Sneak Attacks and Surprise Rounds....

Before I begin my recap... here is the symbol of the Ebon Triad.


.... laying in wait on the beach in this amazingly warm and humid cave. The phosphorescent lake giving the whole cave a green glow. Staring at the party is the face of some alien looking cityscape with only a few entrances.

following the lead of Barrett, the group makes their way over to a door where the previous set of guards exited earlier. the party lays in wait while Connell begins to move the "basket" back across the lake. Not 15 seconds after the basket begins to move the door opens and a very nonchalant guard exits from the well lit room. Noting the party, her eyes open with surprise and then quickly shut as the spiked chain tears handfuls of flesh from her neck. The party jumps to action. Donner nimbly leaps across the room and blocks access to a warning bell. Others take position.

Combat is fast and furious. One desperate guard makes a run for the bell, gets it in hand but the clapper has but one ding before his life is forfeit. Quickly, the party searches the guards and moves the dead member from the beach into the room. Pepper grabs Connell from the Gear House and they make their way back to the Guards room.

After surveying their surroundings they (annoyingly) come up with a set plan for how to determine what to do at each door. Door plan "A" is put into effect. [personal DM note... the only part I like is Bolgrim determining if anyone is injured..because it is as annoying to him as it is to me :)]

The door opens into a huge corridor that obviously is part of a vast complex. Everything is oversized. What ever built this had to be at least 8' tall or at least 8" wider than the typical human. Of note, they see a door with light leaking out below it. There is also a lock on the door. After some examination the door lock could be opened, but it would take some serious time... 10 min or so. Instead Donner listens at the door across the hall. There is snoring emanating from behind the door.

Barrett sneaks in with the rest of the party in wait. The room is a barracks that can easily sleep 12. Only 4 of the bunks are currently occupied. Barrett swiftly cuts the throats of the of the members. The fourth awakened barely had time to gargle a warning. Waiting... the party hears no commotion.

Continuing down the corridor the party explores some more rooms such as a mess hall of some kind and a pantry. On the back side of the pantry is another locked door and a room where they can hear some jubilant discussing. Listening for a bit longer it sounds like a small group of people gambling. the party decides to do a bit of exploring before they open the door.

Sneaking down the hall they find some more doors. One is stuck and seems to have something blocking it from the back side. After putting a shoulder into the door and then sliding a blade through the door crevice they realize the resistance is coming from a tremendously large number of spiderwebs. The party ops for the next door. This door swings open to a room full of webs, but seems to have lost their sticky nature. Again, the party abandons this room and explores a series of other rooms. One being a long room with a series of arrow slits aimed at a central corridor.

With dead ends or spiderwebs facing the party at every turn, they opt to return to the pantry. Barrett spends a bit of time picking the lock and within they find the beer and the storage of extra weapons. Here the party restocks more arrows and places a few long swords amongst their belongings. Then, with a surprise rush then party bursts in on the gambling game.

Here the party begins to make quick work of this group of guards. However luck and and some fast acting guards causes the party to worry about others in the complex. Pepper quiets the room with a silence spell. Bolgrim jumps on a table to bash in an opponents head. Donner does some fast and fancy footwork and Connell comes in swinging. Unfortunately these guards have some alchemical fire and decide to try and make Churchkey and Bolgrim burn for attacking them. They are relatively successful but pay for their heresy.

Opening the next door they see a room full of taugh sticky lines about 6 inches above the floor. It looks nearly impossible to cross without tripping something. Using the body of a dead guard they throw it on the webbing. With a quick click a net connected to bells drops from the ceiling.

After a bit of deliberation, they decide to exit back onto the beach and reenter the complex from the extreme other end. The fear being that other doors will have similar traps.

