The Tribulation of Deadsnows: Session 11

Characters: Gibbie, Aine, Fenia, Melvin, and Buddrick

-Day 29 Continued-

After the challenging encounter with the ogres and kobolds, the party decided to investigate what the strange partnership of large and small had been up to. They discovered that posts were being driven into the ground. Very large wooden mallets were laying on the ground next to a pile of lumber.

They also discovered a strange chest of some sort. Leafy shapes were carved into the box along with a strange, fiendish looking face. There was no lock, and the chest seemingly could not be opened. Gibbie identified the material it was made out of as darkwood.

Fenia coaxed Buddrick into trying to break the chest open with his mace. Grumbling to himself, wondering how it always fell to him to risk the unknown, he reluctantly tried to crush the strange box. It proved to be very well made (and enchanted, according to a detect magic spell). Her mischievous side taking over, Fenia cast an illusion spell on the chest that caused tentacles to grow out of the box and reach for Buddrick. Not recognizing the illusion for what it was, he fought back the writhing appendages with zeal. Small mouths appeared at the ends and snapped at the dwarf. Gibbie ran forward and sliced one of the tentacles in half, realizing it was an illusion after striking it. He informed the still swinging dwarf, who was pounding his mace into and above the box. Buddrick stepped back and stared at the flailing mouths. They sure seemed real to him.

A few paces away, Fenia snickered. She changed the illusion to make it look like a powerful demon. Buddrick began fighting it again in earnest, much to Fenia's delight.

Before long, everyone except Aine could hear a commotion in the woods. Looking toward the south, they could see a horde of kobolds scrambling through the trees and closing on them fast! The kobold that had escaped the previous battle must have found reinforcements! The demon illusion turned tail and ran at Fenia's command and winked out of existence before getting far. Fenia then summoned a wall of gloom between the kobolds and her allies. Everyone fell back to the cart, except Buddrick, who prepared to drag the chest at Fenia's beckoning. Kobolds surged forward and a hail of arrows damage those near the cart and killed the magically summoned donkey.

The horde was upon them and they couldn't run. Buddrick abandoned the chest as kobolds poured around the end of the dark wall. He charged to meet them head on, plugging the gap between the wall of gloom to his left and the wall of wood to his right. The group battling Buddrick split in half and the new, smaller force circled around the wooden wall. Gibbie changed into a bear and ran foward with his wolf to hold this group at bay. Her spells largely exhausted, Fenia took up a crossbow she had acquired from the last battle and began shooting at her enemies. Melvin took up his bow beside her.

Aine moved away from the cart and cast a magic missile spell. It split into three missiles and each took out a kobold. Next to Buddrick, the strange box suddenly began to shake and hop on the ground. The dwarf glanced at it but was too tied up with kobolds to do anything about it. Before long, the box shattered, splinters flying in all directions. A tome soared through the air toward Aine. When it reached her it hovered next to her. Aine could feel a compelling force beckoning her to take it. The conflict around her seemed to melt away and the book was the only thing that existed.

She reached out and touched it, taking it up in her hands. Invisible power pulsed out from her, making friend and foe alike flinch under its weight. She began to sink lower into the earth as a crater began to form beneath her. In a dramatic display of eldritch power, the book transformed Aine into something else.

Aine rose into the air and energy wafted off of her like smoke. A jagged ray of purple magic shot from her hands, tearing through earth and kobold alike. Aine's companions could only look on in bewilderment and concern between attacks made and attacks dodged. Dark secrets were being whispered into her ear along with instructions on how to use them.

As quickly as it had begun, the display stopped. Aine was fully aware that the power she once possessed was gone, and this new power had taken its place. She wielded it as if she had been all of her life. The fight raged on and the party emerged victorious. Aine's allies questioned her with suspicion but decided that she was still the same person.

At that point a debate was waged where the party discussed their best course of action. Proceed down a woodland trail in pursuit of kobolds or continue on to Sundabar. Fenia expressed her need to reach Sundabar so she could scribe spells into her spellbook. Gibbie and Aine wanted to pursue the kobolds. Melvin didn't have an opinion and Buddrick saw the benefit of each course of action and thus didn't care which way they went. Fenia was out voted. They found an out of the way place to set up camp for the night.

The next day when they returned to the spot of the battle, all of the kobold bodies were gone. They didn't give it too much though and proceeded down the woodland trail. After a few miles they encountered a large mass of vegetation blocking the trail.

The mass turned out to be a Tendriculous, a monstrous plant creature. It was a long battle but the party prevailed. Gibbie and Buddrick were swallowed during the encounter but managed to escape from the hideous plant.

Confessions of a Part-time Fop, Part 1

"Somethings afoot, Busk," Sosso said to his faithful brixashulty, who calmly munched on some hay as he was being brushed by the halfling. "These ogres bear the same mark. That curled up green dragon. Obviously they are part of a clan, but I've never seen this mark before. Not before today."

If Busk cared at all he certainly didn't show. He continued to eat his hay. "Indeed, not before these ogres and that eccentric gnome, Buzzle. I wonder how he came into possession of the mark. He certainly collects many oddities. It's not unfathomable that he just defeated some ogres that bore the mark. But, with his obvious obsession with collecting things that "aren't boring", it bears consideration that he got it from someone. Of course, he probably bought it off someone who was familiar with the gnome's taste for the odd."

"I couldn't get into the drawer where he kept it, no doubt magic involved. That ones a wizard of some sort. That would make investigating his tent much more difficult. It's probably best to leave that one alone. That leaves the ogres themselves. If they are organized that means they should have a stronghold nearby somewhere. But where?"

Sosso's envisioned the region in his mind. There were many places to hide. The Toadsquats and the Luirwood alone covered the vast majority of the region. The only sure way to find their lair would be to follow or track them there. Sosso stopped brushing and looked up from his work.

"A green dragon. Their leader, or their symbol? Maybe both." Dragons weren't unheard of in Luiren. Buzzle rambled on about some dragons earlier. "Greens favor the forest I hear. There's certainly many places for one to live around here." Busk looked back and snorted. Sosso shook himself out of his thoughts and began running the brush through the brixashulty's long fur again.

Sosso's eyes flashed. "Dragons are said to posses great riches, Busk. What a sight that would be. A pile of gold taller than the both of us!" Sosso leaned to the side to look Busk, who had gone back to eatting his hay, in the eye. "Think of all the treats that would buy!" Busk snorted again.

Sosoo frowned at that. "You're right. It would be difficult. Dragons are not ones to be trifled with. Yet..." Sosso looked out the door of the stable, as if he were looking to consider something or someone. "I bet we could win. We are not to be trifled with either," he said with a smile.

"And now the issue of Caborn Underleaf. He didn't show. The barkeep said that it was strange that he hadn't shown up yet. I'd wager he's a capable fellow with capable friends. But all the same, maybe we should set out to find him tomorrow. I have a feeling something is brewing and that we are going to be in the center of it soon."

