Folklore Becomes Fact

Session 130

Characters: Julian, Balin, Samael, Grim, Anthony, Davvin, Lord Thond.

NPCs: Woodbrand's Longsword, Starmetal Golem, Orthaneus: Deathless Wizard, Librarians of Suzail, Alaphondar Emmarsk: High Sage of Cormyr.

L 9 Mirtul 1374 - L 10 Mirtul 1374

3900 XP

After the brief fray between the party, they further discussed possibilities of investigation and decided to call the remaining adventurers from Calantar Keep to help. Lord Thond suggested that they seek out a reclusive wizard whom lived in a tower just north of Waymoot named Endarthar. If he would not have an answer, then they would reluctantly allow Julian to break the mighty sword. Before they left for Waymoot again, Davvin gave Lord Woodbrand's body a last blessing and sealed him in a magical stone sarcophagus. The party returned to Waymoot and presented Woodbrand's coffin to the local Purple Dragon guards. A small ceremony was held and the party explained their findings to the people of Waymoot. After that they headed off into the large and open King's Forest and found Endarthar's tower without incident.

His tower was seated in a small valley and was surrounded by a wild garden that looked neglected for some time. Balin discovered orc tracks and signs of an encampment around the tower, the front door looked to have been smashed down. The party prepared for combat with protective spells and moved in. The first three floors were trapped with minor evocations and looked to have been looted considerably. As the party searched they found 4 dead orcs; two had been killed by the magical traps, the other two however, had been killed by something all together different. Julian and Samael rushed ahead of the party and Anthony followed close behind. On the fifth floor they found a complex magical trap and set to disabling it. Meanwhile, the rest of the party searched through the 4th floor, and were surprised when they found no signs of looting at all. A large room at the south end of the building had a massive metal sculpture of a iron golem at one end and it glowed with a magical aura. Carefully the party approached the suit of armor, but as they drew close Grim noticed that the magical aura was a Nystal's Magic Aura. Suddenly, the party was attacked from behind by a great dust covered metal warrior and began to choke on toxic gas.

Thond, Davvin, and Balin began to attack the golem with their weapons but found penetrating its armor extremely difficult. Grim became the focus of the golem's attacks and soon attempted to flee for his life finding that he had hit a Wall of Force, they were trapped! Grim Recalled back to his magical demiplane away from the battle and the golem and toxic gases were quickly taking a heavy toll on the rest of the party. Davvin called upon the dead god Kelemvor and a great Angel of Death appeared before the golem battling against it. Julian and Samael had just finished disabling the traps when they were set upon by a ghostly figure dressed in the robes of a noble Cormyrian war wizard. The figure demanded they explain what they were doing in his tower and they began to tell of their adventuring charter, Woodbrand's sword, and their search for the great wizard Endarthar. The ghostly figure called Endarthar a cheater, coward and a weak wizard and introduced himself as Orthaneus, the true master of this tower. After more brief conversation Julian, Samael, and Anthony went back to the 4th floor to find Woodbrand's sword and saw instead the desperate combat unfolding inside a Cube of Force. Orthaneus immediately called off his mighty Starmetal Golem, halting the combat.

Then the party was invited to the 5th floor where Orthaneus explained he was killed by Endarthar in a mage duel to assume control over the rival's tower. Since the war had broken out in Cormyr Endarthar had packed up all the tower's valuables and returned to his homeland of Tethyr. Orthaneus advised the party that it would probably be best to Disjoin the sword and then break the hilt. During the conversation Julian became enthralled by the sword once again, grabbed it and Blinked out of the tower. Samael and Grim followed in pursuit slowing him down. Then Orthaneus hesitated no longer and Disjoined the sword while it lay unattended on the ground. The sword's magic was now gone and Anthony slowly set to work dismantling the hilt to gain access to the scroll. While that was proceeding Davvin questioned Orthaneus on the reasons for his not leaving for the afterlife. Orthaneus explained the great necessity of revenge upon Endarthar and Grim sympathized as a fellow wizard. Davvin managed to convince Orthaneus to leave with the promise from Grim that Endarthar would be killed in his name and that Orthaneus' tower would be re-built and maintained in its former beauty by Grim. Anthony had finished removing the scroll and found that it contained a code written in an indecipherable alphabet. The letters resembled elven, draconic, and arcane scripts at times and were clearly in some sort of substituted code. The party consulted with Orthaneus who explained he knew nothing of this language, although his response seemed suspicious. He told the party he may have seen it in the Library of Suzail earlier in his life however, that too seemed rushed.

The party could not solve the code and with no other leads decided to go to the Library of Suzail and speak again with the High Sage Alaphondar. After not too much time waiting they received a council with the High Sage and began collecting books concerning the Knights Draconis. The party studied with Alaphondar for several hours through mostly fiction and poetry which only speculated upon the organization. Clearly, this was not the historical evidence they were hoping for. Alaphondar promised that in the morning his librarians would have collected more material which may have a translation of the coded message they discovered. Alaphondar returned up the winding staircase to his personal quarters and Julian again sensed a suspicious element to the High Sage's behavior. The party returned to sleep after a very one day in Lord Thond's manor. After a couple hours, Julian and Samael decided to sneak back out into the library of Suzail and may a personal visit to Alaphondar's tower. The full moon made hiding difficult along the grounds of the Court gardens however Julian and Samael managed to gain access to a high window in the tower and dismantled a magical alarm.

