Grand Duchy 87

Grand Duchy of Adventure

Session 87
April 27, 2016

Live to Fight Another Day

The Ghouls

Tderdain 27 Yarthmont

Blasted Ghouls

The Grey Company continues it's fight against the ghouls who have now made their way to the end of the hallway. With the bulk of the undead within range, Draven unleashes the might of his Patrons in an explosion of blue and white fire! The blast rips through the undead, sending some to the ground and others fleeing. Griffin, Remar and Ree use their many tools and talents to fend off the others. 

Get those doors closed!

Realizing quickly that the odds are not in their favor, a retreat is called and shouts to close the door go out! While Remar, Iris and Draven hold off the attacking ghouls, Griffin shoves the door closed. Remar drops the bar in place then Draven hammers the braces down with his mace, hoping to prevent the door from being opened easily. Iris completes the process by using her magic to lock the door. A few remaining ghouls are dealt with that remained on their side of the door and quickly the Company moved to escape. 

Friends in Need

Ree then arrives on the scene and announces that the rest of the Company had been attacked by a horde of undead pouring out of the front doors of the temple while waiting outside. She explains that Marcel had been caught in a compromising position behind a rock and was seriously injured and knocked unconscious. "Stephen took Marcel and the horses back to Ronkan. I got inside here to warn you. As the others were riding off, some arrows came from the nearby brush and took out some of the undead. I didn't see who it was and at the time I didn't care! We gotta get out of here!"

Eventually, everyone made it back to Ronkan safely, Marcel was healed and the rest of the evening was spent in contemplation on how to do better in their next foray into the Temple. Griffin starts developing a plan to convince the Traldar to allow the use of some of their riding lizards as well. 

Moldain 28 Yarthmont

Have Lizard Will Ride

A Traldar riding lizard

The next day is cool and rainy with clouds covering most of the sky. Between showers, Griffin, Remar and Ree spend the day learning how to handle the riding lizards with the help from some of the Traldar people. After a few hours, they have learned all the tricks and differences from horse handling and they become quite comfortable with the beasts.

The three lizard riding members of the Grey Company spend some time ranging around, looking for clues and anything out of the ordinary, hoping to find something that will help, but after many hours, they find nothing. Eventually, they are called out by a group of Traldar who have stumbled across something strange and disturbing. When the three companions head out to see it, they find the body of Griffin's old horse Firewild, laying dead and broken among the rocks and brush. A pang of guilt hits Griffin at the sight of his lost mount and companion. Immediatley, everyone starts speculating how the horse even got here, since it had perished by falling off the mountain trail many miles from the mouth of the valley quite some time ago. The rains begin to pick up and everyone heads back to the safety of the village, still pondering the mystery of the dead horse.

Firewild shouldn't even be here...

Cast of Characters: 

Garrett "Griffin" Constantine, a Thyatian rogue of a gambler from Penhaligon rolled by +Arne Jamtgaard 

Draven Rickart, a Thyatian Acolyte of the Church of Karameikos ministered by +Jason Packer 

Remar Umerus, an Alphatian battle mage that escaped forced service in the Thyatian army currently marshalled by +Patrick Kelly 

Iris Varda, a Thyatian explorer and historian searching for answers and adventure, now guided by +Stephanie Kelly 

and +Jason Woollard as The DM

Grand Duchy 86

Grand Duchy of Adventure

Session 86
April 13, 2016

Three Shadowy Figures and a Pack of Ghouls

Tserdain 27 Yarthmont

As Draven attempts to use his divine magic to dispel the magic holding the large door bar in place, Griffin and Remar see something small fly up from the top of Draven's head and disappear in the shadows near the ceiling of the temple. Draven stands there, completely still staring ahead, ignoring all questions to his current state of well being.

