Author: Follow Me, And Die!

SESSION 54 – December 16, 2018

Zho Ni leaves public life and returns to his lands to take over his inheritance from his father. He plans a letter writing campaign about the bad policy decisions of the Thane that has the Vale in a mess.

Lord Groven who is over the lands with the border fort, Master Andros and the Thane invite the rest of the party to join him in his war council.

Lord Groven plans to use his knights to cause more local diversions to draw forces off the dwarves.

Urman explains to the Thane that with Andros’ help, we learned that the monthly curse is tied to something we took from the druid mound. Perhaps a year of fighting more difficult creatures for a year would lead to the end of the curse.

Urman said that the cost is too high for him and it is worth the time to resolve the curse. He asks that the Thane pay the cost of remove curse once we have taken the items back to the mound. The Thane agrees to pay out of the war budget. He also loans us the same steam powered ship that took us into the swamp the first time.

Urman also asks aid from Andros on making a magic wand with lightning and magic missile to assist him in creating it.

Urman turns to his former master Old Harriman, whom he has now exceeded in skill to let him research and craft and ensorcel the wand. Urman gathers ingredients. While Batukhan rides to Djoside to retrieve Brinn, Urman sends Embrek to the mine to bring back what mithril the miners have.

Embrek finds a very small amount of mithril and tasks the miners with quarrying stone for building in Manheim or the border defenses.

We then traveled to the barrow and returned the dagger, sword, and druidic scroll. When we place it, it unfurls and reveals the creatures we have fought so far, plus the future creatures, culminating in a white dragon. We close all the interior and entrance door. Urman casts Wizard Lock on the entrance door at 7th level.

On the way back from the tomb, Urman finds a lone tree and casts lightning bolt on it, as he has not found one struck by natural lightning.

We go to the temple when we get back and have remove curse cast on all of us, the next day we have them check and the curse if finally gone. We send word to Zho Ni that if he will remove curse on himself it will finally free him of that monthly ordeal.

Urman purchases the finest example of amber he can find to add to the other ingredients.

Urman rides to Barton to have the same dwarf smelt the mithril while the ground up ingredients from the various components he has gathered are poured in.

Old Harriman is honored to let Urman craft his wand in Harriman’s tower, and also assists Urman. Urman is successful and crafts a wand capable of holding 70 spells, 35 each of magic missile and lightning bolt. It takes 6.4 days for Urman to fill up both spells to their maximum, so he does so as part of his preparations.

[It was only Ray and I so we resolved Zho Ni’s character arc and Urman worked on things for his plans. We left til next time for Otiben to collect our earnings from the fight club, in case Otiben wanted to fight. Ray’s new character will be worked in next session.]

SESSION 53 – 12/09/2018

Otiben is confirmed to be touched by the gods and truly raised from the dead and not undead or an evil power.

Zho Ni leaves the conference in silence.

We learned that the clerics of the death god felt a great disturbance when the heart of the Soul-Forged Colossus went to the south when The Seer fled. They cannot track it, they only felt the great power of it’s revelation to them and movement.

We had learned in a prior session that the dwarves were preparing a force to invade and establish a bridge head and take an old dwarven fort to make the push into ogre territory, now that their army has broken.

The party discusses what to do next and agree to meet the Thane in his war council to decide our next course of action.

Urman advises resolving the curse from the druid tomb items and then he wants to make a magic wand as part of preparations to distract the ogres in the north to aid the dwarves in their thrust in the south.

SESSION 52 – November 04, 2018

Zho Ni and his clerical posse arrive at the Urdjan Academy and are admitted in the walls. Zho Ni sees Otiben in the training yard and announces he is there to arrest Otiben before he speaks to Master Andros.

Andros and Urman come down and Andros stands between Zho Ni and Otiben and attempts to talk to Zho Ni, and Zho Ni focuses on his title and declares that he has been slighted. Zho Ni also refers to Otiben as the creature. Zho Ni says he will wait outside the walls until three days later when our training is over.

At the end of training is the end of the week, for a regular feast. Andros invites Zho Ni and party in to partake. Zho Ni castigates the clerics accompanying him for ignoring the slight to his person/station. He releases Embrek from service, but Embrek sticks out the camping. Jack the new hero worshipper of Zho Ni sticks with Zho Ni.

The next morning, Urman wakes Otiben and Batukhan and urges them to leave before sunup and as they ride by, Urman yells at Zho Ni – “Hey aren’t you coming?”

Zho Ni and companions yell at us to stop, but we ride on. Otiben challenges Batukhan to a race and they rush off. We finally camp for the night, and Zho Ni and company ride past us through the night to prepare a welcome for us in Mannheim.

When Urman, Otiben, adn Batukhan arrive at Mannheim, a force of guards stand before us and tell us we can’t see the Thane without surrendering our weapons. Uram proclaims that he will not surrender his weapons here, but will do so the the guards at the Thane’s residence. We are escorted to the Thane.

We left off standing before the Thane’s residence.

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.

SESSION 49 – September 23, 2018

We rest up and prepare to clear the city of the remaining ogres and orcs.

Urman asks Otiben to disguise one of the dead ogre’s heads with The Seer.

Zho Ni refuses to heal any of us, “for betraying him and The Vale, by siding with the abomination that claims to be Otiben.” We use all the healing at our disposal and the chief gives us all the healing we have. We are far from our strongest for a toe to toe fight.

