D&D Campaign Session for April 1st, 2001

Played with 3rd Edition Rules

Player Characters:

Azaki Ushento, Half-Orc Male Fighter, 3rd Level (Josh)
Borik, Half-Orc Male Fighter, 3rd Level (Greg)
Glothe Longstride, Dwarf Male Fighter, 3rd Level (Caleb)
Ithil, Elf Female Rogue/Fighter, 1st Level/1st Level (Dennis)
Kari Morningdew, Human Female Ranger/Cleric of Fharlanghn, 1st Level/3rd Level(Andy)
Kessem Chexz, Female Elf Wizard, 2nd Level (Neil)
Kobort, Half-Orc Male Cleric of Heironeous, 3rd Level (Bart)
Mike Steel, Human Male Fighter, 4th Level (Patty)
Odlits Burdfriend, Male Half-Orc Wizard, 3rd Level (Bill)
Selena, Female Human Monk, 3rd Level (Scott)
Westwind, Halfling Male Fighter, 1st Level (Andrew)

Non-Player Characters:

Deina, Human Female Cleric of Pholtus, 3rd Level
Targ, Dwarf Male Cleric of Clangeddin/Fighter, 4th Level/1st Level
Einin, Dwarf Male Fighter, 2nd in Command, 4th Level
Belfendd, Nalum, Okum, Hill Dwarves under Targ's Command, 2nd Level

In Seblingham Again?

Flocktime 19th, Seblingham

We rode through the stormy night to reach Seblingham. Kari scouted ahead while the rest of us rode with the soldiers. When she finally returned to report, she had obviously seen combat; she had run into an ambush of troglodytes, about eight of them, and had barely managed to get away. By the time we reached the spot, it had been abandoned, and she rode ahead again to scout.

For some time we had been seeing cloud lightning over the distant fires of Seblingham. Several times, it forked down into the town, striking amid the signs of attack. It did not last long, and soon the lightning ceased altogether.

A while later, Kari returned again; this time, on foot. Another ambush: troglodytes and large lizards as attack dogs. They had killed her horse and nearly gotten to her, but Fahrlangen's aid gave her the speed to outrun her attackers. We followed up at once as a company and tracked them off the road to find them on open ground. The cavalry charged while the party started off with missile fire, and in a minute or two it was all over with nothing but a great pall of stench left hanging over the battlefield.

I have come upon nothing before this to compare with the putrescent odor of a troglodyte. Not even the rat-ridden dungpile of the caves was as debilitating in its immediate effect. Several of the cavalrymen were severely affected, and a counted it a lucky thing that we had not eaten recently. It took all my strength to concentrate on my sword as we moved into contact, and even so it seemed to take twice as long to finally dispatch my opponent as it should have. It took at least a minute or two to recover from that first whiff, and by then they were all slain.

Riis and Kari found the point where humanoids and undead had entered the road from the west, just a couple of hours out of town. We saw large skeleton tracks: we began to suspect that we should have been more careful about disposing of that hill giant's remains.

We neared Seblingham just before dawn, and I was not sorry that the ride would soon be at an end. I have never particularly disliked horses, but after last night's ride I have no great love for them either.

Our rangers moved ahead into town while the company waited beyond the last hill. When they returned, they confirmed that the battle was over: several of the farms still burned, and there were bodies strewn along the now-quiet streets. Very few people were left to keep any sort of watch, though they reported activity in Seblingham's secondary temple, of Berei. The temple of Heironeous has been destroyed.

We rode in, the cavalry's banners waving as Captain Bergthar proclaimed our arrival. A few shaken villagers emerged, and finally we were greeted by Mayor Zacharias, and older man in chainmail who carried a longsword and spear. With him was another man of some experience and years, but he did not introduce himself.

The Mayor told us what Kari and Riis had noted: two groups of attackers had come through the town. Undead and humanoids had come first, from the south; then the troglodytes had come from the north. The town had had no warning of the attack. Their new constable had been lost, and many are still unaccounted for. The temple of Heironeous was attacked early on, and the clerics have not been seen.

We began clearing up, helping to put out the few fires that still burned. Villagers were understandably reticent and only gradually emerged from their houses, but the work drew them to help and soon we had a respectable bucket brigade to save the Merry Minotaur. Unfortunately, we found the proprietors and their sons dead inside, killed in the obviously vigorous attack. The miller, next door to the tavern, had been attacked too; his door held and he and his sons stood guard. The man seemed suspicious when we arrived with Mayor Zacharias until we were introduced, but he and his sons quickly joined in to help.

