Previous Adventure

Neverwinter Knights - The Great Race

From the notebook of Elrylith Rebriviel:

7 - 10 Uktar, 1375: Ilarion, Chand and Harold debate fielding a team to compete in The Great Race. In the meantime, Barnaby decides he wants to be an instructor and makes this known to anyone he encounters. Eventually, he gets a meeting with the Headmaster, and a plan is worked out. Ilarion, Chand and Harold speak with Mouse about joining their team (as it is one member short), but Mouse counters with a request of Harold and Chand to join his team. Tempting as it is, they decide to stick with the crew that 'rescued' Cory. They find a thief-acrobat named Diana to fill out the roster. There are three teams wishing to represent the Academy. They compete in a race to and through the Mere of the Dead, completing tasks like filling sandbags, rowing a boat with 1200 pounds of sandbags through the mere, moving the boat and sandbags through natural obstacles, and plowing a field (Ilarion, Harold and Regalla did stop long enough to aid another team against a catoblepas). Through guile, planning, and purchasing of scrolls, Chand's team (he was chosen leader) won. They each received a gem for their efforts and will represent the Academy in The Great Race, if chosen by Waterdeep.

10 Uktar, 1375 - 1 Hammer, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team prepares for the competition by buying supplies (including a chariot for Smitty), learning spells, and crafting magic items. Captain Chand is given the rules of the Race and a list of the other teams that will take place in the lottery. Arlan accompanies the Team to Waterdeep in a gnomish zeppelin. While in Waterdeep, the Team continues to prepare - Chand buys a complete set of Volo's Guides. The lottery comes and the Neverwinter Team is not drawn. The following teams are: Delzimmer Academy, Nyth School of Adventuring Arts, Church of Yondalla of Beluir, Halarahh College of Halruaa, The Guild of Foreign Trade of Thay, House of the Four Moons of Velprintalar, Halls of Inspiration of Silverymoon, Morningdawn Hall of Lathander of Shadowdale, University of Calimport, and School of Sharks Naval Academy in Cathyr. The Team is disappointed (except for possibly Firefinger?). However, Nyth is disqualified (rumor has it they had ineligible members), and replaced by the Great Stag Lodge of Rashemen. Then the Guild of Foreign Trade was disqualified (rumor has it they tried to bribe race officials), and replaced by the Waterdeep Guild. Then the night before the The Great Race is to commence, two teams (Halarahh College and School of Sharks) were disqualified for fighting with one another, with several members killed. They were replaced by the Hunters of Tashalar and the Neverwinter Academy.

The race begins. The Team seems momentarily confused (perhaps because they didn't expect to compete?) Finally, they head down the road seeking out the Duke of Daggerford.

1 - 10 Hammer, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team are in ninth place as they head down the road seeking out the Duke of Daggerford. Along the way they encounter a nasty swarm. At Daggerford (now in eighth place) they find they have to paddle canoes to the Lizard Marsh and find four colored rocks. The first is found lodged in the branches of a stalky plant, the second suspended in a wire cage from a tree, the third on the back of a marsh turtle, and the fourth suspended in a crystalline cube. This final one is almost lost when Firefinger uses a great shout to shatter the cube and the stone falls into murky marsh water; Smitty dives in to save it, somehow managing to grab it before it disappears in the muck below. Chand and Firefinger use teleport to return to Daggerford with the canoes and most of the team. Darvin, Smitty and Harold-on-a-rope-while-levitating run back. They get the next clue, bed down until morning, and head off now in sixth place.

10 - 24 Hammer, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team arrive at Dragonspear castle, where the Individual Task is taken by Firefinger: he has to find and fight a devil-cat in the castle in under a minute. He just barely completes the task in time. They travel to Boareskyr Bridge where they decide to take the "shopping" part of the Choice Task. Darvin and Barnaby intimidate a mapseller, pocketing 10 gold for beer. Firefinger buys a ivory dragonturtle, and Chand buys a brass key. They are next tasked to hire on as guards for a caravan to Scornbunel (it takes some convincing since Darvin and Barnaby are drunk.)

