Session 20
I fear that the drought of updates will continue for a while. But! I have come to the end of the incredibly busy month that was October and I'm in a writing mood (mildly inebriated,) so here's the most recent session.
- NISSA, Magic-User 5
- CELEBRINDEL, Elf Thief/Magic-User 2/1
- RELIMI, Cleric 5
- AETHELWYNN, Paladin 4
- and TEMPUS THE DRUID from Session 7, played by the same guy who usually plays fighter; the fighter was in town training, so we took the druid out.
The party heads out by boat, moving through the swamp and intending to portage to the Lake to bypass Holdman-occupied Kelling. As they dismount the boats, they get attacked by a bunch of big ol' crabs - though they dispatch the crabs handily, the Temporary Druid is killed. He is replaced by Alamut, an Assassin 1, who is Good-aligned and on the run from his guild after an attack of conscience. Relimi Animates one of the giant crabs as an exoskeleton, for later use. The party goes up to Kelling's iron mine, currently out of operation and choked with refugees; they take some miners with them if they agree to sell some iron for the miners up in Getford.
The party takes the miners down to the base of the cliff surrounding the Cliffport dungeon, and clear a series of rockfalls blocking their entrance. As the miners begin to seriously clear the first such rockfall, a snakey head dashes through the hole and tugs one workman through! Nissa casts a Web on the other side to protect the remainder of the work crew and sets them back to clearing the obstruction; once the obstruction is cleared, the party sets about hunting for the creature, which is enormous and hiding in an underground lake.
The thing, a seven-headed hydra, finds them! Relimi's animated exoskeleton charges forward and into battle as Nissa casts Haste on it; the thing doesn't need to make a system shock check, so it's basically free. The two creatures do terrible battle for many rounds, and the crab is finally destroyed. The Hydra charges against the rest of the party, missing a head or two, and is swiftly dispatched by Aethelwynn and the assassin.
The party continues clearing, finding a secret entrance under the water and a great cavern. In the great cavern there's some docks, with kobolds on one side and an old Imperial gunboat on the other; determining that kobolds cannot under any circumstances gain access to cannon, the party cross Hydra Lake to a dock on the other side and prepare an attack against the diminutive cave-disaster spirits.
The kobolds have control of a set of exposed platforms, separated from the party's entrance by a body of water. The only straightforward access is by an intersection known to be trapped. The party sends the thief and assassin along the dock, to scout out the old gunboat. In a warehouse room alongside, they find a group of ornamented nomads, cowering from the kobolds; in the boat itself, a valuable mermaid's statue.
The thief and assassin leave the statue be for now and attempt to outflank the kobolds, while the main party draws their attention. Against the main party, one kobold leaps the pit trap while drinking a potion, transforming into a terrible grizzly bear! The kobold leader is slain by magic missiles and the grizzly bear presents no significant trouble. After a long battle, the party drives out the kobolds, the remainder vanishing into the stone. They find some jewels and precious metal, but not much of it; the kobolds were not wealthy.
Continuing to the last uncleared room complex outside of the temple of Jubilex, the party kicks in the door across the trapped intersection from the kobolds to find a gaggle of terrifying Ghouls; with preparations for battle being made, we ended the session.