Campaign
Log
Book 1:
Chapter 1
“A
small fort of Gondor”
GM: Dale Carroll
Characters:
Jennifer Smith - Ioreth,
High Woman Magic User
Hurgon,
Common Man Rouge
Melody Soice - Elari, High Elf Healer
Anarion,
High Man Ranger
Kelvin Soice - Feor-fin, High Man Paladin
Crissaegrim,
High Man Cleric with eagle companion Eonwe
Session 1
Individual characters feel drawn to a small fort of Gondor
located to the south east of Mirkwood along the little used trade road running
to Lake Town. The fort is a simple
wooden palisade built on the ruins of an earlier fort on a hill, adjacent to
another hill with another ruined fort. Old name of the fort complex was known
as "The Spires". There are 6
non-combatant merchants, 12 soldiers and one sergeant currently present in the
fort. A patrol with an officer was
overdue. A survivor of the patrol comes
back and says it was ambushed, every one dead.
Early evening. A line of torches
is seen off in distance. The heroes go
off to investigate. The heroes kill 4
Goblins on Wargs, nearly ambushed; one does catch Elari from behind. The heroes move a little further on,
encounter man with glowing eyes who shoots a flame arrow off into the sky
before attacking the heroes. He is
killed but there is no time to examine his body as a large troupe of more
Goblins on Wargs summoned by the flame arrow is almost upon us. Late evening day 1.
Session 2
Sun up day 2, heroes rest and heal. Re-con by Eonwe shows 30 orcs beyond ruined fort, 10 goblins and
10 wargs in woods around ruined fort.
Goblins are seen working on some kind of sled/pile of wood. Hurgon and Sergeant get into fight about
being properly grateful. Some of the
heroes ride out to the ruined fort.
Riding hard back to the fort, with 10 Goblins on Wargs right behind them
Feor-fin, Crissaegrim and Anarion dismount just OUTSIDE of open fort gates,
rest of the party ride in. Thinking
that they might have a chance to surround/overwhelm the people in front of the
open gates the Goblins and Wargs press the attack. However, with help of arrow fire from guards upon the walls most
of the goblins and wargs are killed.
Ioreth critically wounded in right arm, saved only by application of
tourniquet. Will require amputation in
day or two if not healed, healing beyond current skill of Healer Elari.
Session 3
Morning of day 2. Numerous proposals and ideas to save arm, none
work out. The heroes are told of a
secret tunnel leading from fort to the ruined fort. The heroes go in and find remains of the guard assigned to
monitor the tunnel. The heroes travel a
little further on, hears noise from other side of entrance, turn back and
remove the keystone to collapse the tunnel.
Afternoon of day 2. The heroes
again approach the ruined fort, wound some of the orcs and attempt to get away
before getting overwhelmed by the on rushing orcs. Presence of an orc shaman who uses fire walls and inflicted
seizures makes getting away extremely difficult. 1 orc killed. Except for
two horses lost the heroes are able to escape with only minimal wounds mainly
because orcs are better lead and are unwilling to make the same mistake that
the goblins did of pursuing the heroes to the fortress walls.
Session 4
More proposals and ideas to save arm, none work out. The heroes and soldiers prepare for night
attack by orcs. Wooden palisade and
buildings doused with water, all supplies and non-combatants moved into central
tower, wagon moved in front of main gate.
Nightfall day 2, orcs attack.
Original orc plan had been to have the goblins/wargs drag the wood sled
up to our wall and set it alight with the shaman’s firewall spell then all rush
in. Goblins and Wargs already dead so
orcs drag up the sled but abandon it in the heat of battle. Shaman uses firewall to set a section of the
wall burning before he is killed.
Feor-fin and Anarion move a wagon in behind the burning wall while two
guards try to douse flames. But magical
fire is too powerful, a section of wall opens.
First two orcs try to make it through but are seriously burned by
flames. More of wall burns opening the
gap larger so 4 more come through.
Feor-fin, Anarion and 2 guards with the help of arrows from Elari, guard
#9 and 6 merchants on roof kill 5 of the orcs that made it through. Wild shooting by the unskilled merchants on
roof wounds Feor-fin and Anarion. One
orc manages to escape and heads towards gate but is killed, eventually, by
Elari and guard #11. Feor-fin's back is
seriously hurt by strike, barely vertical.
