Talum...aka The Negotiator!!

Deciding that the secret cupboard didn’t make a great hiding place, Tay Vorn collected evidence from the sacks in the room and Na’zel pocketed the magical helm.  Then looking out into the room, Gith’orl puts the two maids to sleep with her magical staff.  Unsure of how best to get away, the rest of the group escape through the barred window while Tay Vorn heads outside through the kitchen, completely failing to bluff the servants but still managing to escape with the entire cart load of wine!

Heading to the Miyori house, the gang present their evidence about Selra’s extra-curricular activities but by the time they can get the merchants moving and return to her mansion, Selra has fled taking with her the contents of her bedroom safe.  A body, probably the original Selra, is discovered buried in the cellar.  In return for not revealing that the Merchants Guild had been duped, Talum negotiates a six month free lease on the house in Westcarlham and, pressing his luck, also gets the Guild to agree to paying a 30,000 gp bonus, payable in six 5000 monthly instalments.

Deciding to do something for the people (and taking advice from Gith’orl about Sarenae’s preferences), Tay Vorn organises the group into building a public baths for the poor of the town and Sarenae blesses the group for their acts.  Talum pursues his ideas about recovering the gold from the lake, cast there by the Rhenee tribes, despite a mini tidal wave that damages the docks of the town.  Gith’orl casts a spell to allow her to possess a stone image and Talum and the gnomes lower her into the lake.  Beneath the waves she makes several important discoveries:  there are fish people farming and living below the surface of the lake; the fishfolk are collecting the tribute of the Rhenee and surrounding an undersea hill with a circumference of gold; finally, the hill is no hill but a behemoth buried under the muck.  The tidal wave was caused by the great beast stirring in its sleep and possibly a prelude to it awakening.

Partially prompted by this discovery and partly by a message from Nerith Alia, their Shadows employer, the party set off to find the rest of the cairns and, not incidentally, the rest of the Doomheart device.  The journey goes well up until the party are ambushed by gnolls but they deal with the cowardly creatures quite smartly.  Following the escaping gnolls, the group come to a hill overlooking the gnoll village but they have a extra couple of surprises;  one of the cairns they have been looking for stands on a hill overlooking the village and the gnolls are lead by the crippled beholder of whom Sarenae had blessed Gith’orl with a vision of.

Scrying on the neighbours

Na'zel uzses his Scry spells to check on old adversaries and potentially future ones.....

Prince Karit. Scry was successful.  You can view Prince Karit and he is in a huge tent giving orders to officers of his army.  The prince is still on the plane of fire and is currently at war with other Ifrit over the artifact.  Once he returned to the other Ifrit and wanted to lead them against their enemies from the Plane of Water, other Ifrit nobles stole the artifact from him and they are all fighting over it now.  Think of throwing one bone amongst a pack of dogs with no pack leader.  There is war now but it is amongst the Ifrit.  One of the problems of being Chaotic; everyone wants to lead, no-one wants to follow!

Icefang.  Scry successful.  Icefang has settled into a cold forest in the far north, west of the Worldwound, in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords and is settled in a cave and collecting tribute from from the surrounding tribes, both because he is getting more powerful and because he drives off the demons from the open rift to the Abyss.

Steelbane (if this is Captain Argon).  Scry successful. Argon is drunk in Quantium.  He has the new arm that you gave him (if you have given it to him yet) but still he hates himself.  He thought he was a hero and he turned out to be a fool, duped by the White Lady, and a weakling, defeated and maimed by Tay Vorn.  He hates both of them and would kill either of them if he could. He is unshaven, dirty, constantly drunk and picking fights, which he is still strong enough to win.  He rants about owing you a debt of honour but hates you too because, without you, he would have died an honourable death.  He does not rave about wanting to kill you though; he save his hate for the dragon and for Tay Vorn.  He often thinks about taking his own life but fears what the gods would do to his soul if he did.  He has gone from being a vain noble to being a violent, self-despising drunk.

A wagon full of wine!! Gone!!

Na'zel gets accidentally locked in the vault in the cairn when he reveals a new talent and teleports across the room and Moreta gets the hump and crosses back to the rest of the party, unwittingly activating the vault seals again.

Amongst the treasures that the party finally recover from the vault is part of the Doom-heart, an untested weapon designed to destroy the behemoth if it ever returns, as well as an Amulet of the Planes that proves to not be 100% reliable (more like 50% or less).

Finally leaving the cairn, the group waits for the bandits to return from their raid and ambush them after they split off, picking them off one by one in the surrounding hills and forest.  Picking off the bandits in small groups though means letting the two mercenaries escape.

Travelling back north, the team see a cloud of wild magic sparkling in the daylight.  Mountain lions are following the cloud to pick off weakened survivors of the cloud but the party decide to avoid it all.

Getting back to Westcarlham, after stopping off at the Temple of the Shrines for Gith'orl to pay her respects to Sarenae, everyone visits the Miyori family, keeping the sons hidden out of sight so as not to reveal that they have been rescued yet.

Questioning Miyori, and already suspecting Selra, the adventurers decide to investigate her house.  They buy a wagon of wine to be delivered to Selra's house and stage a fire to allow them to get inside under the cover of invisibility spells.

This gives them the chance to search the house and, in the study, they discover a hidden room with a twin to the teleport circle in the cairn and a magical helmet, which the spell casters have failed to identify at the moment, on a wooden stand.  As the servants in the house discover the smoke-sticks that were used to stage the fire, the group pull the bookcase closed behind them.  Taking care not to be locked in, they lie in wait as guards and servants search inside the house for intruders.

Play the Game!!

Inside the cairn, as the poison fog cleared, the ogre fled, happy to have got away with his life and Talum, frustrated at losing Donyer, rejoined the group.  Not knowing whether there were still enemies inside the cairn, some of the group kept watch while other members searched the dormitories.  This didn't reveal a great deal of loot and one of the few traps, concealed beneath a false floor in a foot locker, failed to do anything more than scratch Na’zel’s metal arm. 

