Path to the Tomb
6/27/1999
Prelude
The Spire
** Poof ***
Well, that didn't last very long.Silvery Falls
Orcs and more my lord, hundreds of them, all marching north...
Where were they going?
I don't know I captured one but all he would speak of is the sleeper.
Summary of the Adventure
The company, following the urgings of Andi's sword, found themselves once more plunging into the mountains. They trekked for nearly a week until finally they reached an impasse. The cold gray mountain towered more than five hundred feet above them and there was no way to scale it. Calidon looked and saw that even scaling it would not solve their problem, since the way from the top was no better.
After much debate, the group split into two units, one heading east along the cliff and the other heading west. The westerly group had an easy trip of about two miles and found themselves in a pass leading down into the Outlands. The other group was not as lucky.
They followed the path for nearly four hours with nary a sign of a way through; with darkness coming, they decided to try to find somewhere to make camp for the night. They eventually spotted a cave across a small chasm.
Calidon used his flying boots to fly across the chasm and investigate while the rest of the group continued their slow advance along the trail. Calidon landed and looked around, pronouncing that the cave was big enough for them and their horses. Without warning, he was attacked by three humanoid figures. He slew one and Malz used a magic missile to slay another.
While the rest of the group hurried along the path, Calidon finished the third one and six more arrived. The battle was joined in earnest and the group made quick work of the other six. Determining that the caves would not be a very good shelter and that the time spent in killing these things would delay their mission unnecessarily, the group opted not to enter the caves.
Instead, they elected to make camp across the chasm where they'd have a clear view of the cave. Several more of the creatures pursued them and were killed by a combination of swordplay and magic. From their position across the chasm, the group was able to watch the cavemouth and Malz used a lightning bolt to kill another half dozen of them. The party spent a fitful night on the mountainside, interrupted only be the sound of an avalanche blocking their exit from the area of the cave.
In the morning, Calidon flew to the top of the chasm to see if more of them were waiting up there. He saw no Grimlock, but he did see the signal that the other group had found a way through. Before he could return to the group, he was laid low by a single wound from a poisoned arrow. Malz responded by using a Web spell to save Calidon, and the group helped him as best they could. The attacker, a hideous snake-bodied woman, offered to give them the cure if they would but leave one of their number to serve as her mate.
The group debated for a moment, then decided they would try it. When they arrived, the medusa lay hidden from them and the grimlocks gave them the vial. Calidon drank it and the poison was abated. He went to see his new mistress and was immediately charmed. While the rest of the group battled the grimlock in hopes of reaching him in time, the medusa ordered Calidon to kill them.
Interpreting her commands to suit his whim, Calidon began hacking his way through the grimlocks towards the rest of the company. Androth made his way past the grimlocks to face the medusa in single combat and Malz helped him by providing a darkness spell to deny her her most powerful attack. Harkonen, inspired by the realization that the grimlocks were blind, used a silence spell to effectively blind them.
Within a few minutes, the brunt of the fighting was over; the Medusa lay dead and her servitors were likewise deceased. They collected her bloody head and stuffed it in a bag.
Confident that they'd dealt with the master of the lair and not wanting to be pursued on the narrow mountain trails, the group investigated the rest of the caverns and killed all the adult males, leaving behind a few females and children.
They returned to the other group by nightfall the next day and proceeded to head through the pass.
In Character Moment(s) of the Night
Harkonen (muttered): Elves....
Calidon: I chop my way through them.
Player Moment(s) of the Night
Dave: Knock him out
Joe: (makes falling down cliff noise) That's not what he meant??: Eww! Ewww! Ewwww! Get it out of my brain! (I wrote it down but don't remember who said it or in what context)
The Spoils
Character Item Brother Urbane Candlestick of Concentration
One extra spell at each of levels 1-4 (4 spells total)Malz Ring of Armoring Androth +1 Bow Calidon +2 Two-Handed Sword Malz Crystal Ball-like Painting
Experience Summary
Player Adventure Bonuses, penalties and what not Total Andivarai Shea 0 Did not play 24,200 Androth 4,000 We should just leave them and get back to the group +500 33,700 Brother Urbane 6,000 Silence on Grimlocks +1000
...elves +500
Feather Fall/Flight Idea +100035,500 Calidon 4,000 I cut my way through them +500 26,100 Daran 0 Did not play 24,350 Jameson 0 Did not play 10,250 Malz 6000 Connection with previous adventure +1000
Good Spells (especially Web) +1000
No hurry +50026,000 Most players have received more experience in the final analysis than they did on my first cut. That's because I realized the giving out +100 for ideas probably wasn't that big a deal anymore...
