the Raven Queen imprisoned him in the Shadowfell, but not before his hand was removed to prevent him from controlling the magical fortress.

Acererak withdrew after the bloodwar to pursue bizarre arcane studies. He left the company of the other lich generals in Ironview and built a tomb under the earth which he filled with many horrors to guard him in his afterlife. In this tomb lies Acererak himself along with his most powerful artifact, the diving rod..

The rod allows the wielder to find a path to anything or anyone desired no matter where it is, merely by thinking of it. In the right hands, it could act as a tool for finding that which I seek, the jeweled ziggurat that has been lost in time and space.

So we have several matters to discuss. First, your friend the swordmage has fallen ill to a plague of the underdark. Somehow he was infected by the Illithid. Skalamads trolls and my goblins from time to time find creatures with these foul tasting squids growing inside their skulls (he motions toward ilmak's exposed skull). Usually those captured are taken to the their city where they drain their memories into a great crystal forged with powerful elder magics. Then the squids are implanted in the hosts and their memory of their visit to the city of the illithid is erased.

Over time the larval illithid grows inside the hosts mind, slowly taking control and consuming their brain. Eventually the beast consumes the head live, replacing it, and it's body merges with the form of it's host. It takes on the memories and powers of the host and returns to report what it has done and knows to the great crystal in their city below. Your friend is now preserved by a magic I know that has saved him from a certain fate, far worse that death. I will try to find a way to cure this affliction, but thus far I have found none. Please take your friend's sword and this amulet of the planes. I'm certain he would wish for you to have them.

When we captured him it was not our intention to sow any hatred between us, merely we wished to impress upon you the urgency of the business we proposed. We had no idea he was carrying this beast until he had an episode in our court and the beast inside him lashed out with a great mass of tentacles that arose from his throat and consumed the brain of one of my servants that lingered too closely to his cell.

The second order of business is we wish to offer you all the plunder from the Tomb of Acererak, which we have located in some ruins near here. Our goblins and trolls are ill equipped for such a task. They have uncovered the crypt but have proven incompetent at plumbing its depths to find what we seek. There are many traps and magical puzzles there that thwart exploration. I believe that you can succeed where they have failed.

Somewhere in the tomb of Acererak is his rod of divination. Once you have this, the rod will help you to find the jeweled ziggurat. The ziggurat is very powerful and will allow you to defeat the dark six's armies, driving them from Gladomain. With its armaments you could level the city of Ironview, should they or any other nation cause you trouble. Once you have done this you shall bring the ziggurat to me, and I can leave this world once and for all, returning with my new army of goblins and trolls to the astral sea, where I will vanquish my kin who destroyed my brothers and stranded me here.

If you think me foolish to give you the keys to the ziggurat's power expecting you to return it, then you are mistaken. Know that I could kill you where you stand now if I wished it. It would take me but a few moments thought. Also consider this. Once you have the ziggurat's power and you have secured peace for this world, who will seek your death to claim it? Will it be Baphomet, Asmodeus, or some great power from beyond the stars. It is too powerful for this world. If you kept it you and this place would surely be destroyed.

In the meantime, while you are employed by me you will each receive 10,000 gold per month. This gold can be claimed from Skalamad here in the eastern court or at my own kingdom in the western ruins at any time. The city of Mistmeadow will be safe in your absence. Already the duergar are being starved out of their dungeons and I have a strike force of trolls perced above the ruins near Mistmeadow, ready to purge them when they inevitably retreat from their burrow into the daylight. My trolls and goblins will protect the city from distance. entering only if invited, while they guard against invaders. The people will be left to trade and travel as they please without toll or harassment.

You will find me a generous, worthy patron and ally if you accept my offer."

They accept his offer and head to the Tomb of Horrors where they meet the goblin lord's servant Snotskin.

Exploring the Tomb successfully they uncover the Diving Rod of Acererak. Hotspur has his gender changed to female by a magical doorway. In the process of exploring Kevros and Hotspur both die from poison spike pits twice, and Hotspur's soul is drained into one of the Eyes of Acererak the demi-lich's jeweled skull. Garret breathes magical gas that makes him an idiot, but he recovers when they leave the tomb.

Brock uses the Diving Rod to determine the location of Whosis Kid's remains and it directs them towards Kodrus Vale.

