Timberlands Campaign, Session 7: Deathwish Gambit

January 15 - February 13, Caudex Annales, 71 AUP

The party marched north toward Hemmelmark with their mercenaries, kobolds, and skeletons, followed by the larger army of Rictovarius a few days behind. The weather remained frigid and violent, but the skeletons bearing their large branches sheltered the warparty from the worst of the winds. Fortunately, the rich slave-labor-stocked storehouses of Hochgrube had allowed everyone to provision amply before departing with something like a year's worth of food. (I can only assumed that the downtrodden citizens of Hochgrube were watching mournfully as they saw their imagined deliverers allying with their oppressors into a massive army of necromancers, undead minions, man-eating beastmen, wyvern riders, and whip-wielding slavedrivers.)

At this point, who DOESN'T have one?

As they approached the lands of Duke Johann Zaiser, emissaries from Burgrave (nee Baron) Rictovarius requested a war council, and Jeeves was happy to lead a small delegation in attendance at the great tent of the Hochgrube leadership. The grandmaster of the Necromancers of Sutekh was there, crazy as ever, along with several Hochgrube lieutenants: Rictovarius' second-in-command, the aviator-goggled Obrist Maximillian, a spiky whip-cradling warmistress named Onyx, and a few other armor-clad goons. They all seemed very eager for the fight -- or more precisely, eager to let their beastmen vassals start smashing things up while they watched.

Initially, the plan was to set the beastmen to looting the ruins of Hemmelmark, and take control of the castle from Duke Johann. The eventual consensus (after a bit of persuasive speaking) was that the instead the beastment should help with the assault on the underground crypt seen in Shayna's vision, while Herrobin's undead led the occupation liberation of Hemmelmark. This resulted in the party being split up, with most of the party joining the assault on the crypt, but Frigodria joining Herrobin.

The battle outside the crypt quickly locked into a stalemate of powerful undead and beastment. (Well, aside from the hapless kobolds.) The necromancers at once set to work controlling the undead and setting them against one another, but with a long like of reinforcements to the northeast and west, it seemed impossible to truly kill them all. In the confusion, a few members of the party (including Viserion, Shayna, and Aureon) made a rush for the crypt entrance, finding it apparently unguarded, the walls and floor coated with a thick covering ice.

Several passages led away from the entrance chamber, one through large doors, one through a smaller door, and one past rubble down a rough tunnel into the lower levels. Passage into the deeper portions was blocked by a magical shield of force, which yielded and dissipated to a dispel magic. The chamber below was a hideous preparation room lined with wall-shackles binding frozen naked corpses (former inhabitants of the local villages), along with dirty piles of their discarded clothing.

Even deeper, the strike group of adventurers found a treasure chamber filled to the brim with minor valuables, mostly silver and copper coins looted from the villages. The zombies must have been working like ants for weeks, hauling it all back and forth in long caravan lines! Shayna was mentally assaulted by some kind of voice, cursing her with blindness -- fortunately the curse was of the normal sort, and could be dispelled with prayers.

In the deepest portion of the caves was a huge control center. A great sphere of crystalline ice showed an array of scenes from the surface world across its surface, while a team of five powerful undead overlords monitored and directed their progress: the vampire ruinguard they had met before, a lich, some kind of undead greater lizardman, a mummy lord, and some other unfamiliar creature vaguely like a wight. They recognized the lich's crown -- the Iron Crown of the Sorcerer-Kings, an artifact granting immortality to its wearer. Using the advantage of surprise and a Rod of Cancellation, the ice crystal ball was abruptly shattered into shards, and the intruders found themselves facing an angry cabal of powerful undead.

In the ensuing frenzy, the vampire was blasted by light, the Thrassian found himself very surprised to actually take a punch, and the Iron Crown was knocked skidding across the floor, only to be snagged at the end of a pole by Aureon.

(And then security walked in and kicked us out of the building. To be continued...)

Roster

• Edward Sir Winsley, 5th-level dandy mystic (Andrew)
• Jeeves, 1st-level butler-paladin
• Frigodria Dawnbringer, 5th-level paladin (Reba)
• Herrobin, 6th-level summoner, and his scads of spooky scary skeletons (Kyle)
• Aureon Thallanir, 4th-level nightblade (Sion)
• Merda Strega, 6th-level witch (Will)
• Mysterious Lizard-y Stranger (Austin)
• Viserion, 5th-level young white dragon (Zac)
• Adonirim, 3rd-level mage
• Shayna, 6th-level shaman (Kim)

Mercenaries and followers:

• Army o' skeletons (200+ at this point), with a few abominations as champions

• Aksel Steelheart, 9th-level vaultlord
• 10 dwarven lieutenants:
• 4 5th-level vaultguards
• 3 4th-level vaultguards
• 2 3rd-level vaultgaurds
• 2nd-level vaultguard
• 18 fire dwarf infantry
• ~ 90 light-infantry pirate survivors from the defeat of the Charybdis crew in the Saberstrath campaign
• Around 150 very greedy kobolds, recent converts to the worship of Viserion.

Not appearing in this adventure:

• The very young white dragon, Namazu, reporting back on the frost giants
• Jarrus Velt, 5th-level thief
• Zelmar (injured, retiring maybe?)
• Anatolia (at chapel with Zelmar)
• Sir Robin (badly injured)
• Zalgesh
• Sir Rock Boulder Fist, dwarven 5th-level summoner
• Thorvald, 6th-level spy (Zac's Mom's PC, not a henchman)
• Togast, 6th-level skinscribe (Juston... was he here? I don't remember him there.)
• Tu'a'than, 5th level spriggan

Casualties

Kobolds. Pretty much all of them. But they're used to it.