In the tower they found a table which had many of its items pushed to one side. On the opposite side lay a circular cipher, and two copies of the exact coded message they had found in Woodbrand's sword. "Full moon on Hullack touches thee, Proud warrior conquering benches three, Where the smaller steel points a way, Stand where the lonely warrior may." They had little time to search more, however Julian managed to copy down the solved message, a poem, onto parchment and the pair of thieves escaped into the night. They quickly returned to Lord Thond's manor and woke up the remaining party members. tonight was a full moon and it was rapidly approaching dawn, there was little time to spare. After analyzing the poem, Anthony recalled the legend of Warrior-King Dhalmass I whom conquered the western Dalelands in the name of Cormyr. A statue which honors his memory stands on the edge of the Wyvernwater Lake near the Hullack Forest. The party Teleported to the statue and now stood in the misty presence of the Wyvernwater Lake. Close examination of the statue, and Woodbrand's poem allowed the party to activate a portal near where King Dhalmass' squire would stand. Samael acted first, sacrificing blood on the statue before entering. Anthony noticed that fresh blood had already been spilled this night upon the statue, Alaphondar perhaps? Each party member did the same blood sacrifice and appeared in a much different place soon after.

A Patriot's Sword

Session 129

Characters: Julian, Grim, Anthony, Samael.

NPCs: Woodbrand's Longsword, Hrathdorr the Giant-Slayer Great Spear.

E 9 Mirtul 1374 - L 9 Mirtul 1374

5100 XP

The silence after the battle was broken as the ice Cael had formed to block the waterfall began to split and shatter. Soon the waterfall was once again flowing hard, the passage blocked. Through Balin's magic they returned briefly to Calantar Keep which had been continuing to make preparations for war under the guidance of Constal Manton. Since the party had split of the 5th of Mirtul, Wyvernspur's army had been receiving reinforcements and volunteers on a daily basis. To the south a large ground force had arrived from the new Parliamentarian capitol Marsember. It was estimated that more than 30 War Wizards could be present, with twice as many divine casters in the ranks. The Red Raven company also was growing in strength as reserve members from adventuring parties began showing up for the upcoming battle as well. Wyvernspur's force retained many of the traditional qualities of a Cormyrian army, however it differed in that he had removed much of the unit heraldry and identification. This combined with the mixed numbers of militiamen, Purple Dragon Knights, War Wizards, Priests, and Red Ravens, was making the scouting of his force's full strength difficult.

Anthony resurrected both Cael and Julian and then the party made a quick return to the necromancer's cave. Grim used a Wall of Force to angle the flow of water away from the entrance and the party moved in. They traveled through a winding, cramped tunnel and Julian disabled a number of hastily set magical traps. The tunnel opened up into a circular-shaped cave that was filled with luxurious black and purple furnishings. In the center of the room was a pit filled with manacles and bones, resting on the top was the dried up corpse of Lord Filfar Woodbrand. Samael carefully searched the room and found that the necromancer's book collection was filled with information concerning the Cult of the Dragon. Under the bed and hidden by a magical illusion, Samael found a large chest that he dared not touch. Julian meanwhile examined the body of Woodbrand and found that he had been chained here for at least the past day, and tortured; his death was most likely recent and due to an Energy Drain. With a bit of luck and some experience in searching, Julian found an eerie message that looked to have been carved with a bone into the forehead of a skull near Woodbrand's body. The message read "Hilt", and the party immediately began a search for Woodbrand's old sword.

Julian, Grim, and Anthony spent a considerable amount of time, and spells disarming the well protected chest that Samael had found. Inside was a number of Woodbrand's old adventuring effects including a beautiful longsword which glowed with a dull purple light. It's blade and hilt seemed to be forged of one metal upon Anthony Manton's inspection and the hilt pictured a curling dragon. Grim sat with the sword, and meditated on its magical aura. He saw flashes of great battles, feasts, victories, weddings, and funerals all from the hilt's perspective. Grim concentrated further and pushed back the sword's memories to the time it was first forged and could only see a small scroll being scribed by an unrecognizable figure. The party soon believed that Woodbrand's sword contained a scroll vital to their quest. Julian began to examine the inspiring weapon as well, showing it the dead Lord Woodbrand, the message he had scribed, their adventuring charter, and described their quest to defend the Crown Prince Azoun V. After a moment of silence, Julian was struck with a powerful surge from the sword and heard the words, "then destroy me" in his mind. Magically compelled by the powerful weapon, Julian raised the sword in his hand and the rest of the party knew what he was about to do.

Anthony rushed at Julian but his attempt to parry missed, and Julian was able to lock himself within a Cube of Force. Grim Teleported in and sent a blast of force and Julian however, it was Spell Turned and Grim was instantly killed by his own spell. Anthony Dimension Doored into the Cube as well, Revivifying Grim from his death. Julian evaded once more and created a new Cube of Force than was blasted away by a powerful Disintigrate from Grim. Samael summond the mighty Great Spear Hrathdorr and knocked Woodbrand's sword from Julian's grasp. The blade clanged as it hit the stone, surged once more before fading back to its former dull purple hue. After the fray Julian explained that although e was compelled magically he still believed it was in Cormyr's best interest to shatter the blade and retrieve the scroll inside. Anthony and Grim warned of the possible magical explosion that could destroy the scroll or worse. Furthermore, what if it was a trick to ensure the blade's true power didn't fall into the wrong hands? The party argued intensely as Woodbrand's blade sat silent on the stone floor.

The Dracolich Master

Session 128

Characters: Julian, Tulgar, Balin, Cael.

