Author: Joel

Party Roster:
Felix, 6th level fighter, 59 hp, played by Alex
Balinor, 6th level fighter, 56 hp, played by Joel
Cassian, 7th level cleric, 45 hp, played by Katherine
Kain, 6th level cleric, 43 hp, played by Jeff
Morgan, 6th level fighter, 35 hp, played by Alan
Donald, 6th level mage, 33 hp, NPC
Bogomel, 3rd level fighter, 31 hp, henchman
Albee, 4th level monk, 27 hp, NPC
Nakumanu, 3rd level fighter, 25 hp, henchman
Chiaro, 3rd level illusionist, 6 hp, played by Aaron
A few logistics from last time: Quentin’s cloak+2 was given to Donald, his Ring of Toad Control was put on Chiaro, and his Belt of Many Pouches went to Kain.
The party had just decided to accept an 8 year old mission from the Nevronian Church in Benct to deal with demon-worshippers in Trun, a small village to the north of Benct (on Lendore).
A Divination performed in 2170 had revealed weak to moderate monsters, significant treasure, and great chances of drawing the wrath of the forces of chaotic evil. Demon-worship clergy is significant here.
Now we had no way of knowing if the situation had gotten worse, but hey, why not give it a try anyway? We thanked Father Filner at the Church and set off for Trun in early October 2181.
We traveled through the wilderness, and for some reason there were NO random encounters (thank you, thank you very much). We dodged Trun and traveled through farmland, passing by a hill called the Sentry, from which no one has returned. We made a mental note to go there later.

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This is not a very exciting summary, but it was necessary to resolve things smoothly so that we can continue adventuring.
The Restenford Defenders have changed significantly in composition. Following the mission to Bone Hill and the pickup of the dim-witted fighter Bogomel, several party members decided that it was time for a break. Alduin decided to remain in Restenford and wrestle with the elusive puzzle box. Quentin’s plans are unknown to the party. Kodo will remain in the Baron’s service as a tracker and scout (a very durable one).
First we resolved some magic items questions. Kodo will receive (as requested) the Smokeshield+1, studded leather+2, handaxe+1, and we threw in the ½ potion of climbing. The party retrieves from his person the Bag of Holding 600/2000, the Horn of Valhalla, and the Ring of Health.
Alduin receives the Manual of Stealthy Pilfering, the Ring of Concealment+2, the Potion of Invisibility, and the Ring of Jumping. The party retrieves from him the dagger+3, Potion of Polymorph, and Boots of Elvenkind.
Quentin’s status is uncertain. We would really like one or two of his six or seven items. Particular requests: one of the three defensive items (cloak+2, ring+1, bracers 7/7) or the spear+1 for Bogomel, who is a specialist. We’ll try to contact Jeremy.

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Party Roster:
Felix, 6th level fighter, 59 hp, played by Alex
Kodo, 5th level woodsman, 59 hp, played by Rob
Balinor, 6th level fighter, 56 hp, played by Joel
Cassian, 7th level cleric, 45 hp, played by Katherine
Kain, 6th level cleric, 43 hp, played by Jeff (Jeremy this game)
Quentin, 8th level druid, 37 hp, played by Jeremy
Morgan, 6th level fighter, 35 hp, played by Alan (Joel this game)
Donald, 6th level mage, 33 hp, NPC
Alduin, 6th level thief, 26 hp, played by Vic (Kyle this game)
The Defenders returned in August 2181 to Restenford with some ideas for a new quest. We had a number of items to sell or trade, and didn’t want to start a major trip to Carse before the rainy season, so something on Lendore Isle appealed to us. Finally it was recalled that the Dead Wood was still a unfinished quest.
Back at the start of the party in 2172, the Lord Mayor of Garroten told us that we could explore the ruins in the Dead Wood, a forest between Garroten and Restenford. This was on our way during our island tour, so we agreed. Inside we found locusts, a giant spider that nearly killed us, and a skeleton. The area was consecrated evil ground. We fled and traveled to Restenford, where we learned more about the area and dropped the quest.