A disembodied eyeball

Griffin quickly grabs his friend under the arms and starts to drag him back, telling Remar to keep an eye out for whatever it was they had seen flying around the place. Scanning the upper reaches of the room, Remar spots the object, which he thinks looks like a 2-inch eyeball, now flying quickly directly at him. Thinking quickly, Remar summons up a defensive spell that allows him to not only avoid being struck by the flying eyeball, but to roll and catch the tiny orb in his hands. Before he can examine it closer though, it disappears with a tiny popping sound. 

The shadowy speaking figure

Thinking it was some sort of Wizard Eye, Remar begins to explain this to Griffin and Iris but is interrupted by a booming, disembodied cackle echoing through the large temple chamber. The laughing voice then taunts and threatens the group, telling them their doom lies behind the double doors they had been trying to open. As the group starts to leave, dragging the unresponsive Draven with them, the voice changes its mind and invites them in. The locking bar on the door magically rises and the doors swing open, revealing a long dark hallway that ends in a larger chamber some distance away. Three shadowy figures can be seen standing in the center of this distant chamber. Griffin tries tricking the voice, no doubt coming from one of the three figures but that does not seem to work. Remar flings his glowing dagger down the dark hallway, trying to get a better idea of the lay of the land. The light of his thrown dagger, only about halfway down the hallway, reveals a pack of Ghouls making their way through the darkened hallway toward the Company. 

Remar's glowing knife reveals a pack of ghouls on the prowl.

The Death Knight

The Company prepares for battle and Draven snaps out of his paralysis, ready to battle the undead abominations. Remar crouches behind the doors and starts casting a spell while the voice from the far end of the hallway continues to taunt the Company. Remar taunts back and learns the name of the speaker, Orule. The voice quickly tires of Remar's witty remarks and declares that the companions will now die. As the pack of ghouls advances, Remar summons an explosive fireball and holds it ready. Behind the ghouls, two of the three figures from the far chamber are also advancing, at a faster pace than the ghouls and will soon catch up to them. One is fully armored and wears a huge horned skull helmet while the other looks like a person with all their skin flayed off. The Death Knight charges forward in a straight line while the Flayed One cartwheels, flips and rolls back and forth across the hallway, stopping briefly to snatch up Remar's glowing blade in the process. 

Griffin takes a shot at the advancing Flayed One but it twists and flips, dodging easily. Remar continues to watch the approaching ghouls, waiting for the right moment to release his flaming orb. Draven and Iris stand ready to back the others up once the pack reaches them, Draven going over a mighty spell to blast the undead before it can rip his friends apart. As the ghouls get closer, forced together in a tighter group while passing between a set of wall pillars, Remar flings his explosive fireball at the floor just below their rotting, undead feet. All watch the flaming bolt speed down the hallway but just before it its the 

The Flayed One

ground, the bolt turns around and flies right back at at him, heading right at his chest! The exhausted mage does what he can to avoid being struck by the bolt and drops frantically to the floor at the very last second. The bolt sizzles past him and heads directly for Iris instead! She too frantically dives out of the way, barely avoiding the magical missile. The bolt flies past and hits the floor behind her, exploding. The fiery blast expands and engulfs everyone in its magical fire!

The explosive fireball idea backfires.

Fortunatley, everyone is far enough from the blast that it is not too painful though the laughing voice of Orule finds it amusing. The ghouls and their two scary companions continue to advance while the Company braces for the onslaught. The Flayed One holds Remar's glowing knife aloft and croaks in a strange, froggy, bubbly voice, "I've got your knife! I would like to return it to you!"

The Flayed One tries to be a good friend by returning Remar's glowing knife.

Cast of Characters: 

Garrett "Griffin" Constantine, a Thyatian rogue of a gambler from Penhaligon rolled by +Arne Jamtgaard 

Draven Rickart, a Thyatian Acolyte of the Church of Karameikos ministered by +Jason Packer 

Remar Umerus, an Alphatian battle mage that escaped forced service in the Thyatian army currently marshalled by +Patrick Kelly 

Iris Varda, a Thyatian explorer and historian searching for answers and adventure, now guided by +Stephanie Kelly 

and +Jason Woollard as The DM