As we head up to the city, Zho Ni makes a circle of protection and remains behind.

We don’t yet know that Zho Ni and Embrek left the way we came and found one of the Blue Crows and one of Urman’s hirelings injured and he healed them. A giant black bird carried off a horse, and it was a troll attracted by the blood that hurt them recently, but they chased it off with fire. Zho Ni and Embrek get the Blue Crows to help them track it and they find its lair and slay it. Zho Ni takes the horses of all the party members.

In the distance in the city, Zho Ni hears the roar of a fireball, and the thunder from lightning bolt, and the reverberations of the horn of fear from our assault on the citadel in Orcarest.

We come to the surface and hear horns blowing and the remnants of The Seer’s forces flee towards the citadel.

We follow cautiously.

We come to a square before the gate to the citadel and see a tapestry with the symbol for parley.

We make up something with that symbol and Urman and Otiben step into the square with Batukhan and the 3 goblins, led by Puk riding his wolf on the right. The 8 orcs lead by the son of the orc chief to the right, and watching the rear is Ygritte and Grip and Hades.

Urman shows them the broken wand of The Seer and her “head”.

An ogre, not a chief speaks in broken common asking that we just let them go.

Urman asks how many are there, and he will not answer.

Urman then asks is there no chief to speak for the goblins. The ogre allows a goblin shaman to peek over the parapet and Urman charms him and says that he and the other goblins should bow to the new chief as Urman signals for Puk and the other goblins to ride out. The shaman says, “It would be nice to have a chief.” The ogre backhands the shaman and says he knows this trick as that is how they get the goblins to go along with them.

Urman then fireballs the ogre after yelling in goblin for all the goblins to flee.

The ogre steps back after being hit and Otiben scales the wall to see the doors to the citadel being closed. Otiben also sees two ogres, the shaman, and a few goblins killed by the fireball.

Otiben opens the gates and we rush in. Batukhan and Ygritte occupy the top of the gatehouse covering us with their bows, since they are both still hurt and not up to a stand up fight.

Otiben takes the orc chief’s son and half the orcs and the dogs up one set of stairs to the roof. Urman takes the goblins and the rest of the orcs up the other set of stairs. The goblins tell us that the towers have doors leading down.

There is a square area that has two doors. Urman’s group opens their door and finds weapons and all the loot The Seer’s forces have gathered from the city.

Otiben opens his door and sees a troll who has been fed the bodies of the dead.

The troll rushes as Otiben steps back and it misses. Urman casts lightning bolt and drops the troll as the angle is right for it to bounce off the stone walls and hit it a second time. A goblin that Urman ordered to start a fire when Otiben yelled, “Troll!” rushed up and we burned it while Otiben kept it down.

We go through the door at the back of the treasure room, and we are at the hallway at the top of the stairs where Otiben and Puk faced the ogres and goblins. It is empty.

We find the room of The Seer with a circle she must have used to do her seeing and a symbol of The Seer on the wall. Urman defiled the circle on the floor and the symbol on the wall.

We go downstairs and see that the door to the privy has been barricaded to prevent a repeat of our last foray.

We find the room where we last engaged ogres and goblins to be locked. Otiben breaks it open.

Urman blows the Horn of Fear, and the burnt ogre now in charge and a couple others and some goblins fled in terror up the door at the base of one of the towers.

Batukhan and Ygritte slew him by arrow fire as the ogres and goblins continued to flee.

Puk got off a couple of arrows before the rest charged in to prevent the ogres and their massive bows from firing into us.

While they focused on felling the ogres, Urman spoke in goblin, urging the goblins to follow their new chief Puk and fight the ogres. A few goblins backed away and knelt in submission.

Otiben then cast Wall of Fog and filled the huge room, making the fight last longer, but also making it harder for the ogres to hit us.

Puk continued to urge the goblins to join him in the fight to free them from their oppressors, while Urman told the ogres to surrender to the inevitable. Urman only had area of effect spells and he had a better chance to hinder our side than defeat the other side.

Slowly the ogres fell and goblins continued to kneel in submission.

As the fighting slowly ebbed, Urman and Puk entered the fog seeking wounded allies to assist so they did not bleed out. Urman wanted to avoid further strain on the limited number of orcs.

Finally, with the fight over, Puk led his new tribe to chase down the ogres and recruit the remaining goblins to his tribe.

We reviewed the loot gathered by The Seer’s forces and found several obvious and potential magic items, many orcish steel coins, some dwarf made coins, and many gems.

Urman will rest and learn detect magic. He will argue that we should leave as much as possible for the orcs as they will need all the help they can get to maintain control of Orcarest. His thoughts turn to possibly leaving Puk and his tribe to help them gain control and ward off the many trolls in the area. Will Ygritte’s people work with them? We are all hurt some much worse than others. We need a lot of rest with out divine magic for healing. What does it mean that Zho Ni refused to heal us? Is our band of adventurers at an end? We have much to do to keep The Vale safe. We need all the allies we can get. There is still Alosha to worry about and her nebulous machinations. In addition to what The Seer and Enchantress will do with the heart of the Soul-forged Colossus. Otiben is evidently true to his word, why would an undead creature work so hard to achieve one of our goals? Urman wrestles with teleporting back to his tower since he feels ready to unlock the secrets of even more powerful magic….