Players
Jacob- Elf Ranger, Alan
Lee- Human Cleric of Tyr, Lothar
Callum- Human Fighter, Ancip
Andrew- Human Paladin of Tyr, Sir Hugo "the Meat Hammer"
The party has come to the town of Three Firs in northern Tsaia, following rumors of strange momsters in the woods. Locals have reported attacks by ogre-like creatures and a green giant carrying a glowing red sword. The town is filled with adventurers here to hunt monsters to get the reward the local baron is promising. They visit the mayor's office to read the proclamation and talk to the town guard, then go to the inn and question the innkeeper. So many people are in town the they are charging 2 gold per person to sleep on the floor and the party ends up sharing a room with another party. The other party is a wizard who calls himself Basil and his owl familiar Nightwing and two former soldiers Bors and Saben. Since the town is packed with questionable characters, they decide to keep watches. In the morning, the inn is quiet and Sir Hugo realizes something is wrong when they don't hear the inn staff getting ready. Then there's noise from the stables. They rush to investigate and find some other adventurers have stampeded everyone else's horses out of the stables. The party attacks them, but they ride off to get a jump start on the other hunters. The party rounds up their horses as other people show up to chase their horses down. Going back in, the innkeeper and his family have been put to sleep with a spell so they wouldn't get up and wake the guests.
With someone out ahead of them , they decide to approach their room mates about joining forces. The others aren't too sure and Lothar fails to convince them, but Ancip persuades them and they pack up and head out to hunt for the monsters. In the woods, they here the sounds of battle and screams of the dying. When they arrive, they find the party of sneaks dead and ogre and giant tracks leading away. They follow the tracks to an old stone circle, in the center is a dimensional gateway to another world. Lothar uses Divination for a clue and gets a message about saving innocents if they proceed.They pass through and find themselves in a similar world, but all the plants are sickly and there is no sign of animal life. But the tracks continue and they follow them.
The tracks lead past a side valley and they find tracks that look like forest sprites and faeries, so they explore the side route. They are attacked by willow trees under an Animate Plants spell. Basil Dispels the magic and rescues those caught in the trees. A mixed group of faeries, sprites and gnomes emerges and apologizes for attacking them. Their leader explains that the local Forest King has gone mad and is terrorizing the area, calling in dark creatures that he used to defend against. The local forest has suffered due to his insanity, which may be caused by possession of a magic sword that he took from an adventurer who came through the gate 100 years ago. The forest people offer magic items as rewards if they can take the sword from the king and help heal him. The party agrees and heads off for the Forest King's castle.
In the forest that night, their camp is attacked by meenlocks, but they are easy prey to Lothar's Holy Smite spell and the party's weapons. They find the king's castle, it is a grove of trees grown together so thickly that the trunks merge together to make walls. There is a gate with two ogre like beasts guarding it. Basil and Lothar sneak up under Invisibility spells and try to use Command and Sleep spells, but they both fail. the rest pile on and slay the ogres. Remembering the bounty, Sir Hugo mentions taking heads, they decide to get them on the way back. The door of the castle is also made of trees, but they move apart when a knot on the door is pressed. The party moves inside, its a building of living trees. The floors are roots grown together, trunks and branches form walls and ceilings and flowers glow to give light. The trees are not well, molds and fungi grow on them and the flowers' light is weak and sickly. Moving inside, the party is attacked by giant land versions of sea urchins which are eating strips out of the floors, killing plants that make up the castle. They fire poisoned spikes at the party and Ancip, Hugo and Lothar are paralyzed by poison. Basil takes charge and casts Web to block further attacks and orders the rest of the team to grab the victims and drag them back to safety. They stand watch as it takes an hour for the poison to wear off.
Once the party has healed and recovered, they move deeper into the palace and find a group of three green ogre like creatures and defeat them. finally, light and sound from up ahead lead them to the king's throne room. He is seated on his throne while four mor of the ogre like creatures tear apart animals, throwing pieces to the king and eating the rest. Basil casts Invisibility on Alan, who sneaks up and steals the sword from the king's lap. The rest of the party attacks and the ogres charge them. Lothar casts Holy Smite to soften up the ogres. The king is a high level druid and ogres are vicious fighters and the party takes severe wounds. Alan decides to attack the king with his own sword, but the king grapples him, takes the sword back and kills Alan with it. The rest of the party defeat the ogres and knock out the king. They bind his wounds but leave him unconscious while Lothar uses a Commune spell to seek counsel from his god. Lothar's answer is "Excise the blight from his mind". Lothar uses remove Curse to heal the king's mind, then casts a healing spell to bring him back to consciousness. The king wakes up sane and explains that he took the sword from an adventurer from their world who came through the portal 100 years ago. He sees Alan's body and asks if he is responsible for his death. When the party tells him yes, he casts Raise Dead on Alan. He rewards the party with Rings of the King's Favor and asks them to take the sword back to their world and destroy it. The party heads back to the gate, already the castle and the lands around it look healthier and recovering.
Quotes and Smart Remarks
Andrew (NY fashion designer voice) "So what are the ogres wearing? Are we talking loincloths? Jogging suits? Ooh, natural fibers?"
Jim "Animal skin kilts, so PETA isn't happy with them"
Lee "They say don't wear chainmail after Labor Day, but we're making it work"
Callum kept hitting, but rolling lousy damage
Lee "If your goal was to antagonize your enemy instead of killing him, you succeeded brilliantly"
Lothar casts Holy Smite
Lee "Tyr says 'Boo-yah!' "
About the magic rings
Callum "He went to Jarred's"
