Hunting for Croc

THE ADVENTURERS
Arc, human barbarian woman
Daleen, human druid man
Rowayn, warforged fighter
Velus, human warlock male

Shalmanazar came to us in the morning and told us that Kazerebet had asked him to bring us some items: a scroll of protection against undead and a couple potions of cure critical wounds. He also told us that the sword used by the Crocodile Princes' consort would be a good weapon to use against the king, since it's particularly good at separating a person from their soul.

As the story was told to us by this little turbaned undead person who seems to run everything in Ysawis; The consort, Kasim, died and the princess was so distraught she turned to an artifact from the god Shajar (of rivers, life, death, wealth, poverty, feast and famine) to bring him back. The artifact worked but it also turned her into a crocodile. Apparently Kasim didn't like what he saw so he killed her. I'd at least have kept her around, but maybe there wasn't any druidic tradition on Xen'drik back in those days. Zaria, the Crocodile Princess, turned back into a woman when killed and Kasim was upset over what he had done. Somehow he died - I don't recall how - but he and she were put in a tomb together, forever, in peace and togetherness, blah, blah, blah ...

Shalmanazar showed us the way to the tomb and told us to go get the life sucker. Velus and I suspected a trap. Arc and Rowayn wanted to go downstairs and fight. So we went down thinking it may very well be a trap (due to discrepencies between what Shalmanazar told us and what Kezerebet told us). Down we went.

All along the passageway going down was written a warning on the walls about not disturbing the tomb of Zaria or paying the price. Something curse-like and lasting forever. We basically ignored it and continued on our way. We probably should get checked out for diseases, curses and the like. We had to get through a couple traps (or just bad construction), but we made it to a chamber with the prince's remains. He was undead and we had a fight on our hands. We took a few hard hits, but made it through more eaily than I expected. His sword was very powerful, but now it's ours. We found a hidden door beneath the gold divan he had been reclining on. It led to a circular chamber with a raised circular area in the middle. Of course we checked it out. There were many ingots of silver, and red crystal urns with gold coins in them. There was also a wooden box with an inlay of birds flying on it. Rowayn smashed the box open and we found a potion, a ring, a scroll and a dagger. I also found that the top of the raised area looked like it could come off. As I tried to find a way to get the large heavy black granite top off Velus read the scroll, Arc drank the potion, and Rowayn put on the ring. I got frustrated, Velus got VERY stupid, Arc got drunk and Rowayn got invisible and drunk. I felt left out so I pushed on with trying to get the top open so I could get some affliction. After trying many methods I finally tried wedging the dagger from the box between the lid and base. As soon as they touched the lid came sliding of with surprising rapidity. The dagger had Zaria's name on it, so it seems understandable that it would help to get her out (but hindsight is draconic). Right after the lid came off, and nearly crushed me, the giant dessicated corpse of a behir came out and attacked us.

The thing was huge, about 40 feet long, but luckily the room wasn't big enough for it to spread out. It could only bring it's massive jaws, four of it's legs, and occasionally it's tail to the party. Somehow, and I mean only by the grace of Eberron were we able to defeat this beast. Not only was the group in sad shape but every time Velus pulled out Kasim's sword it would sound this ungodly scream which managed to stun half of us each time. With his new found stupidity Velus;.1/ seemed to enjoy pulling it out (or maybe it's his general taste to spreading chaos). When Za'hir (Zaria the behir) popped out the sword let out an even louder scream and began burning in green fire. So, between a moronic Velus, a drunk Arc, a drunk and invisible Rowayn, and me as a black bear we managed to survive and defeat this undead behir. We collected some of the valuables (there was so much we couldn't carry everything - so much that it's more money than I've ever seen), including a large figurine of a blue hippo with Shajar's name on it with a magical aura of overpowering intensity, and climbed back up. Velus had recovered his speech, but was doing to in an unusual and rather polite, though cold, way. Something was amiss, Velus is never polite.