NPCs: Blue Ancient Wyrm Dracolich, Green Ancient Wyrm Dracolich, Red Ancient Wyrm Dracolich, Wearer of Purple Necromancer, Greater Devourer, Greater Dread Wraith, 2 Red Proto-Dracoliches, White Proto-Dracolich.

E 8 Mirtul 1374 - E 9 Mirtul 1374

9000 XP

Now standing in the darkened Storm Horn Mountains, the party made haste into a large cavern entrance which looked for have been hollowed from a great waterfall ages ago. Inside however, they found few signs of life, except for a small stream running under their feet. Moving in further Julian carefully searched the opening cavern room with his arcane vision and found a large magical signature hiding in a watery pool. Suddenly, an Ancient Blue Dracolich rose from the stagnant pool and blasted the party with a crackling bolt of electricity. The smell of its rotting bones and burning flesh choked the adventurers as they struggled to fight back. Julian and Tulgar moved forth to attack while Balin and Cael prepared an onslaught of spells. The stench however, suddenly grew even worse and the party turned to the opening of the great cave only to see a pair of Ancient Dracoliches crouched to the ground in the darkness. The small cavern exploded with fire, and corrosive gas, and lightning once more and both Cael and Balin were killed. Julian wasted no time in Teleporting the party away from the combat to the only place he new could be capable of resurrecting such grievous losses of life, the Fortress of the Faithful.

The party found the Fortress to be well-underway with the reconstruction process, the acolytes in good spirits. They were greeted heartily and taken into the healing presences of the temple's priests. Cael and Balin were resurrected the 8 hours later after the morning prayers to the Triad gods. Then they ate with the priests there, described their battle with the dracoliches, and each adventurer was bestowed with a great spell, immunity to acid. The adventurers said their goodbyes and returned to the mountain pass during the early morning as the sun was just rising over the Storm Horns.

Entering the cave they found its walls to be in perpetual darkness and began to search keenly through the tunnels. They found a number of divination traps which may have altered their presence to the undead monsters, and Julian felt there was something suspicious concerning the waterfall. Cael froze the upper portion in ice and just as the water stopped its torrential flow, the party was set upon again by the elemental blasts of the dracoliches. More well-prepared for combat, Cael charged towards one and nearly disabled it with an incredible blast from his mageblade. Julian struck another for little damage, and Balin's choice of a Moonbeam was ineffective at best against the rotting dragons. Julian was then struck multiple times by the one and paralyzed by its fearsome presence. Tulgar charged in and destroyed a dracolich after being severely wounded himself. Then, just as it seemed the battle was turning it their favor, a shadowy black figure levitated from the waterfall's opening and pointed its terrible fingers at Cael, draining his life significantly. Cael destroyed another dracolich, however rising from the watery pool in the cave's center was another rotting dragon, and then another. Tulgar and Balin focused their attacks on the Proto-Dracoliches and Cael was finally struck dead by the necromantic energy of the shadowy figure. Cael's fate was far worse however, when his withered corpse rose in his amour as a terrible undead Devourer. Tulgar quickly dispatched the undead Devourer before it could drain any more life and bean to battle the Dracoliches once more. Balin had Shapechanged into an Huge Bronze Dragon and was also being drained of his life by the shadow.

Meanwhile, the Proto-Dracolich near Julian was having trouble with a Coup De Grace because of his illusionary defenses. The remaining Red Dracolich returned to its aid and blasted the paralyzed Julian with fire, killing him. The necromancer had raised Cael's corpse once more, and this time he became a Dread Wraith and set upon Balin. Tulgar leapt upon Balin's back and attacked the shadow with the rage of his ancestors. The necromancer fell to the ground dead, and his shadowy aura began to diminish. Unfortunately, Tulgar and Balin were now surrounded by Cael's Dread Wraith, a Red Ancient Dracolich, and two Proto-Dracoliches. With only one option in sight of ending the battle quickly, Balin crashed himself as a Huge Bronze Dragon down 50 feet into the stone floor, smashing the necromancer's body. The three precious phylateries he had used to control the Dracoliches were instantly crushed under the massive force and a series of magical explosions from beneath Balin nearly killed him. Tulgar once again dispatched of the Dread Wraith and the battle was won.

Assassination of the Trollkiller

Session 127

Characters: Julian, Tulgar, Balin, Cael.

NPCs: Purple Dragon Guards (Waymoot).

L 7 Mirtul 1374 - E 8 Mirtul 1374

8500 XP

The party now stood before the closed wooden door of Woodbrand's joyful moothouse where they had stayed just two nights prior. Luckily for Waymoot, there were no signs of attack on the town as in the recent attack on its sister town Dhedluk. Finding no signs of forced entry upon the door or frame the party moved inside. The long room with wood furnishings was torn to pieces as if like in Thiombur's home, the assassin had come for something more than murder. The party spoke with the local Purple Dragons whom were also investigating the scene and were shown the locations where Woodbrand and his wife had been found. Julian searched the room precariously while Balin tracked and Cael looked for magical signatures. After their investigation the party concluded the following. First, that the assailant was more similar to the thief whom tore Thiombur's home apart than the style of senseless destruction created by the Eye Rippers. Second, the assailant probably entered through magical means and attacked Woodbrand's wife first in the kitchen. Third, the assailant moved quickly down the moothouse and encountered Woodbrand. None of the Trollkiller's former magical items were found, however a sword gash was found in a joist indicating Woodbrand may have made a brief attempt to fight back and raise alarm. Fourth, no townsfolk reported any unusual noises, or lights from the moothouse so magical silence and darkness spells may have additionally been employed. The party was shown the rope that Woodbrand's body was found hanging by in the rafters of his moothouse ceiling. Julian found that the majority of the searching done by the thief occurred in his large poetry and literature collection. Like his good friend Thiombur, Woodbrand was often considered one of Cormyr's greatest Warrior-Poets and patriots. What information the thief could have found or been looking for was unknown.

