My Lords and Ladies
Barons of Pogrom Island 7 January 2004
1. After some time talking to Mick and loading treasure chests into Portable Holes and Bag of Holding, you hear what seems to be alarm sounds from below this level of the fortress. It turns out to be shields being bashed with swords as the party had removed all the alarm bells from the central tower’s guard posts on the way up.
2. To prevent access to the middle tower from the left tower, the Barons had Adestra turn the natural rock bridge between the middle and left tower to mud. Unfortunately this also destroyed about a quarter of the level of the left tower where the bridge joined it. As the mud sluiced down the side of the tower, several heavy wooden doors were also seen leaving the building.
3. They descended the steel spiral stair and were working on securing the door to the bridge leading to the left tower (Ballard was tying it to the bars of the cell), when they were attacked by a contingent of 19 guards. The guards were led by Eniamian (lovingly nick-named Enema) and his 20 foot long Subterranean Lizard. During the battle the lizard was slain in two chops and Enema disappeared through the only exit.
4.
When
the party pursued Enema they discovered an octagonal room with 2 Displacer
Beasts, many Drow guards and several of the elite Drow of the fortress (Senetys, Aralian, and Zahnivil). Adestra gives them
some of their own back, completely filling the room with Webs before Palmerin
slams the door shut.
5. A major combat ensued with some slightly burnt Dorw, but the party was already weary, and had next to no healing or other spells. A Flame Strike washed over Palmerin and Adestra, and then a and Lightening Bolt electrocutes Palmerin before it earths on the stairs behind you, killing one of the Elves you had rescued who was coming down it. While Cadra and Ballard were finishing the displacer beasts and victory seemed within their grasp, the remaining Drow started retreating into an adjoining room. Meanwhile someone had bound Palmerin’s wounds which had left him bleeding out on the floor. He’s alive, but very weak.
6. In an heroic act, Crayon transfigures into a Mountain Lion and leaps over the combatants to attack the retreating guards. Leaping into the room after the Drow, Crayon found himself facing siege engines. Two enormous ballista were aimed at the door (they had been manoeuvring them around from facing the arrow slits in the fortress wall for the last 3 minutes). Just in time he leaps behind the Dark Elves operating the ballista as the Drow that he was attacking was pinned to the wall by an enormous ballista spear. He manages to gouge a Dorw with both front paws and gets the rear claws in on the action to rake the foul creature who merely grins at him.
7. The 10 Drow artillerists were simply too many though, as they close the door and pitch the room and Crayon into an unnatural darkness. The battle balanced on a knife edge as the party mop up the enemy outside the room, when Crayon is finally overwhelmed and starts to bleed out on top of a ballista. Only the heroic efforts of Cadra, Ballard and Palmerin bursting into the room and slaying the nearby Drow kept him from passing on to the afterlife. In the final stages of the heavy battle Ballard is nearly killed (0 HP), taking many a blow from the filthy Drow short swords. Damn he needs that Torc Adestra!
8. In the end you overcame the Drow and gained a magnificent victory having slain 4 of the elite who controlled House Vrama. It had taken a heavy toll though, with Crayon and Palmerin weak and barely able to move. With Crayon unable to cast spells the party were effectively trapped in Ul-Drakken. When looting the bodies of the fallen, the party hatched a plan for their recovery.
9. You decided to smear the symbol of the opposing House Yurganth in blood over the large grey carpet in the middle of the room, hoping to make it seem a raid from another Drow House. You then blockaded the room with the ballista in it and found sleeping quarters in the only adjoining room. Here you slept with a 3 man guard in the ballista room.
10. After 4 hours of rest T-Bird studies 3 cure spells for 30 minutes and casts them. 2 hours and 28 minutes later someone tries to open the door from the outside. Mick reported that they were whispering instructions to guard the door while a messenger was dispatched. Ballard has the brilliant idea of watching who comes out of the tower with his mirror held out the arrow slits to outside, you don’t want that Fire Giant involved! He sees a messenger running for the gate and takes careful aim with the Zhi Bow. He pulls off a critical hit and slays the Drow in his tracks. Ballard smiles to himself, mission accomplished.
11. In a last ditch effort, Kisandir and T-Bird start drinking potions and putting on the magical Helmet, when T-Bird manages to get the words past his clenched teeth that the Helmet is trying to bend T-Bird to it’s will. After a quick decision, Ballard and Cadra get the Helmet off before T-Bird is overcome by who knows what – it’s an evil place to be.
12. Just over an hour later a group of 9 Drow, 4 Huge Spiders, and Alevolenz try to break in the door. You kick out the spikes and they eventually get the door open. Adestra has only been able to learn a Magic Missile, but casts her Fumble spell from yesterday effectively. Alevolenz casts Fireball into ballista room, kills the people who were just going back into the sleeping chamber: Ballard was on 8 HP, and Crayon and Palmerin were very weak and on 1 HP, and T-Bird never stood a chance in the heat. Leaving just a singed Adestra, resolute Cadra and melted Mick alive.
13.
Alevolenz tries to slay Cadra with magic and fails. Tries to use hideous staff on Cadra and drops
it (Fumble). Cadra knocks the staff away
with his hammer. Cadra then drops his
hammer (Fumble), and Alevolenz kicks it away.
Cadra then uses fist and shield punches to defeat Alevolenz. But just when it seems that Alevolenz may be
beaten, she whispers words of recall and disappears.
14. Adestra looks into the Crystal Ball yet again and sees Alevolenz in her room. With several suggestions that are completely out of character, Adestra the academic suggests going after Alevolenz while she is weakened. When Cadra rightly mentions the Arachnomass, Adestra says that she is willing to try and draw it away into another room.
15. Cadra chases after Alevolenz, running with Adestra to the upper level. Cadra casts Protection from Evil on himself and burst into room. Adestra tries to get the Arachnemass to chase her, but it lashes out at Cadra. The protection holds though and Cadra with his new Gauntlets of Ogre power engages Alevolenz in the final battle. Alevolenz tries to cast a spell, but Cadra is too quick and Alevolenz is slain by the mighty dwarf. Cadra’s faith is put to the test one last time as the Arachnomass tries to envelop him. The protection holds true though and while it completely covered him, it could not touch him to do harm.
16. Close of play sees our party in the hall outside Alevolenz chamber with the Arachnomass caught in the chamber . Adestra carries the Bag of Holding and the Portable Hole with the dead bodies of the rest of the party in both of them. Mick the Mimic is also in the Portable Hole, hoping that he will not run out of air before Cadra lets him out.
17. It was a hard weekend, and nearly a TPK (Total Party Kill). Niahm was wise to turn back when she did, there have been a great many different spiders everywhere and she surely would have gone mad. But Raphael just didn’t have the skill with locks and traps that Niahm has so frequently shown and got himself blown up opening a door. The party has reminisced that watching Niahm chuckle about obvious traps and subsequently opening chests with her tools is significantly easier than trying to bash them open with war hammers, axes and brute force.
18. Kidzje may also have made the right decision, would he have been able to cope with being so far underground, or would he have succumbed to his fear of enclosed spaces? Goodness knows Kidzje would have been more helpful than the quivering academic who can’t blow things up and mirror images at the drop of a hat. You have gained much experience from fighting Dark Elves and many spiders, and you have put a serious dent in the power of House Vrama and the fortress of Ul-Drakken. However your goal has not quite been achieved – the rescue of Larze and the Beacon of Essencia.