Defense of Mistmeadow (Twelfth Session: Sunday March 7th, 2010)

The party guards the governor's mansion in Mistmeadow. A shifter paladin named Kevros has joined them to protect the city from the advancing evil fey army. Kevros fought with Ilmak and Triel at the battle of Marshgate and knows Hotspur from SummerSpring.

They evil fey army surrounds the building at attacks. Several blood scarabs drain the heroes' strength. Ilmak and Kevros fend off some undead a harpy, and a cyclops. Brock and Hotspur engage some foulspawn, and Triel takes on Hektiss, the Witch Queen Lamia and her pet the displacer beast lord.

As the battle begins to turn in the party's favor, a shadow of a dragon appears overhead. The evil fey lord Graceothantis, son of Gracothantis guardian of the world tree, swoops down to attack. Garrick helps to stun the green dragon while Kevros lops off one of its wings. Garrett junps on its back and tries to behead it.

During the struggle, the dragon has chased down Garrick and taken the hand of storath from him. He clutches it protectively in his claw but is unable to escape now that his wing is missing.

Graceothantis was banished two hundred years ago from Mistmeadow by King Quotomal Gladomain who bore the hand in battle and beat him, so he wished to seize the artifact for himself, but now he wishes to deprive it from the party. He consumes the hand and ring and chomps on it powerfully, crushing the magical hand and concealing the invisible ring somewhere in his gut. Hotspur takes out the dragon with a powerful magical strike. The dragon dies in his ancestral home.

Brock Mez'gar picks through the dragon's remains through the night while the party rests, but the ring appears to be lost. The next day a group of trolls approaches on the road south of town and the city guard says they are asking for the heroes of mistmeadow. When the party arrives the trolls advise that King Skalamad the Greenest has arrived to escort them to the court of the Goblin King in the Western Ruins. He says that there's a 50,000 gold per person bounty that he intends to collect, dead or alive.

The party resists and in the melee Ilmak is incapacitated and the Troll King uses his Amulet of the Planes to take him to the Goblin King. He returns a few minutes later to call off the attack by the rest of the trolls and tells the party they may join him in his court along with the Goblin King if they travel to his hall.

The party rests and contemplates their next move. They learn that the battle for Lighthedge Point went favorably for their allies and that Vicmorn Shieldheart and several defectors from SummerSpring now guard the city from Baron Redspawn's Imperial loyalists.

Word is sent from the Eastern Ruins that Ilmak is doing well and that he's enjoying the hospitality of the Goblin Lord and the Troll King in King Skalamad's hall under the Eastern Ruins.

Demonweb Pits (Eleventh Session: February 7th, 2010)

A. Ilmak and Garrick the Mad went to search the tomb of Vecna for the eye. They fought legions of ghouls guarding the tomb in the ruins outside Erelhi-Cinlu, the drow city. Once they reached the tomb they found the crypt was opened and a V was carved into the stone wall. They killed some mindflayer scouts investigating the ruins when they departed to return to the surface.

When they returned the surface they learned that Veszafein the drow had beaten the party to the tomb and seized the eye for himself. He used the eye to capture and imprison Orcus and is now the ruler of Ironview, and the new head of the Archmage Council.

B. Hotspur has a lifelong oath to free all unjustly imprisoned beings, so he lead the prisoners adjacent to the temple in a slave revolt against their drow masters. This revolt significantly weakened the city's defenses. Sensing the city's weakness, the mindflayer launched an attack from the ruins next to the city, where they had been amassing a small army. The troglodyte mercenaries retreated back across the sunless sea, leaving only a small number of drow city guard to defend the city against the mindflayers' army of aberrant creatures.

The liberated slaves found a gate in one of the city's mage towers that lead back to the surface world near Summerspring, which the Drow were using to deploy scouts seeking the world tree. Hotspur lead them to the surface where they sought refuge in the great Feywilds. The encampment was overrun and scattered by an evil army of Feywild creatures that are headed out of the woods and on their way to Mistmeadow. Hotspur used his animal form to warn Mistmeadow of the impending attack by evil winged and crawling creatures from the ruins of the ancient city at the heart of the feywild.