Julian did however, manage to find that there were faint markings and indentations that glinted in the firelight off the surface of a large book. The book had most likely been thrown to the floor from his desk and upon a charcoal rub, Julian discovered that these were the old pressure points of Woodbrand's original message to Thiombur. The missing sections Woodbrand had "trouble remembering" were now clear. The most suprising thing however was that the message was already complete. The missing segments eluded to an alternate word arrangement, and the charcoal marks further revealed the encoded first draft! Woodbrand's original intended message. It was coded in opposite word meaning and the words linked both Woodbrand and Thiombur to the involvements in the Knights Draconis organization. The message warned that the upcoming meeting must be canceled for security reasons. If this hidden script was genuine, it would give legitimacy to hundreds of years of un-believed draconic folklore.

The party also was allowed to examine the bodies of Woodbrand and his wife. Cael's close examination of the wife revealed that a powerful evocation spell had destroyed her head, she was obviously of no informative use for the assailant. Woodbrand's body however, was wrought with torturous wounds. Unlike the evidence found in his moothouse, this would indicate a long torture and much time being spent inside the house. Balin found a black porous rock lodged deep in Woodbrand's throat, the final cause of death. This piece upon further analysis however, was in fact charred dragon bone. Woodbrand's eyes remained within his skull, further evidence that the Eye Rippers were not involved. Julian stared at the body in sadness, however after a number of minutes he noticed the faint glow of magic within the body. Cael immediately casted a Greater Dispel Magic upon Woodbrand's corpse and before their eyes, the Transmutation ended revealing the corpse of a dried up Troll! The reason Woodbrand's soul was not present for resurrection was now even clearer... he was still alive.

Balin immediately went to work further analyzing the dragon bone, unfortunately it served as the only possible link to the killer they had. After some very difficult scrying Balin thought he had found the location of a cave in the Storm Horn Mountains that seemed to posses the remainder of the very same skeleton. Night had fallen fast and with little starlight shining through the thick cloud cover the party Teleported to the western Storm Horn Mountains.

Black Feathers & Treachery

Session 126

Characters: Julian, Tulgar, Cael, Balin.

NPCs: Grezalgog: Greater Stone Giant, Black Raven Tribesman, Giant Black Ravens,

L 7 Mirtul 1374 - L 8 Mirtul 1374

5250 XP

The party healed their grievous wounds from the battle with the Black Raven Giant tribesman and began searching for tracks of passage. The night sky was dark and the storm horn crags were not favorable for tracking. However, fortunately for Balin and the party, mountain giants are quite easy to track regardless! Their massive footprints lead the party to a series of large caravan entrances, high in the mountains which out to the south over Cormyr. They cautiously entered and were hit with a terrible festering smell, giant black raven feathers littered the area. Tulgar realized something critical in that since he had been responsible for the death of their chieftain he could rename himself the new chieftain as long as no other barbarian warrior challenged him. Though it was a great risk, the thought of battling an even greater number of the powerful Black Raven warriors drove him further into the cave alone. Tulgar boldly announced his presence by throwing the massive ear of their chief onto the ground and with a great Uthgardt roar and proclaimed himself to be the slayer of their leader and the new chief of the tribe. Staring at him was a large group of giants, and oversized humans clad in crude raven feathered clothing. From deeper in the cave the party heard the loud squawking of many ravens. One great stone giant stood up and announced himself as Grezalgog, challenging Tulgar's inheritance of the tribe. The remaining Uthgardt barbarians began to smash stone upon stone in a deafening rhythm. Battle between the two great warriors was joined.

After only a couple blows from their spiked weapons, both warriors were in grave condition. Tulgar called upon his ancestral weapon Gar and struck first, killing Grezalgog. The smashing of stones halted and the remaining Uthgardt tribesman dared not challenge the warrior Tulgar whom had slayed their 5 strongest warriors and giants. Reluctantly at first, the tribe clothed him in black feathers for Tulgar had clearly earned his place of honor. The barbarians of the Black Raven tribe offered a giant-sized meal to their new chieftain and the rest of the party. The Black Ravens were crude and violent, however Tulgar saw in them the honor of Uthgar himself and new that their evil ways could be redeemed. Balin spoke with the raven mounts and found them to be intelligent, crude, and sarcastic tricksters. During the remainder of the night more Black Raven scouts came into the cave from their patrols reporting the movements of various merchant trains and Purple Dragon regiments. Tulgar spoke with the Black Ravens concerning the draconic symbol he had found on their chieftain. The ravens said that he had been regularly meeting recently with a shadowy figure clothed in purple robes. That individual had given them much intelligence, magical items, and resources necessary to increase their raiding considerably. Whom this person was however, was something their chieftain had kept a secret. Tulgar used his first power of the tribe to command them to cease their attacks on merchant caravans and Purple Dragons and instead focus on tracking orc movements and orcish supply wagons. The Black Ravens agreed, for their hatred of orcs equally matched that of the weakening humans, and Tulgar had pointed out their rising strength to be a direct threat to the Black Raven tribe.