We made it back, and one of the skeleton watch took us to Kezerebet's chambers. All this and it had just become light. I love morning, but apparently Kezerebet is a bit of a late sleeper, which was fine with me as she met us in her bed clothes. But even half naked she was able to uncurse Rowayn, heal me, and un-stupidify Velus. Arc had sobered-up on her own - must be that barbaric fortitude of hers. Kezerebet couldn't free Velus of the sword, however (not until the next day). So a plan sprouted up like fresh bamboo shoots in the early spring. Rowayn and Arc wrestled with Velus and held him in place. Then I quickly drew Adar and divorced Velus from his right had (the one holding Kasim). Immediatly the curse/control was removed and Velus screamed at me for chopping his hand off for a second time. But I did it to free him of domination and I think he appreciated the effort. Kezerebet healed him up.

We talked and discussed for a bit with Kezerebet and Shalmanazar about how we were going to approach the next stage of this. It was decided that our best tactic would be to strike now. Honestly, I think it is a mistake, but the others want to do it now. They think, based on Shalmanazar's description that now is the best time to deal with Sumulael. I don't trust what Shalmanazar tells us. I think waiting another day would be better for us since we could properly get ready for the conflict. But then, fighters, barbarians and warlocks don't run out of their abilities like a druid does. So I'd be the only one 'restocking' my arsenal.

We made our way to the Bone Pavilion, which is where Sumulael spends his days asleep, under the cover of a silence spell from Kezerebet, and invisibility from a wand we had aquired a while back, or the ring which Rowayn enjoys wearing now that he can remove it at will, and stop feeling drunk (which is a new experience for the warforged). Velus had scouted earlier, but alerted the guards to our presence without realizing it. We did find out that Eda is a Yuan-Ti, of which none of us knows anything. The two guys with her may be as well, we didn't take the time to ask. The initial conflict went smoothly. Due to our preparations we were able to dispatch with them in about 15 seconds. However, the second set of guards, 18 skeleton statues surrounding the pavilion, we alerted to our presence and we had to deal with them next. They took longer, but were not difficult.

There is a set of spiral stairs heading down into the bowels of the Bone Pavillion. It is partially concealed with magical darkness. Our next step is to go down there. I've told the others I can only provided some limited healing and I'm the one carrying Kasim Life Drinker in case we have to deal with Sumulael (as well as carrying Adar Giant Slayer) on this trip. I'm worried but resolute.

Finally, we didn't tell Kezerebet about finding the Shajar artifact because I want to have it as leverage if things to badly.


Daleen d'Vadalis, Gatekeeper Aspirant

Ysawis is the Unplace to be

Two items of note which I failed to note; Teesan is the name of The Geomancer, and Tadabur is the name of the place where she was imprisoned.

Ysawis is FULL of undead with only two living. Tevish is pissed and I'm intrigued (good thing the Gatekeeper's idea of 'unnatural' is only really concerned with what plane a creature comes from, and if the creature is intent on dominating/destroying Eberron). They even have skeletons doing the farming, cooking, cleaning, and everything else.

The first person we meet is Shalmanzer, who seems to be some kind of steward for the king. Seems like it runs things (Shalmanazer is some kind of undead creature). Then we meet the King and queen. King Sumulael and queen Kazerebet of Ysawis are human and alive. He is enormously fat and she is inceadibly beautiful. He isn't intersted in us, but she is quite the smart on - turns out she's some kind of history researcher and is in the area to do her work in the wild. She's also a cleric of The Host and is kind enough to cure us of our lycanthropy. VERY kind of her, though I was looking forward to a bit of experience as a werehyena. She tells us that the ancient river god, Shajar (a giant hippo), and also the god of life and death (as a river at the time controlled life and death), was the god of Ysawis. I suppose back then Xen'drik was much dryer. Now there is no lack of water.

As we leave the king and queen we see three people approach, the one woman with them has 'off' colored skin and pointy teeth (I think she's a vampire, given the abundance of undead) - the two men seem to be body guards, and move in some kind of feral-like way. I'm not to excited about the undead, but she happens to be good looking. Can't blame a man for thinking about trying.

That night we had dinner with the queen, the king, Rabat/Barak (the caravaner) and Edda, the vampire woman. The vamp wouldn't give any of us the time of day, and the king was horribly disgusting in his eating practices (in the raw amount of food he consumed). No wonder he's a fat man of enourmous girth. Kezerebet seems more than willing to talk with us. And we have many questions.

