Dracon, human initiate of Oad Hai & beastmaster of the Wegwier;
Kalik, halfling initiate of Avoreen;
Milik, halfling sorcerer;
Kendradell, female half-elf bard & initiate of Lydia <absent
this week>;
Murray, human wizard;
Nikolai, suloise human initiate of Lendor;
Marcus, half-elf initiate of Hieroneous;
Tarqualan, high elf mystic;
and finally;
Naazi, chenxa (centaur) warrior of Tenh <extended absence, player
on honeymoon>.
[9th of Patchwall, 577]
We began this with Naazi departing to undertake a quest for his unnamed patrons, while the rest of the group trained while waiting for Marcus' leg to regenerate. Once everyone was ready to travel once more, Kalik insisted that they visit a temple of Pelor, so that they could gather what aid they could in rescuing their sometime companion Lucien, whom they had left entombed in stone in Iggwilv's fortress.
Upon their arrival, Kalik was informed that an emergency had arisen,
and that the expected reinforcements were no longer available. They could,
however, donate the use of an amulet containing several spells that the
local high priest felt might benefit them in their quest. Since the next
phase of their plan required them to consult with the followers of Dalt
in the hopes that they could reopen a gateway back whence they had come
proved more difficult, since Dalt's cult was almost unknown in the
Flanaess, even in those lands that the Suloise held sway in.
Nikolai, however, was aware that Dalt's cult often shared space with that of Weejas, so they set sail once more for the Duchy of Urnst. While crossing the Nyr Dyv, Kendradell and Tarqualan happened to be on deck when a large dragon soared past over head, travelling north. After another week or so of uneventful sailing, they reached Leukish and began seeking information from the Temple of the Dark Eyed Lady.
After explaining their mission to Noella, High Priestess of the Lady
in Leukish, she assigned them a young acolyte who led them west towards
the Cairn Hills (the price for such aid was to be at least one book of
magic from Iggwilv's collection, should they recover any). After a short
time, she asked that each of them don blindfolds before traveling further,
as the location of the Obsidian Tower was to remain a secret. After another
hour of riding, the party found themselves in the courtyard of a small
keep, facing a tower that was neither especially large nor, apparently,
built from anything remotely like obsidian....
Telling their tale once again, this time to Mica, the High Priest of
Dalt, it was agreed that he would aid them in locating the initiate
Mirella (who had been the one who closed the gate they sought to open,
and thus was the one most likely to be able to reopen it) and would transport
them back to Schwartzenbruin, which was where Mirella happened to remain
after leaving them almost three months before. Once more they were blindfolded,
and led to the entrance of a small cave, which they were told would exit
in Schwartzenbruin...
True to his word, the gate in the cave did lead to the capitol of Perrenland, but it exited in the sewers. The party soon located a large grated exit overlooking Lake Quag, and after cleaning up, made their way into the city proper. Though it took three days, the group eventually located Mirella in a gambling hall, and made their pitch for her aid.
Though initially reluctant, she finally agreed, though she drove a far
harder bargain than Noella had; in addition to recovering the body and
sword of her companion, Shallane, she personally wanted 1st pick of any
treasure they uncovered, at least one additional tome of magic (should
any be located) and the recovery of and delivery of her own body and sword
to her own temple (which she indicated lay hidden in the far north, in
the Burneal Forest) should she fall while aiding them. Mirella
seemed quite concerned that in all likelihood, Drelzna still lived,
and had spent the last several months plotting black revenge...
Requiring a week to prepare, she then left the group to their own devices. Most spent the week in debauchery, living up to their local status as minor lords in the glittering circles of Perrenland nobility. Though many assignations were to be had, the most popular pairing was that of Lord Nikolai and the Countess Dianetta, who were often seen dancing together well into the night.
As the week came to a close, the party once again sought our Mirella, and told her of their initial plan (to reenter the Voorman's palace and reopen the gate in the same place it had been prior to their arrival). Cursing them for fools, Mirella led them to a basement beneath a bakery where she had constructed a detailed copy of the portal chamber they'd originally left through, explaining that for setting a gate, a similarity of surroundings was far more important than anything else. After several more hours of preparation, the gate was recast and ready for use...
Finding themselves once more in Iggwilv's stronghold, the party decided to first explore a door that they had not opened on their first sojourn here. As he passed through the door, Marcus felt a distinct tingling sensation upon crossing the threshold. The large room they had entered was clearly once the grand dining hall, and contained three large tables, all currently occupied by what resembled petrified soldiers. As Marcus approached these frozen warriors, he detected malignant intent from the leader of the nearest table, and soon detected that the group seated before him was breaking free of whatever stasis held them in place.
Backing through the door he had entered and slamming it shut, the party soon found that the enemy they had closed the door upon was now somehow behind them, and attacking them from the rear. As we ended the evening, none had fallen on either side, but the battle looked to be a fierce one...
[7th of Sunsebb, 577]