In the morning the party said goodbye to the Black Raven tribesman and Teleported to Suzail once more. There in the beautiful royal court gardens they sought out Alaphondar at his tower in the great Library of Suzail. After a thorough security check the party was welcomed into to a private viewing area where, fine wine, cheese, and prepared cart of literature awaited. During the meeting the party explained their findings to the old Royal Sage about Dhedluk and their conversations with Lord Woodbrand of Waymoot. Alaphondar described to the party that the symbol seemed to reference a secret society in Cormyr's legendary history known as the Knights Draconis. Although no formal proof of the organization existed, there were a number of tales and personal accounts that continually references it. The Knights Draconis was said to be an organization started early in Cormyr's history with the goal of helping the Purple Dragon. Alaphondar did not pause but did restate that those whom believed in the Knights Draconis also believed that the Purple Dragon was real. Hundreds of accounts of wood cutters, fisherman, and other nature-folk have been recorded though many are wrought with misinformation and unreliable. The Sage himself felt that based on the type of tattoo, and Thiombur's indulgences in legend as a warrior-poet, it was likely he had it done to honor the myth itself. After Alaphondar's purely scholarly account of the Knights Draconis he answered the party's questions pertaining to recent parliamentarian matters. Then after much discussion the party decided to visit Alusair and the other royals to inform them of what they had encountered in the Storm Horn Mountains west of Castle Crag.

Entering the court again, the party hoped there would be a more order than what they had seen the previous day. However, to their chagrin they found the royals in court to be quite unsettled, Alusair was in her chamber. The party waited at her door until her meeting was through and could hear the sounds of a powerful male yelling defensively. The door suddenly opened and a strongly built man dressed in red parliamentarian colors stormed out, his uniform was recognizable as that of an admiral. Alusair furiously described to the party that Ayesunder Truesilver, the Warden of the Port of Marsember and Admiral of Cormyr's Royal Navy had just threatened to blockade Suzail if Alusair contested the inheritance rights of current Stag Steads Lord Fletcher Hawksongs, a young and arrogant Parliamentarian leader. Alusair had outright refused saying that Waymoot would remain a royalist town and Fletcher would be killed on site as a traitor. Lord Woodbrand of Waymoot had been found dead and hanging from the rafters of his moothouse, his wife also killed. With Woodbrand dead and Hawksongs claiming his rights to the Waymoot rulership Alusair was tied once again. She asked that the party go quickly to Waymoot and investigate what had happened to Woodbrand and the state of affairs in the town in general. The party agreed and Teleported at once to the front entrance of Woodbrand's moothouse in Waymoot.

Ravens in the Crags

Session 125

Characters: Julian, Tulgar, Balin, Davvin, Cael.

NPCs: Castle Crag Guardsman, 3 Mountain Giants (Black Raven Uthgardt), 1 Mountain Giant chieftain.

M 7 Mirtul 1374 - L 7 Mirtul 1374

8800 XP

A minutes turned to hours and as the sun began to set the party felt as though they were under watch. At one point Balin thought he had seen a black figure in the sky although on second glance it looked like the shadow of a darkening cloud. With darkness set in the party began to slow the wagon down as it passed through the mountain's terrible crags. The horses became restless and all at once 2 great Mountain Giants clothed in giant black raven feathers and a number of massive boulders smashed into the caravan from above. Julian immediately ended the illusion and combat was joined. The party was now under siege by the largest giants they had ever set eyes upon. Cael began to cut through a nearby giant with Calinus Brumalis and summoned an Elder Ice Elemental. Balin although crushed in the initial attack Wildshaped into an earth elemental and began to summon an Elder Air Elemental. The giants began to grab the party and spike them violently into other members and nearly killed Tulgar if it were not for his ancestral armor. Cael exchanged mighty blows with one Mountain Giant and both were killed in the process. Davvin resurrected Cael seconds later and the spellsword returned to the fray.

As Julian struck one giant with a Vampiric Touch from his necromantic mace he noticed that the giant was also undergoing strange magical healing from an amulet half covered under his raven feathered cloak. Tulgar also smashed into the giants with his spiked chain, Balin Firestormed them, however both were thrown violently as well and soon the fight would be lethal. Julian began to alter time with his new arcane powers and turned the tide of battle upon the regenerating Mountain Giants. Finally, Tulgar squared off with their chieftain and dealt a devastating blow, killing the giant instantly. After what seemed like an eternity of battle between the adventurers and the barbaric giants, they were victorious. When the battle had ended Julian and Cael examined the magical amulets finding that they were not shaped like Ravens or traditional Uthgardt symbols. Instead they were symbols of a dragon with outstretched wings. More disturbing was the fact that it was stylized like that of the mythological Cormyrian Purple Dragon. Tulgar remembered what Svlauf the Splitter had told him of the powerful Uthgardt Black Raven tribes and thought it may be possible for them to be receiving additional help for their destructive services. Who this was however was still unclear.

Parliament Strengthens

Session 124

Characters: Julian, Tulgar, Balin, Nomin, Cael.

NPCs: James Cormaeril, Alusair Obarskyr, Cormyrian Nobles, Lord Alaphondar Emmarsk: Royal Sage of Cormyr.