According to Kez., Adar, son of Ad, was also called the "Master of the Four Winds". He went insane before dying and was undenigably evil. That's the reason he was undead instead of undying (aparenly evil keeps you from becoming undying). She reacts in some way to the name of Tadabur, but I'm not sure how. But she does tell us it was a a retreat for the geomancers (when they needed to get away from the stresses of leading). She also tells us the geomancer magic was a cross between divine and arcane power. Some geomancers were very evil, some not so evil. The vast majority of the later geomancers were evil. But even she is not to sure about the racial stock of the geomancers or the people of their empire in southeast Xen'drik.

Now, if I had to guess, and I do, I'd say they were not giants or any kind of elf of human. But aside from that I have no idea. For all I know they were a bunch of dwarves, with their penchant for earth/rock based stuff.

Kez. tells us the geomancers is a reference to the ruling 9 of this ancient empire. Others have said they were a group of 10. Kez. says the geomancer magic was bound up in their writing, and that writing was not allowed much in their empire because of this. Kez. also says the Geo-Elf war has unknown origins but that it was a territory or a vindictive conflict, and was only undertaken by ONE house of elves? Which? Of course it's the only elf who travels with us: the Norrfolg house of elves (I bet Tevis was told this by his gramps). Now, if it was a territory war, why do the Norrfolgs not now live in SE Xen'drik? I think it's more likely a blood-fued (revenge) kind of thing, which makes me wonder if they were other elves after all. Probably only Tevis knows and he's not telling us.

Edda eats these little furry, rabbit-like creatures for dinner. Not to much unlike watching a big cat eat it's prey.

After dinner we asked for maps of Xen'drik. I tried to get one of the skeletons to talk to me but it refused. It then brought us three maps (1)from the Giants, (2)from the Elves, (3)one by Ysawis people (written in draconic). We compare the three and think Tadabur is somewhere near Lake 'Bob', which is only about 500 by 250 miles across. I was tired, and conscerned about Sereen so I went to bed. I think I may have to replace her soon.

...

That night I received a note from the queen asking to see me: She is afraid, her husband has become very crazy since moving here (3 years ago) - he used to be a regular size. He has been experimenting with 'the living' in some way - he has surrounded himself with undead as protection, she is okay with undead, but not to this extent. She thinks he has moved his soul to a phalactory in the bone pavilion in the southern end of the garden as protection against her (he's becoming VERY paranoid). No matter what her motivation is I think we should help her, because I think she knows more about Tadabur than she has said so far.

Just becasue he's paranoid doesn't mean she isn't out to get him - but that's not really our concern, now is it.

Daleen d'Vadalis Aspirant Gatekeeper.

Many Things and Lots of Stuff (MTLS)

We decide to have the druids send us to Sharn first, so we can get some history on The Geomancer. Professor Roan directs us to Professor Carlton, who is the head of Xen'drik studies at Morgrave University (and who is a rather attractive woman). She explains much to us concerning geomancers: They were a council of ten leaders who ruled large parts of Xen'drik's southeast region for most of the giant empire time and a bit after. Their racial stock, language and magic are unknown today. After the downfall of the giant empire(s) the elves fought against the geomancers. Why they did this is not understood. The elves were able to kill 9 of the 10, but not 'The Geomancer' (she was to powerful). So they bound her in some kind of extra-dimentional space and warded the area around her bounding. There is an order of elves called something like 'the sons of the feathered serpent' (or 'the sons of [someone's name]'), who are responsible for her binding/keeping her bound. This is thought to have taken place about 50,000 to 30,000 years ago. This group is the same as the paladin order Velis was brought in to when the stone in his pack burned him (and made him return from the dead - which we find out about later).

She also told us there are different kinds of elves in Xendrik - Drow (half-underground peoples, and mostly savage and evil) - coal-black skinned and commonly white raised scars, with white hair).

We then went back to Greenheart and we helped the Gatekeeper reseal two of the gates in the Eldeen: Fought 5-headed hydra, and then (2nd gate) 1 wraith and 2 Bearded devils. I was knocked unconsious in both battles, but we won them. I'm really tired of being knocked down in battle.