Sosso finished brushing Busk and took a step back to admire his handy work. "There you are Busk! Set for the night. Don't get into any trouble out here. You made a bad impression earlier barging into the tavern like that." Busk's ear twitched. He didn't seem to appreciate the humor.

"Hmph!" With that, Sosso turned and left the stable.

Doug's Game: Session 1

The party of four was on the road to Shoril. Faedre Danaalii, a human woman with strange arcane powers. Daldin Stonebiter, dwarven priest of Clangaddin. Wildfang Stonebiter, a dwarven frenzy warrior and brother of Daldin. Sosso Blackleaf, a halfling woodsman.

Many ogres have fallen to this band of adventurers. More would fall in the hours to come...

A slight breeze blew across the plains. Sosso looked up into the sky at the fluffy clouds drifting by lazily. His position was rear guard. He enjoyed being able to see all of his allies before him, and more importantly, have them between him and trouble should it arise. That is, if it didn't come from behind.

Trouble came from behind. He turned in his saddle at the sounds of yelling. Several halflings were running through the thick undergrowth of the orange orchard to their left. For a moment he was impressed with their speed despite the terrain but quickly disengaged his mind from that thought as their pursuers came into view. Ogres. Three of them. They clumsily stomped through the brush, moving much slower than the halflings they were chasing and apparently oblivious to those on the road.

"Ogres to the left!" Sosso exclaimed to his allies. Without hesitation he dismounted and dove into the orchard behind the ogres, drawing his longbow in the process. Busk the brixashulty watched his master disappear into the brush, seemingly unphased by the commotion. The rest of the group turned in reaction to the yelling halflings.

Wildfang hefted his greataxe, put his head down, and busted into the brush, advancing on the nearest ogre. Daldin followed his brother into battle but Faedre only took a couple of steps off the road. She pointed her finger at the nearest ogre and left fly with a bolt of magical purple energy that zig-zagged through the air before finding its mark. Inside the dense undergrowth, Sosso retreated a few steps from the ogres who had turned to regard his comrades. He let fly with an arrow that embedded itself between two of the ogre's ribs (the ogre that Faedre had damaged with her magic).

Two of the ogres moved toward the road to meet the dwarves while the third split off in pursuit of Sosso. The small halfling was able to stay ahead of the chasing foe while at the same time putting arrows into the two that were engaged with his allies. Wildfang made short work of the two giants that were near to him, felling them like great trees. The third giant, having seen his allies fall quickly, turned tail and ran. The brute couldn't manage a very fast flight and Sosso turned the tables on it by becoming the chaser. A chaser with arrows. Wildfang trudged through the brush like a mad boar but his target was downed by arrows before he caught up. With a huff, he looked back to Sosso who approached the ogre and, after checking to see if it was still alive (confident to do so with his vicious ally close by), began to search it.

No valuables were found on any of the giants but Sosso and Faedre discovered a well hidden symbol on all three. A curled up green dragon.

The group decided to track the ogres back the way they had come. They discovered that the ones they had defeated were part of a larger group. There were six of them and they split off into two groups of three. With Sosso leading the way, they followed the tracks of the second group of ogres. Before long they came upon the corpses of the three ogres they were pursuing. Sosso inspected the fallen giants and discovered wounds that were probably caused by arrows. Arrows that were probably laced with ice magic of some kind. He inspected the ground closely, looking for tracks that might identify the giant slayers. He concluded that whoever it was, they were atop riding dogs. Halflings commonly used dogs as mounts.

The party backtracked to the point where the two groups had split. They followed the merged trails further across the plains and eventually, Sosso was able to make out many more ogre tracks. He could make out upwards of twenty seperate sets of tracks. Scratching his chin, Sosso stood and looked up at the sky, subtracting six ogres from the count. They then began discussing their best course of action while Sosso stood on Busk's back and scanned the horizon with his sharp eyes. After a moment, he could make out two figures moving in the distance.

The halfling proposed that he hurry on ahead of the group to get an eye on the two figures. Without delay, he spurred Busk on and was able to close the distance enough to identify the two figures by the time he had to let his mount rest. It appeared to be two halflings atop dogs. Sosso nodded to himself, fairly confident that they were the ones who had slew the other three ogres. After a few minutes rest, he prodded Busk back toward their allies. Sosoo recounted what he had seen and once again the party began to discuss their next course of action. The halfling stood atop Busk's back and scanned the horizon again. This time he spotted a large figure slip into another orchard. He didn't see it long enough to get a positive ID, but he assumed it was an ogre.

He informed the party and they set off to where Sosso had spotted the figure. Everyone could see a large trail parting the brush between the trees. Sosso ran ahead to assess the situation (after removing the riding gear from Busk and letting him fend for himself outside the orchard), his allies moving slowly many feet behind. He came to a hill and he could hear deep voices talking in a language he didn't understand. Poking his head over the top of the hill, he spotted three ogres who were apparently arguing about something. Sosso ducked back down and turned to signal his allies to stop. He watched the giants for a few moments to get a better idea of their strength. There didn't appear to be any more in the area so Sosso decided to launch an ambush.

He ducked back down and with a vigorous wave of his hand, he signaled his allies to come forward. After that, he left the trail the ogres had made and waded into the brush. He knocked an arrow and waited for the moment to strike. Daldin's armor clanked loudly in the thick brush and Sosso prepared himself. The ogres began to look about as if they had heard something and that was Sosso's cue. He hid himself in the undergrowth and took two steps away from his allies before shooting the ogre on the right (hoping the brush was thick enough to conceal him). The ogres jumped up from their sitting positions, yelled, and caught sight of Faedre and the Stonebiter brothers. They lumbered forward through the difficult terrain. Wildfang tightened his grip on his ax and waited for the brutes to near. Daldin readied a healing spell. Faedra shot the lead ogre with her magic.

Three more ogres appeared from behind the lead three. Sosso gritted his teeth upon seeing three more of the giants. He hadn't spotted them and thought that this would be an easy fight. Now, it was going to be a fight for their lives. The woodsman moved again, hoping he would remain hidden from the beasts, and let fly with another arrow. The ogre he was focusing on fell, and its ally, one with a very large ax, caught sight of Sosso and moved to intercept him.

That must be the leader, Sosso thought to himself. It alone wielded an ax. The others had great clubs that could be considered trees. The halfling looked back to his allies. Wildfang was going toe to toe with two ogres. Daldin had apparently cast an enlarging spell on his brother because he was just as tall as the ogres. Currently, Daldin was pouring healing spells into Wildfang and Faedre was facing off against an ogre by herself.

Their defensive line had broken. Sosso had hoped his allies could fight safely in the trail with the brush shielding them on their flanks but one ogre had circumvent the poor walls. He looked back to the advancing leader and resigned himself to letting Faedre fend for herself. If he rejoined his allies, they would be flanked on all sides. Hopefully he could keep ahead of this ogre and kill it by himself before Faedre fell. He retreated and shot the ogre leader.