E 7 Mirtul 1374 - M 7 Mirtul 1374

4200 XP

The morning sun rose quickly and the party drowsily pulled themselves from Woodbrand's comfortable moothouse to return to Suzail once more. They Teleported to the outer edge of the royal gardens finding that the court was meeting with Parliamentarian leaders to discuss a possible solution before Cormyr split apart into war. Upon entering the royal court building the party saw a large group of politicians and nobles boldly displaying red colors to signify their allegiance to the newly proposed Parliamentarian state of Cormyr. Both the royal and parliamentarian sides were under the fierce watch of their elite troops. This time the Parliamentarian majority leader James Cormaeril was present and speaking out against the Regent for her inaptitude in handling the massive pirating problems, orcs, barbarian raiders, declining economics, poor relations with Sembia, and other current issues. Nomin flew into a rage upon hearing this and shouted against the Cormaeril asking for the Regent to behead the Parliamentarian leaders now. Royalists and moderates alike quickly opposed this as a rash decision that may have lead to their martydom, and an instant bloody revolution. The parliamentarians began to attempt to gain the support of the undecided lords and faltering royalists. However, when this did not succeed they announced the news that the Regent and her staff had also just become aware of. Castle Crag, the largest concentrated force of Royalist Purple Dragon Knights to the north had just joined the rebellion under the leadership of Lord Vorik Aris. This change greatly brought down the military strength Alusair had been hoping to retain, and furthermore it left the royalist town of Arabel sandwiched between two very large Parliamentarian forces.

Still worse was the fact that Lord Vorik Aris' troops would be nearly invincible with their current commander Isidar Fianche, "the victor". Ornrion Fianche was both a Flankmaster in the prestigious church of the Red Knight and an experienced Purple Dragon Knight. After recently volunteering for the Cormyrian military he quickly rose to the rank of Ornrion and has never been defeated in battle. Julian and Tulgar gave powerful speeches to the lords attempting to gain their favor back to the royalist side, stopping many from filtering out in dismay. After the meeting, the Parliamentarian lords had Teleported away and Alusair called for the party to meet her again. During the meeting the party explained to Alusair what they had discovered in Dhedluk and Waymoot. Alusair asked that they again go and demand a council with Alaphondar for help in decipheringng the mysterious symbol found on Thiombur. Furthermore, she asked that the party venture up to Castle Crag; figure out if what the Parliamentarians said was correct, and finally attempt to hunt down and destroy the Eye Rippers once and for all. With Castle Crag now a Parliamentarian fortress the threat of orc and barbarian raiding parties in the northern lands had just increased greatly.

After the meeting with the Alusair, the party Teleported to a rocky cliffside which looked out to Castle Crag to the east. They then traveled to the mountain fortress and found that it was clearly flying the red parliamentarian colors. Balin easily noticed that there were many heavy tracks in the ground leading southwest and away from Castle Crag. Castle Crag had obviously moved a significant amount of troops southward within the past day. In speaking with the current guards of Castle Crag the party learned the locations of a number of the local mountain range's most dangerous points. A tour of service through it was often considered the "death hike" by the Castle Crag knights. The party decided to set up a false merchant caravan to draw in a heavy attack from orc or barbarian tribesman and then follow their trail to find the Eye Rippers. As such, the party purchased 4 wagons and 8 horses from the guards (at a much inflated rate), and magically disguised them with illusions and leftover Purple flags that the guards no longer wanted. The party then began the march through the "death hike" trail with the newly made rich merchant caravan complete with illusionary guards.

Bad Luck for Dhedluk

Session 123

Characters: Julian, Balin, Tulgar, Lord Thond, Nomin.

NPCs: Kynwras Firsul, Caladnei: Royal Magician of Cormyr, Townsfolk of Dhedluk, Purple Dragon Knights (Dhedluk), Lord Dier Emmarsk, Lord Filfar "Trollkiller" Woodbrand (Waymoot).

L 6 Mirtul 1374 - E 7 Mirtul 1374

6200 XP

Kynwras Firsul and Caladnei had returned with a huge reinforcement of War Wizards to find that the party had already battled off the Eye-Rippers. The people still in attendance thanked the party with all their gratitude, however celebrations were not an order yet. Caladnei and the others began to search for the point of entry outside the castle. The Eye-Ripper swath of destruction had stopped there however, and with nearly all the Dimensional Archor stones still functioning in the gardens, the War Wizards seemed to be stuck. Balin meanwhile, had been tracking their movements through listening to the garden fauna, and gathering what visual cues he could from his skill as a tracker. In no time he had tracked the presence to a small star-shaped grove of trees covered in thick ivy. In the center of this grove stood a modest Blueleaf tree and Balin notified Caladnei and the War Wizards. Caladnei had not had time to investigate all of Cormyr's many portals and after some magical analysis with Julian's help it was clear this tree possessed a Teleportation link to another location. They would however, require the necessary keys to open the portal. Caladnei gave Julian a Passagestone and with some quick wits, the Tethyrian rouge managed to solve a Cormyrian riddle and gain access to the portal. One-by-one the party stepped in and found themselves in an identical grove somewhere far away.

Leaving the ivy covered grove, the party found themselves in the recently sacked village of Dhedluk. Some burning buildings were still being put out by the local townsfolk. More disturbing however, was that just outside the grove, the party found the corpse of Lord Thiombur, the mayor of Dhedluk. Through Balin's observations it was clear, Thiombur had suffered through a quick and intense torture which culminated in his eyes being excised from his skull. As the party interrogated the townsfolk they discovered that the town had been hit suddenly with blasts of fire and magic during the night. Some had reported movements of large shadows toward the east end of town near the grove. Thiombur's moothouse, though untouched by the flames, looked as though a whirlwind had struck inside. Julian figured out that this had been the work of someone other than the Eye-Rippers and that they were searching exclusively through Thiombur's large collection of personal poetry. What the thief had taken would remain unclear, portal words perhaps, but this seemed like the work of someone who knew exactly what they had wanted. During his searched Julian did find a very recent letter addressed to Thiombur from Lord Filfar Woodbrand. The letter seemed to concern the recent Parliamentarian uprising, although its side was torn and there were large portions of the message that appeared to be missing.