And that's just so far. The to-be-continued fight is against some of the worst stuff yet encountered...

Timberlands Campaign, Session 6: Strange Bedfellows

January 12-14, Caudex Annales, 71 AUP

OK, now I need to edit this at least long enough to add a summary.

The delegation inside of Hochgrube managed to subdue the assassins, but only after they dropped Edward Sir Winsley, who had carelessly vaulted out the window after the assassins who failed their hide in shadows check. (Not all of them failed!) The assassins were carrying instructions to frame the party for an attempt on Baron ("Burgrave" now, apparently) Rictovarius' life, and convince the army of Hochgrube to march north with his vassals and allies and conquer Duke Johann's kingdom. And quickly, before the undead could do it first!

The party made some strategic alterations to the incriminating letter, assigning its origin to the unknown "necromancers of the north", and presented it to Rictovarius. Over the suspicious of his cowled advisor, the mentally-challenged ruler took the bait and sent out word for his forces to muster.

Shayna assumed raven-form, and flew to parlay with the quite-real Necromancers of Sutekh (allies of Hochgrube) in the tower along the coast. They were easily moved to great interest in the arrival of a massive undead army, and seemed to know at least as much as the party (if not more) about both the Acolytes of Orcus and the Necrolytes of Nergal, and their activities in the northern mountain catacombs near Green Pass. The grandmaster seemed to attribute the developments to a prophecy that would (predictably) result in his own rulership over the lands to the north, and perhaps the whole world. Hey, when you have delusions of grandeur, there's really no point in going only halfway.

Meanwhile, the armies mustered outside Hochgrube. Viserion persuaded a small force of kobolds to march along with the party in exchange for quadruple their usual pay ("Yay! A duple!"), and in short order they were regarding him as a gloriously accessible personal diety. Everyone set off for the Timberlands to the north, with the Necromancers of Sutekh holding up Hochgrube's forces by a few days due to their longer trip.

Roster

• Edward Sir Winsley, 5th-level dandy mystic (Andrew)
• Jeeves, 1st-level butler-paladin
• Frigodria Dawnbringer, 5th-level paladin (Reba)
• Herrobin, 6th-level summoner, and his scads of spooky scary skeletons (Kyle)
• Aureon Thallanir, 4th-level nightblade (Sion)
• Merda Strega, 6th-level witch (Will)
• Mysterious Lizard-y Stranger (Austin)
• Viserion, 5th-level young white dragon (Zac)
• Adonirim, 3rd-level mage
• Shayna, 6th-level shaman (Kim)

Mercenaries and followers:

• Army o' skeletons (200+ at this point), with a few abominations as champions

• Aksel Steelheart, 9th-level vaultlord
• 10 dwarven lieutenants:
• 4 5th-level vaultguards
• 3 4th-level vaultguards
• 2 3rd-level vaultgaurds
• 2nd-level vaultguard
• 18 fire dwarf infantry
• ~ 90 light-infantry pirate survivors from the defeat of the Charybdis crew in the Saberstrath campaign
• Around 150 very greedy kobolds, recent converts to the worship of Viserion.

Not appearing in this adventure:

• The very young white dragon, Namazu, reporting back on the frost giants
• Jarrus Velt, 5th-level thief
• Zelmar (injured, retiring maybe?)
• Anatolia (at chapel with Zelmar)
• Sir Robin (badly injured)
• Zalgesh
• Sir Rock Boulder Fist, dwarven 5th-level summoner
• Thorvald, 6th-level spy (Zac's Mom's PC, not a henchman)
• Togast, 6th-level skinscribe (Juston... was he here? I don't remember him there.)
• Tu'a'than, 5th level spriggan

Casualties

Edward Sir Winsley, who went down hard to multiple backstabs. He was successfully resurrected, but not without a few... alterations. Let's just say he's going to have to invest in a lot of new clothing that's more accommodating of the female figure.

Magical Items

All assassins were bearing short swords+1 and daggers +1 (one of which was sold to reprovision the warparty). They also each had padded shoes (+4 to move silently checks) and thieves garb (+4 to hide in shadows).

Valuables

None, aside from magic items.

Total treasure value: 0 gp

Total gold share per member: 0 gp

Experience

Killed: 8 7th-level assassins [8x1140=9120 xp]
Total: 9120 xp

Total experience from treasure: 0 xp
Total experience from kills: 9120 xp
Total experience from exploration: 0 xp
Total experience: 9120 xp
Total experience per member*: 3648 xp
* This applies only to the survivors of the assassination attempt (Austin and Sion), with Jeeves getting a half-share of 1824 xp.

Timberlands Campaign, Session 5: Make Like a Banana

January 1-12, Caudex Annales, 71 AUP

After regrouping in the aftermath of the tavern brawl, the party rested out the night and tended to the wounds of the injured. The following day was bitterly cold with driving winds. When the party reached the keep to report back to Duke Johann, they found a sizable mob of desperate townsfolk outside, with more arriving by wagon and on foot. All of them reported a terrible and well-coordinated uprising of undead sweeping (but slowly, being zombies after all) through the outlying villages.

The bladedancer Anatolia decided to commune with the celestial realm, asking the throne of heaven what to do next. The typical terse and relatively useless answers came back: There was no way to control the invasion, the source was a collection of crypts to the northeast, and the party did not have a "better than average" chance of defeating the enemies there -- presumably larger numbers of the high-level undead already encountered, like the vampiric ruinguard.

So the majority of the party simply dragon-airlifted everything out of the city, and ditched the doomed city of Hemmelmark entirely.

