Eons past the fabled sorcerer-kings of Parhok perished in the rain of eldritch fire that destroyed Arkhosia. But legends hold that one tribe survived the apocalypse, fleeing with their slaves to a hidden city, where the greatest enchanters of all time could sleep away the centuries, and awaken in a future age as rulers of a ruined land...
Now once more the forbidden magic threatens the good folk of the Known Realms. A kingdom lies ensorcelled, a royal family ensnared by the forgotten dweomers of a long-dead race. When the best attempts of seers and diviners have failed, it falls to the heroes to save the kingdom.
Have the sorcerer-kings risen to reclaim their bejeweled thrones? Or has a more sinister power bent their ancient magics to its sinister will? Only the most courageous and cunning of heroes will emerge victorious from Dragora's Dungeon!
XP
13/5/713
Ape-Man Palace Infiltrator: 500
14/5/713
The Emerald Frog (ex Lord Viridius): 450
17/5/713
Descent Into the Rift: 300
Shattered Gates of Parhok: 125
Chamber of Eldritch Wizardry
Needlefang Drake Swarm: 187
14 Decrepit Skeletons: 350
Gelatinous Cube Trap: 400
Imp Menace: 100
Total: 2412/7=345 to party tally
345+2269 = 2614 XP
Erik's account 60 XP bonus, +2614=2674 XP.
Need 3750 XP for Level 4.
PCs on max XP: Leon, Rex, Erik, Tasarus + level up: Jenn, Adell
PCs 2nd level: Maldar
Session 6 account - Erik Van Karsen (Pierre)
Erik’s Journal
Dragora’s Dungeon – Entry 1:
I am very
thankful for the few months of respite the Gods granted us after the purging of
the Beggar King’s lair. The winged horror that nearly slaughtered our party was
still haunting my nightmares, but we all had time to recuperate from our
various injuries. The only evidence I kept from our trials was a pretty nasty -
and very itchy - scar above my left temple, a reminder of how dangerous running
headlong into a crossbow bolt can be.
The Overlord’s
Palace is a beautiful place and our lodging more than spacious. That comfort, added
to the un-eventful bodyguard roles we had been assigned, might explained why we
were so easily overwhelmed that night. I dimly remember fighting against a very
strong urge to fall asleep, before being forcefully woken up by Rex. Still dazed by what must have been some form
of sleeping spell, I rushed outside our quarters, leaving Rex to wake up the
rest of our comrades. I found Jenn in the hallway, already fighting some sort
of humanoid ape, enveloped by bluish fumes. Attuning to the arcane currents
around me, I felt the censer that the beast was carrying to be the point of
origin of the enchantment. He quickly fell beneath our furious blows and Geroff
woke up just in time to witness him warn us with his last breath:
“Tell your master his daughter
will have her revenge! She is coming for him!”
What I would
have taken to be the ramblings of a mad creature turned out to be a lot more
sinister. Jenn confessed that she had heard rumours of the Overlord’s
indiscretions producing a female offspring, quickly spirited away to avoid any
scandal. Such a girl would have a
serious motive for vengeance, and if the raw power emanating from the sleeping
spell was any indication, she had mastered some astonishing magical skills
during her exile. Panicked palace guards broke up our discussion, alerting us
that the Overlord and his family had also been exposed to the sleeping spell:
“But they can’t be woken up! We
tried everything!”
This was very
bad news indeed… The infiltrator now dead, our only link to the culprit was the
sleeping spell; I extended my consciousness to reach the magical energy still
lingering around the man-ape censer. The enchantment did transit through the
artefact, but it wasn’t the point of origin. By holding the censer, I managed
to get a sense of its location: somewhere within the Black Swamp. Strangely
enough, the place had already caught my attention recently and I had planned to
investigate further... Our party, now joined by a fearsome looking fighter
named Kobbe, set out straight away, guided by the magical thread between the
censer and the power source.
Swamps
are dangerous places; any civilised humanoid is completely out of his element
there, fighting both treacherous terrain and wildlife. We indeed were expecting
monstrous reptiles, carnivorous plants or haunting spectres, but not what jumped
out of nowhere, clearly intent on murdering Leon: a giant, comical-looking emerald frog. He
luckily caught a glimpse of the amphibian before any of us did, throwing one of
his faithful shurikens at it and avoiding the leaping creature within seconds. But
the frog wasn’t to be underestimated. Once it closed in with Leon its rage and
cheer bulk rolled over our poor rogue before we could slay the beat. To be
honest, the determination of the emerald frog was quite intriguing and the
relief Leon expressed upon seeing the animal corpse confirmed that he
personally had something to do with this ambush. As mysterious as always, he
kept his secrets for himself, only keeping an eye of the monster as a
“souvenir”.
(3 days later, in the Mountains of Nerath south of the Black Swamp)
(3 days later, in the Mountains of Nerath south of the Black Swamp)
After
that first bloody incident the journey remained quiet, the pulsation coming for
the censer becoming stronger and stronger. We finally reached the edge of a
very impressive ravine, bordered by the ruins of long forgotten buildings,
covered with vegetation. Unnatural steam was floating up from a partly obscured
lake at the bottom, some 200 feet below. The source of the spell was located
directly below us, I was sure of it. We resigned to climb down the cliff using
ropes and grappling hooks, until we reached a plateau jutting out of the cliff,
leading to a set of shattered heavy doors. An old rusty blade trap greeted the
landing of our group, but was promptly disarmed by Rex. The corridor led to the
upper-level of a multi-layered room, like concentric steps leading down a
unique exit. A quick glance at the various bits and pieces littering the floor
and furniture indicated some sort of ancient magic laboratory. We were
definitely not the only there though: a maniacal laughter soon resonated
throughout the place. As Kobbe, Adell and I set up to go around the room, sticking
the walls as much as we could, a daring Leon decided to crawl across a pitiful
looking bridge crossing the emptiness
between each side of our level. This bold move wasn’t exactly rewarded
as expected. The laughter intensified and the sound of a rope being cut was
heard, preceding the fall of a large glass orb right in front of Leon. We could
just watch from afar as a swarm of tiny needlefang drakes rushed out of the
shards towards him. As if waiting for this very moment, skeletons all across
the rooms sprang back to life, aiming decrepit bows at us. Badly wounded, Leon
retreated to safety while the rest of the group took care of the situation with
a ruthless efficiency. So much so that I must admit that my sword wasn’t of any
use this time, as I couldn’t reach those bags of bones faster than the
long-ranged attacks of the rest of the party did.
The
chamber didn’t contain anything interesting and we were about to jump down to
the doors on the lowest level when Leon stopped us all on our tracks:
“Something isn’t right… See that
sort of… Veil… Floating?”
His keen perception saved us. The
small space in front of the door was completely covered by a translucent
gelatinous cube “lying” in wait. We quickly retreated to the upper floor,
giving enough space for Tasarus to reduce it to acidic goop with its powers.
After that, only a little bit of acrobatics were required to open the door
without falling into the acid, but we cleared the way quickly. The following
corridor gave way to a small bridge overlooking a wild torrent. The owner of
the maniacal laughter chose this spot to make his first appearance, a pudgy
winged mass trying to push Kobbe to his death in the rushing water. He did
recover in time but the little imp got away before any of us could react.