C. Triel, Garret, and Brock freed three political prisoners, The Young Sir Blackshore (the Duke's son), Prince Shadowmarsh (heir to the throne), and Queen Esmerelda of the Dwarves of Ironview. They proceeded into the Demonweb where they fought a doppleganger of Garret who appeared from a cursed magical pool and then met a ferocious band of Tanar'ri. Garret beheaded the most powerful demon with the sword of Kas.

The party also slew several drow priestess acolytes who were breeding demonic hybrids. They found and rescued a Gnome who explained that his people had been imprisoned by Lolth and forced to build the great machine that made the red mist and her silver spidership that she uses to travel between worlds. He offered to help them disarm the evil machine.

They advanced further into the demonweb and found the city of spires where the red mist was coming from. Inside they found Lady Xyrlynn and her generals, who were preparing for battle. They engaged and defeated Xyrlynn and her generals. Brock beheaded Xyrlynn and burned the rest of her body. A terrible demon creature with a stinging scorpion tail crawled out of the Demonweb and killed Esmerelda and Prince Shadowmarsh, before it was defeated. They found several magical items including a magical mirror, the money she had taken from them, the dagger of Tanar'ri, and the Hand of Storath.

The gnome crawled down into the machine which was about 1 mile cubed in size and was suspended in the web under the spire city. He destroyed the machine and great gushes of fire erupted from it, destroying the spired city. The tower the party was in had 12 gates to other worlds. They initially selected to grab an emaciated and imprisoned elf they found just inside one of the gates leading to a great battlefield on the plane of Hades. They grabbed the elf and retreated back through to the tower then went to another gate before the tower was destroyed collapsing the gate behind them.

They found themselves in the plane of Soulfreeze near Aseroth's temple monastery. In the nearby town they tried to befriend the locals to no avail. The locals retreated when the elf they had freed in Hades turned out to be Lolth's crazed silver dragon mount. The dragon had been corrupted since her days as Aurshnee, a fair elven goddess, and now hungered constantly for mortal flesh. The party put down the dragon, and Young Sir Blackshore delivered the killing blow with a crossbow bolt through the eye into its brain.

Using the magical mirror they took from Xyrlynn, Triel found a way to summon a gate back to Mistmeadow and the party left the Abyss as Aseroth's servants arrived in the snowy village to capture them. Back in Mistmeadow they learned that the world of Gladomain was at war. Below are several events taking place in the outlying areas of Greater Gladomain:

1. Zirakas the Evil Jungle Prince is marching north out of the Foreverglades to seize the abandoned keep of Shadowmarsh Cliffs.


2. Ironview is marching to reclaim and rebuild the ruins of Marshgate. Nortumals forces burned the keep and retreated into the Foreverglade Marsh.

3. The Goblin Lord has laid seige to the catacombs beneath Mistmeadow to reclaim the corridors the Duergar moved into when the the Bear Khan was killed in his court.

4. Draconis has requested a muster of all available forces to return to the capitol city and defend the Empire. The gnoll, orc, and other barbarian hordes on their city-states' borders are growing larger each day and they have trouble coordinating their defenses due to internal squabbling following the Emperors assassination. His assailant disintegrated the emperors body with a powerful magical poison, preventing resurrection of the body after death.

5. The Drow city of Erelhi-Cinlu is under seige by the Mind Flayers that live below. The city's reserves were weakened by the slave revolt and when the mind flayers army marched on the city, many of their troglodyte mercenaries retreated back across the sunless sea.

6. Baron Redspawn has sent orders for his army to march on Lighthedge Point and capture any deserters that have left Summerspring for the Duchy. He has informed the Duchy that harboring deserters will be seen as a declaration of war against the Empire. The Sybarite Isle and Kodrus Vale have both sent forces to defend the city at the request of the Mayor of Lighthedge Point, who says he has no intention of bowing to the Baron’s threats.

7. Mistmeadow is recovering from Lolth's machine. One in ten people were consumed by the abyssal creatures that stalked the city for the past several weeks. There are rumors that the Goblin Lord has been pressing the Governor to allow them to use Gladomain Keep and the catacombs below. The Governor has not acquiesced, but it is unlikely he could oppose them if they chose to use force. The local have no great love for the Duergar, who have taken liberties with the locals of Mistmeadow and are suspected of having enslaved several citizens.