Daldin glanced back at Faedre and realized she was in danger. She had been hit and quite hard by the looks of her. He moved up to her and began casting a healing spell, taking extra care not to get swatted by the ogre threatening Faedre. Unfortunately he was not able to maintain his focus and lost the spell. Wildfang roared and hacked away at his two ogres wildly.

Sosso was able to stay ahead of the ogre leader as he had planned and peppered it with arrows. This ogre had to be the leader, for he displayed above average intelligence and realized that he couldn't catch Sosso. He gave up and closed in on Wildfang.

Ha, you lose, Sosso said in his mind. He moved back toward his allies and shifted his focus to the ogre Wildfang was fighting. It looked like it was on its last leg and so Sosso took aim and fired. He missed. Sosso frowned. That didn't happen very often.

Daldin decided that it was more prudent to activate his magical healing belt to heal Faedre. He poured all of its magic into the woman, expending its energy for the day. Faedre concentrated and gathered her energy. She expelled her inner power with a roar and it blasted a hole right through the monster before her. Wildfang finally toppled one of the foes before him as well. The momentum of the battle had just swung drastically in the favor of the party.

It was now three on three and it didn't take long for the party to emerge victorious. Tactical movement had stopped on both sides (aside from Sosso circling behind the ogre leader) and they just traded blows.

When the fight was over, they stopped and took stock of each other. Everyone appeared to be well, thanks to Daldin's healing. After a few moments to catch their breath, they searched the ogres and discovered the same mark that the others possessed. They also examined the large ax. Faedre claimed that it wasn't magical. Wildfang picked it and decided that he couldn't wield the monstrous weapon effectively. He figured he would try and sell it. Sosso snooped around and deduced they had been setting up a camp here. Saplings were snapped in half all around this area. They decided that this would make a good place for a camp and Sosso set up the tent after recovering Busk.

No one's nightly watch was eventful. Except for Sosso's. He employed his grappling hook to climb a nearby tree when he failed to climb without it. He found a nice perch and coiled the rope next to him so he could kick it down should he need to act quickly. He peered out from his hiding spot and for a while nothing happened. But suddenly, there was another halfling in the tree with him!

Sosso, blinked in surprise. He greeted the newcomer and asked him who he was. He introduced himself as Caborn Underleaf. The two had a discussion about the ogres in the area and Caborn confirmed Sasso's suspicion that he was one of the two halflings he had seen earlier and that they were the ones who killed the other ogres. They had a nice chat and Caborn told Sosso that he should swing by "The Bones" sometime so they could talk more. Sosso didn't know what or where "The Bones" was, but he didn't let on to that fact and agreed to meet Caborn there soon.

Sosso kicked the rope down and climbed to the ground. Caborn jumped out of the tree but landed harder than he had expected. Sosso asked him if he was alright and activated his healing belt and used its magic to heal any damage Caborn had taken.

Caborn departed and Sosso began gathering oranges for everyone to eat, giving some to Busk as well. He woke Daldin and then cut an orange in half. He threw one half into Busk's pile and carved out the center of the other half with his dagger. Then he crept into the tent and set the orange on Faedre's nose. His deed accomplished, Sosso climbed back into the tree and pulled the rope up.

Faedre awoke soon after and discovered an orange on her face. Baffled, she departed the tent, eating the orange. Faedre called out to Sosso proclaiming that she knew it was him and of course he denied it. The halfling dislodged his grappling hook from the tree and dropped it to the ground. Nimbly, he did a back flip out of the tree and landed hard. His legs were bent, and a grimace was on his face. Comically, he kept his legs bent and hobbled over to the tent. Faedre couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

Soon, the party was packed up and back on the road, bound for Shoril once more. Time passed and the party arrived at Shoril. It was a trade town with tent pavilions everywhere. They surrounded a more permanent stone structure.

Sosso stood on Busk's back and balanced himself perfectly. Busk plodded along and Sosso reversed his cloak with a flourish, exposing its bright red interior, now exterior. He also donned his blue sash and green bandanna. A couple of onlookers giggled at the grandiose display. Sosso put one hand on his hip and the other hand wielded the special riding crop he used to help him direct Busk. It was long and flexible. A tassel of leather strips adorned the end of the tool. He tapped the crop on Busk's backside and onward Busk carried the no-longer-short halfing into town.

The Stonebiters and Faedre wandered off, different pavilions catching their eyes. Sosso guided Busk through the crowd, keeping his eyes peeled for "The Bones". Many people looked at the balancing halfling with curiosity. Sosso made his way to a large stone structure in the center of town and discovered a sign that identified it as The Dragon's Boneyard.

"This must be The Bones," Sosso told Busk. With a tap of the crop, Sosso prodded Busk up the stairs. A large metal door stood in his way. With hands on hips he studied the door. Adamantine by the looks of it. Sosso glanced about and spotted a dwarf comming his way.

"Excuse me, Good Sir," he proclaimed, the dwarf looking at him with a crooked eyebrow. "Could you open this door for me please?"

"Sure..." the dwarf replied. With a grin he walked up and opened the door. "What do ye plan on doing?"

"I'm going in of course!" Sosso proclaimed.

"Yeah, good luck with that."

Sosso prodded Busk again and the brixashulty walked into the tavern. He placed his hand on his brow, blocking the bright light that didn't exsist, and scanned the room for Caborn.

"Is Caborn Underleaf here?" the halfling called out to the room.

"What do you think ye're doing there!" Someone bellowed.

Sosso looked over to the bar and there was a grizzled dwarf staring him down. Well, everyone was staring him down really.

"Why, I'm looking for Caborn Underleaf of course!"

"He ain't here. Now get that goat out of here!" the same dwarf ordered.

"Goat? This is a brixashulty! And a fine one I might add!"

"What ever it is, get it out of here."

"What do you sell here?" Sosso inquired, apparently ignoring the order.

"What do ya think? Ale."

"Is it good?"

"Of course it is! Get that thing out of here!"

"I'll take one ale please!"

With that, the dwarf reached down and filled a mug with ale. He cocked his arm back and flug it at Sosso bellowing, "Here!"

The mug hit Sosso in the chest and ale flew every where. He wiped his face and licked his fingers. "This is good ale!"

"GET OUT!"

Sosso directed Busk to turn around and exit the tavern. Once outside, he tied Busk to the rail and went back inside. He strode in confidently, much shorter this time. The place was a masterpiece of arcitecture. Different metals and woods adorned the furniture and walls. The furniture consisted of pieces that were sized for halflings, humans, and dwarves alike. Sosso bypassed the stools sized for a halfling then climbed and stood atop a stool more fit for a human.

"One ale please!"

