The Crystal Castle
Prelude
Elsewhere:
Lord: The Vos is dead!? The TROLL is dead?!
Underling: Yesss!
Lord: They are more powerful than I thought!
Underling: Vrck will deal with it.
Lord: He hasn't failed me yet....
Adventure Summary
The group is camped out in the hills, several miles from the Castle. The group spends a day licking their wounds from some earlier battles with gnolls and giant spiders. Through the healing power of Erik, they are soon on their way. Heidrek scouts the castle and the group eventually makes their approach. The magnificent castle is now abandoned and falling into ruin. The party uses some caving ladders made from giant spider legs to scale the 12' walls. The castle has two intact towers and a two story gatehouse. The entryway under the gatehouse is blocked by a portcullis facing outward and large heavy doors on the courtyard side.
While examining the guard room of the eastern most tower, the group discovers, undead skeletons. During the melee with the skeletons, Haddath and Heidrek notice the large courtyard doors swinging open to reveal an ogre and four goblins! To make matters worse, gnoll archers in the second story of the gatehouse rain a hail of arrows on the party. Ludwig, Menzak and Rayad fight the skeletons, while Heidrek and Haddath take on the Ogre.
Rayad quickly decides he'd rather fight the Ogre and charges that way. The skeletons are quickly dispatched, but the Ogre puts up more of a fight. Gnoll archers continue to pepper the melee with arrows, even killing a goblin. Menzak with a crack shot, and Ludwig's magic slows the arrow assault long enough for the Ogre to go down and Rayad to climb a ladder to the second story of the gatehouse.
Once on the battlements, the half dozen gnolls are no match for Rayad, Menzak and Ludwig. Once again, a Ogre and 4 goblins emerge from under the gatehouse and Heidrek and Haddath square off again. Vrck, the enemy leader, a large Bugbear in plate wielding a black scimitar, lands several wounding blows to the three warriors. Rayad takes most of the damage as Menzak and Ludwig have better armor to protect them. As the Bugbear is losing the fight, he jumps from the battlement and disappears! Heidrek and Haddath having defeated an Ogre and goblins (Again!), track the Invisible Bugbear, aided by Rayad.
Under a hail of arrows and daggers, the gravely wounded Vrck is slain. The party discovers that the scimitar and a ring are magical.
The group, once again wounded, decide to hole up for the night in the second story of the gatehouse. The dead bodies are piled up in hopes of attracting eaters of the dead. Since the bodies are in the courtyard, the group hopes to kill as many of the ghouls without engaging in melee. Shortly after midnight several ghouls come to the dead pile and nearly all are slain. A few hours later as the group hears more ghouls at the dead, the emerge to rain missle fire once more. However, a pair of ghasts, have cunningly made their way along the battlements! Rayad is hit and paralyzed by the ghasts attack, the ghasts looking for more, puch Rayad's stiff body over the wall and into the dead pile!
Soon the ghouls and ghasts are given their final rest, and the party gets at least some fitful rest. In the morning, after further healing from Erik, the group decides to investigate the cemetary and masoleum. Haddath detects undead, and the group fearing a Vampire, proceed cautiously. Once inside, the group climbs up on the internment drawers and spots two townsfolk huddling in the corner. After exposing them to sunlight, via Mirror and a hole in the roof (Ludwig). The party approaches, the townsfolk are terrified and flee. Menzak chases after them trying to speak with them. When stopped Menzak presents his hand in friendship only to find the townfolk is some sort of skeletal monster! The creature opens a nasty gash on his arm. Menzak immediately feels weak and aches in his bones. The creatures are no match for the group, although it is discovered that magical weapons were needed to harm those things.
Having time to further investigate the masoleum, the group move the lid/statue of the prominient sarcophagus and soon finds a secret trap door leading down into a man made hole! The group decides to return to the relative safety of the gatehouse and plan the next move in the search for the Rod of Crystalline!
Quotes
DM: Initiative
Rayad: I'm going to parry one blow, 10.
Haddath/Heidrek : Good Choice.
Heidrek: When I was a child, I had a top. It spun all over and created a horrendous racket. You (Menzak) and Rayad remind me of that top.
Heidrek: We throw the dead in a pile so we can hunt over bait.
Rayad: Good idea are you sure you are not a Ranger?
DM: I'm waiting for him to say "Are you sure you are not a priest of Erik?"
Heidrek: I'm sure he's not!
Ludwig: I chop a goblin into small chunks.
Rayad: Cool, chumming for ghouls
Rayad: Happiness is a steaming gut pile.
Rayad: He's proven a find lord a leapin' (after Menzak leap onto the Ogre killing it and it subsequently falling on Heidrek)
Heidrek: Never anger an enemy, it makes him unpredictable and more dangerous. Of course, some of us may be better able to predict chaos.
Steve: Use the Mick rules: >10 hits, <10 misses for you (Dave) its an advantage.
Joe (Alex is crying): Look Alex, its Chloro-Bear, Doesn't he smell good? Off to Dreamland.
Spoils
Scimitar of Speed (black) - Rayad
Ring of Invisibility - unclaimedExperience
Group Experience
Killing Monsters + 1,800 Individual
Player Bonuses Total Alexandros Did Not Attend 10,550 Haddath Finding Joe's character sheet: +150 12,950 Heidrek Good of Party: +500
Ideas, spider legs: +300
Invisible Bugbear tracking: +80019,025 Ludwig Good Spells: +500 Total: Ftr: 5,650
Mage: 6,450Menzak Jumping on Ogre: +500 13,550 Rayad Roleplaying +300 15,475 William Did not attend 6,050