3.0 Wrapping up a few loose ends

[St.Drewcifer]

With the return of the light comes a big celebration. We are invited as guests of honor to stand alongside Thule on the big balcony at East Reach and receive the adulation and respect of the populace that is quite rightly ours. Thule downplays his own part in the adventures but talks us up – he will be a good leader. Much feasting and a heroic attempt by Brock to drain their ale reserves, takes us into the wee hours. Merchants and Nobles alike clamor to make our acquaintance and bestow gifts and honors on us, we cannot refuse.

Later on Thule asks to see us, he has received some worrying news from his friend Silverlink, an Elven Lord and a good shot with a bow if memory serves, Crow. There is a message from a Seer, who lives far to the North, who had foreseen a lot of the troubles the land has gone through and had identified us as a band of heroes who could lead Erath out of the Darkness. He has asked to meet with us personally to share more information on a future threat our World is likely to suffer.

Our journey to the North is a pleasant one where we are treated like heroes by the populace in every area we pass through. Matrix does some good business advertising the power of Zeuss and gains a few new devotees. The land has been fairly ravaged and will take some time to be the bountiful area it once was. Dancing Bear assists where she can by sowing seeds and husbanding the landscape we pass through.

Not far from the Seers island we are attacked by a Githyanki war party together with Lamia allies – this is a very worrying turn of events as we are outnumbered and outgunned by their super sharp swords which quickly see Crow on the ground minus his head. Wack sticks his head back on but his corpse lays there lifeless. Matrix uses the two headed flail taken from Dra Goth and starts paralyzing the foe. Caerlith and Brock fight back to back and manage to start taking the opponents down, Ditch is nearly surrounded by these creatures but through Brins and Matrix attacks the tide starts to turn. All of a sudden Brock loses his head and Caerlith fights alone, it is not long before his head is also separated from his shoulders. Wack uses the wish from a ring to restore the party and in short order our opponents are defeated. Questions are asked of Crow as the Githyanki seemed to exchange words with him – or rather one word Graz’zt, it would appear that Crow has drawn the attentions of this evil being who will do all he can to defeat him. The party takes a few steps back from Crow at this point wondering whether it is safe to be near him.

We continue to the island fortress and the captain of the guard admits us but says we cannot see the Seer until the next day as it is past his bedtime and does not want to wake him up. We settle down for the night and in the morning make our way across the water to the Island. The Seer comes down to the shore himself and the boatman mutters that we must be important for the old man to personally greet us.

We go to the hut where this blind man lives and he relates his prophecies to us. A Gate that was used a long time ago by the god Anshar to gain power and wealth as he allowed demons and devils to cross through to the material plane, was left unguarded. This gate was long ago sealed by the very people that the demons and devils had enslaved so long ago. The people still guarded the gate and fortified the magic, that is, until the Shadowsveil dropped over them. After the people were either killed or enslaved by Dra-Goth, Anshar got to work. The gate now shrouded in darkness was primed to be reopened. And after long work and many spells cast it was reopened. Now the only way to reseal it is to travel through it and destroy Anshar on his plane, with him the gate will drop. Gulp, this is pretty serious taking on a God, plus the fact that we have got some Underworld being annoyed at us – well actually only one of us. He urges us to make haste and go far to the South where he knows the gate to be, travel to Artruan, the ancient town built in honor of the Demons that lived there, hopefully there you will find the gate.


We leave the old man and go to East Reach where we inform King Thule of this rather unfortunate turn of events, he wishes us speed and we use magic to transport ourselves to the Keep of the Doomed, near to the Southern border. Whilst stepping out of the Gate, several of the party have bad feelings and see clawed hands reaching for the party. Brin actually suffers damage as claws rake his back. Dancing Bear had animated a tree to keep us company, but when we mount our horses realize it cannot keep up with us, sends it back to the East Reach.

We journey into unfamiliar territory with Brin scouting ahead on his Griffon. We come across the remnants of a castle and as we are about to cross the walls the scout calls out that Earth Elementals are moving just on the other side. All of a sudden the stone path between two towers collapses into a 20’ deep pit; the two large towers then turn to mud and slough into the pit. Caerlith manages to grab Brock and fly out of the danger. Crow grabs Matrix and just about tows him to safety, the top of Ditchs head is just about showing. The mud then transforms into rock leaving Matrix encased to his waist whilst Crows feet are stuck. Four more creatures appear that are bigger than the elementals and no doubt the springer of this trap. Dancing Bear casts Transmute Rock to Mud and frees Matrix and Crow, Wack casts reduce on Ditch and he shrinks down into his own boot print, just as the elementals attack them below the surface.

All of the creatures are protected by enchantments and are hard to hit, multiple missile attacks are unleashed to break down their defenses. Crow is seen throwing iron spikes at the creatures to remove the enchantments. Ditch manages to crawl out of his body imprint and is then returned to size. Brock and Caerlith are once more surrounded by these creatures and take some fearful damage, looking like the end is nigh they wrap Walls of Fire around the melee, hoping their resistance can outlast the creatures attacking them. Dancing Bear casts more Fire Walls around the group and Brin lobs a fireball in their midst. During this combat the large creatures summon four more stone creatures to wail on Brock and the Paladin and then direct their attacks at Crow – oh no the revenge of Graz’zt. Finding Crow hard to kill they also target the flying Matrix who gets petrified and crashes to the ground, next Brin is targeted and turns from a lightweight elf to a heavy stone elf and his griffon has to make an emergency landing. Ditch is battered into the ground and soon Brock drops unconscious in the midst of the fiery combat. Caerlith makes one last strike before he is clubbed to death by the creatures.

The party shout to Dancing Bear to use the wish to restore their party, she seems unsure of the words to use as the melee hangs in the balance…..