The same dwarf filled another mug and slid it down the bar. Sosso caught it nimbly, looking so much like a human child reaching down with both small hands and hoisting the large pint up to his mouth, gulping is contents. At that moment, the Stonebiter brothers entered the bar and seeing their companion, strode up to next to him.

Daldin and the barkeep warmed up to each other quickly, discussing various topics of importance to dwarves. Daldin ordered an ale for himself and his brother. The barkeep served them up and said the first one was free for dwarves.

"What about my free ale?" Sosso asked.

"Yer not a dwarf."

"That's not fair!"

"Besides, ya got one already."

"You spilled it!"

"That was your free one."

"Hmph!" Sosso exclaimed. He climbed down from his stool and went outside. He cut some fur from the shaggy Busk and placed it on his top lip, holding it in place by curling his lip. He marched back into the bar and climbed the stool again, standing atop it proudly.

"One free ale please!"

The dwarf starred daggers at him. Behind Sosso, a table of halflings broke out laughing.

"Yer not a dwarf! Yer the same durned guy!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, sir. I'm a dwarf, see?"

"If yer a dwarf, where's yer beard?"

"An ogre pulled it off. It was horrible. Its never grown back since. I've grown my mustache extra long to compensate, as you can see," the halfling proclaimed, stroking the fake mustache for emphasis.

"Yer compensating fer something alright."

Sosso "harumphed", which caused his fake mustache to fall off. He reached down and placed it back on its perch as if nothing had happened. "One free ale please!"

"Oy," the dwarf declared, turning back to Daldin. They went on to discuss more things dwarven. Sosso ordered a bowl of mushroom soup to go with his not free ale. He finally sat down.

Daldin got them all a room for the night and went up to bed. Wildfang stayed at the bar and stared into his empty mug. He was flat broke and his brother had gone to bed. Sosso noticed two elves enter the tavern. It was rare to see elves at all in these parts, but if you were going to see them, it would be in Shoril. He hopped down and took his bowl of soup over to a table near the elves and eavesdropped on their conversation. They were speaking in a language that he couldn't understand.

Sosso hopped down from his chair, bowl of soup in hand, and approached the elves' booth. He greeted them with a hearty hello and asked if he could join them. They weren't really sure what to make of him but they let him sit with them. They continued their conversation, this time in common. They were talking about different methods of crafting bows. Sosso inquired if they owned a shop in town and discovered that they in fact did. He set up a meeting the next day to inspect their wares. He also asked them if they wanted to buy the ax they had looted from the ogres. He quickly ran upstairs, shed his armor and gear, and hefted the massive ax. The little halfling could barely carry it. When he got to the stair case he dropped it onto the floor and grabbed it by the handle. He took one step at a time and proceeded to drag the ax down the stairs.

Tap, tap, clang. Tap, tap, clang. Everyone was again looking at the halfling and wondering what the heck he was up to this time. Wildfang saw Sosso dragging the massive ax and intercepted the halfing and offered to carry it for him. Sosso directed Wildfang to the elves and they examined the ax. They inquired about the asking price. Sosso and Wildfang collaborated and determined it was worth 280 gold coins. The elves made an offer of 140, which didn't please Sosso. He informed the elves that he would discuss it with his comrades and would inform them of their decision when they met tomorrow. They agreed.

With that, Sosso bid the elves a good night and went up to bed, leaving the ax in the care of Wildfang.

Faedre Danaalii's Story

Well, that is another problem solved. That was: How am I supposed to carry all of the stuff that I need? I am not very strong, and I have a lot of supplies. I “found” a nice black leather back pack that fits SO much stuff in it. That Crinti had TWO of them, so I decided to help her out and take one off her hands. Heh, Heh, score for the underdog!

Am I worried that she will find me? Nope! And here’s the reason why. I have this nifty silver hair comb. It allows me to change my appearance so that I can look like a completely different person!

ME? I’m 5’7, 120 lbs(that’s my story and I am sticking to it), dark brown hair, lightly tanned skin, blue-green eyes. The girl that stole her backpack was 5’5, had short blond hair, pale skin, brown eyes and a completely different outfit than what I was wearing when I left the house looking like myself. You may be wondering how I managed to change my outfit while I was out and about the town? Easy! I was able to acquire a wonderful set of clothes that are called shift weave. It is 5 outfits in one! Combined with my comb of disguise, people are not able to recognize me. So very handy, when I am trying to stay out of the Crintis’ way.

I was able to acquire some armor in a much more normal way. (Not to mention more legal …) There is an older woman who lives a few blocks from me. She is a wonderful woman named Sarantha. Back in her younger years she was a magnificent fighter. She has this blackened Mithril chain shirt that she gave to me as well as a blackened Mithril buckler. I could not take these for free however, so I have been slipping gold into her purse every time I come over. If she knows that I have been doing this, she remains silent on the matter.

I told her of my wish to get out of this region and away from the animosity and hostility that oozes out of this place. Us humans mostly stick together, gods know we don’t have a friend in those damn crinti bastards… Except for me. Humans hate me too. They call me a freak and give me a wide berth. Why, you ask?

Well, I am a warlock. And warlocks get their power from making a pact with a demon or fae creature. So naturally everyone thinks that I am some evil bitch who is going to kill them in their sleep and eat their babies…… Whatever… *rolls eyes*….. What most people fail to remember about warlocks is that you can also be a warlock from an ancestor who makes a pact with a fae or demon. Yeah! THANKS ANCESTOR! Promise one of your grandchildren as well as yourself while you are at it! Jackass……..

Don’t get my wrong, I have grown used to my abilities and I even have begun to like them, I shoot purple energy beams from my hands and have an essence that allows me to be able to see in complete darkness (that has come in handy MANY a time, but we won’t get into that) Warlocks are not always evil and I’m living proof of that.

Why did I say ancestor instead of naming the relative who cursed me? Because I have no idea who they are. I never knew my blood parents. The people who took me in said they found me on the street wandering around alone at 3 years old. THOSE people are my parents. Iain and Marianne Danaalii. Kind wonderful people who loved me and supported me even after they found out that I was a Warlock. They died when I was 17 during a “search“ of peoples homes for a supposed criminal. I was not at home that night. I have been on my own ever since. Getting work where I can, and saving up every copper piece I could in order to SOMEDAY get out of Dambrath.