8. The Eastern Kingdoms of Turath have declared war on Barovia. A great cloud of thick gray magical mist has expanded out of the Barovian mountains and is enveloping their lands. Those cities that have been swallowed in the mist have not been heard from again. Many have entered the misted lands, including the famed order of templars known as the Red Cloaks, but none have returned.

9. A new ruler has taken the throne in Laxryxith after saving the lands from pirate invaders from the stars. The old minotaur King retired and gave his crown to their new hero, then set sail to the west on an exploratory quest, as is the tradition among the kings of Laxryxith.


10. The Shogunate of the Heavens is liberating the desert shieks' cities that were occupied by the Dark Lord Nortumal's forces. Most of the occupiers have retreated into the swamps to Nortumal's tomb/lair. Nortumal is rumored to have grown even more powerful since his defeat on the Isle of Nidhogg in the underdark.

Fane of the Drow (Tenth Session: January 24th, 2010)

The Sahauguin Baron who rules Nidhogg Isle holds a feast in the honor of the party. They meet Vicmorn Shieldheart's associate Hotspur the Wilden Druid from Summerspring. Also, one of the sword magi who was lost on an expedition to follow Nortumal's forces turns up. Triel the Genasi who trained and fought alongside the sword magi with Ilmak in the seige of Marshgate joins the party. Vicmorn bids the party farewell and returns to the surface.

The Baron gives the party his best ship, which is a small rowboat he stole from the Drow. They sail across the underdark ocean to the far shore toward the drow city of Erelhi-Cinlu. On the far shore they see a mindflayer interrogating Doomspider, the drow they met in the second session. The Mindflayer and it's two wererat minions ask the drow why they are amassing an army and what the nature of the red mist is. They suspect it's a plan to attack their city deeper below.

The mindflayer eats the drow's brain and the party decides to swim to shore and ambush them. Hotspur takes the form of a dolphin then a wolf once he gets to the beach. The remaining members wade through the shallow waters while Garrett and Garrick remain in the dingy. A battle ensues and a swarm of rats and a larger mindflayer comes to their aid. The party is victorious, and Ilmak personally finishes off both mindflayers. Hotspurs brain is eaten during the battle with the mindflayers and Garrett resurrects him while they set up camp.

Traveling along through the caves of fire, they reach a large room with lava pits. As they enter, goblins bound to lolth who bear her mark swing down from the ceiling. A hobgoblin priestess also appears at the far passage. The goblins shreik, casting lighting in a wide arc though the room and damaging the party. The hobgoblin uses her magical gauntlet and grasps Triel, hurling her into a lava pit. As Triel is burning to death in the lava pit, she teleports herself back out of the pit then expires in a charred mass, dead on the floor of the cave.

The party desperately casts the remaining goblins along with the priestess into the lava before they themselves are cast into it. They set up camp after the battle and Garrett begins the resurrection ritual to bring Triel back from the grave.

While they are halfway through the ritual, a pack of gnolls approaches. Brock challenges their leader and kills them, so the others follow Brock. He has the gnolls guard the passage while they rest. Once they have rested the Druid turns the party members into spiders and they crawl onto Brock's back. He leads the pack of gnolls to the city gates.

At the city gate they encounter a bloodspike behemoth who takes offense to the undead brock and begins attacking him. The troglodyte guards and gnoll followers stay out of the way. Brock chooses to turn into a bat and flees the scene. The guards calm the behemoth and go back to work while the gnolls return to the army camped out in front of the city's walls.

Brock becomes insubstantial and flies as a bat into the main hall that the red mist is spewing from. They enter a large hall filled with drow warriors, then pass through a grate downward into the temple of Lolth below.

They ambush the high priestess and brock assassinates her. She has a terminus amulet that tries to steal his life-force when he kills her, but it is unsuccessful because he is already undead (though it nearly kills him and severely weakens him). Garrick the Mad rushes down a staircase altar towards the mist and below finds a bunch of demon hybrids who follow him back up into the temple. The party fights the drow and spider guards along with the demons that rise up from the altar gate to the abyss.

After a long battle they are victorious, but they are now surrounded on all sides. They consult with ottian and he advises that the red mist is made by a giant machine in the abyss. Also the drow guards who could not enter the temple because no men are allowed in are gathering at the gates awaiting a priestess who can grant them permission to enter and slaughter the party. Two gates are found to other locations, among them the vault of veccna.