The Gatekeepers sent us to Arenal the next day, via plant transport spell (after they grew an appropriate plant). Of course we had no idea where we were so we just kind of wandered for a while. Then we met an elf woman who did not speak common so we had to trust Tevis. Her name is Ilsiner of House Velinis. Tevis is going by the name Tolak Norrfolg and pretending to be his own younger brother since his aberrant dragon mark makes him a mark.

Through her we figured out where we were and how to get to Shae Mord... (the undying capital of the elves). Where he spoke with his grandfather elf and got some information to help us deal with The Geomancer. On the way there we found a tomb with the inscription "I am Adar, son of Ad, Terror of giants, He who never yielded in battle, defeated only by time - great destroyer of men and societies." Of course Adar was still in it (apparently even time didn't defeat him as he was now an undead mummy) and we had to fight him. So we did and we defeated him, but not until he knocked me unconsios and gave me 'the rot' (which is better than 'the clap'). From this
we gained several major spoils, of which I got a ring to protect me and a sword to destroy giants, which is, in some way, similar to the swaord we have which destroys aberrations (except that mine is an elven scimitar, and the other is an orcish greatsword).

After the talk with gramps Tevis is cagey. He refuses to tell us anything and goes to bed. Later we find out something which he probably held from us, but that comes later. Anyway, it's tough trusting your life to the whims of dishonest people.

Using the token given to us by the Gatekeepers we go back to Greenheart. Tevis tells the druids something (but not me even though I am a druid too), and they ask me to help in a ritual to try to find her location. More of the same, though. All we know is there were ten geomancers and they fought the elves about 30,000 years ago. The Geomancer was the last and the strongest and could not be destroyed. So she was bound to a demiplane created specifically to hold her, and warded against detection, by these elves.

Next the Gatekeepers plant travel us to Xen'drik near Stormreach. We find a caravan which is going part of the way we are going and join on to help protect it along the way. After a couple nights we were approached by a flying light-ball which asked for our help because it's place was being shaken by mini earthquakes. The rest of the group left, I notified the other guards, and waited about 20 minutes (knowing they would travel very slowly through all the undergrowth - and thinking it may be a diversion to pull us away from the caravan). At that point I figured it was okay to follow, so I followed their tracks and caught them when they had passed into a temple-like compound with a cavern-passage blocked off (wall of stone) with a small air-hole (something wants privacy but needs to breath).

It turns out to be a dao who has been imprisoned by 3 illithids. We end up in a fight with the brain suckers, kill two of them, the third magics it's self away, and the doa is freed from their hold. In it's gratitude it grants us three wishes.

The only other events of note on that journey are when were are attacked by 5 werehyenas and then when we are attacked by two giants. We survive both attacks, but some of us end up infected with lycanthropy (now I've had mummy rot and lycanthropy).

And then we make it to Ysawis...

Detour

After traveling about 2200 miles (mostly on foot/hoof/wing/paw) and being less than about 500 miles from our destination (Thronehold, the King of Slaves and some miffed goblinoids), Teves received a letter from Willa saying there was some kind of druidic hub-bub in the Eldeen Reaches and that they wanted us to return. She also sent some vouchers for all of us and our horses to travel by way of a personally chartered elemental sky ship back to Greenheart (capital of the Eldeen Reaches and the place I started my druidic training - and, of course, finishing it off to the south in the foothills of the Byeshk mountains under the watchful eye of my orc elder brother). That's got to have been expensive, and druids are not know to have, nor even want, much money.

Now, I know they are kind of immortal, in that they don't age (or eat or breath or sleep or have sex), and that they think in a way very different than a human, but I'm still not really comfortable with elemental binding. I understand the need to bind the dealkyr. It's ether that or let them destroy our world, or engage in another empire shattering war with these god-like, aberration making, lords of insanity from the plane of Xoriat. But I still think "binding" is really just a nice word for enslavement, and a convenient means of getting from one location to another (way faster than I have every traveled in my entire life) for those of us who have the might to do so. I can't imagine they like it. Not any more than the dealkyr like it or any more than the Geomancer (more on her in a bit) - but I don't imagine the elementals in the air/water ships did anything to try to take over or repopulate Eberron (or even just a small part of it). I guess that's why I've always had some lingering issues with gnomes. Luckily no one in our group is a gnome or an elemental slaver so I haven't had to deal with it much.