Several Months Later:

HA! Ha ha ha ha! What a difference a few months make! I got the hell out of Dambreth. I did so by changing my appearance and clothing often and kept a low profile. I had to decide whether I was going to go into the Shar region or into Luiren. I decided to go into Luiren. (how did I decide, you are wondering? I flipped a coin, of course! Duh… ) So I headed north and east until I got into Luiren. Of course, I didn’t know my way around, so I started out heading north again once I hit Luiren. When I was nearing what people were calling the “Great Rift”, I heard a large battle going on in the distance. Wary of what was going on, I disguised myself, and tried to get a better vantage point of what was going on. I cast my spiderwalk ability and climbed a rock structure to get a better view of what was going on. What was happening was a battle. Ogres… HUGE ass ogres fighting a team of what looked like 2 dwarves and a Halfling. The two dwarves clearly had experience working as a team. The one dwarf looked like a madman, wading into that group of ogres. Hacking and slashing away at them with an abandon that was a sight to behold. His Partner in crime as I now call them was whacking away at the ogres too, but he would stop and heal both himself and his wild dwarf friend when they started to look roughed up. The Halfling, (I later learned that they hate being called that , they prefer Hin) was standing back hitting the ogres with arrows. I noticed he was wearing a pair of goggles that looked awfully familiar to my spectacles that were currently in my pocket. The lenses were constantly shifting colors between white and black. It looked like the group was becoming overwhelmed by those massive, nasty smelling ogres (yes, I COULD smell them from where I was , its that bad.)

So what did I do? At the time I thought I was committing suicide. I pulled my spectacles out of my pocket, slipped them on, pulled my bucker out of my bag, slipped it on my right arm and stepped out into the open. My spectacles allow me to see the enemy better, so that I can aim into a fight going on with my allies. So I was able to blast the ogre that was currently beating on wild man right in the face. (take that, smelly bastard!) When the Ogre was distracted from my shot, the other quickly took him down. That’s when I ran in closer to the fight and help them take out the others. We all got a little beat up from it, but no one was seriously injured.

I could tell that they were grateful for the help but still did not trust me. I am used to that, so it did not surprise me all that much. I let down my disguise and introduced myself.

I found that the Halfling’s, I mean Hin’s name was Sosso. He is a ranger with some rogue skills mixed in. Nice, funny guy with a ram mount named Busk. Sosso told me it wasn’t a ram, but I honestly can’t pronounce what it is so I won’t even try. The barbarian’s name is Wildfang and the other dwarf is a cleric named Daldin. They are a little rough around the edges, but I like them. I am hoping that I found some friends in this group. We will see how it works out.

Sosso Blackleaf's Backstory

Name: Sosso Blackleaf (Pronounced Sauce-o)
Race: Strongheart Hin
Height: 3'0"
Weight: 34 lbs.
Age: 25
Hair: Very short, slightly curly. Golden brown.
Eyes: Brown
Class: Ranger 3, Scout 3

Clothing/Equipment:
Sosso's cloak, pants, and shirt are a light brown color. This helps him blend in better with the tall grasses of the plains. He wears a mithril chain shirt for protection and wields an enchanted composite longbow. A pair of magical goggles cover his eyes. The frames are black and the lenses are in a constant state of flux, shifting from soot black to snow white. They help him to more accurately shoot foes that are trying to seek cover from his arrows.

He carries a rather ordinary looking brown haversack that has the extraordinary power of holding many more things than it should. It is filled with lots of equipment that helps him to be self sufficient in the wild, including a large tent made from honeyleather that can house him and three other people.

Across his waist is a broad pleated cloth belt. It has hidden pockets in which he has stored the tools he uses to disarm traps and open locks. When he doesn't expect to use his tools, he dons a broad leather belt that has three moonstones set into it (this belt possesses magical healing properties). He wears his quiver on his right hip so it doesn't interfere with his cloak when trying to hide.

When Sosso is trying to stand out, or otherwise doesn't care about stealth, his sense of Hin style takes over and he reverses his cloak to display its bright red interior. He also ties a blue sash around his waist and a forest green bandanna over his hair. He doesn't wear any jewelery or trinkets, not out of distaste, but for the fact that such things usually get lost or in the way when out in the wild.

Sosso has a faithful mount that accompanies him on his travels. A brixashulty named Busk. A brixishulty is a goatlike creature that the hin have bred to serve as a beast of burden, guard animal, and source of food and fiber for textiles. It's fur is shaggy and brown. It has a heavy body and a coat of long wavy fleece. It has two black horns that curl out from it's head, much like a ram's and big feet with cloven hooves.

Backstory:
Sosso Blackleaf is from the Blackleaf clan of Ojannath. At the age of 18, Sosso was beginning to feel wanderlust take over his sensibilities. He wanted to see the greater world that he had heard so much about from the stories of his clan. But danger lurked on the plains. Tall mouthers and ogres plagued the lands to the north, trolls threatened the Mortik Swamp and roads to the south, and strange tales of mysterious events flowed from the Southern Luirwood. Not deterred by the thoughts of these fierce foes, Sosso took up learning the ways of the plains from those of the clan who's job it was to keep an eye out for danger.

Over the next two years he learned the hit and run tactics favored by the Hin. He learned how to disappear into the grasses and leave no trace of his presence. He learned how to spot signs and track across the plains. He even learned how to root out traps and render them harmless. A handy skill to have indeed when trying to pilfer. He wanted to learn the finer arts of subterfuge and pilfering from his fellow clan members but his wanderlust finally claimed him. He decided that he knew enough to survive away from the safety of Ojannath and that he would learn the additional skills he needed and wanted on the road.

Sosso traveled the road to Beluir and then headed west to Ammathluir. After a short stay in the small town his curiosity was piqued about the lands further to the west. He set out cautiously, for he had heard many stories of Dambrath and the the cruel Crinti who ruled it. Several days out from Ammathluir, Sosson came upon a battle between a dwarven caravan and an ogre raiding party. He quickly rushed to the aid of the dwarves and they were successful in defeating the giants.

The dwarves were greatful for Sosso's help. They explained that they had set out from The Great Rift and were heading to a dwarven stronghold in the Toadsquat Mountains when they were attacked by the ogres. Sosso offered to accompany the dwarves to their stronghold, both to see more of the wider world, and to assess the contents of their cargo. Perhaps they had some things that they didn't need that he could put to better use.

Over the next few days, Sosso got to know more about the dwarven people and befriended two of the stout folk in particular. Wildfang Stonebiter and Daldin Stonebiter. Daldin was a priest of the dwarven deity Moradin, the chief diety of the dwarves. Wildfang was a fierce warrior who threw himself into battles with wild abandon. For Sosso, who had learned how to fight with finesse and strategy, it was unbelievable that someone could wade into the middle of combat and stand toe to toe with their foes without nary a worry. Against ogres no less!

Sosso decided that these dwarves were a good lot, and that they needed all of their supplies and goods. That didn't stop him from taking stock of their wares though, if for nothing more than to satisfy his own curiosity. Before long the caravan reached its destination, unloaded its cargo, and set off for The Great Rift once again. They encountered another band of ogres, this one larger than the last. It was a fierce battle but they were victorious. No doubt thanks to the strange human woman who had joined in the fight. Her weapon was a bolt of energy she expelled from her hand. She must be some kind of wizard, Sosso surmised. He had heard many things about humans, wizards in particular. Humans were to be judged on a case by case basis but usually nothing good came from wizards. Especially with the country of Dambrath so close by.