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Party Roster:
Felix, 6th level fighter, 59 hp, played by Alex
Kodo, 5th level woodsman, 59 hp, played by Rob
Balinor, 6th level fighter, 56 hp, played by Joel
Cassian, 7th level cleric, 45 hp, played by Katherine
Kain, 6th level cleric, 43 hp, played by Jeff (Joel for the summer)
Quentin, 8th level druid, 37 hp, played by Jeremy
Morgan, 6th level fighter, 35 hp, played by Alan
Donald, 6th level mage, 33 hp, NPC
Alduin, 6th level thief, 26 hp, played by Vic
Nakumanu, 3rd level fighter, 25 hp, henchman
Continuing on last game’s discoveries, the party decided to do some recon before taking out the “clergy of the Lord of Lies.” Quentin flew back to Restenford and consulted with the Baron and the churches there. The Lord of Lies is a devil of godlike power, though he has no real formal clergy. Nothing was really known about the situation, though no one believed it could be bad to wipe it out.
So equipped to kill, we approached Hafney Hill once again. Entering Invisible from the trapdoor in the tower where Quentin had blasted halflings long ago, we found that no new signs of life were evident. Nevertheless, we pressed on to the trapdoor, and Kain Dispelled the trap on it, caught by Cassian’s Find Traps.
The party filed down into the small cistern to the door 15 feet below, and Felix opened the door as an Obscurement was dropped in the area by Kain. There were some bells and a crash of something, and the party moved in as quickly as possible. It was clear that there were objects of unholy origin spread throughout the room. Felix and Morgan burst out of the cloud and found a roast rabbit dinner lying spilled on the floor. Across the corridor was a draped curtain.
Pausing for Cassian to cast a Silence stone, Felix and Morgan led a charge toward the curtain and the ominous chanting behind it. As the fighters approached the curtain, disaster struck.

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Party Roster:
Felix, 6th level fighter, 59 hp, played by Alex
Kodo, 5th level woodsman, 59 hp, played by Rob
Balinor, 6th level fighter, 56 hp, played by Joel
Cassian, 7th level cleric, 45 hp, played by Katherine
Kain, 6th level cleric, 43 hp, played by Jeff
Quentin, 8th level druid, 37 hp, played by Jeremy
Morgan, 6th level fighter, 35 hp, played by Alan
Donald, 6th level mage, 33 hp, NPC
Alduin, 6th level thief, 26 hp, played by Alan
Nakumanu, 3rd level fighter, 25 hp, henchman
Narahn, 2nd level fighter, 11 hp, played by Dave
When we last left the party, they had just regrouped in Restenford at the beginning of June, 2181. Cassian had just gained 7th level and so we were interested in clearing the talking evil skull room below the Phaulkonian Church in Restenford, and in testing our mettle against the giant skeleton (B.A.S.T.A.R.D.—Big Ass Skeleton Thingy And Really Dangerous) in our old favorite location, Hafney Hill.
First, Narahn made a cameo appearance after an update. Narahn, a halfling bow specialist who had been with the party from 2175-6, had been patrolling around Restenford, working for the Baron. He and his patrol had encountered quite a few nasty creatures, including groups of ogres and spiders. He had gained 3rd level (and 5 hp) in the intervening period.
We decided to tackle the weird skull room. With Protection from Evil on all party members, we approached the shaft with the skulls and cast Augury on Dispelling them. The result was that the effect was superficial—indeed, all we did was remove the “alarm system” for the crypt. However, Cassian’s hawk was able to discover a small room about 60 feet down the shaft. Lowering ropes and using mountaineering equipment, we descended into the room. The entire room was magical, and contained a sarcophagus as well as all sorts of skull decorations on the walls and various assorted furniture.
An Augury on Dispelling the room: “Only a fool takes the boards down as the eye passes.” In this case the “eye” almost certainly referred to the eye of a storm. Our conclusion was that the Dispel would have no immediate effect but trigger disaster soon after.

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Party Roster:
Felix, 6th level fighter, 59 hp, played by Alex
Kodo, 5th level woodsman, 59 hp, played by Rob
Balinor, 6th level fighter, 56 hp, played by Joel
Kain, 6th level cleric, 43 hp, played by Jeff
Cassian, 6th level cleric, 37 hp, played by Katherine
Quentin, 8th level druid, 37 hp, played by Jeremy
Morgan, 6th level fighter, 35 hp, played by Alan
Donald, 6th level mage, 33 hp, NPC
Alduin, 6th level thief, 26 hp, played by Vic (Rob this game)
Chiaro, 3rd level illusionist, 6 hp, played by Aaron
The split party-vision screen continues…
Morgan stayed in the Library through the rainy season of 2180-1. Chiaro trained to 3rd level, gaining a whopping 1 hp to bring him to the, uh, total of, um… 6 hp.
Chiaro also managed to gain Detect Magic, which is a 2nd level spell that pales in comparison to the magic-user one, and is slightly weaker than the cleric/druid version.
In Teft, in a bizarre move, Kain decided to offer the Church of Hindus 350 gp to find out why they hated the Defenders so much. Despite the fact that everyone thought this was a bad move, Kodo had no choice, although he only gave Kain 50 gp. It turned out that the shady character demanded 20 gp to avoid reneging on the “deal.” Kodo paid, and they left the bar.

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