The day after we landed in Greenheart there was a meeting. Basically all 1000 of Greenheart's inhabitants came to see the spectacle. Much was explained and the events centered around us and our actions. Ten of the highest ranking Gatekeepers (which is about 1/10 of all the Gatekeepers in Eldeen) were there to ask us what we did and tell us what had been happening since. So, now we know this following series of events:

1. When we touched the ancient goblinoid axiomatic binding device which we found in the pedestal where the King of Slaves should have been sitting we deactivated some kind of ancient non-detection deception keeping it's location from being known. The protection was broken when something living touched the device (which is probably why it was protected by two wights).
   
2. One, or possibly more, of the dealkyr have been looking for this device (as well as all the other binding devices) in order to destroy it so they can escape their capture. So now, thanks to us, the dealkyr know where one of the devices which keep them in Khyber and keep Xoriat away is located.
3. Knowing they would need someone of great power to destroy the binding device the dealkyr decided to call upon an ancient woman known as "The Geomancer".
   
1. She is a great wielder of magic in a form for which we know little about. Through logical deduction we think she must either be a giant or an elf, since she comes from Xen'drik from the time of the giant's empire (about 80,000 to 40,000 years ago), and the only known races to know arcane magic at this time (having learned it from the dragons) was the giants and their elf slaves (who stole the information as they could while serving the giants). Though, I do realize this assumption may be false since knowledge of this time is sparse, and there may have been members of other races who learned magic as well - which might explain how she used a form different than what we presently understand.
4. The dealkry, somehow, awakened her from her suspended state and made a deal with her to destroy the binding device in exchange for her freedom.
5. There was an ancient order of paladins who were sworn to keep the Geomancer down. They have no name since they have been lost to history, but it is still known that the magical device which Velis found in his pack is something which connects the person holding it to this order of paladins at the time of the Geomancer's awakening. So now beside being an odd magic-like wielding person he's also a paladin.
   

What we think is that she is still trapped, or weakened in some way, but worker her way out, and as she gets closer to getting out or full strength the burns on Velis' hand and the corresponding stars in the sky will line up. Right now three of the ten stars are lined up. When she finally gets out she will be coming after us to get the binding device or find out where we have hidden it. Which makes me wonder why she was bound. It's possible she was not a bad person, but was bound by a bad person. But that we may discover in Araenal.

What we also think is that since she was bound in the first place (and not destroyed) she must be rather powerful herself (not to mention [as I do] the fact that the dealkyr think she can destroy an artifact), so we are probably better off trying to reinstate the binding rather than destroying her - if she really deserves to be bound, that is.

The only people who know much about times that old are probably the Undying Court in Araenal, and maybe some dragons. So, we have decided to go to Araenal, 40,000 year old island domain of the elves, to try to gather some information on the Geomancer, and Xen'drik, so we can deal with her properly. The complication, since there must always be one, is that our own elf friend, Tevis, carries an aberrant dragonmark, and the elves especially hate aberrant dragonmarks. In fact the reason Tevis is 'from' the Eldeen Reaches is because he is actually from Araenal but his family was exiled when they refused to kill their aberrant child (then mauraders killed his parents in Valenar and he somehow ended up in Eldeen as a youngster). However, on the upside, his grandfather is a member of the Undying Court - and was not interested in killing one of his family members.

And while we are off dealing with elves, undying, giants, the Geomancer, and Eberron knows what else, the Gatekeepers will keep ahold of the axiomatic seal and look into how to make a new non-detection protection on it to keep the dealkyr from finding it again. At least I think that's what they were going to do. I hope they are not waiting for us to return from Xen'drik to then go try to find the lost information needed to re-hide the axiomatic planar seal.

Daaleen, Gatekeeper Aspirant

Oh aberrant aberrations, how shall I view thee?

I see now, that for a lack of a story I simply included a map of our adventure in old Sharaat. There was quite a lot that occurred, of which the most important is that we killed-off the wight guards of an ancient goblinoid binding artifact. We couldn't just leave it there, now that the guards were gone, so I took it with me. Ever since then I have felt a force or presence of some kind constantly watching the binding device. The device is like an over sized amulet, without a chain, and the ancient goblin character for law on it. I'm pretty certain it's related to the dealkyr invasion from Xoriot some 9 thousand years ago. As we left the underground ruins four dealkyr-created aberrations known as dolgrims attacked us. Mostly they all attacked me, and if it wasn't for the two-handed sword we found with the wights (one a bugbear and the other a wolf-like lizard creature), and Teves' keen swinging of it I probably would not still be here. It seems the sword was made to fight aberrations, since each time he hit one it exploded in a gory mess of mislaid body parts. Sometime a good word for goblinoids is deserved.