The Isle of Nidhogg (Ninth Session: December 20th, 2009)

The party (Garrick, Garrett, Whosis, Ilmak & Brock) wake up near where they made camp in the Mushroom Caves and find that Veszafein the Drow has again departed. Examining the surrounding area they find the corpses of a dozen Sniveblin Deep Gnomes who were apparently fighting the Kruthik who had taken over their Mushroom farm.

They continue down a long dry lava tube sloping downward on their way towards the abandoned city. They arrive at the abandoned city and it appears to have been created by Kobolds, though there's no sign they are still here. Whosis walks into the chamber and shouts "Is anybody here?"

Darkmantles drop from the ceiling. They are squidlike creatures that disguise themselves as stalagmites then drop down onto the heads of their foes, covering their faces and choking them while casting a blinding magical darkness that surrounds them. Brock, Ilmak, and Whosis struggle with the creatures, while Garrett and Garrick stand agap, unable to help them.

After a brief battle the five creatures are slain, but five more abberant creatures resembling large snakes with beaks and tentacles called Grick slither up from cracks in the floor. A longer battle draws the attention of a larger creature, and as the last Grick is destroyed, a rumbling heavy step is felt from beyond the gates of the abandoned city and a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex emerges.

Garrick casts a wall of flame in the way of the T-Rex, which boldly steps into the fire charging towards them. As the T-Rex moves into the fire Garrett casts a magical hold on it to trap it in the flames, burning it further. The rest of the party attacks the creature at range until it expires, but with its dying breath it breaths a gush of fire on some of the party members. This creature was an early ancestor of the kobolds, dragonkind, and lizardfolk.

After the T-Rex is destroyed, Coriatris Wyvernjack, apprentice to the Chairman of the Archmage council appears atop one of the guard towers and offers to reward the party if they give her the Hand of Vecna. She saw Garrett use the hand on the surface and wants to use it to save Ironview. They refuse and she orders her guards drakes and a small column of Infernal Armor magical constructs to attack them.

Garrick casts a web spell on the stairway down from the gate, making it impassable. The guard drakes move around to one side and engage Whosis Kid, while Ilmak takes on the column of armor on the other side of the stairs. Coriatris uses a powerful icestorm to immobilized Whosis, Ilmak, and Garrett and covers a wide area, including the corpse of the T-Rex and the webs in a thick layer of glare ice.

Brock uses a lasso to yank Coriatris off the guard tower, but she has a ring of feather fall and glides swiftly to the floor behind him. She is quickly beaten down and knocked out. The drakes and armor are ground down until only one suit of infernal armor remains battling Ilmak.

A small recon construct from Ironview rushes up behind the Infernal armor and it tries to defend itself but the scout leaps up and knocks off its head. The party greets the construct who spearheads the entrance of a unit of Goliaths and Constructs lead by Gradus Glimmergaunt (a distant relative of Lady Gurmorel Glimmergaunt, and a well liked though not particularly powerful mage in Ironview). He explains that Coriatris was banished by Walgeon Magesblood the chairman of the archmage council for treason and that she was seeking the Eye of Vecna in the Underdark to try and wield its power to declare herself the leader of Ironview.

Gradus and his forces lead the party to a wall overlooking a great lake at the bottom of the Great Chasm and shows them a hivelike mass of undead crawling up the walls towards Ironview. This is Orcus' army and the great bulk of them will reach the city and break it's defenses in a little more than a week's time. The party gives Coriatris over to Gradus as a prisoner. He thanks them and wishes them well on their quest to liberate Mistmeadow from the red mist that curses the town.

They spend another half a day passing through a wildly twisting set of narrow passages. Eventually the passageway opens up to the shores of the great sunless sea. An inky black body of water extends outwards inside a massive cavern with stalagmites and stalagtites protruding that have diameters bigger than many walled cities and towns. The cavern is faintly illuminated in places by the starlike lights of unknown creatures eyes that hang from the ceiling.