The room occupied by the ogres, next to the filthy and unhygienic kitchen, held only flea-ridden bedding and a few handfuls of copper coins; the ogres rather pathetic 'treasure'.  The escaped wizards rooms though proved more difficult to navigate.  Na’zel managed to dispel the alarm spells protecting the doorways and the prize of Donyer’s spell-books, in the form of scrolls were bundled on the shelves of his study.  The rather  more prosaic treasure of the bandits was held in four chests in Donyer’s bedroom.

Opening the bandits treasure chests proved to be more difficult than the team anticipated and they failed to detect the traps on two of the chests.  The acid clouds released by traps ate severely into Moreta’s armour and singed her hair so severely that it will take a good stylist to restore her good looks.  Amongst the quite significant treasure that they are able to loot are a large number of Westcarlham gold trade bars, a fine Elven flute and a strange gold whistle.

Following the map provided to them by their earlier captive bandit, the gang proceeded to investigate the rest of the cairn, finding an alchemists lab and a forge and, at the bottom of the stairs, a second floating rune pair, marked with an L and a pair of wavy lines.  The forge has some kind of red jewel set in its roof that Na’zel thinks has  a connection to the Elemental Plane of Fire, but Tay Vorn persuades him to wait until the cairn is fully investigated.  The doors on this level respond to the whistle, opening and closing with each single note.

Across from the forge, the group stumble on a sitting room and then a dark room with three different sets of disguises and a magical circle, that the group suspects is for teleporting but the arcanists in the party can't be completely sure of its capabilities and again, the party decide to leave it alone.  It looks like Raxen both has multiple identities and methods of traveling long distances by magic.  One of the disguises, and the presence of so many trade bars amongst the loot, causes the team to suspect that the merchant Selra in Westcarlham, that sent the party to the Miyori family initially, would look similar to Raxen in disguise.

The party then rescue the two missing Miyori scions from their prison, originally some kind of animal pens, and warn the young men not to touch any swords that they see lying around.  This leaves only remaining two routes to check, the stairs down and a corridor to the north-west.  This corridor is protected by a spell similar to the alarm spell upstairs but both much more powerful and combined with the permanency spell.  The spellcasters are unable to dispel the barrier, which does not react to a rock thrown through it and so they decide to investigate the stairs down first.

The stairs come out in a small room antechamber which leads into a room with a checkerboard drawn on the floor and, concealed behind two weapon-racks, many small nozzles.  Suspecting a trap, the party are about to leave when Na’zel puts his foot onto the checkerboard and four ghostly, shapeless figures appear on the far side of the board.  Tay Vorn recognises the board and pieces from a Taldorian game, one used to teach strategy to children as luck plays no part in the game; Na’zel now has to solve the challenge or risk triggering some kind of trap.  Though before stepping on the board it was possible to move around the room, now the entire room has become sensitive to the trap.  With Tay Vorn’s help, Na’zel is able to navigate successfully across the board almost to the end, but making a wrong choice leaves him with the only option of a last mad dash across the rest of the board.  Though this triggers the necro-corrosive gas, Na’zel is close enough to the end of the task that he survives, having activated the sprays only once rather than the four times that it could possibly have gone off, had he just run across. Marks on the floor had already revealed that one of Raxen’s bandits must have already tried this tactic once.  Unsuccessfully. Having passed over the entire the board, this action reveals and unlocks the hidden vaults at the far end of the room but leaves the chessboard room trap still primed until Na’zel crosses back across the board. Na'zel must choose to proceed on alone or return back to the group, re-locking the vaults and resetting the magical trap.

Top 'o da Cairn Ma!!

From the bandit they captured, the group are able to gather some details about the first Star Cairn that the bandits are using as a hide-out.  There are about two dozen bandits left, led by a female human fighter called Raxen and supported by Donyer, an idle and lecherous mage, Tarsot, a cleric of Urgathoa and two recently hired mercenaries, Arnoth Sudheim and Fiyori Lanklander, both deserters from the Nexian army.  Donyer has also charmed several ogres as extra muscle.  Before they tied him up, they also got a basic description of the lay-out of the cairn.

The group decided to circle around the rough hills to the south so as not to appraoch the cairn from the most direct route and while this avoids any guards that the bandits may have posted, they unfortunately get their first glimpse of a wandering and erratic iron golem, which Naz’el identifies as being of a similar age and quality to the magical sword, Silver Tongue, that they had recovered from the bandits in the previous fight.  Despite the suggestion that they could lure the golem against the bandits, the party wisely decide that that is a fight that can wait for another day.  After only a short while in hiding, the golem loses interest in looking for the group and wanders down between the hills, taking, as Moreta puts it, ‘the path of least resistance’.  Out of sight is out of mind, as far as the simulcrum is concerned.

Watching the cairn from a hill quarter mile away, they can see a ten foot high pile of large rocks surmounted by a wide tabletop of stone. As night falls they scout out the approach to the cairn using a combination of stealth and the invisibility sphere provided by Naz’el.  Except Moreta doesn’t watch where she is putting her feet and trips over a rabbit hole.  This disturbs the Donyer and his latest love interest who are supposed to be on sentry duty and the heroes withdraw to rest up overnight. 

While watching the next morning (and while Tay Vorn guts the rabbits that they caught as trail rations; something else for Lissa to learn to cook!), they see the two deserters and most of the bandits leave the cairn and form up outside, heading off to raid the supply wagons that serve the Temple of the Shrines to the north.  Taking advantage of invisibility, and with the rest of the goup preparing to charge the cairn, Talum and Tay Vorn assault the two guards from the air, cutting one’s throat and Talum pushing the second guard from the height of the cairn, the fall breaking his neck.

Moving down the stairs, Tay Vorn passes up taking the sword that hangs temptingly on the wall and suprises the majority of the remaining bandits at their breakfast.  Tay Vorn leaps onto one table and with his signature whirlwind strike, he takes out three of the bandits and wounds Tarsot the Cleric.  Talum bombs the second table of bandits and kills all four of them.  Naz’el is confronted just for a second by a vision of a displeased Urgathoa before his fiery rays strike the opposing Cleric. 