After moving across the beach the party opens a room. The room is dark but there was a sound of some kind when the opened the door. Scanning for evil Churchkey looks around not finding a thing until his gaze moves high up on the wall. When four arrows come bouncing across chuchkeys armor. One arrow finds its mark making only a scratch. Connell makes a charge into the room when the floor of the room collapses 6" and little spikes shoot upwards. Connell's foot is part of a shish kabob. Moving carefully the rest of the party enter the room and the combat becomes a ranged melee fest. For a couple of rounds it looks like the Alleybashhers on the balcony with their cover are going to be a real danger. then in one round Pepper fireballs them from his neckless. Connell impales one, Donner deflects their attack and Bolgrim makes it to the far side of the room guarding the only other exit from the room. Pepper is up again and makes a great shot with his crossbow. The rest of the party shoots the rest of them down in another round.

Leaving this room they enter another large corridor. doors dot either side. Donner quickly listens at a number of them but doesn't hear a thing. Choose the first door on their left, the party opens it, only to find another corridor ending in a door. Again they hear voices. Gaining a surprise round the party bounds into this room.

This room is a bit different then the others. First these are all Hillfolk... a little slower, but a lot tougher than the Alleybashers. second, there are 6 of them. Third, there are two other doors and two warning bells and lastly; there are symbols of Hextor painted on the wall and etched into some of the tabletops.

Combat ensues. The Hillfolk are screaming bloody murder. Some try to escape out the doors when an opening presented itself. It doesn't take more then a couple of rounds, to close them off from exiting and taking them down. Of the ones trapped in the room, one totally charges Bolgrim, knocks him over and runs into the corridor the party entered from. Donner tumbles past him and blocks him from going any further. Barret charges into the corridor and Bolgrim gets up angry as.... as... a dwarf who just got knocked down. Connell takes up residence guarding one door as the rest of the party begin to tie up the captured Hillfolk trapped by Barrett, Bolgrim and Donner.

At this... a sexy and scary looking woman wearing spiked full plate with the symbol of Hextor etched into it emerges from a door and casts a spell off of a scroll at Connell. Connell screams for help. Churchkey runs to the rescue. With devastating blows this madam of death swats at Churchkey and with two massive blows of her flail Churchkey drops to the ground a bloody mess. Pepper summons all the energy he has and gives up his turn to cast a spell to hopefully stop their fearless paladin from dying.

The other rush to the room. Blows are landed on the red haired woman of death. Bolgrim brings out the blessings of Pelor. She swings at Barrett dealing another almost lethal blow, but misses her second attack. Barrett dodges back into the room while the other launch into action. Wounded she hits Donner with two solid hits and Donner hits the ground. Again Pepper steps up to the plate and places his energy into Donner. Bolgrim puts massive healing into Churchkey while they watch this maddened woman step back and heal herself with a wand. The rest of the party dodges around her swinging madly. They land multiple blows of substance. She stumbles and collapses.

With sighs, the party drags her back into the guard room. They realize she is just below zero and so stabilize her and tie her up. Strangely, no other sounds seem to come from the complex, no guards, nothing.

Upon searching her, they find keys, four wands and of course her equipment. The party is pretty sure they have at least some of the wands of water control they are looking for.

With a little debate, they are going to take the prisoners back to Cauldron and then return as quickly as possible, before any other occupants wake up in the morning and find the carnage.

It is here where we leave our party.

Quick Map of underground green lake

Didn't have time to get this ready. So here is what I was able to get out for you.

Great chat going on from the last post! Hope to hear from some of the silent ones :)

Remember on this map, 1 square is 10 feet.

Baboons and Devil/Demon cults oh my.... recap 9/2/07

….. leaving off in mid combat from last session.

The Baboons where furiously pounding down a door into the Lucky Monkey. Churchkey and Bolgrim where forcing a table against a now decimated door frame. Lanky apish arms flailing, trying to get by the makeshift barricade.

Soon another door beings to feel the wrath of these blood lusted Baboons. Bolgrim runs to the other door and wedges a chair under the door handle. Churchkey shoes slip on the floor. No matter what he does, the baboons seem to be inching progress and thus making them more lustful.