After the search of Thiombur's moothouse, the party was allowed by the Purple Dragon Knights on duty to examine his body. During a magical search the party found a strange symbol among a number of tattoos. The tattoo glowed only in the moonlight and depicted a Cormyrian stylized dragon curled into a circle, eating its own tail; the spikes on its backside resembled that of a crown. Julian attempted to replicate this image on paper but found great resistance in doing it. Those the party spoke to concerning this seemed to have little idea what the symbol could have meant. The party had finished their investigation of Dhedluk and decided to return to Suzail through the Blueleaf tree's portal. Back in the gardens a very extensive magical security effort was underway to ensure that something of the sort never happened again. The party informed Kynwras Firsul, and Caladnei about the Dhedluk investigation and Lord Thiombur's assassination. The two were greatly troubled and recommended that the party seek out Alaphondar the Sage of Cormyr about the magical tattoo they had found. Julian left a copy to Alaphondar's apprentice and son Dier Emmarsk. The party also sought out Woodbrand in Suzail but were told that after the attacks by the Eye Rippers, he had Teleported home to ensure that Waymoot was safe. So without as much as a pause to catch their breath, the party Teleported to Lord Woodbrand's hometown.

Waymoot was much like Dhedluk in that both were small King's Forest communities. However, Waymoot had not undergone any attack, although most of the residents were awake upon hearing the news the royal court was attacked by orcs. The party was cordially invited into Woodbrand's moothouse where his beautiful wife prepared Roast Gammon Pie. The party spoke with Woodbrand about the earlier attacks by the Eye-Rippers, his good friend Lord Thiombur's death, the attack on Dhedluk, and the magical dragon circle they found on his body. Thiombur shared many stories concerning his friendship with Thiombur, the dismal state of Parliamentarian politics, and seemed greatly shattered by all of the recent news. He also recommended the party seek out Alaphondar for guidance on the symbol's meaning. Woodbrand made an unusually poor attempt to fill in some of the holes in the message he had written to Thiombur. However, it was late, much mead had been drank, and many things weighed heavily on the old Trollkiller's mind. The party stayed with Woodbrand in his moothouse that night.

Blind Bloodshed

Session 122

Characters: Julian, Balin, Tulgar, Lord Thond.

NPCs: Obold's Eye Rippers: Korgak the Frenzied berserker, Sarhbub the Sorcerer, Xuthakug the Cleric of Gruumsh, Bazbilg the Rouge, Kynwras Firsul, Caladnei: Royal Magician of Cormyr.

L 6 Mirtul 1374 - L 6 Mirtul 1374

8600 XP

The uncomfortable political tension was suddenly broken in the great hall as a fearsome party of 4 orcs splintered the double doors and began cutting through scores of unprepared adventurers and noble guests. Immediately, Kynwras Firsul Recalled Azoun V to safety as the other War Wizard sentinels began Teleporting the rest of the Obarskyrs. As the panicked crowd rushed back towards the royal table for protection, Pinehill's adventurers prepared for a bloody fight. Tulgar had heard legends of Obold's Eye Rippers, an elite group of orcish warriors beyond any in the northern tribes. Utterly loyal to Obold through his status as the chosen of Gruumsh, the Eye Rippers had somehow reached the inner gardens of Suzail and were rampaging through the ranks of inferior Purple Dragon knight defenders. Tulgar rushed forward and met Korgak in a brutal physical combat, however instantly the Eye-Rippers became shrouded in Continual Darkness. Although Tulgar dealt punishing blows capable of killing many other opponents, the blood-raging orc would not fall and the Darkness would not relent. Instead, Korgak returned blows more terrible than he had ever experienced and Tulgar was soon at Tempest's doorstep. Sarhbub blasted Lord Thond with an icy ray, freezing him and immediately halting his charge. Julian would attempt to disintegrate the sorcerer though it failed. Balin's spell casting attempts were countered by the well-prepared cleric Xuthakug. Then, Julian managed to reflect a Greater Dispel Magic back at the sorcerer and in an arcane-fueled effort managed to slay the rouge Bazbilg by surprise.

Balin did all he could to keep Lord Thond and Tulgar alive from unstoppable assaults by the frenzied Korgak. Julian then blasted the weakened sorcerer to death and gained a strategic advantage next to the cleric Xuthakug. However, before he could act again, the dark cleric smashed into Julian with divine wrath and disappeared into the darkness. The very same round as Tulgar and Thond struggled to stay alive, Korgak also disappeared. The onset of abrupt silence following the terrible battle lasted only seconds as more Purple Dragon guards and spell casters rushed in to save the dying victims all around. Though the Eye-Rippers had escaped, the party had done an incredible act by dealing them their first defeat. Furthermore, they had saved the Obarskyrs and the lives of many adventurers and nobles.

A Gesture of Fealty

Session 121

Characters: Julian, Balin, Nomin, Lord Thond, Cael, Tulgar.