With the dining room cleared, the team check out which exits have had the most traffic and first investigate the dormatories, where Moreta is ambushed, unsuccessfully, by a single enemy who had taken the death of his colleagues as a signal to loot their possessions and try to flee on his own.  While the party are investigating this small collection of treasure, Talum notices the sound of someone fleeing.  Heroic as every, the little gnome fetches Tay Vorn to help but the fighter is suddenly presented with a choice: pursue the unknown fleeing enemy up the stairs or fight the three ogres that were only now coming to investigate the explosions and the sounds of combat.  Tay Vorn blocks off the ogres and orders Talum to pursue the fugitive.

Tay Vorn and Laris take out two of the ogres, with Tay Vorn blocking the ogres exit into the room and Laris stabbing past him with his Bec Corbin.  Despite this solid tactic, Lissa leaps past Tay Vorn to attack and ogre only to find here magical rapier still failed to pierce it’s thick hide.  The last ogre finally overcomes the charm spell cast on him by Donyer when it becomes obvious that fighting Tay Vorn is suicidal.  The party convince the final ogre that it can surrender and will be allowed to flee and it is just climbing the stairs as a cloud of noxious gaqs pours down the strairs.

Up on the roof, Talum has confronted Donyer, alchemist vs mage.  Donyer strikes at the gnome with an enchanted rope but fails to trap him.  Talum responds to each of Donyers tactics by bombing him until Donyer finally drops a stinking cloud on the area.  Blinded by the thick fog and retching from the poisonous cloud, Talum charges where he thought the mage would still be (despite the fact that casting a spell and then moving out of the way is a standard tactic for the party) and plunges out of the cloud, straight over the edge of the cairn.  His acrobatics skill saved him from much damage but the few seconds extra that the noxious effects persisted allowed Donyer to escape, likewise taking advantage of the huge bonus to his stealth that his own invisibity skill gave him, not using the ladder but dropping to the ground and disappearing into the surrounding wilderness.  Hope he doesn’t run into the wandering golem out there! 

With the aid of the layout described by their earlier prisoner, the party should have no problem exploring the rest of the cairn; but there may well be some surprises waiting for them!

Westcarlham bound....

Two nights from the town of Westcarlham, the party's camp is invaded by a swarm of bloated plague zombies rising out of the nearby lake and while fighting them off, the heroes discover the undead 'burst' when slain. Forewarned they are able to deal quite handily with the creatures, with Laris doing his best to defend Gith'orl from attack. Only then do they discover that the monsters were only a distraction to allow the creator of the zombies, a night hag, to try to invade the Moreta's iron fortress. Tay Vorn and Lissa try to fight off the hag, with Lissa trying to break Tay Vorn's bow over the hag's head. Gith'orl and, more importantly, her Osirian dagger finally convince the hag to withdraw for now, promising to return.
Pushing on to get away from the environs of the lake, the troop are able to rest at a military way-station run by an old man called Hansla. As well as Naz'el taking the opportunity to teach Lissa some of the more practical skills of adventuring (such as cooking), the comrades are able to discover that the 7th Nexian Hussars, who unknowingly supplied the parties identification papers, have been recently reassigned to the southern fortresses.
Arriving in Westcarlham, the party find rooms to stay in the Golden Auroch inn. Close to the Mana wastes, Westcarlham has both a large military presense and a healthy population of gnomish engineers. Despite the warnings about the hag hiding off the road to the north, the authorities dismiss the encounter, suspecting the party of exagerating a minor encounter with a local witch. The party also hear of the Rhenee orcish tribes casting treasures into the southern lake to placate the great beast that supposedly lives in the lake and of the gnomish attempts to raise those lost treaures. Few of the people in Westcarlham believe in the Rhenee legends, thinking that it is perhaps just a kraken or similar, but the orcs believe that if the creature stirs, it will destroy the world.
At the nearby Temple of the Shrines, Naz'el is able to talk a priest of Nethys into helping him summon an Arbiter Inevitable to carry back his message to it's masters about the Ifrit plan to invade the Elemental Plane of Water. Tikmala, the Nethian priest, warns Naz'el that despite being creatures of logic, Inevitables are not to be trusted. Indeed, Marut Inevitables are towering beings of stone, steel, and storm who bring a fitting end to those mortals who try to cheat death in attempts to live forever.
Talum meets Boldock, one of the gnomish engineers, who is recuperating at the Temple of the Shrines after having been turned to stone by a creature in the high fells east of the large fortified temple compound. Despite the first thoughts that it might be a medusa, from Boldocks description, they begin to suspect that it might be an aberation created by the Mana Wars called a Beholder, a multi-eyed monstrosity. Wishing to know more about such a creatures capabilities, Gith'orl consults Sarenrae who blesses her with a vision of the beholder being maimed in combat with another monstrous creature.
With a cover story of being firearms merchants, the party meet with Selra of the Merchants and Traders Guild who directs them to Miyori of the Miyori trading house. Miyori's sons, Kharles and Artur, have been captured and held for ransom by bandits that are reputed to have a large number of magical weapons. This might also be a clue to the location of one of the Star Cairns , where these weapons were researched and crafted. The fight at the ransom exchange became a confused mess partly because of the party dividing and confusion over who was to hold back in reserve and who was to go forward to meet the bandits and partly because the leader of the bandits attempted to use his cursed sword, Silver Tongue, to entrance the entire party. The end of the fight though revealed that the party had won through again, despite the magic sword attempting to possess Gith'orl and the revelation that the hostages brought to the exchange point were in fact bandits in disguise, one of whom they have taken alive.

Quantium Dog...

Arriving in Quantium, the crew find rooms at the Rusalka tavern and take the opportunity to do some long outstanding shopping.  Moretta gets a replacement composite bow and Nazel visits the neglected Library in the poor district and meets Chadwick the scribe, learning a spell to allow him to contact the Inevitables as he gains in knowledge and power. 