Those leaving gathered supplies and provisions for the road, and assembled their remaining forces (including the dwarves at the advance base near the frost-giant lair) to march south together. Along the way they encountered terrible weather, as well as a patrol of powerful undead who seemed to draw strength from the storm -- fortunately, they were quickly swarmed by a host of Herrobin's skeleton night-watchmen.

Far to the south, after over a week of travel, they reached the ill-regarded city of Hochgrube, a smaller settlement under the control of the rebellious baron Rictovarius. The city pulled its gates closed at the sight of the undead camped on its doorstep, but invited three representatives of the party (led by Edward Sir Winsley) inside to parlay. The city itself was of wrought-iron construction, grimly spiked and decorated with sharp edges and jagged spires in such a way to inspire fear rather than awe. The townsfolk looked ill-treated and fearful.

In the upper ward of the city they found a great set of double-doors leading into a great earthen berm, less a keep than an underground bunker. The doors locked and unlocked in sequence as the party waited to be disarmed in an antechamber, as a security measure. In the hall beyond, the fabled Rictovarius (introducing himself as the "burgrave") sat on a great chair before a roaring fire, attended by a collection of attractive young male and female slaves who watched him with apparent terror. He also had a large collection of well-armored guards, and some sort of hooded advisor with a half-tattooed face.

The party introduced themselves as representatives of Hemmelmark seeking to establish some kind of economic agreement for trade and such. Burgrave Rictovarius laughed cheerfully and bade them welcome to stay in the city for a few days to conduct their business... provided that they were willing to wear distinctive bracelets to mark them as "honored guests" -- bracelets suspiciously similar to those worn by many of the fearful townsfolk. The delegation had little option but to accept the request, being surrounded by foes. The bracelets locked securely in place.

Outside, they explored the city, which turned out to be a very good place to purchase human and beastmen slaves abducted by pirates to the south, but not nearly as good a place to purchase magical weapons or anything of much interest to adventures. From a dark alley, one of the townspeople cautiously called them over to warn them that the bracelets were cursed to bring pain to those who would defy the city's overlords, in the event of an uprising.

The party bypassed the raucous-looking tavern-inns in the north ward, and pushed onward to the far side of down, a dismal slum of ramshackle buildings. There they found the cheapest possible lodgings in a decaying old tenement house. A little experimentation found that two of the three bracelets could be nullified and taken off with a remove curse spell; the third would need to wait until after the next morning's spell-recovery.

The party had arranged to send out a group of five porters from the city to collect some of their goods. In fact, they were detained at the camp, and replaced by five of Herrobin's armored skeleton minions. The skeletons arrived at the flop-house, and were positioned to stand watch over the rest of the party.

Predictably enough, in the second watch of the night a brick flew in through the window, shattering glass onto the floor. The delegation readied itself for battle.

Roster

• Edward Sir Winsley, 5th-level dandy mystic (Andrew)
• Jeeves, 1st-level butler-paladin
• Frigodria Dawnbringer, 5th-level paladin (Reba)
• Herrobin, 6th-level summoner, and his scads of spooky scary skeletons (Kyle)
• John-Paul Satre, 5th-level priest of... nihilist existentialism? (Lucas)
• Aureon Thallanir, 4th-level nightblade (Sion)
• Merda Strega, 6th-level witch (Will)
• Mysterious Lizard-y Stranger (Austin)
• Viserion, 5th-level young white dragon (Zac)
• Adonirim, 3rd-level mage
• Shayna, 6th-level shaman (Kim)

Mercenaries and followers:

• Army o' skeletons (200+ at this point), with a few abominations as champions

• Aksel Steelheart, 9th-level vaultlord
• 10 dwarven lieutenants:
• 4 5th-level vaultguards
• 3 4th-level vaultguards
• 2 3rd-level vaultgaurds
• 2nd-level vaultguard
• 18 fire dwarf infantry
• ~ 90 light-infantry pirate survivors from the defeat of the Charybdis crew in the Saberstrath campaign

Not appearing in this adventure:

• The very young white dragon, Namazu, reporting back on the frost giants
• Jarrus Velt, 5th-level thief
• Zelmar (injured, retiring maybe?)
• Anatolia (at chapel with Zelmar)
• Sir Robin (badly injured)
• Zalgesh
• Sir Rock Boulder Fist, dwarven 5th-level summoner
• Thorvald, 6th-level spy (Zac's Mom's PC, not a henchman)
• Togast, 6th-level skinscribe (Juston... was he here? I don't remember him there.)
• Tu'a'than, 5th level spriggan

Casualties

None

Magical Items

None

Valuables

None

Total treasure value: 0 gp

Total gold share per member: 0 gp

Experience

Killed: 5 ghasts [5x190=950], 5 wights [5x80=400]
Total: 1350 xp

Total experience from treasure: 0 xp
Total experience from kills: 1350 xp
Total experience from exploration: 0 xp
Total experience: 1350 xp
Total experience per member: 135 xp

Timberlands Campaign, Session 4: Pandemonium

January 1, Caudex Annales, 71 AUP

The arrival of guards from the ducal palace presented the option of simply sitting back and letting the two sides fight one another, or picking one side. Rather less reasonably, it opened up the option of fighting both sides at once. Naturally, the party picked the least reasonable option.

