After hiding in the caravan carts and covering them, several members of the party rode up the winch-drawn cable in the back of the first wagon -- with D sitting on top, cloaked by invisibility.
Upon reach the top, D sprang out and charged the unsuspecting mage... and somehow managed to stumble and miss on the rocky ground (natural 1!) A magical spell cloaked the entire area in darkness (the party had an alert spell active to provide visibility), as the party desperately worked to intervene in time to save him from the guardian hell hounds. Conan's djinni carted multiple lizards up the side of the cliff, and the mage soon dropped to a sustained and much more professional dwarven assault.
The hell hounds inflicted terrible fire damage as the battle raged, and the captain (Gustavus) directed his obedient air elemental to protect him from direct assault. He did not, however, anticipate being aerially hassled by the djinni, who disrupted control of the elemental long enough for it to run amok and finish off several hell hounds.
When the battle finally swung in favor of the adventurers, the captain elected to charge up the tower, using a giant enchanted lens to send a bright beam of light (shuttered to create a coded message warning of the tower's fall) to the presumed location far to the northwest. The party quickly smashed down the door and apprehended him for interrogation.
He revealed:
- the Styxx main camp had a much larger force of pirates, numbering in the hundreds;
- several rival pirate crews were in the area (including the one previously dispatched by the pirates);
- caravans traveled back and forth multiple times a week;
- messages were sent back from the tower to the base camp on a daily basis;
- the message beacon lens could be used to communicate with the dark elves at the opposite end of the valley as well.
The dungeons contained a number of prisoners who were liberated and immediately volunteered to join the party -- replacing Boudicca, Grimdark, and one of the Saurians afflicted with lycanthropy (held in check by slow disease), who all elected to stay behind at the tower to create a permanent base of operations for opposition to the dark elves and their slaver allies.
Roster
- Zegzinu (3 henchlizards; one afflicted with lycanthropy)
- D
- Boudica
- Aeryn
- Conan the librarian (contemplating retirement)
- Grimdark (contemplating retirement)
- Zelmar
- Bob the Wolfman (plotting treachery) [inactive]
- Lavi [inactive]
...and introducing four liberated prisoners for next week (whose names I need to record!)
D, lost several teeth;
Zelmar, joined the one-eyed club, because all the cool kids were doing it.
Treasure and Experience
Coins: 968 gp [=> 968 gp]
Gems/Jewelry: 0 [=> 0 gp]
Trade goods: 30 weeks of rations, 10 barrels of rum/grog/ale, 28 pirate blades (short swords), blacksmith's equipment and tools
Magical Library: 8000 gp of books in several shelves [=> 8000 gp]
Magical items: war hammer +1, suit of man-sized plate armor +1, ring of regeneration
Unidentified items, but described during interrogation: a lamp (used to summon/control the air elemental, requires incense made from sprite wings and fire salamander claws, recipe in library, requires Alchemy), a scroll (presumed cursed)
Total nonmagical treasure value: 968 gp (Note: The books are too bulky to carry and sell)
Shares: 7 + 3*1/2 = 8.5
Gold per share: 114 gp
Killed: 1 8th-level captain [600 xp], 1 12-HD air elemental [2100 xp], 1 6th-level mage [570 xp], 4 greater hell hounds [3160 xp], 28 1st-level pirate sailors [280 xp]
Surrendered: 55 1st-level guards [550 xp]
Total experience from treasure: 114 xp
Total experience from kills: 6710 xp
Total experience from exploration: 0
Total experience: 6824 xp
Total experience per member: 803 xp
(Note: Henchlizards get half-shares of treasure and experience.)
Domain Assets
Tower, medium round (40' high, 20' diameter, wood doors, floors, stairs) [22,500gp]
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