Mean while outside the Orc commander was seriously wounded and finally
finished off by arrow from Crissaegrim, 1 orc runs away others killed. By orc arrows guard #6 was wounded his
morale broke and ran off, guard #1 was mortally wounded. Hurgon and Sergeant wounded and reduced in
activity. Remaining orc leader and orc champion order remaining orcs to charge
main gate. They eventually hammer
through outer gate. Arrows from guards
and Crissaegrim above gate punish orcs as they try to get through inner
gate. Orc champion and 2 orcs killed
others wounded. Guard #2 leans too far
over wall and falls out, killed by orc.
Orcs eventually break through the inner gate and throw the wagon out of
the way. The orc leader and 4 orcs make
it through, overwhelming and killing Guard #3.
Orcs surrounded and killed by rest of guards and characters. Guard #10, Sven, is killed by a wild arrow
shot from Anarion which otherwise would have hit Feor-fin. Feor-fin is wounded again in the back, stays
in the fight but fully defensive. Orc
leader, last orc alive, suffers multiple severe wounds and eventually finished
off by Hurgon.
Session 5
<<Hurgon, Elari, Anarion and Feor-fin make 2nd
level>>
Anarion remembers that he has Belan Nuts, a healing herb that
can stop any bleeding. Brewed and given
to Ioreth, arm saved. The rest of the
heroes are healed over two days. Guards
buried, orcs disposed of. Body of Orc Shaman yields ring with spider motif,
still biting into shaman's finger.
Feor-fin and Crissaegrim try to destroy ring and are seriously wounded
by lightening bolts from ring. A fight
breaks out with Elari wanting to attune to/keep the ring. Elari manages to get ring and after chase
ending on the palisade wall puts it on.
Elari falls unconscious.
<<Ring allows magic user to successfully cast any spell that they
currently know, at the cost of 1D10 damage per level of the spell inflicted on
the user>> Check of body of Orc Commander finds scroll case made out of a
long bone. Inside case is scrap of
human skin with Black Speech writing on it.
Ioreth partially able to translate seems to be orders to "Retrieve
the Egg from the Fingers".
Considering that these two forts were once called "The Spires"
it is likely they meant something here.
Morning of Day 5. Elari uses her
racial sensitivity to magic and finds a source somewhere below the ruined
fort. Search of ruined fort yields
other end of tunnel connecting forts.
At beginning of tunnel find a hidden trap door. After much work and chipping away of stone
to get better leverage the capstone is removed. Ioreth and Elari partially able to read the script on the bottom
of the capstone. The language is a very
old form of elvish. Writing seems to
refer to a warning but most of it is lost.
Trap door is to a well 40ft deep with smooth glassy sides. Sides seem to have more ancient elvish
script embedded <<?>> into the rock/glass, the script seems to move
<<?>> or flow. The heroes
rappel down to bottom; Huron and three guards stay up top. At the bottom find a tunnel leading east,
same sides as the well. 40' into the
tunnel the designs on the tunnel sides change to geometric for a 10' section,
then back to script. 40' beyond ends in
smooth metallic door. Elari touches
door with spider ring and door rolls up.
Door opens to a T intersection.
One metallic door to North, six small doors along corridor to
south. Crissaegrim prays to Manwe for
guidance <<Guess spell>>, which indicates any one of the 6 small
doors. Elari opens 6 doors with ring to
steeply dipping 4'X4' chutes. Elari
opens North door, reveals a small room.
Searched, ceiling found to be very fragile and breaks away to reveal
circle with lines crisscrossing pattern scratched into real ceiling. Anarion attempts to drive piton into floor
to secure rope for travel down chutes.
Floor seems to fracture and break like glass, the heroes hear a
screaming sound, attacked by spirit rising from floor. The heroes only have non-magical weapons,
which seem to do no damage. Anarion
uses his natural ability at flame bolts to damage spirit; Ioreth's shock bolts
keep missing. Cries of combat
eventually summons Hurgon from above and he uses his magical sword. Crissaegrim eventually able to turn/repel
the undead and the spirit flees. The
wounded heroes flee back up to top.