Tay Vorn decides to learn about firearms and joins Inego Montoya’s school to learn the musket and flirts with Lissa, a precociously talented seventeen year old woman.  Lissa’s father runs the Black Dagger tavern and while visiting this dive, Tay Vorn discovers that Lissa’s father is Kurgan, the brutal head of the Black Dagger thieves’ gang.

Laris visits the Temple of the Sun and has his wolf-spirit possession suppressed by a magical ring provided Lady Reatha, the local High Clerist.  He is quite romantic towards Gith’orl and buys her flowers as a thank you.

Talum demonstrates his skills with the lyre to the local Bards guild but they still seem reluctant to open up to him yet.  Talum also searches for signs of Sergio the Vizier but despite hearing that Kolgot is in town, Talum is unable to trace either of them.

The team finally visit Nerith Alia, mage leader of the Nexian Shadows and she hires them to investigate the Star Cairns in the south of the country, where just over 160 years ago, a group of wizards set up five concealed magical research laboratories, based on an ancient arcane tome.  Tay Vorn tries to foment trouble between the Shadows and the Black Dagger Gang.

The girls, Moretta and Gith’orl, track down the Inn of Eleven Delights, a brothel and gambling house where anything can be had for a price.  Here they meet Hero, a corpulent fixer who can arrange most things if a value can be agreed upon, and purchase military uniforms and passes, stolen from soldiers in the north of the country but probably safe to use in the southern areas that the group are going to.

Visiting The Black Dagger, Tay Vorn convinces Kurgan to allow his daughter to accompany the party but lies about where the group are heading to.  He also tries to drive a wedge between Kurgan and Willen, Kurgan’s second in command and a cleric of Norgorber.  Willen tries to cast a divination regarding Tay Vorn but for whatever reason, his god refuses to enlighten him.

Gathering together in the morning and preparing to leave, Talum spots some ne’erdowells spying on the party but loses them in the crowds.  Not knowing about Kurgan, Talum suspects that they were working for Sergio; only time will tell whether he is right.

Once on the road, the troop make good time in their wagon, with Lissa sharing Tay Vorn’s horse, but once into the southern swamp area the group are attacked by a bridge troll.  No relation of true trolls, bridge trolls are a sort of elemental spirit that combines wild magic and local belief to incorporate as creatures out of children's stories.  Taller than a man on a horse, its sudden appearance is initially shocking but Gith’orl paralyses it with a quick spell allowing Tay Vorn to finish the beast off with a terrible blast from his musket.  Nazel appropriates the creature's hide, knowing well that he can use it to make a magical jacket or cloak.

Dramatis Personae et Loci

Dramatis Personae et Loci

Quantium

Master alchemist Borume

Tavern Rusalka

Ancient library

    Master Scribe Chadwick

Temple of the Sun

    Cleric Lady Reatha

Bard's Guild

    Garath, Bard

Inego Mantoyer, Weapons master, high society favourite

Lissa, swordgirl, father Kurgan

Kurgan, Black Dagger Inn, leader of Black Dagger Gang

Sergio the Vizier

Kolgot, gnome locksmith

Nerith Alia, head of Nexian secret service ('The Shadows')

Laris, mercenary were-wolf

Willen, leuitenant of Kurgan, cleric of Norgorber

Inn of 11 Delights,

    Hero, fixer

Wildsgate

Ancilith, felmale half-elf bard

Marsak the Reeve

Nazost the Scrivener

Captain Argun, one armed noble

Kaldal, baron of Wildsgate

Sodersund, Regent of Wildsgate

Lady Aborn, red dragon

Nex Please!!

Journey into Nex (15 Feb 2012)

Having solved the problems in Wildsgate and said their goodbyes to Ancilith, Marshak, Nazost and the other friends they had made, the party prepare for their journey across the wilds of Nex. With a gypsy wagon and two good horses, the party are ready to go.  Following the road, they decline to visit the small town of Wester and like-wise, though they see it in the distance, they avoid the water-pools around the grassland oasis of Sheneny.  The signs and tracks across the grasslands speak of huge dinosaur-like herbivores dissuade them from exploring too far from the road.

During the first night of camping, the guards are disturbed by a large tyrannosaur stalking past the camp but concealed inside the instant fortress or hidden inside the wagon, the great beast doesn’t recognise them as prey.  The ruined city that they can see to the north glows in the night with the sickly corpse-shine of magic gone awry.  The spell-casters related a little of the history of this country and of how it’s great war with the necromancers of the country of Geb to the south resulted in the dangerous and unpredictable areas, both fixed and free-floating, of wild magic plaguing the country.  The cities and larger towns are able to protect themselves from the vagaries of this wild magic with huge protection circles cast around them but outside of the towns, magic is not so safe and reliable.

Investigating the ruin of the city of Petcarlham the next day, they discover first one and then a number of what they at first take to be skeletons but under investigation are revealed to be a simplistic form of bone construct or golem generally referred to as thralls.  Investigating further into the city, Tay Vorn discovers the bodies of the fools who attempted to mine the city of its valuable marble using the bone constructs only to have the magic that animated them go wrong and rebound on them in a hostile fashion.  Confronted by one of the thralls that is different to the others, it’s animating runes shining and crawling, Tay Vorn decides that discretion is the better part of valour and they party flee the ruins for now.

The party camped in the grasslands for a second night, this time south of an unnamed ruin marked on their map and again the evening was not without its incident.  During the night some kind of strange, blind and blighted dragon-like creature with the intelligence to use mimicry to lure its prey attacked the party and only quick thinking by Gith’orl saved the wagon from destruction by the napalm-like breath of the dragonspawn.

The next morning put the party close to the town of Powmonoah where they stop to allow Moretta to get the wagon a fresh paint job.  While in town, Tay Vorn tries out some of the firearms that have been imported from Alkenstar in the Mana Wastes and Talum and Nazel investigate the steamjacks; steam powered constructs that aren’t vulnerable to the wild magic but aren’t all that reliable either without skilled maintenance.