NPCs: 4 Royal Guards of Suzail, Mendryll Belarod: Herald of Suzail, Alusair Obarskyr: the Regent of Cormyr, Lamiril Cormaeril: Court Lawyer (Cormaeril House), Crown Prince Azoun V, Kynwras Firsul: Watcher of Suzail, Queen Filfaeril Obarskyr, Svlauf the Splitter (Bloodaxes), Pahelhe Firecaster (She-Wolves), Gaerhi Magognir (Emerald Swords).

E 6 Mirtul 1374 - L 6 Mirtul 1374

4800 XP

With Wyvernspur's Parliamentarian army just north of Calantar Keep, the party decided that it would be best to visit the Royal Court in Suzail before a full-scale conflict erupted. Anthony Manton chose to stay with his Knights of the Cleansing Flame to direct their defensive efforts. Julian Teleported the party to the expansive and luxurious royal gardens in Suzail where they were met by 2 pairs of Royal Knights and War Wizards. After explaining that they were noble emissaries from Tethyr, the guards stripped the party of their weapons and escorted them into the court building where a session was currently underway. Nomin Ohtar however, was recognized upon entering as an exile of Cormyr and taken away. He pleaded with the guards explaining that he had returned a changed man and that he wished nothing more than to re-pledge his loyalty to the Crown. Upon hearing this, Alusair the Regent of Cormyr rose form her slouched position and voiced her support to re-establishment Nomin as a Cormyrian citizen. Lamiril staunchly opposed this motion by Alusair, citing it as unjust, tyrannical, and impulsive decision by the Obarskyrs; another reason why the remaining undecided lords should join the Parliamentarian movement. The voices of debate rose like flames in the Court following Cormaeril's accusations. Support for Cormaeril was strongly stated by the other present Parliamentarian lords. Julian and Tulgar stood up against the Parliamentarian lords, defending both Alusair's decision and Nomin Ohtar's character and honor. Despite their efforts, the Parliamentarian lords gained more support from the undecided members of the Court and seemed invigorated by the decision which Alusair intended to use to her advantage.

During the righteous shouting of another Cormaeril speech, an unlikely man stepped forth to batter the Parliamentarian morale. None other than the royalist Lord Thond, a former brave adventurer, distinguished noble, and secondary owner in the Thousand Heads Trading Priakos. Thond was at one time one of Cormyr's most distinguished knights; then during an adventurer in the Marsh of Tun west of the Storm Horn Mountains he became lost. Years later, Thond was found wandering the wilderness, half-insane and with no memory of where he had been. Although the 6 foot tall and well-built lord still attended the Court sessions he was required to by his noble heritage, he usually remained silent, except for the occasional non-sensical outburst of course. This time however, his composure of old had returned and in a bold, patriotic speech, Thond captured the allegiances of the wavering nobles by surprise. Support for Alusair's decision and the Crown would live on for at least another few days as the Parliamentarian lords stormed out of the Court defeated.

Following the Court session, Alusair asked that the adventurers and Lord Thond meet her to discuss future matters. Gathered in a lavish chamber, Regent Alusair also introduced the party to Lord Thond and Lord Partic Thistle: the Registrant General of Cormyr responsible for all adventuring charters in Cormyr. The party questioned Alusair on the rising orc threat, the Parliamentarian force lead by Wyvernspur, and other political matters. She explained that although things had been worsening in Cormyr for some time, the lack of support by certain lords had forced her to threaten revoking their noble claims. Alusair recognized the immense power that the party wielded and spoke with them not as a politician but as a fellow adventurer herself. She asked if they would join the royalist support and sign a charter to destroy the orc threat and defend Azoun V as the Crown Prince of Cormyr in their full capacity. The party agreed, signing the charter that Lord Thistle had written. Lord Thond also signed the charter and Alusair asked that he assist the party in matters related to Cormyrian history, protocol, and culture. Lord Thond felt flashes of his old self returning and energetically signed the charter hoping that whatever fog had entered his mind in the Marsh of Tun would clear. Finally, the party was formally invited to the Gesture of Fealty, an annual feast held by the Lord Partic Thistle to acknowledge the great contributions that chartered adventuring groups had made.

Lord Thond welcomed the party into his dusty and vacant castle estate in the gardens of Suzail. The party spoke with Lord Thond about the recent Cormyrian troubles and then prepared for the great feast. Night had fallen and the party entered with Lord Thond into a large courtly chamber where many adventurers, nobles, and politicians mingled and basked in the luxurious accommodations. Tulgar was approached by a strongly built Cormyrian adventurer, Svlauf the Splitter of the Bloodaxes and was told of the rising numbers of orcs in the mountains. Equally troubling, Svlauf explained was the Black Raven barbarian tribe whom were amassing power quite rapidly. Julian managed to save the gregarious Ruben Arman St. James II of the Golden Gauntlets from the unimpressed anger of Pahelhe Firecaster, a She-Wolf adventurer. In addition, the party met and with Lord Filfar Woodbrand of Waymoot who shared tales of adventure in between gulps of mead and arms wrestling. The feast began in the court's great hall and the party was seated next to the rude Emerald Swords adventuring party. After the meal the Royal Court began to call adventurers forward in the annual gesture of fealty before the young Crown Prince Azoun V. A number of adventuring parties showed their disapproval for the Royalists by leaving after the meal. Pinehill's adventurers were then called forth and Mendryll Belarod, the herald of Suzail told a grand tale of their deeds in Zazesspur. More formalities followed the party's acknowledgement by the royal family until suddenly, all hell broke loose in the court!