The dwarves were wary of her at first, but soon warmed up to the charming woman. Sosso couldn't help but be disarmed by her genuine smile and pleasant demeanor also, but still made sure to keep an eye on her just in case any deception was afoot. Her name was Faedre and she said she was tired of the oppression of Dambrath's government so she left. Sosso had heard that the humans were little more than slaves to the Crinti so he could believe such a story.

Together, the hin, the human, and the two dwarves began to travel the country side in an effort to thwart the operations of the ogres in the area. They proved to be an effective group and soon began to develop a reputation. Sosso liked it. Fame and fortune were good things. Someone might even buy him a drink sometime and ask him to recount his tales!

Primary Skills: Balance, Tumble, Stealth, Perception, Survival, Disable Device, Handle Animal, Search
Favored Enemies: +4 Giants, +2 Aberrations

1) Scout 1: (Precise Shot), [Track], 1d6 Skirmish, Trapfinding
2) Scout 2: +1 Battle Fortitude, Uncanny Dodge
3) Scout 3: [Darkstalker], 1d6/1AC Skirmish, Trackless Step, Fast Movement +10ft
4) Ranger 1: Trap Expert, Favored Enemy 1, Wild Empathy
5) Ranger 2: Combat Style: Rapid Shot
6) R3: (Endurance), [Swift Hunter], 2d6/1AC Skirmish, Favored Enemy 2
7) R4: 2d6/2AC Skirmish, Animal Companion
8) R5:
9) R6: [Greater Many Shot], 3d6/2AC Skirmish, Improved Combat Style: Many Shot
10) S4: (Improved Skirmish), Favored Enemy 3
11) R7: 3d6/3AC Skirmish, Woodland Stride
12) R8: [Natural Bond]
13) R9: 4d6/3AC Skirmish, Evasion
14) R10:
15) R11: [], 4d6/4AC Skirmish, Favored Enemy 4,
Combat Style Mastery: Improved Precise Shot
16) R12:
17) R13: 5d6/4AC Skirmish, Camouflage
18) R14: []
19) R15: 5d6/5AC Skirmish
20) R16: Favored Enemy 5

Detect Magic: The Ring of Lassi Karia

The party recovered this ring from Captain Mannok after they were attacked by Dorga and his thugs. To avoid what would surely be a barrage of questions, Aine lied to the Captain and claimed it was hers and quickly retrieved it off the table. The Captain asked her a couple of minor questions but seemed to believe that it was indeed her ring.

Later that night, Aine cast a Detect Magic spell on the ring and divulged the whole story. Buddrick was annoyed she had lied to get it, but soon came to the conclusion that no harm was done. The ring possessed a strong divination aura. It appeared to be too large for Aine's finger but she was wary of putting it on to determine if it was or not. Surely, visions of the pale elf in black robes doling out punishments of unconceivable agony plagued her thoughts....

After some more discussion, and working to convince Gibbie, the party agreed to set off to Sundabar to return the ring and stock up on supplies. Fenia was hopeful for a reward this time.

Inside Aine's mind

I have had something that has been wearing on my mind for a while now, and what I need to express, I don’t think I could say to anyone else, except for maybe Gibbie, but he has become very withdrawn lately. He hasn’t spoken to me all that much since Banshee died. Or to anyone really, to be quite honest. But perhaps now that he has a new companion he will be in better spirits.

Watching someone that I knew die before my eyes affected me worse than I originally thought that it did. I know that it seems strange, (because it does even to me) that Lassi’s death has affected me the way that it has. I knew her for less than a week, but when Dorga ( if it even was him) attacked her and killed her, I felt a great loss. I couldn’t help her at all. She was dead before I could get to her. Not that I could have done much anyways, but I still feel horrible about it to this day. The best I could do for her was to ensure that her body and belongings were given over to her comrades. It did not feel like enough. Now that the ring that Laian was agonizing over has showed up on the corpse on one of Dorga’s goons that attacked us, I will once again start out for Sundabar to return it to her friend. Thankfully, the others want to go too, because I did not want to have to travel alone.

Festivals of Midsummer and Shieldmeet

The Midsummer Festival is nigh! The festival grounds are located on the southern side of Deadsnows and the festival begins on Flamerule 30. Come one, come all, for fun, feasting, and play!

This is the year of Shieldmeet! The grounds to the south of Deadsnows will house this years events! Remember, Shieldmeet is a special leap day to account for the passing of the years. It occurs between Flamerule 30 and Eleasis 1.

This years scheduled events:

Warrior's Tournament: Those who practice the arts martial will pit them selves against each other to see who the greatest warrior in the land is! Participants will be provided with wooden weapons and non magical armor to be used in the tournament. The winner will receive 50 gold pieces. Participants are to sign up at the Tournament Headquarters located just outside the south gate.

---Rules of the Warrior's Tournament:
1) Magical equipment of any kind is forbidden.
2) Magical spells and/or magical abilities of any kind are forbidden.
3) The use of animals and other creatures are not allowed.
4) A victor is declared when one participant is unable to continue fighting, or a participant yields.

Archery Tournament: Test your aim at the archery tournament! Participants will be provided with a longbow to be used in the tournament. The winner will receive 50 gold pieces. Participants are to sign up at the Tournament Headquarters located just outside the south gate.

---Rules of the Archery Tournament:
1) Magical equipment of any kind is forbidden.
2) Magical spells and/or magical abilities of any kind are forbidden.
3) The use of animals and other creatures are not allowed.
4) Participants will shoot at various targets and be awarded points based on their performance.
5) The participant who gets the highest score wins!

The Spell Duel:
The Spell Duel will be supervised by priests of Mystra. They will perform a special blessing that will allow the participants of the of the tournament to replenish their spells after a round of combat. The tournament will be a single elimination contest and will end when a champion is declared. The winner will receive 50 gold pieces.

---Rules of The Spell Duel:
1) The use of magical equipment of any kind is forbidden.
2) The use of animals, familiars, and/or other creatures are not allowed.
3) Creatures summoned by a spell are allowed.
4) Participants are allowed to engage in mundane combat at any time.
5) A victor is declared when one participant is unable to continue fighting, or a participant yields.

Gibbie Journal--Entry One (Druidic)

I often, almost daily, see Fenia writing in a book. It is a differnt one then the tomb she studies, so I can only assume it is a journal of some sort...or some other wizardly planning device. In any case, Travi always seemed to keep one, especially during the cleansing, to keep his thoughts in order. Maybe its time I tried it.

Fenia said that the crystal contained a soul so that it could power the magics of the house. She did not say however what would happen to the soul once the crystal was destroyed. I logical conclusion is that once the container that was trapping it was broken the soul traveled to the afterlife.

But what if it didn't?