Sir Winsley, caught in a botched negotiation attempt, ended up with facing down the entire detachment of guards, and opened by punching out the mage as the guards watched with horror. Meanwhile, John-Paul began performing on the flute in an attempt to enthrall the conspirators inside while the situation outside could be resolved, with nearly uniform success. Virtually all the attendees -- local conspirators, visiting pirate traders, and saurian tribesmen -- seemed totally absorbed by the music to the neglect of the battle outside. The leaders of the factions watched in bafflement, and Dominator Korax raged helplessly at his distracted troops.

Basically Vrancx, but with more lizard guys.

Outside, Sir Winsley was getting a little help. One of the bar patrons decided to get in on the action, and began knocking out the rear ranks of the guard with backhand blows (and the occasional headbutt). In short order, pretty much the entire guard was scattered on the ground like bowling pins. (Herrobin's shrouded skeletons politely carried out each guard to safety as they hit the floor.)

Back inside, the conspiracy's leadership were struggling to regain control. Korax raised his staff to accomplish a successful command human spell on the performing priest, and drive him out of the room. Unfortunately, the entire crowd reacted quite negatively to the interruption of the performance, starting a general melee between members of all three factions.

Taking advantage of the temporary confusion, Jeeves, Merda Strega, Frigodria, and Aureon pushed toward the back of the room, angling for the leaders. Damien Whelk, his diplomatic facade discarded, came after them with a greatsword, trading blows with Frigodria along the wall.

When the dust cleared, the party had defeated the entire room of conspirators, as well as incapacitating a full contingent of city guards. The guard slowly recovered from their concussions, and Jeeves convinced them that the apparent treachery had all turned out for the best, given the trap that was waiting them.

The captain recommended interrogating on the the (deceased) leaders via speak with dead, and the answers came back in predictably cryptic form.

Who do you work for? "Rictovarius"
Who are your leaders? "Dead, mostly"
Where are you located? "Everywhere"

Roster

• Edward Sir Winsley, 5th-level dandy mystic (Andrew)
• Jeeves, 1st-level paladin
• Frigodria Dawnbringer, 5th-level paladin (Reba)
• Herrobin, 6th-level summoner, and his scads of spooky scary skeletons (Kyle)
• John-Paul Satre, 5th-level priest of... nihilist existentialism? (Lucas)
• Aureon Thallanir, 4th-level nightblade (Sion)
• Merda Strega, 6th-level witch (Will)
• Mysterious Lizard-y Stranger

Waiting outside the tavern to abandon and/or devour any survivors:

• Viserion, 5th-level young white dragon (Zac)
• Thorvald, 6th-level spy (Zac's Mom's PC, not a henchman)
• Adonirim, 3rd-level mage
• Shayna, 6th-level shaman (Kim)
• Togast, 6th-level skinscribe (Juston... was he here? I don't remember him there.)

Not appearing in this adventure:

• The very young white dragon, Namazu, reporting back on the frost giants
• Jarrus Velt, 5th-level thief
• Zelmar (injured, retiring maybe?)
• Anatolia (at chapel with Zelmar)
• Sir Robin (badly injured)
• Zalgesh
• Sir Rock Boulder Fist, dwarven 5th-level summoner
• Tu'a'than, 5th level spriggan

Casualties

Jeeves
Aureon
Merda Strega

Magical Items (to be identified)

All of the following checks out as magical and not cursed, based on detect magic/evil spells:

Korax' staff (presumably a staff of command, based on recent use)
rod, also owned by Korax
chain mail, worn by Korax
two-handed sword, used to great effect by Damien
sword, Reynard Tuck's
dagger, also Tuck's

Most of the gear looks fancy in terms of ornamentation, but not exceptionally powerful.

Valuables

8000 electrum pieces [4000 gp]
3 barrels of fine spirits and 4 crates of glassware [1400 gp]
assorted gems, jewelry, perfume, incense, engraved teeth, etc [6699 gp]

Total treasure value: 12099 gp

Total gold share per member: 1274 gp

I'm assuming that you include Shayna and Viserion in receiving shares, even though they didn't appear in the battle.

Experience

Killed: Reynard Tuck, 5th-level assassin [350], Damien Whelk, 7th-level fighter [790], Captain Brusticle of the Lonesome Flail-Snail, 8th-level fighter [1100], Dominator Korax [1100], 2 hoods [80], 12 foodpads [120], 4 pirate heroes [320], 30 pirates [300], 4 Thrassians [560], 16 lizardman champions [880], 18 velociraptors (deinonychus) [630]
Incapacitated: Captain Tanny [350], Heronymous, 5th-level mage [500], 2 swordmasters [110], 20 guards [100]
Total: 7290 xp

Total experience from treasure: 12,099 xp
Total experience from kills: 7290 xp
Total experience from exploration: 0 xp
Total experience: 19389 xp
Total experience per member: 2041 xp

I'm including everyone in the experience shares also, rather than punishing Viserion further for being too large and dragonish to get into the tavern.

Timberlands Campaign, Session 3: Wrong Side of Town

December 31 - January 1, Caudex Annales, 70-71 AUP

The party split into multiple teams to comb the city, in search of the vampire's lair. The use of evil-detection produced two leads: one faint trace below the Bleeding Cockatrice in the south of town, and the other for a tenement house in a deserted lower-city block just below the palace in the northwest. The party converged on the second location, and began asking for information from the mostly terrified locals. In exchange for not-being-dragon-lunch, a street thug was willing to share that the house had been well-frequented by out-of-towners, but had recently become haunted and avoided by decent folk like himself..