Donner leaps the table blocking the main entrance to the Lucky Monkey and aids Churchkey. The two are making a better show, but not much. Barrett and Connell have a plan and run to the side entrance of the Lucky Monkey and then to a room on the back side of the garden where the baboons are currently housed.

Donner in an attempt to close the ever growing gap between their table and door frame ignites an oil flask and tosses it over the table. Howls erupt and the table closes most of the distance. The only thing halting a total closure is a foot and a baboon arm.

Barrett lays in wait at one end of a corridor, while Connell taunts the Baboons. Two baboon come charging toward him. A battle ensues with Connell yelling something about a change in plans… followed very quickly by Barrett screaming a slew of expletives.

The battle is fierce and mighty. Pepper is crossbow crazy and actually hits about ½ the time whittling the baboons down. Both Connell and Barrett are dropped but due to the might of Bolgrim both regain consciousness. The party is finally over the combat and healing is being liberally dispensed.

Churckey sets up watch on a door. He can hear some kind of grunting and sounds emanating from within. Donner enters the garden and begins peering in different windows. Everyone is set up when the door by Churchkey is flung open. There is a ½ Baboon, ½ man wearing leather armor and wielding a falchion. After the initial shock, the Baboon man creature barks something in baboon and quaffs a potion. A baboon lunges between this strange hybrid and Churchkey gnashing teeth and claws. Churchkey easily repels the attacks and begins his own assault against the baboon. Barrett is close behind.

Donner hears breaking glass to his left two more baboons are rushing from the kitchen through the garden. Donner attacks. Connell comes rushing from the corridor to aid Donner. Melee continues. The baboon man thing quaffs another potion causing him to grow to twice his size.

The Babboons in the garden are not faring well, nor did the baboon in the hallway. When the Baboon creature lunges with the falchion, part of the door frame is smashed and Churchkey is thrown against the hall with the force of the blow. Blood is carpeting the ground.

Donner and Connell both leap heroically through the windows into the kitchen and take out silvered weapons. Churchkey strikes a mighty enhanced by the grace of Pelor. The baboon creature is wounded but is unshaken. It takes another nasty blow at Churchkey ripping a hole in his armor and knocking him to the ground. Connel is able to drive a spear deep into this creature back and Donner is able to clobber it with a silvered staff.

Pepper makes an amazing lucky roll of the proverbial and literal dice by subjecting himself to an attack of opportunity on the creature to heal Churchkey. The fates were smiling for it missed him…. barely. Barrett kept the creature occupied launching attacks with the chain. With attacks by the rest of the party this menace to society and nature was dropped.

Binding wounds was the first order of business and the then surveying the kitchen. Unfortunately the severed head of Sarcem (head of the church of St. Cuthbert) was found staked to the wall, his tongue eaten. Also on a table was a load of cash and items obviously taken from guests, workers and the owners of the facility.

One of the more frightening objects found was a black wooden triangle with a symbol carved at each corner: a hand gripping an eyeball, six arrows in an X-shape, and a wrathful demonic face. It didn’t take long for the religious folk to figure out these were the symbols of Vecna, Hextor and Erythnul. Why all three of these hatful being were inscribed on one symbol is illogical and disturbing.

The party makes a quick sweep of the rest of the Lucky Monkey and makes their way down to the basement. There they meet some more resistance but recover the body remains of Sarcem and take an Alleybasher prisoner. He explains little except that they were to try and take down the human cleric and everything else was just loot. Not sure how many, but the cleric was a tough bastard and took out a good number of them with the help of some woman. She is hiding in the basement.