24 - 30 Hammer, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team travel with the caravan, for the most part uneventfully. Well, except for the dire bear and flying druid using a call lightning storm middle of the night surprise attack. The dire bears come in from all sides, forcing the team to spread their resources. The dire bears prove to be a tough challenge, but not impossible. However, when the lightning strikes hit Smitty twice, killing him, things become more serious. Regalla is hit as she goes to help the ogre. Harold taunts the unseen assailant while everyone tries to figure out where he is; he gets hit a couple times by the lightning. Regally uses a raise dead to bring Smitty back. Barnaby and Harold track the bears to see if it gives a clue where the assailant is. Darvin runs around blindly in hopes of finding him. Ilarion stands ready with his bow. Chand takes to the air for an aerial search. Firefinger summons a daylight spell which illuminates the rather surprised half-orc druid flying above them. Ilarion peppers the druid with arrows, killing him. The team loots him for his magic items, then Harold, Barnaby and Chand backtrack to his lair, where they find gems, but little to provide a clue why he attacked the caravan. The team makes it to Scornubel, where they receive the next clue and hire a barge to take them to Baldur's Gate.

30 Hammer - 5 Alturiak, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team hit the Chiondar river. The third day out they spot the Delzimmer team being swamped by water elementals. They put the rafts to shore and start preparing for battle. Harold casts several phantom steeds: one for Barnaby, Darvin and himself. The barbarian brothers charge. Illarion goes to shore and fires his bow from the great distance, hitting often. Firefinger jumps up onto the chariot to prepare spells. Smitty drinks a swimming potion and then is given a fly spell by Firefinger. Chand casts spells as well. The first arrow from Illarion gets the elementals' attention and they sweep over to meet Barnaby and Darvin. Two try to vortex the barbarians and Harold, but to no effect since the steeds can fly (though Harold is thrown from his steed and levitates up out of the whirlpool. Chand summons a large water elemental, which Darvin and Barnaby naturally attack and kill. As most of the team ventures out to attack the elementals, many of the elementals move underwater to swamp the rafts. Chand is sucked underwater and uses a polymorph to turn into a merman. Harold, Darvin, Barnaby, Firefinger and Smitty fly back to help rescue people from the water. Darvin dives in to either help or attack the merman. Harold and Firefinger cast spells from above while merman Chand casts them from below. Finally, the elementals are defeated. Chand uses his merman skills to locate the tossed equipment and the team continues down river, arriving at Baldur's Gate two days later in the late afternoon.

5-10 Alturiak, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team take their token to the Water Queen's House in the dock district. The High Priestess of Umberlee refuses to let Darvin or Smitty approach since they are 'of the earth', thus keeping up the tradition of the 'bitch queen'. The team continues on to the finish of this leg, having traveled for 56 days. Chand has a love connection with one of the members of the Four Moons team. Smitty tries to buy some potions, but takes umbrage from the gnome's comments and ends up with nothing. Chand buys some materials for magic item making for later. Darvin and Barnaby get into a drinking challenge with the Great Stag team. The team waits four days for the last team to be eliminated (the team from Silverdale.) The next leg of the race begins and the team is off to Candlekeep via shadow walk. The individual challenge there has to do with translating book covers and placing them in the appropriate shrine or temple - Chand easily completes this task. They are off to Naskell using a shadow walk, where they are supposed to find a gnome ranger named Bunktwiss. It is late in the evening and the inn is closed, so they bed down in the 'common room' of the nearby tavern (really just the unused storage room). Three other teams are at the door of the Inn when it opens, but Chand and Harold are the first to get to the sleeping, and very grumpy, Bunktwiss. He asks them to take him away from all the noise and pounding, so they dimension door to the tavern's common room. He takes their bought drink and gives them their next clue. The team finishes their breakfast quickly as the other teams protest the apparent interference, but the race observer following the team speaks with the other race observers to assure them it was Bunktwiss' request, and to inform them where the gnome ranger is located. The team uses phantom steeds to race northwards to Durlag's Tower, where they have to find a token of their team color. In the first room they encounter a will-o-wisp.