I worry about that fate of that lost soul. What if it was not only powering the magic of the house, but also keeping the crystal intact? Did we unknowingly destroy a soul? I can only hope that the fact that the crystal was so fragile makes this possibily unlikely. However, that is not all that could of gone wrong. We could have broken the haunting of the house only to cause a haunting of another type. The soul could be wandering the land as a ghost, wraith, or something even worse. These are exactly the kind of events that cause the creation of such abominations. I can only hope our actions were in the right, and pray the soul reached the afterlife it deserved.

But still I worry.

ATTENTION CITIZENS OF DEADSNOWS!

By decree of the council and Lady Arletha Icespear, citizens are to be on the lookout for suspicious and shady characters calling themselves Ninjas. The Ninjas have been connected to Dorga The Wraith and evidence supports that they are allies. Ninjas carry a symbol on them that are key indicators of their affiliation. A band of cloth with a metal plate affixed to it depicting the image here.

If you have any information regarding The Ninjas, immediately report it to Captain Mannock and his soldiers.

May Lathander light you way and Marthammor Duin guide your path.

--Deadsnows Council

The Tribulation of Deadsnows: Session 10

Characters: Gibbie, Aine, Fenia, Melvin, and Buddrick

-Day 26-
They all awoke with priests of Lathander around them. They had been healed by the holy men. Aine had successfully summoned the guard and made it back to her friends. Dorga was no where to be seen when they arrived and, by a stroke of great fortune, her friends were still alive. She had been filled with dread when she first returned to the bodies of her companions laying still on the ground.

Morninglord Ashnar the Humble introduced himself and told them that Captain Mannock wanted to speak with them and would arrive soon. The party waited for a while and soon began to investigate their surroundings. Melvin crept into the hallway and remained hidden from view. The others ventured out to the front door where they encountered a guard. They engaged him in some banter and the guard refused to let them leave. So they returned to their room and soon the captain arrived. Melvin appeared out of his hiding place and startled the captain.

They discussed the past nights events and the captain led them to a room with several items they confiscated from the attackers. Aine recognized a ring on the table. With shock she scooped it up and proclaimed that it was her missing ring. Fenia agreed that it was hers. The captain asked Aine a few questions about it but otherwise seemed to believe the lie.

Melvin recognized a different item on the table. A headband displaying the symbol of the Dragonblade ninja clan. He spoke up saying that he recognized it. The captain asked him a few questions and Melvin revealed that it was a symbol of a group of ninjas that operated in the Western Heartlands. The captain was perplexed and disturbed. What were ninjas and what were they doing in Deadsnows? They were apparently allies of Dorga, that was for sure. Melvin explained to the captain that ninjas were secret operatives that specialized in stealth and covert acts.

After a bit more discussion the captain summoned a guard and told him to get a message to the scribes. They were to print posters asking for information on ninja activity. The guard hurried of and the captain dismissed himself.

The party then left and returned to the tent. Other than the tears in the tent, everything seemed to be intact. They decided to spend the night at the hospice. Fenia wanted to buy some ale in town but they didn't have Gibbie around to procure a magical mule. So Fenia convinced Buddrick to pull the cart to town by bribing him with ale. The dwarf grudgingly complied but left the cart at the gate as he didn't want to drag it through the busy town. They soon had their ale but no way to get it to the hospice. Suddenly though, Buddrick remembered he was recently granted the ability to summon a celestial horse to aid him.

And so they arrived at the hospice thanks to Buddrick's impressive war horse. The dwarves greeted them happily. Later that day, Fenia paid homage to her grandfather, Fion MacChule, and celebrated his birthday with the dwarves. They all drank heartily in honor of Fion........

Gibbie finished his ritual and felt a presence near him hidden in the trees. He peered into the darkness and made out the form of a wolf. He fished out a piece of dried meat and offered it to the wolf. It came forward and ate it up hungrily. Gibbie began petting the wolf, trying to calm it. Before too long, the wolf looked off into the trees and began to growl. Gibbie looked up and suddenly a human was running at him. He couldn't get out of the way and received a devastating blow across the shoulder by a heavy flail. Pain shot through his upper body.

Gibbie's new companion intercepted the human and clamped its sharp teeth around the foe's leg. With a powerful twist of it's neck, it sent the human crashing to the ground. Gibbie moved away and cast a healing spell on himself. Then he was ambushed yet again. A female human with a long slender sword emerged from the darkness and stabbed him, scoring a vicious blow. Gibble scrambled away painfully and began casting another spell. The human with the heavy flail tried to stand but was toppled by the wolf yet again. The woman rushed forward and attempted to grapple Gibble and disrupt his spell. She missed the small halfling and Gibbie's spell succeeded. Three black bears appeared and mauled the female.

Suddenly, Gibbie's vision went black and scrambling could be heard around him. Gibbie analyzed what was happening and identified it as a darkness spell. He could hear his wolf yelp in pain ahead of him. The halfling quickly ran to the perimeter of the spell, directing the bears to follow him. Ahead of him, he saw the flail wielding human man standing over the wolf. Gibbie ran forward and healed the wolf, terrified of losing his newfound companion so soon after summoning it. A bear came rushing forward and killed the man.

Gibbie could hear fighting going on inside the sphere of darkness. The other two bears were after something. Then yet another human emerged from the darkness and shot the bear near Gibbie with a crossbow, killing it. Gibbie quickly shifted into a wolf and fled into the night, his wolf companion close behind.

After much running, Gibbie arrived at the Misty Ridge tent but couldn't find his allies. He spotted the tears in the the walls and wasn't sure what had happened or where they had gone. He decided after much debate that he would spend the night at the tent.

-Day 27-29-
The party left the hospice and returned to the tent to meet with Gibbie at the appointed time. They found him and his new wolf sleeping inside. They discussed what had occurred to them over the last two days and decided to investigate the grove where Gibbie had been. They found no trace of anything there. So, they set off to Sundabar. They had deliberated about their next course of action and decided that they could kill two birds with one stone by returning the ring to the elves (after Aine had divulged the truth behind the ring) and stocking up on supplies at the same time.

They made it to the Fork Road Woods and could hear hammering in the distance. Gibbie called out to anyone that might be nearby and they were soon assaulted by a gang of kobolds riding dire weasels. Two ogres accompanied them. It was a fierce battle. Two of the kobolds were spellcasters and provided protective magic for the ogres and threw blistering rays of fire about. Fenia threw her own spells about and tied up their enemies but nearly fell herself. Buddrick and Melvin attacked with mace and bow. Gibbie healed his allies and Anie slung fire magic of her own. In the end, the party was triumphant, with one kobold warrior fleeing atop a dire weasel.

They moved off the road and set up camp to rest after the exhausting battle.

The Tribulation of Deadsnows: Session 9

Characters: Gibbie, Aine, Fenia, Melvin, and Buddrick

-Day 24-

After setting up camp in the cavern, the party decided that it wasn't prudent to continue deeper into the tunnel. They turned around and proceeded back to the breach in the wall. They then started down the hallway of worked stone.