Leaving Powmonoah, the party find themselves on a much more well-travelled and well maintained road and, as they are travelling in the same direction, they give a ride to a currently unemployed mercenary called Laris.  Laris seems to keeping an eye out for someone but seems friendly enough.  He hasn’t been with the group for many miles when he spots a possible ambush and dashes into the woods at the side of the highway. Tay Vorn rides after him and is in time to see Laris changing into a kind of were-wolf but the distinctive feeling of wild magic is in the air and from his behaviour, Tay Vorn realises that Laris is cursed in some way rather than evil. Subduing the beast, the group save Laris, at least for now and he accompanies them on the last leg of their journey to Quantium.

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Toran'Rees.....smuggler, lover, scoundrel.

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9 Fire! de de der de de Fire! Oh and undead.

The chasm, dark and dangerous loomed below us as Talom carried us over one at a time, using his "broom" ability, not an actual broom apparently, just a wings spell he can cast though all to often described as a magical broom as the GM had provided the party with one sometime ago, but goodness knows what happened to that.

The giant spider within the chasm now by-passed, we huddle together in the dark and damp Dwarven settlement, this room is large and once obviously opulent was now home to rubble from collapsed walls, and the body of one dwarf and his large Warhammer, long since dead but his spirit hovered above his remains.  The room had one large iron door at the opposite end.

Talom, able to speak dwarven, was expert in his communication with the spirit, even gaining the Warhammer to slay the inturders, but the spirit decided he would follow Talom to ensure he did not go back on his word to vanquish this dwarven hold of those that slew the Dwarven King and his bretheren.

The dwarf tells us of the Three keys, Two Lords and One Crown, three brothers split over greed of the Kings treasures and realm and he describes us the layout, at least as it was beyond this room and of a Great Pillared hall, the Hall of Heroes, each pillar carved in the form of a famous dwarf and the family symbols adorning those pillars and also of a room occupying a fire elemental, known as the Forge.


Resisting the urge to bang on the iron door, and rousing the giant spider, the party manage to unlock the door with the key the dwarfs body held.

We progress slowly and reach a rotting wooden platform, a mechanical lift, drawn by ropes, we manage to replace the rope and are just able to raise our selves two at a time to the only other level, upwards.

Near to the lift Moreta comes across a small room, an anti-room to a longer corridor, when she almost walks into a group of skeletal warriors, stood unmoving but armour and armed, at there feet long dead humans, obvious victims to these skeletons.

Tay Vorn has a bright idea, remember that, he suggests setting a fire trap in the rooms junction and stepping over it he will taunt and draw in the skeletons with a throw of alchemical fire.

Stepping quietly, stealthly over the trap layed by Moreta, Tay Vorn is "shaken" (rolled a 1) to see the dead on the floor begin to stand, all of these things look at Tay Vorn as he drops his fire bomb at his feet in fright, the sounds of his knees are the only sounds for a few seconds.....BOOM!

About the get hit by these undead warriors Tay Vorn is at the mercy of the undead, Moreta sees him drain of colour just before he is engulf in flame for a round.

Moreta demonstrates how it is done to Tay Vorn yet again, avoiding her own trap and engulfs the undead, removing one skeleton.....

8 I didnt fail my stealth, my stealth failed me!!

It was an uneventful journey back to Wildgate with this group of kidnapped villagers saved from the clutches of a Vampire mage, we settle them in at the local militia barracks after a welcome back from the local commander, Tay Vorn stays the night in the same barracks, though not directly with these survivors, but to ensure they don’t try and leave or the vampire freeing and recaptures them.

The night is free from trouble and after getting a new shield from the local smithy TayVorn breakfasts with the group and they agree to move out again, back to the Foehammer spires, that waterfall, but this time the eastern side, to investigate those steps that lead up to the waterfall.

Our weapons, well, some of them now have a coating of silver on them, as we expect a confrontation with the Vampire.

Once over the river, north of the Kings highway we skirt the wood and head north eventually between the river to our left and dense wood to our right, but it isnt long before we spot signs of an impending ambush....it is Na'zel that spots hooded figures within the edge of the woods, Tay Vorn slips in the woods planning to approach quietly and behind this group but stealth fails him in this noise thick wood.

Moreta dives into the woods as much to escape the rest of party who also make a hash of hiding and sneaking, but they try to turn this to there advantage, and start to create a diversion, by heading forwards into the trap, what we lack in brains we make up for in dumb luck!!

Tay Vorn thinks he was stealthy, but is confronted by two disguised, but obviously well equipped, swordsman, looking suspiciously like Outriders, in a small clearing with a fallen tree.

One swordsman hit Tay Vorn but he returns the attack to both characters, taunting them with words of stylish attacks to come.

Moreta is quickly joined by Gith'Orl, but the ladies, using that term loosely, are cut off by two more of these disguised soldiers, these two are armed with bow and magic, these two attack Moreta, thinking Gith is not worthy of there time.

Talom is now facing those left ahead as the ambush is sprung, he targets one and then two with Elemental Ray and Na'zel transports himself in a “ping” behind another and back-stabs him for quite some damage.

As Gith'Orl is being ignored, which she does not like at the best of times, so as one soldier runs past her, she acrobatically springs down on one hand circling her legs and takes down this character flat on his face but is unable to finish him with her dagger.

Moreta seems to be struggling with her sword and shield, becoming annoyed with her inability to ready for combat takes it out on the overconfident mage, hitting him well.

Tay Vorn leaps up on to the fallen log and taunts the two with him and chooses one for a double attack, they soon decide to leave and flee into the woods, Tay unable to catch them and fails to track them.

The others suffer the same embarrassment, a combat to forget I think, though we know we can not trust the Outriders.

The rest of the path to the foot of the steps leading to the waterfall passes quickly, with no one spotted except a glimpse of a “blurred|” figure at the stone throne now visible at the top of the steps.

Quickly we head up, hoping to catch anyone unaware and not present ourselves as targets from bow for long.