Several of us moved on to the southern end of town at the main road, where the main conflict seemed to have taken place. Curiously, we found gnolls and troglodytes at each others' throats; of course, a well-coordinated attack like we had first thought this was is normally beyond the abilities of your average gnoll priest. Now it seems that the troglodytes and the gnolls had turned on each other as well. Many of the bodies had already been looted, and I tend to doubt any of the townsfolk had been wandering around after the battle. With most of the militia dead -- and undead, humanoids and troglodytes all gone from the town, who was looting?

Moving from one task to the next, we worked at the forest fire to the west of town for some time. Selena and Riis organized the fight capably, directing and coordinating our efforts. At one point, we spotted a dark wolf on a nearby hill, just standing and watching us. Westwind, disliking wolves of that size, chased it off.

Toward afternoon, a company of the Keep's infantry arrived in town, and Odlits with them. They have continued the cleanup and have made camp just beyond the last farmhouses. The cavalry will return to the Keep while the infantry remains for a few days to get the town back on its feet.

When we returned to town, Innkeeper Thaddeus offered us room and board for the night at his inn out of gratitude for our help. Somehow, it had suffered only minorly in the attack, although everything around it had been nearly destroyed and the battle had happened outside its front door. This Willow Inn has a very solid front door: it is scarred, but it held and the attack was not concerted enough to break through. Thaddeus is fortunate indeed.

For myself, I would have preferred to stay at the camp, but I did not want to offend the townsfolk by refusing such a generous offer of hospitality. I did see Ithil, Borik and the Miller and his sons wrestling a large cask in the direction of the camp; I fear I am missing a very interesting party.

Our halfling friend has wandered off for the evening. Perhaps his is at the camp with the rest by now. Glothe, Odlits, Kari and Kessem are also in the Inn; I should not have worried about giving offense by myself refusing, but we are here and settled after the good meal Thaddeus provided. His ale must have been stronger than we thought, for all of us are content to sleep.

[ Editor's note: Here ends the excerpt from Mike's Journal. Several pages here were damaged, making a literal translation difficult. The following events have been reconstructed from various sources. ]

****

Well before dawn on Flocktime the 20th, those of the party who had dined and slept at the Willow Inn awakened to find themselves firmly bound ang being roughly carried by non-human hands through low earthen tunnels. Groggy from the drug that had been served them in the beer, those who could think at all clearly realized how neatly they had walked into this trap. The hospitality, the Innkeeper's insistance that they would not want water to drink and should have his beer, as the river was fouled from the battle; undoubtedly, Thaddeus had some clean water stored in his cellars for his own use. They had not even bothered to set a watch, but had trustingly slept in the middle of a town with so black a history as to besmirch an orc. Mysteries surrounded the battle site and yet, guileless, they slept as their hands and feet were bound and they were taken from the inn in the dead of night.

Mike, Kari, Glothe, Odlits, Kessem and Azaki were roughly dumped in an underground chamber. The centerpiece of the room was a large statue of ivory, a long coiled snake rearing up its human head: some unknown evil goddess. Human remains lay scattered about the floor in grisly warning, the flickering torchlight from the single flame casting threatening shadows across the lifeless bones.

The troglodytes on guard quelled all immediate thoughts of escape, the blunt handles of their stone axes heavy on the head of anyone loosening their ropes. A man oversaw the beasts: wearing leather armor and carrying a short sword, his most endearing feature was the long scar that split the right side of his face. He took pleasure at the captives' discomfort, and seemed disappointed that he was under orders to let them live a bit longer.

The sleeping among the captured adventurers were awoken with a bitter draught and after an eternity of waiting, trying to wriggle free of the ropes and being beaten into submission, the leader of the band returned.

The priest of Berei, as he was commonly known in the town, wore a half snake mask. He spoke to the troglodytes in a strange language, and the adventurers could only bide their time as they were carried all-unwilling up the far tunnel and out across the darkened town. As the little procession tramped past the tavern, a small figure stirred from his light sleep. Westwind, having made his own camp in the basement of the burned Merry Minotaur, heard snatches of unfamiliar conversation and smelled the now-familiar odor of troglodyte. He silently emerged to view them carrying several bodies between them, and being suspicious he followed, tracking them toward the woods.

Just inside the forest, the priest abruptly signalled a halt. At his command, Scarface left, backtracking to investigate some disturbance. When he did not return, the priest became concerned. The prisoners were dumped roughly on the ground with about half of the troglodytes to guard them; the priest took the other half after Scarface.

