May 2013

Conclusion of Game 7
At the conclusion of Game 7 we left our adventurers after just having defeating the Goblin ambush in the night and discovering that a Boggle had decided to steal all the bedrolls while you were fighting. Splug had been unable to stop the Boggle as it was using portals to jump around your sleeping area.

Start of Game 8
Lennie looks back and notices for the first time that there is a giant walking tiger standing in the doorway. He yell’s “Moonster!” and smashes the Tiger in the head with the flat of his Maul before the Tiger can react. The Tiger falls unconscious and transforms back into Thomas’s character Mathos. After waking back up Thomas explains that in his tribe the Tiger of Winter is revered as the Tribes god and that he has given some to shift into a feral shape. He has been gifted more for some reason and can transform into an aspect of the Tiger of Winter. Since Thomas was not there, I was a little sketchy on the details.

Encounter in the Crypts
After moving back into the Keep you see a skeleton down a hallway you missed before. Mathos rushes after it smashing it but activates a double row of Sarcophagi which spew undead out. After defeating many of the undead the Sarcophagi deactivate. The adventurers find some alters which have six totems of the Platinum Dragon Bahmut.

Sir Keegans Tomb
Beyond the Crypts you enter a room which holds a tomb with the carving of a Knight on it. After drawing close to the tomb the lid opens and an armored ghost steps out and identifies himself as Sir Keegan. He tells his story after speaking with you tells you the dragon totems will help you in some way in the upcoming fight. He also draws his sword Aecris and gives it to you and tells you to keep the rift to the Shadowfell shut at all costs.

Hidden Armory
Just before the stairs you notice a hidden door. After unlocking and opening it you discover a small room. You notice the wall is an illusion and Mathos runs into the room. A zombie attacks him in the dark and everyone else tries to enter the fight with several other zombies. After defeating the zombies you find a weapons rack but have to solve a riddle before you can take an item due a magical ward.

Conclusion of Game 8
At the conclusion of game eight you reach the stairs and shout out the password found on the Underpriest to the guards at the top.

Start of Game 9
The guards shout, “Underpriest Nelven is dead. RELEASE THE BEAST!” Apparently the password in the letter was a plant to confuse the adventurers if the Underpriest was defeated,

Release the Beast!
The adventurers run to the bottom of the stairs and see two Hobgoblin guards blocking the stairs while two others run to a room behind them. Other guards enter the battle from rooms to the left and right. Near the conclusion of the battle a Deathjump spider (the beast) as large as a man bounds into the room and continues the attack but is ultimately defeated.

Hobgoblin Barracks
Continuing on you hear some noises ahead. The group charges in and defeats a barracks full of Hobgoblins. The shield walls the Hobgoblins form make it difficult for most players to defeat but it puts them in perfect formation for burst attacks from Kitsune. You find two casks of ale and send Splug to take them to a safe place. If offers you some rat kabobs before departing but you decline.

Ambush from Behind
After departing the barracks the players rush towards where the ritual is taking place led by Kalarel Scion of Orcus. The players then are attacked in the rear by a group of Hobgoblins which were in an unexplored room. The goblins hit the rear of the group hard but are ultimately defeated.

During these adventures the players have amassed treasure which Philip has been tracking and has amassed weapons which the group has divided up as they found. I have not attempted to list all of it in the summary but I hope you are all tracking it on your character sheets.

4e Summary – Game Session 7 (The Dead Walk)

Douven Staul and Ninaran arrive at the Keep and tell you about the situation in the village. Essentially undead are overrunning the country side and have the village under siege. The Winterhaven Regulars are keeping the village secure. The Militia is saving villagers on farms and bringing them to village. Some villagers have already been captured. Sister Linora and Eilian the Old have been captured looking for the source of the undead.

Douvon and Ninaran scouted out the graveyard and saw that Ninaran’s family was also held there. They are sacrificing villagers to power the ritual to raise the dead. Ninaran would have tried a rescue everyone but he lacked his families weapons.

Douvon and Ninaran ask for the parties help in rescuing the villager’s. Ninaran tells you there are at least a dozen undead in the graveyard (last he saw) and more around the village and it appears one priest of Orcus. The graveyard is a relic of a town abandoned after the fall of the old empire. The graveyard is four hours travel from the Keep back towards Winterhaven.

The squad agrees to save the village by destroying the ritual that is raising the dead. They weigh the choice of leaving the Keep but they decide that saving the village is more important. The squad decides to take Ninaran’s help and give him his weapons and gear back.

Upon exiting the Keep you notice a pile of Goblin bodies piled from Lennie and Will. Apparently they had ambushed a group of Goblins that were returning from raiding the country side. At the graveyard you confront a large number of zombies and a priest of Orcus. Kitsune is successful in disrupting the ritual that was producing the undead. During that time the rest of the group kills the undead, again. You successfully rescue Sister Linora, Eilian the Old and Ninaran’s children. Ninraan’s wife and a few other villagers were already killed to power the ritual. Mathos callously makes a joke about Ninaran’s wife being dead after which Ninaran shoots Mathos and storms off with his stunned children. An awkward silence follows and the others don’t interfere or offer healing to Mathos.

The group then deduces they have disrupted the threat to the village and travel back to the Keep. They arrive late and find Lennie and Will have killed more goblins that were in the area. You set a guard and sleep through the evening. Just before dawn a patrol of Goblins attack the ruined farm house that you are sleeping in. During the battle Mathos transforms into a walking were-tiger and attacks the goblins. After defeating the goblins part of the group enters the decrepit building to find Splug running around with a large spoon. Apparently while the battle was going on the Boggle that has been stalking you decided to steal the bedrolls. Splug tried to slap the hands appearing through portals in the room but he failed from stopping the Boggle.

Notable Characters for this session:
Sister Linora (Priestess of Avandra – Goddess of Change, Luck, Trade and Travel)
Eilian the Old – Old farmer and regular at Wrafton’s Inn.
Ninaran – Elf Hunter, once spy in Winterhaven after his families capture.
Douvon Staul – Villager of Winterhaven and treasure hunter
Will – Best friend of Shawna (Human Hunter)
Lennie – Large simple minded friend of Will and all villagers.