10 - 11 Alturiak, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team explore Durlag's Tower. They eventually enter the center chamber where a gigantic mechanical creature which looks to be half gorilla and half scorpion is guarding tokens of every color. It is a tough opponent, but Diana manages to sneak off with the team's token. The team rushes back to Bunktwiss and receives their next clue. They are off to Iriaebor where they have to fly an aerial obstacle course.

11 - 14 Alturiak, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team take 8.5 hours to complete the aerial obstacle course, having two teams pass them. To make up time they use a shadow walk to transport a hippogryph to Annak the Sorceror in Riatavin. They are given a secret missive to take to Castle Tethyr. Once there, they are given a Choice Task: Alchemy or Archery. They decide to do alchemy and craft a haste potion in the bizarre outside the castle. They move on to Memnon and buy 15 camels to deliver across the Calim desert to Calimport. Along the way they are greeted by Faris al bin Sheik of the Desert Moon tribe. They are treated to an evening of festivities.

14 - 28 Alturiak, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team continue on through the Calim desert with escort. The discover in Calimport information costs gold and dwarves are dispised. They also deliver their camels and make the end of the leg in first place. During the four days in Calimport, Chand crafts some boots, Smitty fights an arena combat, and generally the team just hangs out. The Hunters of Tashalar are the last team to arrive and are eliminated. The team leaves first, having to find a cleric of Ilmater (who is on the docks.) They then have to escort a pilgrim of Ilmater to Port Nyranzaru in Chult on a Calim tradeship. The Waterdeep guild get a jump on them and are out first. The Calim team is shortly behind the Neverwinter team. Over the uneventful days at sea the Calim team makes up the distance. On the evening of the fourth day there is a horrible screeching coming from the water, and it begins to churn as large eels thrash about. Harold calls forth some phantom steeds and he, Smitty, Barnaby and Darvin ride out in front of the ship to meet whatever might be coming. Ten fireballs explode around the Waterdeep ship. The Calim ship starts to turn back. A twenty foot long giant eel appears and Smitty rushes it, followed shortly by Darvin. It bites Darvin and his steed whole, killing the steed and then swallowing Darvin. Ilarion, Firefinger and Smitty all try to do what they can to kill the beast, but it submerges. Darvin fights it from inside, killing it, then flying up from the churning eel sea. Over the next eight days of travel the Calim team makes up the distance again, arriving at the Port almost simultaneously with Waterdeep. Neverwinter docks very shortly after. The next task is to find and secure a dragon turtle egg from Lake Luo and take it to Mezro.

28-30 Alturiak, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team hire a guide to help them find the dragon turtle egg at Lake Luo and take it to Mezro. Using phantom steeds, they arrive at the lake in hours. They spend the night and start the search in earnest the next day, using phantom steeds. They find a dragon turtle pair, kill them, and take the egg (Darvin once again takes the brunt of the damage). They get the egg to Mezro and find the next task is an individual one. Harold volunteers to take on the thunder lizard.

30 Alturiak - 25 Ches, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team watch as Harold easily defeats the thunder lizard. They check on taking a longship to Urbeth, but decide to take their specially prepared dragon turtle egg by phantom steed by way if Calimshan. However, the egg proves to be too delicate for the rocking back and forth on horseback. The team returns to Lake Luo, encounter a gigantic dinosaur (t-rex), and then find another nesting pair. They return their egg to Mezro, get the egg prepared and set out by sailing ship. Upon arriving at Urbeth, they find out they are the fourth team to arrive. Then next task is a choice one and they choose to find a flag on the nearby volcano. Mostly, they search at night, but do find it.

