Frimmsreach Episode #27

EPISODE #27

SUMMARY:

Game Date: 10-13-14

Cast: Sparruu, Gul’Daryh, Frothgar, Argus

Supporting Cast: Quilliam, Skat

With stinking monsters crawling forth and several of our heroes puking their brains out as a result the team is on the retreat. Grabbing the surviving dwarves, including the stunned Killminster (now freed from his control with the death of Ayall’Nyar). But Skat is not in good shape. The stench and foulness has poisoned him. In a moment of courage he screams “Run!” while taking on the approaching horde with his glowing green dagger.

The heroes do not see Skat’s fate…the green glow disappears in a wave of monsters. Surely the intrepid scoundrel perished! Brave soul.

The team notices that one elf survived. She rushes toward the exit but disappears. Secret door! With the help of Killminster the door is quickly opened and the team slips into another hallway, closely pursued by stinking monsters with wormy mouths.

They find themselves in a weird torture chamber with a dry basin that once held liquid. Bones are scattered across its bottom. But the fleeing elf has ran ahead and Killminster spurs them on. “There is a battle raging on the surface!” He cries. The orcs are attacking the village of Frostmyr! Perhaps to draw attention away from the ritual?

Frothgar dons his magic boots that make him run like lightning. He chases the elf down, striking at her. But she is wily and quick and narrowly dodges each swing of the axe. Argus drops his own axe and runs like a wild beast, leaping for the fleeing elf. But no dice! She’s just too fast! And now she goes invisible…

As she flees past Frothgar she stabs the dwarven Cleric, revealing her position. The heroes descend upon her and soon the elf is dead.

Quilliam takes her leather armor of red and black, which seems to have a magical charm. She is found to possess a skull filled with poison, which Frothgar destroys (nearly killing himself!). And Quilliam takes the elf’s cutlass, which Argus is certain radiates strange vibes.

Onward! The long corridor leads to the cellar of Bjarn in the village of Frostmyr. Down here the smell of nasty, foul monsters is also present. The door is blocked and the team goes out into the snow…and battle.

The village is in the clutches of a great fight! Dozens of orcs and dwarves go at each other. Villagers are fallen. A giant, sabertooth ogre rages! Ur-Kak the Swine, leader of the orcs, hacks dwarves left and right!

And a chair, on its own, is doing battle! What?!

The strange magic the villagers hinted at, that Blart warned again, has animated the chair and, possibly, other things. But no time to investigate.

Sparruu takes to the air and belches fire on the ogre and a few surrounding orcs. Quilliam unrolls a scroll he’s been carrying and reads the arcane words of Magic Missile, sending bolts of electric energy into the monster’s chest. It turns, angered, spewing froth! It charges the hapless wizard!

Argus, charging the ogre, is intercepted by Ur-Kak who lays into the barbarian with a mighty chopping blow from his broadsword. Badly injured, Argus turns to face this challenge.

Quilliam, fearing the 12' monster bearing down on him, reads another spell from his scroll, knowing that by doing so he cannot later copy it into his own spellbook. He immediately turns invisible!

Gul’Daryh leaps gracefully, plunging an arrow into the monster’s throat with his bare hands. And Quilliam, sneaking around without being seen, drives the saber into the ogre’s back…an act of fear and rage and desperation! Sparruu flies overhead and dives silently upon the beast, rending with his claws, sending a spray of blood into the snow. The beast’s death rattle sprays a mist of blood.

Frothgar, Killminster, and Argus face Ur-Kak. Argus tries valiantly to wrestle the orc chief to the ground but is too weakened from loss of blood. A blow from Killminster’s hammer and another from Frothgar’s axe are enough to send Ur-Kak to whatever darkness he calls gods.

There in the bloody snow Argus sees that the blade wielded by Ur-Kak is none other than Haverok, a barbarian blade of legend!