Mummy art by winwu

The party stormed the building from every direction: front, back and the roof. (When you're a dragon, you make your own entrance.) The first few rooms were empty, but showed signs of terrible violence toward the previous occupants. A handful of scouts ventured down the stairs, only to discover that the junk-strewn basement was infested with mummies wrapped in bed linens -- presumably the former room occupants, converted into ersatz guards. The battle was joined by four rooms of oversized ogre-zombies, just beyond the point in the hallway when the party decided to stop checking. The mummies moaned their way up the stairs after the fleeing scouts, only to encounter a mirror of opposition and die to their doppelgangers.

After the battle, the party was just about to light the whole place on fire, when someone had the sensible notion to check the junk for treasure. In fact, the basement was well-stocked with treasures, though whether from the previous occupants or from whatever illegal activities had been organized their prior to the infestation, none could say. There was also an empty coffin there, but the vaporous vampire apparently had sufficient warning due to the guards, and had slipped away back into the sewers. (Shayna's vision had suggested numerous locations outside town that might contain other crypts that could offer potential refuge, and the dawn was not yet near.)

Eavesdropping on the after-action report was a raffish by well-dressed stranger, apparently someone interested in hiring the party for a task involving skill and discretion. He introduced himself as Damien Whelk, and invited the more cultured half of the party to a conference of "concerned parties" at the Bleeding Cockatrice. The party elected to send Edward Sir Winsley and his valet, along with anyone else interested in learning more about the offer.

The next day, the party staked out the cockatrice. Shayna hung out in the rafters in bird form, and noticed a remarkably large number of people entering without leaving -- some clearly from out of town, and some obviously nonhuman in shape and size, despite some attempts at disguise.

The meeting commenced in the evening, in a great hall hidden behind the wine cellar, below and across the street from the tavern proper. The hall held several dozen conspirators, including a number of lizardmen and their overlords. An estimated general listing of the attendees in addition to Damien himself would include:

• Reynard Tuck, an apparent organizer of some wealth and status;
• a dozen or so of his local associates in something called the "Chiaroscuro group";
• Captain Brusticle of the Freeport Kings' Council and captain of The Lonesome Flail-Snail, representing pirate traders interested in holding open the region's trade routes;
• his crew of some three-dozen irregular ruffians, mostly with knives and daggers;
• Korax, a Saurian Tribes dominator from the Savage Reaches to the south;
• four powerful greater lizardmen (classed Thrassian types);
• sixteen saurian champions, standard lizardmen with a bit of armor;
• one small razor-toothed raptor-pet for each of the Saurian tribesmen, all of them leased at attention like war dogs, with glittering eyes and snapping teeth.

Reynard himself opened the meeting with a short speech, noting the weakness of the current government, the unrest of the winter-starved peasantry, and the expected vulnerability to dangers such as the dark elves, the undead, and the forces of Baron Rictovarius to the south. He suggested a change in government might be a natural preparatory step for the stabilization of the region. Edward Sir Winsley rose to suggest that, as someone of royal blood himself, he might be a perfectly logical choice as a successor to the Duke, to broad approval. He also suggested that it might be helpful to have a full roster of the attendees as a gesture of trust, to rather less enthusiasm.

At that point, a force of guards from the ducal palace stomped into the tavern above, apparently alerted to some kind of plot against the duke. They began moving down through the wine cellar, until they were intercepted by Edward Sir Winsley, who had been dispatched by the conspirators to intercept the party-crashers. The guards were both reassured to find known allies, but also suspicious of their proximity to suspected enemies of the crown, and demanded immediate aid in apprehending the traitors -- without delay, despite the attempts of the party to negotiate for time and a nonviolent option. A last-ditch attempt to bluff the leaders of the conspiracy failed, and a battle seemed inevitable... a battle in which each side was calling out for their "trusted allies" to destroy the other!

Roster

• Edward Sir Winsley, 5th-level dandy mystic (Andrew)
• Jeeves, 1st-level gentleman's gentleman
• Frigodria Dawnbringer, 5th-level paladin (Reba)
• Viserion, 5th-level young white dragon (Zac)
• Thorvald, 6th-level spy (Zac's Mom's PC, not a henchman)
• Adonirim, 3rd-level mage
• Togast, 6th-level skinscribe (Juston)
• Herrobin, 6th-level summoner, and his scads of spooky scary skeletons (Kyle)
• John-Paul Satre, 5th-level priest of... nihilist existentialism? (Lucas)
• Aureon Thallanir, 4th-level nightblade (Sion)
• Merda Strega, 6th-level witch (Will)
• Shayna, 6th-level shaman (Kim)

Not appearing in this adventure:

• The very young white dragon, Namazu, reporting back on the frost giants
• Jarrus Velt, 5th-level thief
• Zelmar (injured, retiring maybe?)
• Anatolia (at chapel with Zelmar)
• Sir Robin (badly injured)
• Zalgesh
• Sir Rock Boulder Fist, dwarven 5th-level summoner
• Tu'a'than, 5th level spriggan

Casualties

None

Magical Items (to be identified)

10 potions
10 scrolls
4 swords
wand
suit of ring mail

Valuables

The skeletons are going to be busy all night hauling this stuff!

Note: At this point, you are the richest people in town inclusive of the ducal family. And since it's hard to have an army of skeletons toting around large quantities of treasure without at least SOMEONE noticing, this has become common knowledge.

5000 gold pieces.

8000 silver pieces.

6000 electrum pieces.

3000 platinum pieces.

A rich fur coat, worth 13000 gp.

6000 GP facet cut star sapphire.

6 jars of lamp oil, worth 20 gp each and weighing 6 stone per jar.

3 bags of loose tea, worth 75 gp each and weighing 5 stone each.

3 jars of lamp oil, worth 20 gp each and weighing 6 stone per jar.

3 rolls of silk, worth 400 gp each and weighing 4 stone each.