As we approach the throne, over the noise of the waterfall merely feet from the steps, we hear a booming sound as a huge iron door slams shut on the other side of the stone walk way that has lead past the throne behind the waterfall.

Moving closer to this now empty space we see murder holes around the door, but still 15-20 feet from it, we spot a hidden or disguised door way to the side of the path built into the stone wall.

Tay Vorn providing cover at this newly discovered door, while Na'zel sends a golem creature of his through a gap to open the door and quickly allows us in.

This is a dark and seemingly little used area of what must have been a grand place, this entry point a side gate perhaps little used.

Moving into corridors and passage ways hewn from sheer rock, dark as night, to those of us without dark vision and torch lit, we sense danger, head a large cavernous pit, dropping a lit torch down we see many, many spiders larger then normal, but 70+ feet below a giant spider sat, its eyes shining like jet black jewels.

We have to pass this chasm, Talom whips out his large broom, and he sets off as we say quiet and still, for a recce mission to the other side.

7 Is it a Dragon we can hear breathing? No its a still about to blow!!

Now the Goblins have also set off the warning trap, "more approaching!" cries Tay Vorn, sword emerging from sheath as he heads to the door.

He charges with a scream the first of three Goblin, with a fourth further behind, hitting and killing the surprised Goblin immediately, he drop a flask they have each which smashes to the floor, Tay Vorn breathes in deeply the odd odour, but making his fortitude saving throw thinks its just a smell the Goblins let off when scared!!

The other two closest Goblins try to turn in terror, but they are affected by the gas.....out cold!! Tay Vorn readies himself for the fourth, but she reveals herself as Moreta, phew!!

Moreta and Tay Vorn head back up the chimney and sneakily take out three Gobbo's, meanwhile Sidion, Talum and Na'zel go follow the flaming sphere as it cleanses the passage way leading to the trap door and they emerge up the hole and meet up with Moreta and Tay inside a large cave, full of giant bats, now disturbed and flying around from the noises of our battle and the flaming sphere before it dissipate.

The bats are now panicking and attack everyone.

Initially the whole party tried to defend against these winged beasts, but it quickly became apparent

they would not attack us if we hide and they would leave the cave via the large mouth..but Moreta and Tay Vorn decided to compete a little for best attacking style, which Moreta took with ease.

Moving out from the mouth of the cave, a platform of wood across a rope bridge, Sidion is shot at from range a total of eight times, he quickly returns to cover.

Tay Vorn sensing a moment of bravery stupidity picks up a body f one of the goblins, sword sheathed and shield slung he holds the body ahead of him and charges forward to the nearest cover, some thirty feet forwards across the wooden bridges towards the goblin archers.

Tay Vorns charge ends with two gobbo's pushed over the edge of the distant platform the rest now in close combat with this dark brooding fighter, but with bows, unfortunately Tay Vorn cannot draw his sword this turn either!!

The Goblins go next...drawing daggers and swords they attempt to hit Tay Vorn who suffers minimal damage, Sidion not to be outdone runs across himself, weapons drawn though and takes on half the Goblins.

A human figure from another distant platform, cast a spell of magical darkness around the other party members.

Na'zel within the darkness converses with this hooded figure, a magic user of some sort, but certainly undead, who has been controlling these Goblins to do his bidding, but to Na'zels credit he rebukes the figure and manages to cast Command Undead against him, sending him packing, for now.

Gith'Orl and Moreta managed to move up within this darkness along the bridge and out to be able to draw fire and sword on the Goblins rounding on Sidion and Tay Vorn.

Talum retches a “vomit of spiders” into the melee, thousands of the tiny things eager to bite anyone not distinguishing between friend or foe head towards the melee.

Sidion learns the fiery hand ability producing a bright flame and takes one gobbo out with it, just as the spiders attack causing lots of damage on both sides, but certainly aiding the party more than hindering.

We think the spiders have been summoned by the cloaked person, as they cause lots of damage.

The fight ends with Tay Vorn playing with one remaining goblin as the rest flee and our party unable to hit.

We see and hear sounds of a creature, appears to be as still, asleep perhaps in a dark alcove which is producing lots of heat, Tay Vorn notches an arrow but someone else realises its just a copper still and is about to blow up, saving it Tay Vorn rescues some of the potent alcohol.

Beyond the still there is a tunnel leading up and Moreta heads up, but sets off a fire trap taking quite some damage, Tay Vorn now leads, but he too almost suffers, he spots a trap on some metal barred grate that would have sliced down taking anything with them including his arms.

Through the grate, opened by Sidion using Gith'Orl's trusty crowbar, are some barely conscious villages, kidnapped from the surrounding areas, something mentioned to us when we first arrived in this region.

This is the vampires feeding area, they villagers are alive but very weak we heel 6 or 12 of the poor wretches and eventually decide to leave the Vampire for now and escort these people back to Wildgate.

6. Is that a Goblin arrow or are you just pleased to see me?!

The group felt safe now, all obvious Goblins dispatched, and the secrets revealed, the Shadow not attacking us!!

We begin to move on, the only other known entry/exit to this cavern, other than the Shamans curtained off hovel being short bending tunnel north, see map to the right of Goblin caves, marked with three arrows ^.

Cautiously Sidion leads us forwards, Moreta leaving a warning trap of alchemical fire behind us, passed a slight bend in the dark tunnel leading to a horde of rotting merchandise, boxes/barrels/bags or all manner of wares, taken from attacked caravans we surmise and discarded by the Goblins here, the only thing out of place is a small figurine/statue, covered in what appeared to be drying blood.

Tay Vorns empty pockets called to him again, he set off through the huge pile of garbage to look for gold, and rolling high found some barrels with false bottoms and wax lumps of gold coins and some dodgy scales, probably used to trick some unsuspecting merchant, well thats what Tay Vorn planned to use them for.

Sidion again finds a passage to the east, dark and tight he scouts ahead, finds a trap door at the end leading upwards, he listens and can hear Goblin speak, unable to comprehend it he returns quietly to us, sending Moreta off to listen as well, she is in the guise of a Goblin and luckily can speak and understand the stumpy's language.