We are off to see Thronehold

It's been a while - we have been traveling in the wilds and I find myself hungering for the events of a city - but here's the party composition:

• Arc (Sklyer), Human Barbarian
• Daleen (Matthew), Human Gatekeeper Druid
• Marcal Frey (Chris), Human Bard
• Rowayn (Chuck), Warfarged Artificer
• Tevesh Norrfog (Francis), Elf Ranger
• Velus Drenil (Aaron), Human with mysterious magical powers
  
• Willa (Sarah - has returned to the Reaches), Shifter Ranger

We decided to travel to Wroat on the Lightning Rail. Wroat is the nearest large city (and capital of Breland) on our journey north to Thronehold. We bought some tickets for the ride, and did a bit of searching to see if any groups of goblinoids had been seen on the Rail in the past few days (none found).

We were minding our own business waiting for the Rail to arrive, which seems to be every one's business these days, when a guy starts casting spells at me. Of course no one else sees this, so it's my duty to inform the others, and to strike back. Both of which I do (with the aid of Sereen). A short battle ensues, though I can not recall if any other enemies were involved, and the unknown caster vanishes away. During this encounter we join forces with Arc. She's a burly looking woman with this large ax-like weapon - sort of rustic, tough, gruff, quiet, 'speaks' with her actions - and most importantly, willing to charge into battle for the sheer pleasure of swinging.

Aside from this, the trip to Wroat is uneventfull (except my dinning-car adventures in trying to pick up a young lady, who eventually rebuffs me when she learns I am a Gatekeeper - sometimes I suffer greatly for my cause).

In Wroat we decide to purchase horses and ride most of the way to Thronehold - yes it's slow, but we lack certain funds and desire the experience of the open road of adventuring. I get a heavy warhorse and the rest get light warhorses (Rowayn may have a heavy warhorse considering his construct-like composition - but that is to be seen). We estimate the trip to be about 800 miles (to the middle of Nowhere), and may take us up to a month. however, as we improve in our riding skills we should make better time.

On the road for only the second night and we have the pleasure of meeting two rather vigorous ogres. These mini-giants think we will be easy pickin's, but we teach them a lesson they will never learn.

On the road again, and we encounter a company of 3 Bugbears and 7 Goblins (5 are off to the side shooting us, mostly Marcal, with crossbows. Of course I go down again (but not like that), because all 3 of the bugbears decide they like the look of my jib (or maybe some other part of my anatomy), but Arc goes down as well. You have to respect a woman who joins up with four strange men and goes down for them within the first week. Ultimately we prevail, but the battle is fierce and we are badly wounded. But we heal-up nicely.

When we have about another 500 miles to ride to the middle of Nowhere we see a couple large flying creature off in the distance - in the direction we are heading. They don't fly like birds, more clumsily, but they turn around in what looks like a patrol and head away prior to our arriving to where they were.

When we get there find 2 sets of medium-sized bipedal footprints. Teves and Velus determine that some magic was used in making the footprints disappear. In retrospect it now seems the flying things may have been hired by the bipeds to do their job - more on that later, though. This is day seven of our travels.

On day 10 we found out what the not-bird-like flying creatures were: Halflings riding flying dinosaurs (kind of a comical sight - except for the pointy javelins they were throwing at us). Again, we prevailed, and I got to use a new spell. This one caused the partial cooked death of one of the glidewings. So, I spend the rest of the day cutting off the good bits for us to eat. Dino-meat is pretty darned good. Another 7 days later and we found the same tracks as 10 days back. They seem to be the same age, so it appears we are traveling (on horses) only as fast as those leaving the tracks (on foot). Interesting...