End of Episode #27

Frimmsreach Episode #26

EPISODE #26

SUMMARY:

Game Date: 10-06-14

Cast: Sparruu, Gul’Daryh, Frothgar, Argus

Supporting Cast: Quilliam, Skat, Silverchain

Orcs! And worse…the hunched, thick figures of drokk soldiers rushing toward the party. Argus engages the drokks with fearsome rage, slashing and hacking like a wild man! Quilliam carefully throws darts with deadly precision. Skat sneaks into the shadows to get a better view.

Gul’Daryh nocks an arrow, takes careful aim, and cringes at the sound of a breaking bowstring! No!

Frothgar prays to Frimm and several drokks are suddenly held in place, unable to move. Sparruu prays to Miana Musina who delivers similar justice to the foul beasts. And Quilliam works his arcane magic, sending a host of orcs to sleepytown.

As the battle progresses the party winds its way up each side of the stairs, flanking the cultists. The platform is flat and at its center is a hole into darkness. Kneeling at it are 5 dwarves in some sort of trance. Surrounding them are 5 elves in black and red robes chanting sinister words. The leader, Ayall’Nyar, carries a terrifying mace topped with a skull that has a spiked tongue dripping blood. Next to him stands Killminster Barrackbomb, dwarf ally! But he is possessed or controlled and bears a mighty hammer of obvious magical significance.

As the fighting continues the elf leader, arrogant, underestimates our heroes and, after slaying one of the kneeling dwarves, is cut down. He falls into darkness, taking the evil mace with him.

Now the smell of foulness rises from the pit. The strange, stinking creatures encountered earlier begin to crawl up from the darkness of the well!

Sparruu pulls out a tye-died bottle of liquid. A little something he’s been saving since the raid on the ganguth’s lair….a potion that transforms him into any creature he desires. Suddenly Sparruu disappears and in his place is a small red dragon! Testing the limits of his form, he breathes a blast of fire on the remaining cultists, frying several of them to ashes as well as catching some of the creatures trying to climb out of the well. The moment of fire reveals to everyone that from the well is crawling many, many nasty things.

Time to leave! But Gul’Daryh, Quilliam, Frothgar, and Silverchain are engaged with drokk guards. And now Silverchain, hit with a spear, falls into the pit. Everyone has taken a beating and depleted their arcane and divine resources.

Retreat!

End of Episode #26

Frimmsreach Episode #25

EPISODE #25

SUMMARY:

Game Date: 09-29-14

Cast: Sparruu, Gul’Daryh, Frothgar, Argus

Supporting Cast: Quilliam, Skat, Silverchain

The team is in an expansive natural cavern. The ceiling is frozen and icy while the floor is wet and rocky. It’s getting warmer down here…

Exploration reveals more small holes in the ceiling. Strange critters live there. Best not awaken them!

At the far end of the cavern is a gap in the floor. Ice on the wall, rock on the floor, and a draft. And sounds! Marching feet. There’s something down there. A bit of divine ice magic from Frothgar, servant of Frimm, and an opening is created wide enough to crawl through.

This leads them to rocky hall with stairs. One direction leads into darkness, the other down several flights of 15’ wide steps. Each flight is punctuated by flanking statues of snakes with the torsos of men. This bodes ill…

Carefully the team makes its way down. The intrepid sneaky gnomes figure out the traps. Spiked floors that can be disabled by tickling under the statue’s armpits. And so they go down, down to a set of double doors. On the other side can be heard sinister chanting.

Frothgar summons 4 dwarven spirits and Silverchain, drawing on power she didn’t know she had, summons a warrior spirit of the ancient world. The spirits open the door, sending darts flying left and right. But our heroes didn’t just fall off the turnip wagon…they were well out of harm’s way.

Through the doors is a great, tall chamber at least 200’ wide and deep. In the center is a massive black pit with 4 sets of stone steps leading up to its center where a raised platform sits atop a column of stone. On the platform are robed figures in black and red, chanting. But from either side of the door come cyclopean orc guards! Battle is joined…

End Episode #25

Mace of Blood

In last week's game the party assaulted a raised platform on which an evil ritual was taking place. During the fray the evil elf high priest was slain (cut in half, if I remember correctly) and fell into a bottomless pit...taking this mace with him.