That disturbance was Westwind Hillfollow. Scarface had hidden in wait, meaning to ambush him, but the halfling's senses prickled and he spotted him just in time. Ducking aside, he shot and struck home with a well-placed crossbow bolt before the man could charge. Then they were locked in combat, stabbing at each other as they avoided blows; Scarface had not counted on such an audacious opponent, and he was doubtless surprised to receive a mortal wound. He could take only cold comfort in the moments before his death that Westwind was not unhurt.

The noise of the oncoming troglodytes alerted the halfling in time to hide from the priest's hunting party. It was a deadly game of hide and seek that he was engaged in, missiles seeking him every time a glimpse was caught. Wounded already, he could not afford to be found.

Troglodytes with stone axes against bound, weaponless adventurers; they were better odds than they had been a moment ago and when the sounds of battle came through the trees, Glothe sprang into action. With a battle cry, his teeth sunk into the ankle of the troglodyte closest to him as the rest of the party worked frantically to loosen their bonds. It was a race against time and luck: couldthey free themselves before their captors managed to knock them all senseless again -- or worse, slaughter them outright like so many trussed hogs? Odlits and Kessem had their gags loose, but their casting brought down the guards' wrath upon them. Kessem's form blurred, and while two of the beasts were occupied by continuously missing her as she struggled, Glothe and Odlits kept the others occupied. The dwarf fought, even firmly bound, while his captors struck at him; by the time he fell unconscious, Azaki and Mike were free.

They wrestled with the troglodytes for their stone axes to arm themselves, grimly struggling through the lingering drug-induced haze. They all knew now that surrender was no longer an option: blood had been shed. If they lost the battle, they would be killed. Mike and Azaki fought determinedly as Kessem continued to cast, and two fell -- one dazed by magical sleep, the other dead. The fighters engaged the rest as one by one, their comrades worked free to join the battle.

Westwind ducked and dodged, keeping out of the line of fire as he worked his way around the flank of the priest's hunters. As the sounds of combat signalled the escape of the prisoners, they gave up their game and charged back, and Westwind was once more able to follow unmolested.

Too soon, the priest and his troglodyte guards returned to tip the balance against the escaping adventurers. Odlits, weakened by the drug and harried as he dodged attacks, struggled to cast effectively and Kari was beleaguered as she held off the fresh attackers, but all were heartened to note Westwind's appearance from the woods, arms at the ready. Kessem, without any of her equipment, searched for easily-gathered spell components; Glothe remained unconscious and bound. A troglodyte struck a solid blow on Mike, and with a muttered obscenity, he collapsed amid the fray.

Selena had been sleeping in the woods as was her preferred custom, not far from the forest trail. The commotion woke her, and she sprinted toward the noise until the torchlight showed her the truth of the matter. She dashed in, joining the fight when least expected. Her attacks hit home, and the momentary disarray gave Kari a chance to tend to Mike. Strengthened and healed by her holy power, he laid about him with the crude axe and clove through an opponent with satisfaction.

Kessem, a short distance off in the woods, had managed to capture a lightning bug which blinked calmly in her pocket as she climbed a nearby tree. In its upper branches, she began to cast: a brilliant glow spread up the bark and out each leaf, a luminescent bloom as a beacon in the forested night. At the soldiers' camp, the evening's revelry had died down; Ithil had run out of riddles and the old man had retired for the night. Borik had finally given up on trying to empty the wine cask singlehandedly, or perhaps he had completed the task, for his snores effectively kept the watchmen awake. But when the signal burst to light in the forest, they rallied to help.

The tide of battle was turning in the adventurer's favor, but the priest began to cast spells. Westwind did not hesitate to attack him, distracting him from his casting, and Odlits too, gathering his strength and wits, assisted the halfling with uncommon bravery and fortitude. His power depleted and all his allies slain under the renewed attacks of the adventurers, the priest fled with the halfling hard on his heels. Kari caught up with supernatural speed and tackled him; she and Westwind spared no energy in their blows, but he managed to break free and sprinted toward the temple of Berei.

At the scene of the forest battle, Borik, Deina and Ithil had finally arrived with some of the Keep's soldiers, meaning to give aid, and Deina's healing skills were appreciated. Kessem emerged from her safety in the tree in an ungraceful tumble, knocking herself out, Odlits had spent himself trying to deal with the priest, and everyone had suffered in the combat and was still under the effects of the drug. Kari and Westwind did not return: last seen, they were heading for the temple.

Kobort had chosen to spend the night in the ruins of Heironeous' temple after helping all day to clear wreckage. The temple of Berei was not far, and the half-orc priest was awakened by a pounding on Berei's door. Berei's priest, still wearing his snake mask, demanded entry, and Kari and Westwind caught up again just as the temple doors began to swing open.

Here endeth the session, as excerpted and translated from the journal of Mike.