Session 6
The heroes rest until 2 hours before sun down of day 5. Crissaegrim takes one hour and prepares some
Holy Water. Anoints the heroes’ weapons
with Holy Water. Crissaegrim prays for
help from Manwe and sends Eonwe aloft.
Eonwe comes back with a dead rat that turns out to have a red stone
<<a ruby?>> in it. All of
the heroes descend into the tunnel. The
fractured section is too weak and unstable to cross so the heroes have a plank
of wood thrown down. Elevated by
bedrolls the plank is laid across the broken section. In crossing it looks possibly like bodies seen through the
fractures. Plank taken and wedged
across chute opening rope tied to plank the heroes make way down chute. The heroes drop into large room. Large design on floor that is the same as in
the roof of the small room above.
Surrounding are 4 crypts then 8 pillars. Large door on N end has imagery of torture/suffering; door on S
end has imagery of mourning. Guess
spell indicates neither door, various attempts tried at opening central design
as indicates hollow but nothing successful. Same <<?>> spirit comes down chute. Spirit's moaning paralyzes many of the
heroes. Crissaegrim overcome by moaning
and seriously wounded is unable to act.
Party eventually able to drive off the spirit. Blessed weapons do seem to have a limited effect. Search of crypts, one crypt is trapped and
wounds Hurgon. Magical bracelet taken
by Elari - effect unknown. Magical
helmet taken by Crissaegrim <<raises Intuition bonus by +5>>. Magical sword Ioreth attunes to and hears a
voice in her head saying "Evil fear my wrath!" and tries to hand
sword to Hurgon, sword comes alive with rage and wounds Hurgon. The sword given to Anarion <<+10
sword, +30 vs. true evil beings>>.
A magical staff which Ioreth keeps, properties unknown. Partial deciphering of writing on crypts
indicates their names and they are ‘Watchers’.
The heroes start to go through S door.
Session 7
Opening door shows corridor with alternating panels of stone and
sections with script. Just before a
right turn a portcullis slams down leaving Feor-fin and Ioreth outside while
Hurgon, Elari, Anarion and Crissaegrim are trapped on the far side. Attempts to raise the gate are
unsuccessful. Hurgon, Elari, Anarion
and Crissaegrim continue on. Through a
door, passed two crumbling skeletons, down steps. Attacked by 6 very powerful animated skeletons coming out of
alcoves. Crissaegrim seriously wounded,
knocked out. Hurgon receives an
eventually mortal blow to kidneys, even with partial healing from Elari he will
die within about 10 days. The heroes retreat to the portcullis to heal. Feor-fin spikes S door shut. The heroes rest for about 1.5 hours before
moaning/wind heard outside S door.
Feor-fin runs up and leans against S door to try to keep it shut. The S door blows open anyways and Feor-fin
is sent flying from the blast of air.
The wraith spirit approaches.
Session 8
Feor-fin runs back to the portcullis to get the magical sword
from Anarion. Wraith spirit advances
slowly, seems to be avoiding scripted floor panels. Feor-fin and Ioreth with backs up against portcullis fight the
Wraith spirit. The "Evil fear my
wrath" sword will not let Feor-fin transfer OB to DB. Feor-fin is seriously wounded <<R
collarbone shattered + 51 hits +6 bleeding>>. Ioreth strikes back with
shock bolts, one of them doing 56 hits in a single bolt. Anarion uses natural ability with flame
bolts until knocked out from exhaustion for 5 hours. Elari reaches through gate and heals Feor-fin back up to
fighting. Ioreth delivers final blow. A
small black, warm crystal falls to floor, Ioreth takes. The heroes rest for 6 hours to heal. Crissaegrim turns more water into Holy
Water. Hurgon, Elari, Anarion and
Crissaegrim advance again, come to a room with two doors. About 100 red gems like what Crissaegrim was
given by Manwe are lying on the floor in the same crisscrossing pattern;
avoided. N door leads down, the handle
breaks off the W door and machinery is heard then nothing. Going down stair a spiked pit trap opens and
Elari falls in but not badly hurt. At
the bottom a large chest is found, opened using key at bottom of handle from W
door. 500 large metallic coins with
picture of a building on one side; other side has more writing on it. In addition, a dagger, blade is black,
smooth and glassy like obsidian with writing on hilt. Also found is a 2'X 2' X 0.5" metal plate. Elari feels that with several days study she
might be able to understand some of it.