Orgar N'gorg

Mace of Blood

This evil weapon was created to aid in the dark rituals of wicked deities and demons. When in the hands of a good-aligned person it functions as a normal mace but will burn the wielder’s hand, causing 1d4 hit points of damage per round. In the hands of a neutral user it is a normal mace. But in the hands of an evil user it functions as a +2 weapon with two daily powers. First, it allows its user to animate up to 8 HD of skeletons and command them to fight or do menial tasks. The skeletons collapse when destroyed or when 1d4 hours have passed. Second the mace may steal life on a successful hit of 18 or better, granting its wielder a number of hit points equal to the damage dealt. These temporary hit points go away in 1d10 rounds.

The weapon's primary function is its use in ritual. Upon command by an evil Cleric within the context of a prepared ritual the weapon's tongue will become a spike that can be driven into the neck of a living creature who fails to save vs. devices. The spike will drink all the blood of the victim in 1d4 rounds, killing it. The blood filling the mace's skull head can then be used to fulfill the requirements of the most vile ritual magic. The mace can hold the blood of up to 13 human-sized victims.

Frimmsreach Episode #24

Episode #24

Game Date: 09-22-14

Cast: Sparruu, Gul’Daryh, Frothgar, Argus

Supporting Cast: Quilliam, Skat, Silverchain

Ice crawl! The team explores a subterranean (or sub-lake?) labyrinth of steep sloping icy tunnels and icicle hazards in an attempt to make their way down, down, down to where they hope to find the evil Shrine of Worms.

Soon a stench so foul, so disgusting, fills the air! So bad it makes poor Skat vomit! And the source? Creepy, disgusting humanoids with worms for mouths. Sparruu, remember the words of Blart regarding his red dragon dagger, holds the blade forth and issues the command. From his belly grows a burning fire. Sparruu opens his mouth and breathes a cone of blistering flame, reducing the creatures to ash!

Heartburn and hot lips.

The tunnels are steep and slick and Argus takes a plunge. But Quilliam, resourceful mage that he is, has a feather fall up his sleeve. The team falls ever so slowly down the narrow ice passage to the floor of a vast, wet cavern.

What horrors await?

End of Episode #24

Frimmsreach Episode #23

Episode #23

Game Date: 09-15-14

Cast: Sparruu, Gul’Daryh, Frothgar, Argus

Supporting Cast: Quilliam, Skat

While walking back to the village Quilliam studies the journal more closely.

In the village is a gathering of people arguing about preparations for a possible orc threat. The villagers have brought out various odd, magic items that seem to be randomly occurring in the area…talking dolls, singing spoons, and chairs that can fight. But the words of Blart and the event with Bjorn cause great concern among the heroes. These “magic items” are no good!

A bit of Miana Musina’s charm convinces many villagers that they need to go on a wide march around the village area, a ruse to get them out of the village in case all hell breaks loose.

The adventurers decide to investigate the island at the center of the lake, which seems to be at the heart of all this trouble. Suiting up with some snow shoes, oil, and other goodies they head out.

The island is oddly formed, as if it were growing up from the lake like some kind of frozen plant. Silverchain, who to this point has said little about her experiences in the Ice Forest, summons a spirit warrior…a powerful spear-wielding ghost hovering above the ice. Could this be clerical magic? Is Silverchain now a priestess of some ancient goddess?

The spirit warrior, being asked to guide them, reveals a 3’ diameter stone door under the ice at the island’s heart. Argus puts his mighty muscles behind it and opens the door to reveal a well-like tunnel leading straight down into darkness. Sparruu suggests tying ropes together and climbing down. He and Skat begin the process.

But before the team can begin the descent they become aware of approaching danger…8 lurching, hunched forms running at great speed across the icy lake. Bestial forms, all mouth and teeth and thick manes, dragging great maces and axes…running towards the island! Drokks, as Quilliam surmises. Savage mercenaries and assassins. No time for negotiations. The arrows fly and the battle is joined. Axe and mace, arrow and magic, furious combat!