They see a trio of Kua Toa on the shore loading two small rafts. They approach and try to speak to them but none speak the language of the underdark, so they try to pantomime. After an confusing exchange where the Kua Toa think they are bargaining and give them some goods in exchange for those they offered, they finally convey that they wish to arrange transportation on the rafts they are pushing. As the rafts have no oars of sails, the Kua Toa hold them and push them through the water by swimming.

After travelling some distance, they see orbs of light in the distance. The Kua Toa board the raft and sit very still and stoic, watching the lights. One of the orbs begins to approach the rafts and stops just ahead of the party's raft. Whosis Kid speaks a loud greeting to the light. When he does this an invisible field drops and reveals that the glowing orb is suspended on the tendril of a giant angler fish monster with razor fangs and a mouth big enough to swallow the entire raft and party whole in one bite.

Whosis leaps of the raft to one side, either in terror or to lure the beast away, none know. But his action did save the party as the creature immediately dove down after him. Ilmak tried to retrieve Whosis using his magical bracelet of friends, but to no avail, the halfling was lost to them. The Kua Toa waited for the lights to pass and about an hour later began paddling towards the Isle of Nidhogg, a great Slatagmite that protrudes out of the water and has a great city carved into its side.

On the beach the party is surrounded by a large crowd of various reptilian races who all dwell together in the city peacefully. They find a troglodyte who speaks draconic and offers to translate for them. He advises they should bring a suitable gift to pay tribute to the Baron in his court. They enter the court and approach the throne of the Sahauguin Baron with a platinum greataxe they took from the Bear Khan. The Baron is very pleased with his gift and offers them his hospitality.

They learn that thought many of the Sahaguin are rulers of the deep, this particular noble is unaligned with his mostly evil followers and operates this backwater trading outpost to serve his own needs. The ancient temple of Nidhogg for which the Island is named has recently become occupied by surface dwellers, the followers of Nortumal the Black Snake. The Baron asks if the party would be willing to remove them for a reward. The party asks for nothing, but offers to investigate for him. All the baron's parties thus far have not returned or had most of their men slaughtered.

In court they also meet a Dragonborn Warlord named Vicmorn Shieldheart who is living with and studying their civilization. He was sent to observe the followers of Nortumal by Baron Redspawn of SummerSpring, who he serves under in the Imperial Garrison there. Vicmorn is an academic and a warrior and offers to assist the party in their investigation, as he's been meaning to make the trip to the temple, but as of yet has found none willing to join him.

They load a small boat and paddle around the island to the opposite shore where the Temple of Nidhogg lies on the side of a narrow beach. Brock creeps up into the temple where ritual is taking place. Nortumal's medusa queen leads a ceremony around a smoking pit with three snake cultists. All four are chanting and do not see the gnoll enter.

Brock casts a lasso around the medusa's neck and draws her into the smoking pit. She falls in and the snake cultist nearest Brock with a large snake-shaped staff attacks him with a wave of force, knocking him into the smoking pit as well, which turns out to be fairly shallow, but is full of giant snakes along with the medusa. She tries to petrify the gnoll with her gaze but gets one of her serpents instead. Brock becomes insubstantial, turns into a bat, and flies out of the pit.

Garrett is attacked by a green guardian naga that shoots lighting bolts at him and uses waves of force to knock him into another large pit filled with snakes that spit flaming poison. Ilmak engages a black guardian naga that bites him several times, disabling him with venom that induces a dreamlike state.

Garrick and Vicmorn fight the snakes and cultist. The medusa is slain by a crushing blow to the skull by Vicmorn's maul. Just before Brock can kill the snake cultist with the serpent staff she casts a beam of energy at the portal in the far wall and its panels open revealing a darkness with swirling smoke. From the darkness leaps a giant Red Slaad, a being of pure chaos struggling to hold corporeal form. It attacks Brock.

The two cultist fall, then the remaining snakes, and then the nagas until only the slaad remains. They surround the beast and take it down, though Vicmorn and Brock are infected by it's razor talons and become ill after the battle, though they can still fight.

As they catch their breath, Lord Nortumal, the Dark Naga emerges from a side passage. Garrick casts a wall of fire on the stairs which the Naga enters fearlessly, slowly plodding towars them. Garrett uses the hand of Vecna to push the Naga back into the fire each time he tries to emerge from it. The naga appears unphased by the flames, continuing to lure Garrett closer to him with his charming gaze then striking him with his poisoned tail.