450 griffon feathers, each worth 5 gp and weighing 1 stone per 25 feathers.

2 bundles of rare fur pelts, worth 500 gp each and weighing 5 stone each.

200 eagle feathers, each worth 4 gp and weighing 1 stone per 25 feathers.

750 GP sunset amethyst.

50 GP crystal.

50 GP citrine.

500 GP alexandrite.

25 GP agate.

10 GP malachite.

50 GP bloodstone.

25 GP agate.

50 GP jasper.

100 GP amber.

A piece of jewelry constructed from chryselephantine worth 800 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from fine wood worth 300 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from chryselephantine worth 900 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from chryselephantine worth 700 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from ivory worth 400 GP.

28 bottles of fine wine, worth 5 gp each and weighing 1 stone per 5 bottles.

4 crates of glassware, worth 200 gp each and weighing 5 stone each.

3 bundles of rare fur pelts, worth 500 gp each and weighing 5 stone each.

500 GP topaz.

A piece of jewelry constructed from wrought silver worth 500 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from carved jade worth 900 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from silver studded with moonstone worth 2000 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from wrought gold worth 400 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from chryselephantine worth 1100 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from silver studded with opal worth 1000 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from chryselephantine worth 1100 GP.

3 bundles of rare fur pelts, worth 500 gp each and weighing 5 stone each.

2 bundles of rare fur pelts, worth 500 gp each and weighing 5 stone each.

3 rolls of silk, worth 400 gp each and weighing 4 stone each.

1 bundles of rare fur pelts, worth 500 gp each and weighing 5 stone each.

1 jars of spices, worth 800 gp each and weighing 1 stone each.

6 amethyst cylinder seals depicting religious scenes, each worth 1200 gp.

100 GP coral.

500 GP alexandrite.

100 GP jade.

10 GP obsidian.

100 GP coral.

25 GP lapis lazuli.

25 GP lapis lazuli.

250 GP garnet.

10 GP hematite.

750 GP star ruby.

100 GP amber.

A piece of jewelry constructed from chryselephantine worth 200 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from porcelain worth 300 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from silver studded with jet worth 5000 GP.

A piece of jewelry constructed from chryselephantine worth 700 GP.

4 barrels of fine spirits or liquor, worth 200 gp each and weighing 16 stone each.

1 barrels of fine spirits or liquor, worth 200 gp each and weighing 16 stone each.

2 crates of beetle, tiger parts, worth 300 gp each and weighing 5 stone each.

2 barrels of fine spirits or liquor, worth 200 gp each and weighing 16 stone each.

32 typical fur capes, worth 100 gp each and weighing 1 stone each.

3 amethyst cylinder seals depicting religious scenes, each worth 1200 gp.

6 amethyst cylinder seals depicting religious scenes, each worth 1200 gp.

A piece of jewelry constructed from chryselephantine worth 500 GP.

Total treasure value: 99,975 gp

Total gold share per member: 9,998

Experience

Killed: Mummy lord [4200], 5 mummies [5x460=2300], 2 brute zombies [2x570=1040]
Total: 8540 xp

Total experience from treasure: 99,975 xp
Total experience from kills: 10,270 xp
Total experience from exploration: 0 xp
Total experience: 110245 xp
Total experience per member: 11,025 xp

The Mirror of Opposition

Some rulings for the sake of balance.

The Mirror of Opposition is an incredibly powerful item that can create a duplicate of any living creature that is capable of seeing itself in a mirror. This power has effectively no limits, and can completely duplicate any enemy with all magical powers and abilities: archmages, ancient dragons, demon princes, etc.

However, the Mirror of Opposition is still a mirror, making it difficult to use on the battlefield.

1. A Mirror of Opposition is several feet tall and very fragile. It can be attacked as any human target with AC0, and any amount of damage (even a single sling-stone) will shatter it.
2. Duplicates created by the Mirror of Opposition appear in the same way as any other image, on the far side of the mirror from the viewer. They must "step out" of the mirror on their initiative during the next round. If they lose initiative, it is possible that the mirror might be destroyed before they can emerge.
3. Mirrors (of full-length vanity size) take a full round to position properly -- especially when one is trying to carefully aim them away from oneself and one's friends! They can't simply be pulled out of a backpack with a free action, like a sword from a scabbard.
4. Most inhabitants of a fantasy world are aware of the dreadful enchantments associated with magical mirrors, and will immediately regard anyone carrying one onto a battlefield with extreme prejudice.

Art: Barry Linck

Timberlands Campaign, Session 2: Dead vs Dead

December 21-31, Caudex Annales, 70 AUP

The trolls had throughly mangled the bodies of everyone slain by the hags, and the various gnawed arms and legs and viscera were unceremoniously scooped up by Herrobin's skeletal company and shuttled back to the city of Hemmelmark. The chapel attendants were already overburdened by sick townsfolk suffering from malnutrition and disease. The priest on duty was able to offer a single resurrection in exchange for a generous donation, and then the rest of the party needed to rely on restore life and limb and hope for minimal complications. The resurrection was applied to the dragon Viserion, who returned to full vigor in a burst of holy light. The others returned in worse condition. Sir Robin would never be the same again, and Zelmar decided to take a break from adventuring.

The party split up to attend to multiple tasks. First, they reported to the Duke, who was consumed by worry about the insufficient number of city guards (lost to giants, hags, and conscription for the war up north) and the fact that grain reserves (also requisitioned for the Durnovaric war effort up north) were running too low to last the winter. He confessed that he was on the verge of locking down the castle, declaring martial law, and leaving the rest of Hemmelmark to fend for itself.