But these are no mere cyclopean orcs. The creatures are skilled at battle, quick, with thick, tough, furry hides and knotted muscles. And they hit hard. The barbarian takes several blows, nearly dropping from the onslaught. Seeing that the party’s chances of victory are slim, Sparruu suggest a retreat…down the hole.

And so he goes, followed by the others one-by-one as Argus tries to hold off the beasts in an apparent suicide mission. Quilliam pulls at Argus uselessly to get him to leap into the hole as he works his magic, creating a feather fall on the whole party.

Argus, seeing the means to retreat and the necessity, leaps in…slowed by the feather spell, pulling the lid onto the opening behind him. The entire group float peacefully down 150’ to a stony, cold floor in the darkness…

End of Episode #23

Red Dragon Dagger

Dagger, Red Dragon: This +1 ruby pommeled dagger grants its user the ability to breathe a 20’ long, 10’ wide cone of fire, like a red dragon, once per day. The damage is equal to the user’s current hit points (targets can save for half).

Winds of the Ice Forest

Winds of the Ice Forest is now available for your dice rolling and role-playing pleasure...

Frimmsreach Episode #22

EPISODE #22

SUMMARY:

Game Date: 09-08-14

Cast: Sparruu, Gul’Daryh, Frothgar, Argus

Supporting Cast: Quilliam, Skat

That night the air is thick with anticipation and energy. Sparruu dreams of a sacred temple, a giant serpent, and a coming fireball from the sky. Frothgar dreams of mighty Frimm battling snakes and worms and of a giant hammer. Gul’Daryh homes in on the magical aura of the lake itself, a convergence of elemental forces seems to be at its heart. And Argus, hungry, discovers an invisible assassin poisoning the food. Poor old Edda lies dead after tasting her own gravy.

The assassin is tracked to the treeline where the tracks vanish. Elf magic? Elves are known to step through the trees like stepping through doors.

Bjorn, the merchant, overhears the conversing heroes and offers his help. Back at his store they learn that many items, not just gloves, tend to become “magical” in the village. And not always in a good way. He demonstrates a simple pick that vibrates with raw energy. He tells of dancing spoons and floating shovels. And the man, sick it seems, falls dead before the heroes.

What evil is wafting from this village like a foul stench?

Later the team goes to Blart’s abode to discuss the items they left with him but the old wizard is gone. His wolf, Snowlope, drops a sack of their items on the ground and says his master has gone. The sack contains most of the things they left, sans the goddess figure and fancy sword. A note in the bag indicates that the Shrine of Worms is located at the bottom of the lake.

The dwarf Silverchain, who has been watching this unfold, steps up to offer her assistance, having a reason to desire the preservation of the goddess shrine she believes to be located nearby…specifically on the island at the lake’s center. She produces a small book which, using the magic goggles acquired in the labyrinth, Quilliam is able to read. It is a journal detailing the ritual to be enacted in order to awaken the evil of the Shrine of Worms…and it involves the slitting of dwarf throats!

End of Episode #22

Frimmsreach Episode #21

EPISODE #21

SUMMARY:

Game Date: 09-01-14

Cast: Sparruu, Gul’Daryh, Frothgar, Argus

Supporting Cast: Quilliam, Skat

Our resolute heroes retire to the rooms graciously provided by old Edda at the Common Room. But Frothgar, Skat, and Gul’Daryh volunteer to take watch along with the sheriff’s men, just in case the orcs make an assault…which they do.

The tricksy monsters try to attack from two directions but are met with fierce resistance. Then, in the midst of the battle, sheriff Tamar is taken down by an orc arrow. Sparruu, hearing the commotion, rushes out and lays on hands, praying to Miana Musina to save the man’s life. She accepts his prayer and the good sheriff is immediately healed of his wound.

Bjorn, the merchant, comes out of his store bearing gloves that glow with magic and commanding the orcs to scatter. The glowing image of a blond warrior appears above his head and the orcs, fearing this magic, flee. Bjorn collapses after using the gloves.

Blart trudges through the snow through the middle of the growing crowd and takes the magic gloves away. No one stops him. “I told you to stop messing around with this stuff.” He says, walking away.

End of Episode #21