The Borderlands Crusade session 11

The Borderlands Crusade

Session: 11

Real World Date: 02/04/2017

Mystara Date: Yarthmount Mouldain 11, 1000 CY

Party Members:

                                Huey: Human Ranger Acolyte of Zirchev

                                Esa Sovalis: Human “Nobleman Adventurer”(Rogue)

                                Alaric Connagher: Paladin of Halav

                                Pa Gha: Poteign Minotaur Wizard

                Mission Title: The Forge of Fury

                Mission instructions: Using the information provided by the Daggers burg goblins, explore a reputed Orc strong hold and exterminate any Orcs, gather as much intelligence as possible. Determine any historical value, of said strong hold.

Retracing their steps:

            The party finally having cleared the room, decided to once again look into the rooms they failed to explore earlier, they first found Old Yorrick’s Barracks which was guarded by a trapped statue of a bellowing dwarf warrior. Yorrick informed the party that he lost two men to that trap before finally learning to navigate the pressure plate. Esa decided to disable the trap once and for all, eventually turning off the mechanism which would spray poison gas from the dwarf’s mouth. They then proceeded to loot the barracks. They then resumed exploring the tunnels until they found a cave containing two dwarf corpses covered with deadly yellow mold. A volatile life form that would quickly snuff out the strongest adventurer with its deadly spores.

An abundance of caution:

            Esa and Huey used their keen eyes, noticing that one of the corpses was dressed in the finery of a member of the aristocracy. His armor had once been a sight to behold, were it not ruined by the toxic mold. However, he held aloft a Bastard sword in his hands, as if he were daring anyone to brave the mold to come take it from him.

            In a fit of insane bravery, Esa decided to attempt to navigate the mold CAREFULLY, trodding at almost a snail’s pace. Upon reaching the corpse holding the Masterwork Bastard sword, he gently pried it from the dwarf’s death grip, as if the legendary dwarven stubbornness eventually yielded to Esa’s highly skilled fingers. After finally releasing the sword, the hand was gently laid on his chest as the wiley nobleman made his way through the mold infested room. Even Old Yorrick nodded in grudging respect for the apparent dandy’s ability to navigate the incredibly dangerous predicament.

            Huey then quickly asked his deity about the nature of the blade, learning that it was indeed enchanted, however, he was also given a name: “The King’s Blight.” The sword itself was fashioned with the sigil carved into the cross piece of the blade, a fine work of dwarven craftsmanship which seemed to gravitate towards Esa and Alaric, both of whom were of aristocratic blood. The group decided to give the sword to Alaric, which later proved to be a very wise decision.

The Descent:

            After Much discussion, the party finally agreed to descend the stairwell with Old Yorrick in tow. Esa decided to entertain a significant degree of caution by slowly checking each step in the stair well to determine if they were trapped. The nearly incessant buzzing below only seemed to grow louder until finally four tiny insect like creatures erupted from down below displaying some rather aggressive intent. Huey, at first, seemed to smile with delight referring to them as “Fire Friends” a species of intelligent lightning bugs that often assist travelers through the forest.

            Pa-Gha, however, was not so easily amused when he recognized the creatures as Stirges, blood sucking creatures known to bleed even the stoutest Dwarf dry in moments. Old Yorrick seemed rather entertained by Huey’s display of ignorance towards creatures of the underdark while Esa, Pa-Gha, and Alaric quickly dispatched them with ranged weapons and spells. Once the creatures were shown their way to the afterlife, the party resumed its descent, eventually making their way deeper into the earth, even having to cross a rather energetic stream of water while navigating a thin ledge of rock. They finally enter a chamber where they discovered the Stirge’s nest along with the corpse of a dwarf.

Oo Oo that Smell:

            Huey and Esa continue their careful exploration eventually finding the rivulet from earlier dividing the large cavern. They eventually follow it to a pool of water, in front of a cave sealed with mud, dried wood and Dung. They were approaching the structure when they detected a magnificently foul musky odor. The party braced themselves using their stamina to not recoil retching from the structure, when Huey decided to break it down. Once the cave was opened, the stalwart forester was missed by a thick javelin, hurled by the source of the aromatic emanations. Two humanoid reptiles which he promptly identified as Troglodytes.

            Esa decided to demonstrate his nearly insane level of bravery by tumbling in between the two Troglodytes, attempting to battle. Huey and Alaric plodded forward in the ankle deep water savaging one of the foul smelling reptilians while Pa Gha Assisted Esa with Magic Missiles in defeating the other. Old Yorrick seems to be entertained by the actions of the party. But proved to be rather annoyed when the troglodytes were finally killed.

            Once their combat proved successful the party noticed that the room itself was filled with gore and dismembered body parts as they realized they had stumbled into the Troglodyte’s winter stores which led to two other doors sealed in the fashion earlier mentioned. Not wanting to encounter more Troglodytes, the party decided to return to their previous cave

Into the glittering dark:

            After returning to the cave, they found yet another passage way, leading to a gigantic platform containing several sarcophagi. Most had been empty with only three which had bodies. It was most unfortunate that no one in the group was able to read the dwarven runes etched into the stone. The group strangely decided to open the closed sarcophagi, eventually stumbling upon yet another member of dwarven nobility. They took a golden ring, a pouch of gold. They then opened the others discovering a Masterwork War hammer.

            After desecrating the tombs, they discovered a stair well, leading down to a deeper level of the cavern. They carefully made their way down to see the gigantic cave, only to turn to see two strange creatures, bearing a resemblance to snake like creatures with squid like tentacles and razor sharp beaks similar to a parrot.

            Pa-Gha recognized them as Gricks, voracious underdark predators. The party quickly joined the battle however the Gricks proved to be dangerous and harsh creatures. However, the Party was able to finally defeat the Gircks with some quick planning. Pa-Gha did mention, however, that these particular gricks must not have been Mature, given that he recalls them having Skin that required Magical weapons or spells to pierce. The party would have to bear that in mind should they encounter Gricks once again.

The Bear’s Revenge:

            Proceeding further, they find yet another cave, where two Troglodytes were tormenting a caged bear, in an effort to tame it. Incensed by the cruelty, Alaric drew the Ancient Bastard sword and attacked, sinking his blade deep while Esa and Huey attacked the other troglodyte who was attempting to open the cage to let the bear attack the party. Although the troglodyte opened the door, The bear decided to Savagely Maul it’s tormentor just as Alaric cut his opponent down with a solid slash which cut the Troglodyte in two!

            Huey attempted to convince the bear to leave, but it was not quite done with its revenge. The party decided it would be wiser to leave the creature be as they resume their mission.