25 Ches - 4 Tarsakh, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team venture on to Church of Tyr in Suldophor, then end this leg of the race at the Stubborn Genie Inn. The team from Rasheman are eliminated. The next leg begins with a visit to the Church of Azuth, then a Choice Task where the team chooses to take on a Ghost Ship. They encounter the Ship at night. Barnaby, Harold and Darvin are on the Ship when it dematerializes, and Smitty almost drowns. They make port in Ankhapur, then on to the Wizard Arolphin's maze. They encounter either clues to get out of monsters. A necronaut proves to be particularly difficult, almost deadly.

4-6 Tarsakh, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team keep finding clues and fighting monsters in Wizard Arolphin's maze. They eventually put together the phrase "M-otyough-6-fire" and teleport to K'thlora's keep. They have a nice dinner, spend the night, and are off to the Arcanist College in Shaarmid. Darvin takes the individual challenge to duel himself; he wins. They are then off to Delzimmer in search of the Spice Guild.

6-13 Tarsakh, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team head into the Toadsquat mountains in search of a roc. After a couple of days of searching they spot one flying towards them and engage it. Harold uses a dimension door to take him and Ilarion to the roc's back as Barnaby and Darvin attack it (Darvin managing to pull his blow before killing the creature). Ilarion manages to stay on as the very wounded roc flies back to its nest, with the others following. They engage it again at its nest, killing it and taking a tail feather. The team is off to Cathyr to turn the feather over to the queen. Just outside the city they are approached by rebels wanting help deposing the queen, a worshipper of Loviatar. The team opts not to get involved and finish this leg of the race in third place.

The next leg of the race begins with a race to Maarlith on rage drakes, creatures which need to be intimidated and/or bribed to behave. The team arrives to Maarlith without mishap (and with the timely hunting of interesting savanah creatures.) The next task is to find the lost city in the great Rethild swamp.

13-15 Tarsakh, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team head into the Rethild swamp looking for the lost city. They encounter some bullywugs, a bog giant, and other strange creatures. They learn the only creatures in the swamp that know where the lost city is are lizardfolk Servants of the Royal Egg.

15-17 Tarsakh, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team search the Rethild swamp looking for the lost city. They encounter a leech swarm, and then finally locate the lizardfolk. After a short fight they capture one and Firefinger, Chand and Harold learn how to find the city.

17-19 Tarsakh, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team search the swamp using Harold's dragon heritage to help locate the city. He finds where he thinks it should be, but there's no sign of it. Chand uses a dimension door to take some of the team down 200', but they are shunted to a waterfilled ruins of a city. Chand is able to dimension door back to the surface. Firefinger then uses dimesion door to shuttle groups of three down to the lost city. While he's doing this, some of the team members are attacked by a gargantuan green dragon who breathes corrisives on them. It kills Chand and Regalla. At a loss on what to do with their captain killed, the team uses a locate object to find a race flag and thus the next clue. However, they cannot be given the clue since their captain is dead. They spend the night and plan how to being back Chand so they can continue the race. The next morning as they prepare, the ghost of Chand appears, urging them to continue on with the race. Since there is nothing in the rule disallowing ghost captains, they are given their next clue and are off towards Halruaa. Chand has to "walk" so the others press ahead on phantom steeds. They reach the pass and find the fourth place team in an abandoned stone outpost. There is some tense words spoken, but the team continues up the pass. They reach a prismatic wall and a sentry who won't let them pass without their captain. Eventually, Chand and the observer arrive.

19-24 Tarsakh, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team pass into Hulruaa and hire a skyship. They then sail to Halarahh, where Diana has to climb up a tall tower with an Azuthian Lodestone. They are off to the major temple of Mystra, then off again to Eartheart. Once there, they have to choose between wandering the caverns of the Great Rift or pulling up stone statues from the Lake. They choose the former, and hire a local dwarf to guide them.

24 Tarsakh - Greengrass, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team and their dwarven guide come to a great chasm and have to be trebucheted over it. It was a little too much for Harold. They then come upon a giant cavern of ants. As they shadow walk across they lose the guide. After much debate, and mystical advice, they press on alone and eventually find another guide. After so many days underground they find the airshafts and emerge at the Council Hills.

