Month: October 2018

SESSION 51 – October 28, 2018

Zho Ni warns Brinn in Djoside about Otiben then rides to Manheim and speaks to the Thane and Andros who came from the Urdjan Academy and caution Zho Ni that resurrection is not unheard of, even if it has been a long time since someone was brought back.

Zho Ni then tells the temple and a council is called for when Zho Ni returns from Finesheim. Zho Ni goes to Finnesheim and asks many questions about resurretion and learns of the first emperor of Vademore and Grumash was resurrected by the power of his axe and elevated to divinity.

At the Druid grove near Finnesheim he gets the druid take on things, and learns it may indeed be Otiben, and the true test will be his actions.

Zho Ni goes to the council and fills them in and gets a lively discussion going with those in favor of a valiant warrior being raised, remaining inquisitive, or calling for destruction of an evil thing. All before the sisters of Hellya arrive, and they ask whey Zho Ni just didn’t go to them. They say that it will be a simple matter to determine if Otiben is what he claims to be. The council tell Zho Ni that he should urge his friend to return to the temple with him or face the full power of all the various sects at the temple.

Meanwhile, Urman, Batukhan, and Otiben acquire potions from the bugbear shaman who elects to stay at Urman’s tower. We cross to Djoside and head straight for the Urdjan academy.

Kressida the cleric thinks Otiben is the real deal, but Andros was away in Mannheim. (After casting detect evil, magic, and casting prayer). Andros arrives that evening and prepares the next day to examine Otiben more thoroughly. Kressida casts exorcism to no effect. Andros has powered up the protective circle and if Otiben can enter the circle and leave, then he is most likely of this world. Otiben does so with eas, once he takes off his belt with the vampire dagger.

Urman brings up the monthly curse and we each enter the circle and feel the curse lifted. The next day, the curse is back. Andros does research in the midst of training Urman and finds mention of the powerful druid, whose tomb we looted. Most likely the moon dagger and moon longsword are the items that if we return to the tomb will end the curse. Or perhaps if we hold on to them for a year, the curse will lift.

Otiben does his training.

Batukhan researches military tactics, etc.

Zho Ni prepares to head north to seek the trail of Otiben, and before he leaves Mannheim, is hailed by the guards that Otiben is at the Urdjan academy and he gathers the 4 clerics in addition to Jack from his order to ride north.

They meet the Urdjan Knight, Egon, at the crossroads about halfway to the academy. They will arrive the next day, and Urman and Otiben will have two days of training remaining.

NOTE: Zho Ni also learned from the Thane that a battalion of dwarves have gone to the wall along the Ogre Holds and plan to establish a forward base.

SESSION 50 – September 30, 2018

We follow the fleeing ogres and goblins and the goblins who have joined us inform us that there are not many of them.

We take the river bed and get close. Urman drops two sleep spells on them before they can react, dropping nearly all of the goblins and one ogre.

Nash causes an audible glammer that draws off some of the goblins.

Our archers take out an ogre archer and wound another.

Otiben charges an ogre, and soon after goblins charge and Urman unleasses magic missile the last ogre falls to his knees in tears and the last of the conscious goblins join Chief Puk. Otiben slays the last ogre. We wake the slept goblins and extract their loyalty to Puk. Urman makes great show that Puk is his honored friend.

We recruit the goblins and the carts and woolly rhinos along with the party and orcs to gather the bodies left of those who were sacrified to power the pillars that caused the dome to raise. Urman theorizes that The Seer didn’t have time or desire to figure out the real way to raise the dome and used blood magic. Ogre sized ropes were spiked into the pillars binding the victims wrist to wrist.

While the bodies were gathered into piles, Urman rested to re-learn fireball to use to dispose of the bodies to prevent them attracting trolls.

Otiben and Batukhan went to the hirelings and mounts and learned that Zho Ni and Embrek had taken mounts of all the party, not just his own. Batukhan was noticeably upset and asked for a receipt. Otiben obliged with a hole punched in a leaf. Otiben managed to convince a Blue Crow to loan Batukhan his horse and convince Batukhan to accept. The hirelings and mounts were brought around and the dome was showing holes and soon collapsed.

By the time Urman had rested and relearned spells. the 640 bodies had been piled up and notes of identifying marks and features noted, and any personal items gathered before being piled up, and doused with oil. We added the dead ogres and goblins to the mix. Including the fake head of The Seer, let anyone get too close a look at it. The religious figures all said some words, and Urman then cast in succession a fireball at opposit ends of the mound of bodies to ensure the flames burned widely and hotly enough to render them useless as troll bait. (Urman also did this publicly with an eye to impressing on the goblins that he can back up his suggestion that they should honor Puk. Urman held up The Seer’s broken wand and the talismans of all the slain ogre and goblin shamen. Urman gave the talisman of the last goblin shaman he inadvertently slew with the fireball aimed at the mouthy ogre on the wall, mentioning that his growing tribe would need a shaman.)

We claimed all the treasure from the treasure room. Urman made great show of stating he felled the troll with a single spell to all who were near. The party kept money and the magic we could use. There were plenty of magic weapons to leave with the orcs, in addition to weapons and armor we didn’t need, to help them more effectively.

Urman convinced Puk to stay in Orcarest as allies to the Orcs and to act honorably, else incur his ire. Puk’s tribe, he named The Blackstaffs in honor of his good friend Urman of The Blackstaff. This tribe has 16 archers, 11 spearmen, and 5 with short swords. It includes 2 females. The goblins, orcs, and party split the 30 woolly rhinos from the pen in The Seer’s camp.

We parted the next day and rode to the Frostleaves and relayed to them the news of The Seer’s fleeing with the Heart of the Soul_Forged Colossus, making our elimination of her entire force in Orcarest a bittersweet victory.

We learned that all but the Bear Tribe of Northmen had quit the army facing the dwarves in the western pass. The knews of how The Seer had used their families taught them a harsh lesson. We also learned that Frostleave scouts has seen Zho Ni and Embrek riding fast to the south.

We shared news of the new allies in the valley to aid with reducing the threat of the trolls, and that got a raised eyebrow, but Urman made it clear he would see to any trouble personally if they send him word.

The next day, we rode unimpeded to the town the ogres avoided with their coffle of prisoners. We learned that it is a trade town and as long as people don’t cause any trouble, no one would interfere with them. It was sort of a capital/neutral zone for the Northmen to meet and discuss matters of common interest/import. We gave them news of the defeat of The Seer’s forces, and Urman publicly declared that he had broken her wand, showing it to the elders in the council hall.

It is a busy place, so no one remarked on a man and dwarf with a few horses, so we don’t know if they came this way.

The next day, we reached Urman’s tower, and the hirelings had not seen Zho Ni or Embrek, but we arrive while the Stone Spears who brought two of the four horses that belonged to the rest of the party from Zho Ni, and that earlier, an agent of the druid in the grove north of Crossing sent the other two horses. Zho Ni relayed to the druid and the Stone Spears at their hall in Crossing of the death of one of our party, but would not name them. Zho ni is concerned that Otiben is undead, in spite of communing with his god and getting an indication that Otiben can be trusted. He also sent word ahead to Djoside and the Urjan Knights in the north of the Vale. He and Embrek obtained passage downriver to (whatever the main city of the Vale is – hey, I’m tired.)

The next day, Urman and Otiben head to the Urjan Knights, as the leader is a high enough level magic user to train Urman for 7th level and they have those who can train Otiben for what he needs.