Melvin peeked around a corner and saw a soft blue glow in the darkness. Carefully, the party moved forward and came into a room housing a large crystal that radiated a blue light. Inside the crystal loomed a faint image of a humanoid figure. They looked around the room for a bit, unsure of how to proceed. After some discussion, they determined that this was the crystal that powered the horrific house above. Buddrick was charged with smashing the crystal with his powerful mace.

Buddrick boldly strode forward, determined to free the trapped spirit. His advance was cut short though as the floor collapsed beneath and around him. Gibbie stumbled atop the crumbling floor but managed to scramble out of the way. The heavy dwarf plummeted down many feet and was jabbed by some spikes jutting from the floor. With a grunt and a grimace he stood, injured, but not mortally so.

Melvin began searching the room for more traps and detected two more pressure plates on the floor adjacent to the pit. Melvin was experienced at finding traps, but he didn't know anything about disarming them safely.

After some discussion about how to proceed, Gibbie cast a spider climb spell and took hold of one end of Anie's rope. He scuttled across the wall and around the pit. He then fastened his end of the rope around the shining blue crystal. The cautious halfling looked up at the being inside the crystal and he could make out ghostly eyes following his movements. Aine then threw her end of the rope into the pit. Buddrick shed and stowed his restrictive armor and hauled himself up the rope. He then took a moment to don his armor again.

Buddrick took up his large mace and stared at the crystal and the ghostly being inside. Without a word he hefted the war mace and smashed it against the crystal, causing cracks to race across its surface. He swung two more times and the crystal burst with a loud "pop" and many shards and chunks fell to the floor. The ghostly image disappeared instantly after.

A loud rumbling could be heard and felt. In the floor and the walls around them. The party glanced about nervously and decided they should leave the cavern immediately. They returned to the revolving door in the wall but couldn't get it to open. Spitting into his hands, rubbing them together vigorously, and hefting his war mace once again, Buddrick set to crumbling the stone before him. After several minutes of work, the powerful dwarf finally broke through the door and into the room that had once contained the black orb.

The rumbling had ceased and the party moved onward, into the cavern with the first river. The doorway they had used to get here was gone. Smooth stone stood in its place. Gibbie used his spider climb spell once again to climb the wall and exit through the hole in the ceiling of the cavern, which turned out to be the well that was behind the house. The house that no longer stood in the clearing. Gibbie discovered a rope coiled next to the well and tossed it down to the others. They all climbed out safely and looked around in amazement. They had apparently succeeded in destroying the haunted house.

Buddrick glanced around and spied a familiar sight. The graves. He stomped up to them and found the one he had emerged from on more than one occasion and discovered that it had been filled in. He dropped to his knees and dug down into the dirt and discovered something. He pulled it out much to the protests of the others.

It was a skeleton. A dwarven skeleton by the looks of it. With a rotten pumpkin where its skull should have been. A beard protruded from its base. Apparently some of the dark magic still remained here. Buddrick squashed the putrid pumpkin and they left the area hastily, happy to have finally put the retched house behind them. They set up camp at the Icespear Bridge.

-Day 25-
They party returned to Deadsnows the next day. Fenia and Aine searched the town for anyone who might be interested in buying the spellbook they had found in the haunted house. They fist visited Haskar Riverside. He didn't want the book but directed them to Morwenna. She owned an apothecary and brewed potions. Morwenna looked over the book and proclaimed that many of the spells were beyond her. She informed the gnomes that they might have better luck in Sundabar, as she didn't know of anyone else who could make use of the tome.

Gibbie informed the group that he had to perform a natural ritual and that he would meet up with the party two days from now. He left Deadsnows and shifted his form into that of a dire hawk and took flight. He eventually found a secluded grove of pine trees at the base of the mountain side in which to perform the ritual that would summon an animal into his service. He wasted no time in beginning his meditation.

Buddrick visited Vandarhouse, a shady tavern in Tenttown, and began asking questions about Dorga the Wraith. Before too long, he was asked to step outside by the taverns owner, Vandar, a female half-orc. Buddrick invoked his power to detect the presence of evil and discovered that Vandar and many of the people in Vandarhouse had evil hearts. Vandar politely told Buddrick that she didn't know anything about the criminal and that he would have much more success speaking with Captain Mannock.

Buddrick didn't like the fact that he agreed with her. He set off to the jail house and waited for the captain who appeared at the time the clerk had indicated. He asked the captain if he could ask the detainees if they knew anything about recent events involving Dorga. Mannock agreed and led Buddrick into the cell area where there were many people behind thick iron bars. Buddrick asked his questions, even offered a gold piece to anyone who could give him any solid information (which widened the eyes of more than one drunkard), but no one offered anything other than a heckle or two. Buddrick thanked the captain for his time and departed.

The party, minus Gibbie, met back up at the Misty Ridge tent and turned in for the night....

Everyone awoke with a start when Melvin shouted, "We're under attack!" Everyone scrambled to their feet in the dark and began to battle three humans that had entered their tent. Two of them wielded heavy flails and the other a rapier. The keen senses of Melvin had saved them from a very treacherous end. The battle was fierce, especially for Fenia, who seemed to be drawing a lot of attention from the assailants. Suddenly, the door of the tent flipped open for a second and everyone's vision went black. Melvin once again shouted. "Its Dorga the Wraith!"

Fenia dispelled the magical darkness and there, in the tent with them, was Dorga! He held a small crossbow in one hand and fired a bolt at Melvin and hit. When the last human fell to the party, Dorga dashed out of the tent in retreat. Victorious, the party stood there stunned for a moment, almost unsure of what had just happened. And then the attack came on, stronger than ever.

A long slender blade pierced the wall of the tent, skewering Aine. Her shriek of pain echoed off the walls of the tent. The blade retracted and Aine stumbled away. Everyone looked around, unsure of where the attack would come from next. Fenia was the next one to be impaled through the tent wall. Not wanting to continue being fish in a barrel, they quickly filed out of the tent in pursuit of Dorga. Aine fled for the gate, severely wounded, hoping to summon aid.

After some back and forth running, Buddrick finally got his eye on the the villain and pursued. He swung his mighty mace but missed the agile criminal. Dorga swung his rapier and slashed a long opening into the back of the tent, diving in afterward. Fenia arrived at the gash and quickly cast a spell into the tent. She felt a strange force resisting her spell but she diligently channeled the arcane energy. Shadowy tendrils snaked out of the floor and tried to entangle Dorga. Amazingly, he dodged them all with uncanny agility.

With a roar Buddrick barreled into the tent and landed a crushing blow on his distracted enemy. Dorga lurched under the blow and tumbled past the dwarf and around the shadowy tendrils. He cut another hole in the tent and fled. Melvin ran around the front of the tent and was shot by Dorga's small crossbow. Suddenly, the strength drained out of his body and he collapsed. Buddrick and Fenia charged out of the tent in pursuit of Dorga. Each of them was shot with a dart and each of them passed out.......