Greengrass - 3 Mirtul, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team head on to Beluir and find the mayor's home. They are assigned first breakfast and are told the mayor's partial to seafood. Chand takes his cohort Firefinger and companion Smitty to his parents to get some help. His Auntie Em offers to assist. Harold and Illarion get a free dinner and drink from a interested merchant. Darvin, Barnaby, Diana and Belladonna try to find the Delzimmer team (who had failed at the meal task) to taunt them. However, they discover they are in seclusion outside of town, so they talk Belladonna into wearing a skimpy serving wench costume to help their chances. With Auntie Em's assistance they wow the mayor. They are off to Ompre, having to collect marks along the way that total 100. They encounter dire boars and dire tigers (the latter Harold uses his belt of lions to mostly subdue). They make their way to Ompre and receive their next clue: they have to collect a purple worm tooth in the Plain of Purple Dust.

3 - 9 Mirtul, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team have to collect a purple worm tooth in the Plain of Purple Dust, so they hurry along into the desert. There is overwhelming magic everywhere, but no signs of the purple worm. They they find one and attack. It starts out kind of one sided, what with Smitty gettting swallowed and Barnaby and Firefinger getting crushed, but the team eventully kill it and takes its teeth (all to be safe). Something magical happens to either their weapon or armor. They are attacked by another purple worm and kill it as well. Once in Zindalankh they learn they are in second place. The team from Calimport is eliminated. There is a short rest before the next leg begins.

9 - 10 Mirtul, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team have to take a dozen slaves to Skuld. Chand takes Smitty and the slaves on a shadow walk but encounter shadow creatures. Smitty is dropped down to one strenghth and Chand to two points. They drop out of shadow and defeat the creatures, waiting for the others. The rest of the team encounter harpy archers and Ilarion is turned into a pincushion, and the Barbarian Bash Brothers wail into combat. Harold breathes on one. They kill the Harpies and take their equipment. They eventually meet the other two and the slaves. They force march (putting slaves on floating discs) until late at night, spend the night in a mansion and start the next day with shadow walk and i>phantom steed. Two days later they drop off the slaves and get their next clue.

10-13 Mirtul, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team take a longship across the Alambar Sea to Shussel, having to figure out that the "secret" is. The crew of the ship only speak Mulhorandi, so Firefinger does all the translating. Even then, they chain Smitty up in the hold to row, and openly sneer at the halflings, dwarf, and half-elf. Chand uses a control weather to help the sailing. The second night the ship is attacked by strange incorporal zombie-like creatures which only attack humans, ignoring the non-humans and Chand. This works to the team's advantage even though all of the pure humans, except Regalla and four crewmembers, are killed: this includes the slave rowers, most of the crew, Firefinger and Auntie Em. Belladonna animate the dead slaves, and Regalla uses a raise dead on Auntie Em and Firefinger (though the results on the latter remain to be seen). The remaining four crew take control of the ship and take the team to Shussel. Chand uses a charm person to find out what the "secret" is: the Vanishing. But that's all he gets. At Shussel, they find the garrison captain and tell him the secret. They are promptly arrested, much to the Race Observer's surprise. It seems that it is against the law in Mulhorand to use force or magical means to get information. The team is given two choices: Spend a month in the dungeons or enslave one of their members for life. There is much debate (and a lot of posturing by Barnaby and Darvin about taking on the entire garrison), when Smitty volunteers to be enslaved. The team isn't happy and the Race Observer tells them he will meet them in the next city. Once there, they find out that the Waterdeep didn't interfere with latter teams, though he promised they were doing what they can to free Smitty.