The party goes to the end of the hall and finds a door swollen shut and a few dead hillfolk dead and nearly frozen leaning against the door. A short conversation through the door and your hear the amazingly pleasant relief of a figure on the back side of the door. She gives you some warning of Brown mould and that you not judge her on her looks. Churchkey scans for evil and finds none. Upon opening the door, you see a terribly beautiful ½ drow who looks nearly fatally wounded. She introduces herself as Shensen and has a great desire to get back to her order. She knows only a little of what happened

According to Shensen she was returning from a walk when she heard the sounds of combat from within the Lucky Monkey. She ran to investigate and found that the bandits had already slain most of the guests and employees. Only a few remained standing, including a human cleric who seemed to be the focus of the bandits’ attention. The bandits were lead by a horrible man-beast, and that this creature followed the orders of a beautiful woman with red hair, facial tattoos and a suit of spied full plate emblazoned with Hextor’s unholy symbol. She lent what aid she could to the defenders, but they were eventually forded to retreat into the basement, where the beast-man killed the cleric. This left Shensen alone and completely outnumbered. She fled to the far end of the basement, barricaded herself in, and spent the next several hours praying.

The party rests for a short while, gathers the horses and then begins a very exhausting trek back up to Cauldron.

While in Cauldron research was done on all kinds of levels. Some people signed up for etiquette classes for the Ball. Churchkeys family was able to take the invitation originally meant for him and offered it to another member of the party. Others did some research at the churches and of course Jenya was left with the body of Sarcem.

A long story short:

Everyone can get into the ball with the exception of one person. However for 250gp they can buy a ticket in.

The party was asked to give 500 gp for information about the red haired woman. They did and Barrett went and gleaned some powerful info.

• The woman’s name is Triel Eldurast, a one-time town guard who escaped punishment after murdering several of her fellow guards while on duty. This event took place nearly a decade ago, so the specifics have grown hazy in the memories of the people. Nothing has been heard of Triel since her escape. She has been seen entering an old lava tube whose entrance is about 200 feet below the North East wall of Cauldron.

The party also learned that the black triangle is of a bizarre cult called the Ebon Triad. An attempt to get the three demon gods of Vecna, Hextor and Erythnul to merge into one huge demon lord to overthrow the world.

Kristof Jurgensen the head of the church of Pelor seems quite concerned with the missing wands and pledges to do what he can. He knew nothing of them, for 6 months ago, he was third in command of a very small and modest church. Kristof is far over his head in skill to be leading a church. But he is doing an admirable job.

The lake in rising and is currently subsuming the first ring of buildings. Most are on stilts but the lake is close to cresting the top and flooding these buildings.

Donner continues to visit Skie making friends with the gnomish magic dealer.

That evening, with the ball three nights away. The party makes their way to the lava tube at midnight. They follow this very long 6 foot diameter tube for what seems miles but is obviously much shorter. Until it opens up at a small ledge overlooking a vast cavern. A small pile of wooden planks is stacked on the edge of the ledge. Nearly a hundred feet below, the waters of a lake filled with dimly glowing green algae lap against cave walls encrusted with pallid fungi. A small stone building is built into the side of the ledge wall, and a pair of heavy ropes descends from a winch on the buildings side, dangling across the lake to a similar winch attached to a wooden structure on the lake’s far shore. Suspended on these ropes is a rickety wood-and-iron cage mounted on a system of pulleys. The lake’s phosphorescence just barely illuminates the vast cavern, and you can see what appear to be the partially melted ruins of several buildings protruding from a sparkling wall of volcanic rock along the far wall of the cave. Several of these buildings have small doorways at ground level, but your see no window in the ominous dark facades. The air here is thick, warm and excessively humid.

Carefully moving in the party surprises two winch guards in the back of the winch house. They note there is a lot of high quality rations and water. Some of the party puts on the uniforms and the red sash. They then descend in the “cage” with Barrett running the winch. Connell is able to turn some curious gards away with just a wave of his hand. Then the party waits for the rocketing Barrett to hit the beach and make a great tumble but still take a bit of subdual damage.

The party is hiding on the lake side of this Winch building. The glowing green lake lapping inches from your feet. While on the other side is the façade and entrance to what seems an other worldly city of strange angles and melted stone.