Finally their efforts destroy the creature and in its deathknell it releases a powerful wave of psychic energy before crumbling to dust that glows and takes flight, escaping into the misty portal along the far wall that the Slaad entered from. The portal closes and the battle is won.

They find a book bound in Drow skin called the Chronicle of Nidhogg and learn the following:

"When Asmodeus created the bridge to the Abyss he summoned a powerful beast called an Ouroboros. Ouroboros are powerful giant time consuming serpents that roam the outer planes feasting on the remains of dead places and things. In summoning the Ouroboros named Nidhogg, Asmodeus created a portal through space and time that linked the first layer of Baator to Gladomain and Gladomain to the Abyss.

The ritual trapped Nidhogg in place because in order to consume a living world, the Ouroboros must first swallow the world, then recursively consume it's own tail to digest. Asmodeus summoned the beast first in the Seventh World to make a sacrificial offering and bound the beast to serve him. Once it had consumed the Seventh World and was lethargic, he summoned it again to the first level of Baator, where he opened a gate through to Gladomain and offered it the second morsel for dessert, the tiny world of Gladomain.

The bound Ouroboros, was tethered to Baator and stretched it's extradimensional maw around Gladomain. Asmodeus tempted the creature yet again by offering it a gate through Gladomain to the Abyss, to the Demonweb of Lloth to be precise. The creature was unable to resist his offer, but it found that once it consumed the Demonweb, it could not recursively swallow it's own tail to digest Gladomain and the Demonweb because the connected layers of the Abyss were infinite and it could not loop back around.

So the mindless beast was permanently trapped voraciously consuming and linking the worlds together. The plan for the Abyss was to destroy the world tree to make the world of Gladomain unappetizing so that Nidhogg would regurgitate the Abyss (though Gladomain would likely be destroyed in the process). If this happened Asmodeus would perhaps sever his binding ritual to the Ouroboros and banish the creature before it could recursively swallow its tail and digest all of the Baator in one swift motion.

It is also possible that the world of Gladomain could be partially dead and cause the Ouroboros to become ill enough to regurgitate it, then the world ash could be replanted in time to save it, though that would cost many their lives. The chaotic ocean is a result of the time and space rift created by the world's immersion in Nidhogg's belly.

Asmodeus could, if he chose to, turn the creature lose and call the whole thing off, saving Gladomain and the Abyss (and killing the Oroborous in the process), but he hates to waste his resources and so refuses to do so unless Baator is imminently threatened with destruction.

The Dark Lord Nortumal is working to destroy the world tree so he can save his deit, Nidhogg, from his imprisonment. He is allied with other extradimensional chaotic beings, the Slaadi, who are dedicated followers of Nidhogg from another plane called Limbo."

The party returns to the Barons palace with the heads of the nagas. He is overjoyed at their success and offers them magical items as presents. Vicmorn and Brock are healed of their condition and the party rests for another day enjoying the hospitality of the Baron's court. Vicmorn says he will depart soon to tell Baron Redspawn and the Imperial forces in SummerSpring of Nortumal's defeat.

Garrett asks the Baron if they hunt the great sea anglers and they said they do in the right season. They ask for them to keep their eyes open for any sign or remains of their fallen comrad Whosis and the lizardfolk agree. The night before they leave the Isle of Nidhogg, the lizardfolk fill hundreds of blue glass spheres with candles and set them afloat in the sunless sea to bless the soul of the lost soul of Whosis Kid, Hero of Mistmeadow, Pit Fighting Champion of Ironview, Loyal Servant of Ottian the Archmage, He Who Beheld the True Form of Pale Night the Obyrith and Lived, Liberator of Blackshore, and good friend of Gurmorel Glimmerguant and Drandis the Silver in Kodrus Vale.

Descent into the Depths of the Earth (Eighth Session: November 22nd, 2009)

Lady Glimmergaunt and Drandis grow weary of Whosis Kid's gambling, drinking, and sparring with the ogres in Kodrus Vale (formerly Glimmergaunt Vale). They pronounce him recovered from any debilitation he experienced from being frozen and magically transport him to join the party, who is camped atop a hill near the Eastern Ruins.

