Session IV ~ Journey to the Sorceress' Tower.
Players:
ssfsx17 as:
Norik, dwarf cleric
Barduris, half-orc fighter
Aergraith as:
Elderberry Scrubroot, gnome rogue
Aergraith's wife as:
Penny-Whistle Scrubroot, gnome cleric
Treebore as:
Aristobulous Falthor, elf mage
The action:
The party rests ups and recuperates at Fountains Abbey for a couple of days. They enjoy some excellent food and wine while the Abbot hosts a dinner for the group. He introduces you to some of the other guests in the great dining hall.
You meet a tall, very handsome half-elf named Argentim who seems to have a very regal bearing but is friendly and engaging. Hrothgar the dwarf captain of the guard is in attendance as well. Other guests include Prospero, a powerful wizard who occupies the tower on the Abbey grounds ~ and Count Rhuvein, a battle mage from Jomsborg in Normandia who brings news from the mainland about the current situation in Dania. He is accompanied by Shu Lien, a monk swordsmaster from the other side of the world.
After dinner all the guests gather in the great library lounge for Valunan fire amber, sweets, tea and pipe smoking ~ featuring longbottom leaf from Knobhill.
Sir Regis explains the next adventure to the group. He tells them about Mariel's Tower and the complex underneath. She uses it to house guests and conduct training for young sorcerers and sorceresses. There is a laboratory, dining rooms, guest quarters and various other rooms.
He shows the party a rough map of the tower and complex. On the west side, there is an old dwarven outpost where the dwarves stayed when they built the structure. It has since been abandoned and it's suspected that humanoids have moved in.
Captain Hrothgar tells them that the vault containing page 2 of the Codex of Argenteus is in the back of the dungeon complex and can be accessed from the dwarf entrance or though Mariel's lower quarters. He gives them a key to the front door of the tower.
Sir Regis tells you that the tower and her part of the complex underneath are likely trapped. He doesn't believe that anyone is there now as Mariel has been away.
The party gladly agrees to find the Codex scroll and bring it back to the abbey. The group spends the night and gets ready to leave the next morning. Norik and Barduris ask if Nils could accompany the group. Sir Regis tells you that he would wish to continue with the party and so he sends an acolyte to fetch the drudge.
The journey south from the Abbey begins and the party sees a few travelers. At a point about half way to the Inn of the Dancing Goats, the trail narrows and the trees and bushes are very heavy.
Suddenly, 2 owls bears swiftly run out from the brush to attack. A fierce battle ensues with the adventurers fighting hard, but losing ground. Then another owlbear joins the frey. Blood, guts and feathers are flying ~ when out the trees, comes a saber toothed cat leaping onto an owlbear. Raking and biting, the cat does massive damage while only taking a little damage to herself.
The battle ends and the cat disappears. The party recovers and heals up and then begin to move out. As they walk, some of the adventurers thought but were not quite sure if Nils seemed to not be there when the cat appeared. They couldn't be positive as they were all engaged in battle, so they held their thoughts until later.
At diner the party discuss the events with the owlbears and they confirm that Nils did indeed disappear about the time the cat approached. Later when the battle was concluded, Nils was standing - holding the reigns of his mount while looking for something in his saddle bags. Nobody is quite sure what happened as they were all fighting for their lives. Some thought that the gods are watching over them. And then, there was some talk of Nils being a druid. Fatigue overtook the adventurers and they retired for the evening, glad to be in a warm cozy bed.
The party spends a few days resting up at the DGInn rewarding themselves with good rooms, baths, meals and liquid refreshment. They meet and talk with locals and travelers from Tronheim and Helsingborg getting the latest news.
The journey to Knobhill is uneventful and the weather is perfect.
The Sorceress’ Tower is in an area called Mink Hollow.
Upon reaching the tower, the party observes two dragonets perched in 2 different trees watching them. And from behind the bushes a fierce looking dragonne appears and growls loudly. The group is cautious but realizes they are seeing an illusion as the dragonets smile and fly to another tree. The dragonne fades away.
The party then cautiously moves around to the west side of the tower complex to survey and see if they can find an entrance. They use the thick woods as cover.
The entrance way is spotted and the group sees a well nearby. Elderberry prays and drops a coin into the well. After some moments he feels as if he is more dexterous than before.
A rock is thrown in through the entrance way and within seconds two orc guards poke their heads out to look around.
Elderberry walks towards them and introduces his self speaking in a goblinish tongue.
The orcs seemed confused and a bit surprised at the gnome, but they don't feel threatened so they relax.
The orcs only slightly understand him as they struggle to translate goblin to orc.
Lion sounds are heard, and he then convinces an orc to follow him out to the woods for some fresh meat. They get down on the ground as more lion sounds are heard.
The other orc waits a bit and then, being somewhat suspicious head back into the complex.
Suddenly several orcs mass at the entrance way looking fierce and ready to do battle. They are sound bursted. More orcs and a worg come out as the party advances. Some are slept, others get out to fight. Then orgrillons come out with an orc sgt. and another worg.
The gnomes give the humanoids much trouble but ultimately succumb the stronger monsters.
Norik and Barduris show tremendous courage and fighting ability and are able to kill many of the evil creatures.
However, the party takes massive damage as they try to fight off the monsters. The elf mage realizes that he can only help the party by falling back into the woods. He may have another chance to come to their aid after he can assess the situation later.
Nils, seeing several adventurers fall down unconscious ~ moves up to attack the monsters. They can't seem to hit him, but he is able to inflict serious damage and kill several of them.
Some party members heal others and they fight continues with the group defeating all the monsters.
The adventurers decide to head back to Knobhill rather than camp/rest in the woods (I think, right?)
[This was an excellent play test of this encounter by the party. I didn't think to have orc x-bow men at the ready, as I assumed the party would enter the dungeon and I could put the squeeze on them from two directions inside. Close quarter fighting might have been quite crazy. So, by luring the monsters into the tight entrance and then drawing them outside worked very well for awhile.]
Let me know if I have forgotten anything or messed up the order of the battle events. I know some of the monsters were charmed (karmed, as Hagrid would say)!
Work in progress! Updated on 5/29/15, complete.