At the trap door, she cannot hear anything so slowly opening it she is greeted with a pointy arrow, she thinks quickly and speaks in there native tongue, “its only me!”.

The Goblins around the trap and unsure, but the Shaman says pull him up, the evil invaders might be close behind, she had fooled them into thinking she was one of them and had escaped the invading group, and now in amongst there ranks!!

After a few words on the dangers she has had to endure and avoid she edges her way to the fringes of the Goblins, during which time they sent four of there group down the trap door in search of the party after the disguised Moreta convinced them the party was leaving.

Moreta finds a fairly narrow chimney, running slowly down and around, before she can go into it, two more Goblins enter it, under orders from the Shaman to try and catch the invaders between themselves and the other group of four, Moreta watches them go down, and decides to follow them quietly drawing her stiletto dagger and checking the pointy end was still sharp.

The Shaman describes how they knew the group had entered the garbage room, the statue acted as a beacon when covered in fresh blood, strange but true. This Shaman now headed down the trap door, to reset the trap.

Hearing movement, the party, still in that room of junk, attempt to hide, I say attempt, actually fail dismally. Combat ensues, the party surviving, but not without taking damage or quietly.

More Goblins head down, but Na'zel sends them a gift in the form of Flaming Sphere, a spongy ball floating forwards stopping four Goblins getting to us and cooking them rather quickly at the same time, nasty.

5. They have a cave Ogre!!!

Swiftly, and surprising easily, we make it to the first cave entrance, sneaking in we come across a dimly lit long open cave, with an Ogre at the end of the passageway waving a club at us and growling as if ready to charge us, Tay Vorn is eager to charge himinstead, "but wait" says Na'zel/Talum, something isnt quite right......

Through the dim light of the cave they noticed the arms of the Ogre seemed to move in a odd jerking movement and the sounds of the Ogre came not from his mouth but below him somehow.

Tay Vorn ventured forwards, and lucky for him Na'zel realised something was wrong as there was a hidden pit, just waiting for someone to charge at the Ogre!  The very Ogre that was now obviously dead and being controlled by four Goblins, sneaky little %^$^&*.

We all headed forwards, circling the pit and attacking the Goblins which began to flee around a bend and to another chamber, we gave chase and quickly sent them to Goblin paradise.

There was an exit to this room, and a cloth covering of a hole, Tay Vorn seeking treasure moved it aside with his sword, and found a cubby hole with a Gobbo Shaman, before she could throw insults at him, one swing came her way and her head bounced to the floor, we dont take chances with magic users!!

Moreta though, she looks like a goblin and cant speak and understand there language, informed the group her last words referred to some undead person and she thought he had sent us?!

While Tav Vorn ransacked the place, finding a serpent headed javelin and a few gold pieces, Talum and Moreta found a tiny person passage hidden in the shaman cubby, they managed to squeeze through, well Moreta had to disrobed her armour first!

Talum and Moreta found a high and wide cavern, a pit near them seemed to be full of dead Goblins, sacrifices perhaps....further in a vast expanse of water, still as night with a small island in the distance and alone on the island...a sarcophagus and just as they debated whether to move back or venture forward....they see a Shadow! this makes there mind up and head back quickly.

Next we clear the other Goblin caves and find how to Vomit a Swarm!!

4. Cant see the wood for the Red Wine!!

So we finish up in town, buying those essential supplies for a sojourn into the nearby wilderness, heading to the Goblin lair!! *holds Moreta back, well I dont, Gith'Orl does.*

Leaving town we head to the rope bridge, Tay Vorn, ever the tactician, tries to disuade its use, but some of the party dont like water,  (that isnt roleplaying, just real life :-)).

Some of the roleplaying group do like a glass of red wine though, and one player rolls a one acrobatics, or is that sleight of hand, or handle glass!!! as it goes over the table on all over my character sheets. :-P

After a brief mopping up, Tay Vorn crosses expertly, (yes thats my character) and draws his bow keeping an eye on the tree line near the crossing while the others cross. Some of the party decide even the rope bridge isnt strong enough to hold there weight so they "fly" the 30feet on a magic broom, not quick, but hey.

As the party cross we are charged from that tree line, Goblins, savage looking!!  Tay Vorn dispatches one with an arrow and readies his sword, Moreta critically slices the next between the chest as they are quickly upon us and Talom drops bombs of fire onto the remainder, reducing them to easy targets.

We think we are stealthy as we follow a hunters trail beside the thick un-penatribly woods to our left, stream to our right moving to the Foehammer Spire mountains looming high, just a few hours trudge ahead of us.

The ground is soft and we need to make survival rolls, something even the best of us fail, stuck we are attacked from range by some scantily clad ruffians, almost cavemen in appearance throwing rocks.

We deftly avoid any combat and make it eventually out to open ground at the feet of the spires, the loud deep river to our right and waterfall cascading from the mountians.

At first the high up caves seem ominous anddangerous to us, we make to the waterfall and test for a hidden entrance.

Heading along a narrow path Gith'Orl stubbles on a trap, a loosely held up area of ground which gives way into the river, TayVorn eager to impress her swaps places (gm allowed me to when I rolled a 20 for perception, rather nice of him) loosing his dignity, a bow and his shield!! (AC is down to 22)

We make our way more carefully to the waterfall only to be disapointed and head back to the gobbo caves, we are spotted by a human on the opposite bank, of course the one person he sees of our party decides to wave at him!!! (It was Na'zel the ever welcoming wizard).

Swiftly, and surprising easily, we make it to the first cave entrance, sneaking in we come across a dimly lit long open cave, with a troll at the end waving a club at us and growling as if ready to charge us, Tay Vorn is eager to charge himinstead, "but wait" says Na'zel/Talom, something isnt quite right......

3. The fort town of Wildgate!!

A little further down the King's road we had just been attacked on, could you sue the King as its his road?! anyway, the sea side town of Wildgate offered its quant simple wares, though it wasnt a place to bring the kids, high fort walls that had seen some recent action, and a tower perched on top of the high seaward cliffs.