13-14 Mirtul, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team press on with the race, first finding the Beguiler's and meeting Andar Moorcock, a dragon shaman/messenger, they have to deliver to the Ruffian Guildmaster in Mordulkin. Once there, they encounter a rampaging Infernal Juggernaut which explodes them with a giant fireball. They open the gates and let the townsfolk flee, including Auntie Em. They ignore the juggernaut (which they find out was let loose by the wizard which rules the city) and find the Ruffian Guild. There is an individual challenge to run the Ruffian's Initiate challenge, which Barnaby tries first but fails (and falls into muck), then Ilarion tries and fails, and finally Belladonna tries and succeeds. All the action was captured on a large sphere for the Guild and remaining team members to see while they dine. They then are off to seek the Emerald Enclave in Sapra, a place Andar has been to so they take him along. Going via shadow walk they arrive and are immediately surrounded by worgs, which they defeat handlily. They go to the city and find an inn, then Chand realizes he forgot Auntie Em and teleports back to Mordulkin and asks the Ruffian Guild, which offers to find her for a price.

14-19 Mirtul, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team wait for Chand to return with Em, but he comes back empty handed. They concoct a plan to "rescue" her when Harold scrys her apparently sitting in a Ruffian Guild cell. It doesn't work so they pay the 5000gp finders fee. Returning to the Race, they wait a day to meet with the Emerald Enclave. Each is asked a probing question and when they are through they are given a clue to sail under the guidance of Selune to Hlath. In Hlath they get an assignment to guard a merchant train to Arrabar. The second day out they are ambushed by well organized bandits.

19 Mirtul, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team battle the well organized bandits, and when the opponents were close to dying they (or, really, their horses) teleported out. Eventurally, the team sends the bandits running. But for how long?

19-23 Mirtul, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team face the better organized bandits, which attack invisibly and on invisible phantom steeds. The combat is short and the team nearly loses Regalla and Auntie Em. Chand takes Auntie Em back home, and Harold takes Regalla to Balder's Gate to have a true ressurection. The next few days pass uneventfully, but....

23 Mirtul - 4 Kythorn, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team face another bandit clan, this time strange four-armed creatures using longspears from the backs of large drake creatures. The combat is tough, but the team prevails. They succeed in getting the merchant safely to town, then have to find a gladiator on their way to Westgate. They find one and sponsor her, and she defeats her first oponent. She hires on as a henchman. The team is the first to finish this leg, a non-elimination leg. However, due to the situation in Mulhorand, all teams will have to wait for the final team, so that gives the Neverwinter Team about two weeks in Westgate.

4 - 15 Kythorn, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team have some down time, so some get into mischief, some create magic items, some return (Smitty), and Harold is approached by a woman who claims her husband was shanghai'd by ratmen. Harold scries on the man and then talks the Team into a rescue mission. They discover they cannot teleport out, so they have to fight their way out. They encounter a shadow mastiff, a twelve headed hydra, and then a battle amongst a fighter, cleric, mage and blood trolls. The battle is intense.

15 Kythorn, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team find the man, and some others, find out they cannot magically leave, so explore the complex. They encounter some Malarians, have an intense battle, kill some and chase some others away. They explore some more. Chand gets trapped, kills Xi to fulfill his destiny, and is freed. They explore some more.

15 - 24 Kythorn, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team finish exploring, return to retreive the man but find him dead, get his body and escape the complex. The race resumes days later and the first task is to find a Servitor of the Night Masks, which they learn is a vampire, and remove him as a threat to Westgate. They pay a local to lead them to a lair, find four coffins - none of which have vampires but are trapped - and many people suspended below them in cages. A gigantic swarm of beetles attacks, but the Team eventually fight them off. An illusionary wall is discovered but the corridor beyond is filled with a poison gas.

25 Kythorn - 17 Flamerule, 1376: The Neverwinter Race Team find a vampire and "kill" it, taking its talisman. They move on to the next task at High Horn in Cormyn, where they take the Advancement Challenge of defeating a nearby dragon. They get it down where it says "I am defeated" and the Team is teleported to the end of the leg in Thay. There they wait.

Next Adventure

Updated: November 5, 2006.