Herrobin's disguised skeletons resumed patrolling the city in tireless squads, while their master watched them remotely using his crystal ball for any signs of trouble. Viserion briefly considered hunting food for the city, but quickly realized that the amount of food required to supply a Class II market is well in excess of a single hunter's capabilities.

Meanwhile, Frigodria and a few others hit the taverns to look for information and assistance. The Bleeding Cockatrice was populated by a motley crew of the usual weirdos and ne'er-do-wells, several of whom seemed interested in work, swelling the depleted ranks of the party. A rumor at the bar indicated that someone "large and intimidating" had been terrifying townspeople after dark, demanding information on the whereabouts of adventurers fitting the party's general description.

The barkeeper passed along a sealed envelope addressed to "the gnomish librarian" (presumably the long-departed Conan), which prompted immediate suspicion. The party debated between letting a skeleton open it at a safe distance and simply discarding it, and eventually decided to simply order a skeleton to carry it "south". (Since Hemmelmark is at a rather northern latitude, there's quite a bit of south available...)

Herrobin's skeletons only required another couple days to confirm the rumor of the interrogating stranger, and the party quickly converged on his location with any skeleton groups within range. The cowled intruder quickly surmised that he was being surrounded, and let out an eldritch screech for aid. Skeletons converged toward him from every direction, preventing his escape, but the party soon had to deal with the arrival of his own -- far more formidable -- undead thralls. Fortunately, dragon breath was more than enough to winnow and weaken them, leaving just a few survivors to mop up.

The scarf-masked visitor slaughtered dozens of skeletons with his greatsword, and at one point demonstrated the ability to release a powerful lightning bolt. When he was finally buried under an avalanche of magical rock, the party was dismayed to discovery that his corpse had dissipated into vapor -- not simply a ruinguard, but one who had progressed beyond the flesh into vampiric immortality.

Herrobin attempted to scry his location, but lacking an unobscured look at his face made this difficult and the image was dark and blurry -- a closed coffin in some dark place. The use of ESP, however, revealed his first priority upon reconstitution into corporeal form: calling his superiors for more capable reinforcements.

Shayna, a shaman who had been observing the party from a nearby rooftop, offered the party her services as a medium and entered into a trance...

Roster

• Edward Sir Winsley, 5th-level dandy mystic (Andrew)
• Jeeves, 0th-level gentleman's gentleman
• Frigodria Dawnbringer, 5th-level paladin (Reba)
• Viserion, 5th-level young white dragon (Zac)
• Thorvald, 6th-level spy (Zac's Mom's PC, not a henchman)
• Adonirim, 3rd-level mage
• Togast, 6th-level skinscribe (Juston)
• Herrobin, 5th-level summoner, and his scads of spooky scary skeletons (Kyle)
• Jarrus Velt, 5th-level thief (Trefor Gowing)
• John-Paul Satre, 5th-level priest of... nihilist existentialism? (Lucas)
• Aureon Thallanir, ??? (Sion Gowing)
• Merda Strega, 6th-level witch (Will)
• Shayna, shaman (Kim)

=> The number of survivors is uncertain, need to wait until we roll Tampering with Mortality

Not appearing in this adventure:

• The very young white dragon, Namazu, reporting back on the frost giants
• Zelmar (injured, retiring maybe?)
• Anatolia (at chapel with Zelmar)
• Sir Robin (badly injured)
• Zalgesh
• Sir Rock Boulder Fist, dwarven 5th-level summoner
• Tu'a'than, 5th level spriggan

Casualties

Lots of skeletons (hopefully Kyle was counting)

Treasure

None

Total gold per member: 0

Experience

Killed: Disguised vampire ruinguard [6600],  2 necropedes [2x820=1640], 5 ghasts [5x190=950], 8 gargoyles [8x135=1080]
Total: 10270 xp

Total experience from treasure: 0 xp
Total experience from kills: 10270 xp
Total experience from exploration: 0 xp
Total experience: 10270 xp
Total experience per member: 934 xp

Timberlands Campaign, Session 1: The Crones of Greenforest Lawn

December 10-December 19, Caudex Annales, 70 AUP

After defeating the giants and tracking them back to their lair, the party decided to return to civilization and search for additional magical resources. A shopping delegation left Hemmelmark and passed through Hainburg on the way to the White Tower, a magical research school in the coastal mountains. The party asked for directions from a callow apprentice, and were directed to go around the village and enter through the loading dock behind the tower. The dock was full of specialized facilities for the handling of large magical creatures. The party promised a substantial collection of frost-giant components in exchange for credit toward magical items.

Inside, the party was directed first to meet the academy's headmaster, a scatterbrained gnome who wanted them to test his "dehydrated catapult" (just add water). After realizing that the reconstituted catapult would automatically fire flaming missiles in random directions without anything resembling an off-switch, the party offered to meet him at the glacial rift of the frost giants so that he could test it out himself.

After climbing up the spiral staircase in the center of the tower, the party reached a floor dedicated to elemental magic projects, in search of more practical aid against the giants and their dragon. Here they found a group of graduate student mages working on an experimental design for a Cube of Frost Resistance, which they offered to provide for field testing. ("Just don't overload it.")

Upon returning to Hemmelmark, the party discovered that the villagers were acting very suspicious and shifty, and seemed on the verge of fomenting some kind of rebellion. After a little investigation, they determined that the villagers regarded the town guard as having been cursed or mentally controlled by a coven of ancient witches. The Duke had sent a platoon of soldiers into the woods to deal with them, but none of the soldiers had returned. An old peasant women was more than thrilled to share her ancient lore about the witches, and indicated that the forest could only be passed by those who were "pure and innocent of heart". (Witches love children. They're delicious!) In practical terms, that meant concealing any weapons in a cart underneath a blanket treated with herbs, and also not bringing along anything chaotic. Herrobin and his skeletons were not pure and innocent, and found that the forest actively closed to bar their passage.