I believe it was a couple days later when we found the track-makers - or track-maker, initially. A barbarous looking individual with a massive hammer/maul told us to stop (his Common was atrocious). Of course, we didn't, and he proceeded to engage us in a different form of communication; Namely, the knock-our-horses-unconscious form of communications. He was a tough mauler, and it didn't help that a wizard/sorcerer was helping him (initially invisible). Unlike our other conflicts we prevailed but without killing them. After much mayhem we knocked the hammer man down, and the mage surrendered. He told us they were hired to deter us from further travels. The man who hired them is no one sounding familiar to any of us, but I did get a thorough description of him (including a mole on his left cheek) in case we come across him. We decided to treat them as POWs were treated during the better days of The Last War (i.e. we took their stuff, but left them alive). Out of it, our new friend, Arc, got a nice, magical chain shirt, and a very powerful great hammer.

It was about a day and a half that we made it to the middle of Nowhere (which is very close to any edge of Nowhere). It's nothing but a Rail stop and ticket station. We decided, to gain a few more days, but not cut our adventuring life to short, to take the Rail to Hatheril. Hatheril is north of us, and not on the line going to Flamekeep. That line leads to Starlusker, which is where the mage and barbarian were hired to change our minds about Thronehold. The fact that our minds need to be changed, from some people's perspectives, is a good sign that we are on the right track. I think so anyway.

After a short trip to Hatheril we stayed for a day. Tevis went out into the wilds to 'commune with nature' and came back with a wolf. I don't recall what he calls the wolf, but maybe he will let Sereen ride on - just for the comical aspect. Anyway, we decided to ride north, and did so. A few days later (with no events worth noting) we are now within sight of Sword keep, which is a border fort with Thrane, and a small town surrounding it.

Daleen, of the Eldeen Reaches, Druid of the original Gatekeeper 16,000 year tradition.

Map of area explored under Durra

In case you need to get caught up

Sorry for not writing this one in character, but I think it would be quicker to just do a quick list.

Here's what happened at out last session:

Day 1

• We have two options for moving forward right now, neither of which has any real backing yet
  
• Explore ruins below Sharn *Best Choice*
  
• Head off towards Thornhold
  
• Before we go down, we decide to spend the day letting Daaleen heal while we try to get some info/maps/etc
• Determine the path to the ruins is through the sewers below the city
• Also learn the area under the "Fallen" district of Lower Dura is the oldest
• We go to a magic user/shop to get some loot identified
• Amulet: +1 nat. armor (Teves get the amulet)
• Wand: cure light wound (47 charges, Marcal's on top of that one)
• Realize we are still being followed by the 7' guy

Day 2

• Cab to Middle Dura, and then climb down to Lower Dura
• Come across a group of beast men banging on a door
• FIGHT
• We win and save the lives of:
• Fayla: 1/2 elf priestess of Silver Flame
• Kara: little lost human girl
• We get Kara home safely and return to the sewer entrance near Fayla's church
• Entrance to the sewers is a well/sistern (unknown depth, turns out to be ~80-100ft)
• Marcal and I hold the rope while Willa climbs down
• While she is on the rope we get jumped by a MEGA-CRAPLOAD of beast men
• FIGHT (I kill a lot of doods)
• Deus Ex Machina: Big 7' guy that was following us comes out of nowhere. It's a bugbear, and he just cleaves the snot out of a big chunk of the beast men so I don't die while holding the rope.
• That hurt (me .. everyone else was down in the bottom of the well, well out of harms way)
• Once the fight is over, I get down there too. We find a dead body (translucent, with gills)
• Turns out it's the body of a servant to some ancient evil race
• We head off upstream, past a giant sinkhole/whirlpool
• See a hole in the wall of the tunnel that is 5-6 ft across and 2-3 ft above water level and has perfectly smooth edges (as if it was melted, not carved)
• we go into the hole (duh)
• walls feel warm
• Enter a 20x20 ft room with 2 doors (1 w/ writing)
• Surprised by a giant fire worm: Thoqqua
• Start to fight it, but Marcal just casts fear and it runs away
• Open the door with writing (which we can't read, but turns out it said something like "Danger, don't enter" or some such warning)
• Enter a long hallway, and about halfway in get attacked by two undead skeletons (larger than humans)
• FIGHT
• Loot: 2 great swords and 2 breastplates (bugbear size, not magical)
• Decide Daaleen is going to carry everything since he hasn't been useful all day
• Open the door at the end of the hallway
• Thanks to my high spot check, Willa bust in first while I stayed out
• GELATINOUS CUBE!! (sucks Willa in)
  
• FIGHT
• Loot: brass key, rocks/garbage, 6 gems
• The fight was in a large room. The ceiling has 13 goblonoid heroes painted on it.