Whosis meets up with Ilmak, who is first to rise that morning, and they are told by Yllallae Serpenthelm the ranger that Veszafein has decide to leave early and scout ahead into the underdark. They rouse the rest of the group and head off towards the cave they fought the troglodytes, bulette, and drakes in the previous day. Yllallae consults with the party, then heads off to Barovia to find the dwelling of Orcus. She agrees to meet the rest of them there later.

Heading into the passage the landshark emerged from Whosis scouts ahead and finds an area where the earth looks burrowed and a long wide passage has collapsed. He steps into the large side passage to investigate then motions for the rest of the party to move along carefully. While passing through they create enough motion to awaken two large landsharks which they retreat from back outside the cavern. The bulette's do not pursue them, choosing instead to return to sleep. Whosis lets them know when the coast is clear and they sneak past the corridor again.

Up ahead they find the roof of deeprift chasm, a large gap that passes many days journey all the way to the abandoned city at the floor of the chasm. They encounter some Dark Dwarves on the other side of the chasm who inform them that the ledge they are on travels to the left to the Kingdom of Skalamad the troll and to the right it heads to the ruins of gladomain where the bear clan khan rules. The duergar offer them safe passage to the other side of the chasm if they pay them handsomely but the party declines and heads towards the bear clan.

Whosis Kid sneaks into the bear khans trhone room, which used to be the underground throne room and tomb of the undead king gladomain from session two. He disguises himself as Lady Xyrlynn with the Cloak of Storath and tells the bear khan, who is a werebear, that the drow have betrayed them and that they must send troops with her to get revenge. The khan appears skeptical and so determines to speak with the goblin king in the western ruins before proceeding. He sends a half dozen bugbears off with Whosis to speak with the goblin king.

Whosis leads the goblins away while the rest of the party strikes the throne room. They devastate the bear clan with blasts of magical fire and ice from various spells and powers and quickly slay all who dwell there. Brock Mez'gar the undead gnoll assassin appears during the fight. He was following the party in the form of a bat with a magical cloak he has and drops in to help them at the beginning of the battle.

The duergar appear at the last minute and finish off the last bugbear with their crossbows, asking that they receive a share of the loot. The party grants them the dungeon as a dwelling and drafts a treaty on behalf of mistmeadow that they may work for the city in its defense and clear out the tunnels that are presently blocking passage of most creatures to the surface from the underdark through the ruins of gladomain keep. The duergar agree and send word to bring their kin from below Ironview, which is expected to fall soon to Orcus' undead army which arrives in 12 days.

They spend a day heading south to the Mithril Mines. There they encounter five hook horrors who stalk them in the passages. Garrick the mad lures the horrors down a side passage intent on sneaking around them, but several party members decide to engage the creatures in melee. a battle ensues and veszafein emerges from a side passage where he was studying some maps in a mining office chamber.

The party learns that the creatures are very strong and decide that withdrawing may be the best option. During their withdrawl they knock out one of the creatures, kill one, and severely injure another. Two of the horrors catch Veszafein and disembowl him, feasting on his entrails. Garret tries to save the drow but is forced to run away before he too is consumed by the ravenous creatures.

Whosis stays behind and waits several hours for the creatures to stop feasting. When they do he retrieves some remains and returns them to Garrett so he can resurrect the warlock. The party finds a trapped corridor and heads down it. The hook horrors see them enter, but decide not to follow.

Along the passage they find a trap that drops Brock and a few others into a pit that fills with acid, injuring several of them severely. Whosis has the hair burned off his body and feet. They proceed further and find some double golden doors that when opened spill necrotic energy all over the passageway draining the life from them until they press them closed again. More traps are found and disabled along the passage and they safely emerge after many hours journey in the mushroom caverns.

They see up ahead that the mushroom caverns are full of undead creatures covered in some sort of slime mold along with two kruthik hive lords and a dozen smaller kruthik. Garrick the mad casts wide blasts of fire and ice throughout the cavern knocking out the weakest of the creatures while Ilmak and Whosis charge under the cover of the other party members. They destroy the kruthik quickly but are exhausted from the battle and take a long rest. With just 10 more days to save Ironview they press on to the abandoned city, which according to the map given them by their duergar allies, lies somewhere ahead about a days travel down a large dry lava tunnel.