The rest of the party passed into the clearly-enchanted forest, along a narrow path. The path led to a series of clearings designed to test the courage and cleverness of any visitors: a set of fountains that promised power if consumed ("uh, no thanks!"), a death's-head tree that shrieked and bit with its cursed head-fruit, and a riddling imp.

At the center of the forest the trail ended in a small cottage dripping with disgustingly honeyed walls. Several placid men in white tunics answered the door, and greeted the party warmly, offering them a taste of the honey and an audience with the good-hearted ladies below. A charm person spell left them more than willing to share their deep love of their benefactors. The middle of the cottage was an open pit with a staircase descending into an underground cave. There the party encountered the three hags, glamored into their preferred appearances of crone, huntress, and dancer.

Hags by Brian LeBlanc

A short attempt at parlay erupted into violence when the crone expressed her deep love for the taste of little girls, and offered to share some of the meat from her cooking pot with the guests. The horrified party sprang into action with steel and resolve. The hags dropped their glamors, cackling horribly, and called for their children both natural (three dire trolls) and adopted (little boys cursed into ghouls). The four honey-addled consorts shook off the fresher enchantment and rushed to the defense of their beloved ladies.

The fight was fierce and dreadful, and at several moments the party seemed on the verge of victory. The hags had bound their souls to the troll-children with runestones, and would not suffer the effects of damage until the trolls themselves had fallen. The ghoul-children rushed about in the back of the party, paralyzing spellcasters. A silence spell caught the eldest crone, but this merely turned her into a frenzied flurry of horrid claws.

When the last member of the party (Robin Silverfall) finally went down, the slain trolls slowly regenerated their damage and happily feasted on the scattered bones of their foes, siblings, and mothers alike. Fortunately the hags themselves did not recover, and with the spells enchanting the forest broken, Herrobin's skeleton army was able to arrive and rip them apart in the middle of their after-dinner naps.

Roster

• Zelmar Krackiss, 5th-level fright knight
• Anatolia, 4th-level bladedancer
• Frigodria Dawnbringer, 5th-level paladin
• Viserion, young white dragon
• Sir Robin Silverfall, 5th-level spellsword
• Thorvald, spy
• Herrobin, 5th-level summoner, and his scads of spooky scary skeletons
• Sir Rock Boulder Fist, dwarven 5th-level summoner
• Zhalgesh, not entirely sure, ask Jacob
• Was Will here? What did he play? Help!

=> The number of survivors is uncertain, need to wait until we roll Tampering with Mortality

Not appearing in this adventure:

• The very young white dragon, Namazu, reporting back on the frost giants
• Anatolia, maybe? I don't think she was in the final battle, at least
• Thorvald, 5th level spy
• Tu'a'than, 5th level spriggan

Casualties

Everyone got eaten by dire trolls in a horrible TPK, except for Herrobin (who loves his skeletons too much to ever leave them) and Frigodria

Treasure

During the weeks of bed rest after restore life and limb, the party will have plenty of time to hire a sage to analyze the substantial hoard of the three sisters:

• 3 crates of armor and weapons, worth 225 gp each and weighing 10 stone each,
• 1 crates of giant weasel parts, worth 300 gp each and weighing 5 stone each,
• 2000 electrum pieces [1000 gp],
• 4000 GP facet cut imperial topaz,
• 2000 GP crystal geode,
• 500 GP aquamarine,
• 500 GP alexandrite,
• Oil of Slipperiness,
• 2x Oil of Heroism,
• Oil of Invulnerability,
• Oil of Animal Control,
• Arcane scroll with the following spells: Detect Magic,
• Arcane scroll with the following spell: Summon Hero,
• A scroll of Ward against Magic,
• A scroll of Ward against Undead,
• Sword +1, +3 vs Regenerating Monsters,
• Sword +1, Light 30' radius,
• Sword -1, Cursed,
• Axe +,
• Suit of Leather armor +1,
• Bolt case containing 1 crossbow bolts +2,
• Bolt case containing 7 crossbow bolts +1,
• Staff of Healing with 27 charges,
• Wand of Detecting Enemies with 7 charges,
• Staff of the Serpent,
• Rope of Climbing,
• ... and a Horn of Blasting bearing the House Zaiser coat of arms (2d6 sonic damage and deafened for 2d6 turns, 100' x 20' cone, usable once per turn). The Duke might be interested in this.

The party also found maps leading to treasure chests full of gold (18,000 gp and 15,000 gp), buried under each of the clearings they had previous visited. Herrobin's skeletons returned them to Hemmelmark along with the other treasure.

The total value of this hoard (excluding any magic) is 41,975 gp and its total weight is 70 stone.

Total gold per member: 6996 gp

Experience

Killed: 3 hags (Gentle Mother, the Lady of Grace, and Zephyr) [3x3100=9300], 1 8th-level fighter consort-thrall [1100], 2 7th-level fighter consort-thralls [2x790=1580], 1 9th-level mage consort-thrall [1700], 3 dire trolls [3x1300=3900], 12 ghoul children [12x29=348]
Total: 17,928 xp

Total experience from treasure: 41,975 xp
Total experience from kills: 17,928 xp
Total experience from exploration: 0 xp
Total experience: 59903 xp
Total experience per member: 9984 xp