End of Session 3

~Teves Norfolg

~Marcal's Journal~

How to begin on such an eventful day? It seems like the same mundane chores are given to me for my enjoyment. If I was to give my various titles it would be as follows : 1st Class Mug Washer, Server of "Delicious" Foods, the mopping expert (or so my father says...), etc. As you can see the list could go on forever. I do care for my father, but tales of grand adventures make me long for a life away from home. Telling the stories of great happenings was enjoyable at one time, but I wait for the day when I am remembered in the great textbooks of the University.

Unfortunately I've been told by my father that before I become famous I must go to the bazaar to pick up an order. Perhaps my days of glory will arrive soon or shall I always be known as "the greatest unknown" there ever was. I hope not.

Yours,

Marcal Frey

Letters Home: 1

Mother,

I've arrived safely in Sharn. I know you were concerned, so I'm writing at my earliest opportunity. The journey from Wolf's Paw was uneventful. The terrain is more sparse than what I'm used to, but the time passed quickly enough. There is decent land just north of the city that I expect will be a better fit.

You were right about the city proper. Its soaring towers are unlike anything I could have imagined. I've not seen trees so tall! I honestly didn't know we were capable of such things... Seeing this grand accomplishment makes me more confident in my purpose. It is a fresh reminder of why I'm out here.

I'll write more in a few weeks once I've settled in. The contact you gave me for the trade district seems reliable. With any luck, I'll be living inside the city before the month is out.

Yours,

Willa

Brief Outline

Since it looks like we will be playing on Friday here is a brief outline of events until I can post a real entry (work is killing me)

• Met Marcal who knows the victim (smiley), ~introduced to the 'suspicious pair'
  
• discovered meaning of "Dargosh kat dal from one of the watch who take smiley away
  
• went to smile's shop
• Marcle found way in (excellent work)
  
• found potions and papers
• finally got the other two to join us
• Willa has expertly been noting a 7' tall guy was originally following Tevesh, but now all of us
  
• Moved to Frey's Inn for discussion of the issue
• spent the night there to go to university in the morning
• Tavesh discovered some goblins sneaking around outside
• battle with goblins (Marcus remained hurt)
• Went to university to look for the 'number' and name clues
• found out the number was for a letter which smiley was to receive via house Sivis
• found out there was a prof roan who was in to goblinoid history 9and many other histories)
• gained info about ancient goblinoid empire, the dual meaning of "the king of slaves"
• learned Marcus Krantz was a goblinoid history student who recently stopped coming
• Got Mr Krantz's address from the school registry, and Smiley's district
• Decided to split up
• Tevesh and Daaleen to go see Marcus
• Marcus's house in elf district was empty, had to break in
• searched the place and found he had moved out (including mattress but not frame)
• Marcus found loose floorboard containing scrolls, gems and ID papers with other name ('something' Marcus = names may be aliases)
  
• go back to prof roan to have scrolls translated
• wait for translation and find that they discribe a goblinoid empire coronation and the KoS item which is a pair of broken manacles, and that extensive ancient ruins of the goblinoid empire are under dura district, and that some goblinoids are trying to rebuild theri ancient empire of Darkuun
  
• head back to Frey's Inn but intercepted by hoard who start a fight (see below)
  
• Willa and Marcal to go find smiley's place
• goes to hall of records to get smiley's address
• go to smiley's and find it ransacked
• find a hollow bed post ans smash it open
• get stuff out of bedpost
• go back to Frey's Inn
• fight begins with just Tevesh and Daaleen
• Fight joined by Willa and Marcal
• enemy is:1 bugbear leader, 2 hobgoblins and 8 goblins
• We are: 2 humans, 1 elf, 1 shifter and 1 eagle
• we win, though I am knocked uncontious trying to protect Tevesh, and everyone else is bleading out of their boots except Sereen (who doesn't wear boots)