After exchanging pleasantries, and discovered possible plot leads, with the guard commander we quickly tested the local hostels, the good, bad and ugly!!

We discovered the local Baron, a young chap, was bed ridden, a family curse making him bed ridden as it had done to others of his line, Wolfrane.

His half sister Lady "White" Aborn was at his side, unable to help him of his illness.

The White lady as the locals called her was being chased by a Capt Argun of the Outriders a pompus group of Lords as we had discovered earlier who defend the lands, though the local milita/guards do the real work.

The illness is suspicious, as our Clerics, Gith 'Orl and Sidion can not see an earthly reason for it.

Tay Vorn appears to waste time searching for a missing scout of the lands and drinking in the low cost areas of the town to find solice in a bottle as Gith refuses to talk to him and shares bath with Moreta of our party, he also find some information on Zamock a dwarf scout, he was looking for something in area, but hasnt been seen for days, after being given this information by an untrustworthy human by the name of Sergio.

Talom, our alchemical master and part-time dog trainer, seeks out his brethren, the vertically challenged Gnomes, he finds one  Colgot a friend to the sly Sergio, this Colgot is an old hand a locksmith by trade, though thievery could also be his profession just as easily I'll wager.
Talom begins a drinking competition with him, gaining his trust over time finds out he is a member of a cult, a dangerous cult of the undead, great more of them!!

Moreta with her sophisicated towny ways sweet talks the White Lady and Capt Argun and some other toff into seeing the Baron and asking lots of questions of the people and towns past, gaining knowledge also from the towers library.

They discover an old book recently thought to contain information regarding the Barons family past and possible clues to the "curse" has mysteriously disappeared.

The game is afoot, can we find the book, but where to search the party asks!?

Tay Vorn wanders in, with a book he has found under the bed of Zamock at his hovel in town, unused for days, and yes its the missing book!!!

The book contained notes or a riddle of sorts:

Three keys, two lords, one crown.


A room with pillars resembling dwarven architecture.


References to a crown of Wolfrane.


A receipt from a jeweler.

2. The weekly Blonde Comment - "Lets Picnic in the Screaming Jungle!!"

After a weeks hiatus we returned to Pathfinder but six months have passed, we have seperated somewhat but now returned together to adventure again.

We have travelled south, to the realm of Nex, not that far away, I will try to get a map of the area.

The party hasnt changed, Tay Vorn, the heavy drinking Fighter has returned to wearing heavy armour and has spent all his loot in the six months between adventures, his ex-slave "friend" Gith'Orl is still with the party, now friends wit the other female of the group Moreta the half-elf.
Gith is upset with Tay Vorn, he did something, but he doesnt remember what, something whilst drunk.

The other major change to our party is the wizard Naz'el, he has lost an arm and had it replaced by a metalic one, its unclear how functional it is.

Our wanderings down to Nex have brought us near the Foehammer Spires, and long forgotten Dwarven mountain region, now more human and Goblin than Dwarf.

The Young Baron of Wildgate, a frontier town if there ever was one, has been ill for sometime, a curse that has plagued his family before.

His half-sister Lady Aborn tends to him, though she is chased by Captain Argun of the Outriders, a pretty bunch of rich men stroller about the lands "saving" the peasants from themselves and the Goblins.

We encountered two of the peasants, a farmer and son at work in the fields just as they seemed to be under attack from Goblins riding winged beasts, later we discovered them to be Dire Bats.

Despatched with ease and more than a little style, the farmer and boy survived, our Gnome party member, Talom an alchemist/wizard, suffered some damage, but nothing to concern any bard.

We heard from the farmer stories, rumours of caves in the Spires, the mountains in the distance,  occupied by these Gobbo's and something of a treasure, ex-dwarven, but you know how these excitable peasants can be.....

1. Osirion - Undead love'em or hate 'em...you just cant kill 'em!

Some back ground to our sessions, we meet each Wednesday in Sheffield, UK. we are 6+mnths into a Pathfinder campaign...

Clerics, fighters, more clerics, more fighters and a worrying wizard who wants to be undead, I think, there are only five players, but six characters.

The group has been together for sometime, and due to circumstances beyond our control we are in Osirion, currently in the capital city of Sothis.

We have just finished "visiting" the ruined mountain city of Tumen and the pyramid of Ahn’Selota.

The four Pharoahs are The Cerulean Pharoah (Anok Fero), The Fiend Pharoah (Hetshepsu), The Radiant Pharoah (Ankana) and The Pharoah of Numbers (True name unknown).


This primarily desert nation occupies the northeastern corner of the continent of Garund. It is bordered on the north by the Inner Sea and the east by the Obari Ocean. The capital city of Sothis is located at the mouth of the River Sphinx, and is the largest, and most prosperous city in the kingdom of Osirion. The city is built around the molted husk of Ulunat, a colossal beetle that was one of the spawn of Rovagug.


Sothis is built a dozen miles from the River Sphinx in the eastern deserts of Osirion, and was largely dependent on oases for water until the construction of the Crimson Canal, which allows the shipping directly into central Sothis and the devotion of the River Sphinx to agriculture.

Sothis began as a series of tribal settlements around the husk of Ulunat, which became the Black Dome, due to the natural springs and the shell's shelter from the khamsin (desert) winds. Since multiple locks branch away from the main canal and traffic is observed and regulated from the canal's only island, the Eye of Sothis, there is less congestion than is common in other major ports.

Sothis's skyline is dominated by the massive Black Dome, which houses the Palace of the Forthbringer (the Pharoah) and the Council of Sun and Sky (religious advisors). Malhitu Bazaar takes up much of the southeastern sector. The Necropolis of the Faithful is situated on the western bank of the Crimson Canal, expanding out from the original grounds of Pharasma's temple ("The Lady of Graves", Pharasma, (pronounced fah-RAZ-mah) is the goddess who shepherds Golarion's recently-departed souls to their final reward). There is a Pathfinder lodge in the city.