All taken. Upon opening the
chest the W door opened, leads to room with crisscrossing pattern on back of wall
behind raised dais, lit by 4 glowing red stones surrounding the pattern. Crisscrossing pattern material seems to be
extremely weak, same as the ceiling material in the small room on first level. Avoided for now. Elari goes back to warn Feor-fin and Ioreth to move up to N door
of main room and listen as rest of the heroes must be getting close to other
side. Room has W door, go through leads
to room with 4 crypts each marked with the angular pattern script as in outer
entrance, upon wall are 4 sets of manacles.
Noises heard from crypts Avoided.
Door on S side leads by winding staircase up to N door of main room, the
door with scenes of torture/people being flayed alive. Many attempts to open the door but nothing
works. Door seems to be locked. While attempting to open door increasing
noises from below, eventually 4 undead break through door and come up
stairs. Undead seam to have been flayed
alive, armed with disease tipped claws.
Only two can line up and fight at a time on the stairs. Hurgon hurt, stunned, Elari tries to push
past him ends up knocking him down stairs into the undead, lands in heap with 2
undead on him attacking. At the same
time Crissaegrim repels one of the undead to back down the stairs. Hurgon manages to hold off undead for a
while but eventually overcome, heart ripped out, body eventually shredded. Crissaegrim throws Holy water at the two
undead on Hurgon, some effect. Anarion
seriously wounded, hurt in leg, moves back to let Crissaegrim in who is
immediately seriously wounded in shield arm.
Three of the undead are destroyed; the only undead left is the one that
Crissaegrim had repelled.
Session 9
Feor-fin figures out that to open the N door the S door must be
shut. The heroes retreat to the main
room to heal and rest. After 2hrs, the
heroes advance to find remaining flayed undead. Advances to room with gem pattern, find pattern has been
disturbed, takes gems. Going back to
room with fragile pattern and break it, rumbling like noise heard. Going back to main room ambushed by Hurgon
come back as an evil undead. Hurgon
defeated with difficulty. Anarion,
Ioreth and Feor-fin seriously wounded.
Hurgon’s body is dismembered.
The heroes notice that the rumbling sound seems to have corresponded to
the central pattern in the floor opening up and revealing a spiraling staircase
down. After 1.5 hrs the remaining
flayed undead heard moving up from stairs.
Surrounded and easily killed.
For another 6 hours the heroes rests and heals. The heroes descend the stairs. Stairs narrow down and come to a hatch,
opened. Reveals drop to a pit; Anarion
enters first then rest of party. Room
is hexagonal with alcoves for stone statues of 4 Elven warriors and 1 large
humanoid each barred with portcullis.
One door out opened reveals corridor with another Wraith Spirit. Wraith II seems extremely agitated/angry but
contained above another gem pattern on the floor. The heroes prepare, Ioreth shoots flame bolt at Wraith, hurts but
releases it. Wraith II is much more
powerful than the last one, Anarion gets final kill but not before Feor-fin has
right thumb ripped off. Elari manages
to at least temporarily establish blood flow to thumb to keep it from
decaying. Destruction of Wraith II also
leaves a warm dark crystal, Crissaegrim takes.
The heroes advance, another hexagonal room with female crystalline hands
holding glowing stone. Elari takes
stone. Cracks start appearing in all
walls. The heroes make a hasty retreat
topside as the complex begins to collapse.
Hurgon's pack, which had most of the metal coins, is abandoned. The three soldiers who had been detailed to
the start point are missing. Outer
hatch closed and the heroes look around the ruined fort. They see the other fort is now a smoking
ruin, apparently has been attacked and destroyed by another, larger force of
orcs some time in the past two days that the heroes have been down in the
crypt. <<All of party makes 3rd level>>