DM Couyon

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 11:57 on Nov 12, 2000
Date: 10th-15th of Vitrool, 729

Location: Coopersville to Spr. Forge

Present: Members of the Black Daggers and NPC played by Dalan

The group left Coops before first light... traveled north and got caught up in a viscious thunderstorm.. entered the forest where they found the remains of three goblinoids, looked like remnants of a battle a few weeks old... spent two more days getting through the woods and upon leaving the forest were shocked to find that not all of the trees were what they seemed, obviously they had been watched by some type of huge tree creatures... group thanked their gods for the safe passage and made their way to Spr. Forge to get a warm meal and good night's rest.

Casualties: none, but the mage is catching one heck of a cold

Treasure: some wild game on the way, a few rabbits and a wild chicken

Experience: 100xp/lvl/hour, four hours, excellent role play

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 12:12 on Nov 12, 2000
Date: 16th of Tramic, 729

Location: South of Aldred

Present: Gatheian, Adrianna, Alriel, Tarov, Zander, Eiji, Achmed and several npc's

Summary: group sets off on another ambush... on the way finds torn remains of gnolls and kobolds on the forest floor and strung up in braches of a tree... continue with haste to the ambush site... set traps and take positions... within hours the ambush is sprung and not a single victim escapes the deadly trap... on the way back they encounter the culprits responsible for the torn bodies in the woods... Harpies!... viscious battle with half of the group being charmed and the others fighting for their lives... unexpected aid from what looked like a kobold barbarian riding a giant weases... barely able to fight off the vile creatures but not without the loss of two comrades.

****************************************

Longer version in the words of Zander:

Rising in the early morning I rub the sleep from my eyes and look around to see everyone else start to rise and pack up their gear. Getting silently to my feet I pick up my backpack and walk to the door. Everyone gathers outside and its dark again. I hate the dark... why must we always travel in the dark. Taking my postion in the rear of the party I begin to hum to myself to amuse myself for I heard Rex say it will be a long journey. We treked on and on into the bush but before long we came across a carcass in the middle of the path. Sitting in the middle of the path was a half eaten torso of some creature fighting down the vile rising in my stomach i crouch low to the ground in case the creature that did this is still close by. Some of the group is intrigued by this while I am almost vomiting, I look up to see Gath, Spike and Sparky start to move on so I follow. Soon after the rest of the group follows. We finally find a so called perfect spot for an ambush. The trees provide great cover and the bushes will too. We take cover and wait for a patrol. Cowards we are, hiding in bush and trees. I dont mind I prefer to let them do the fighting while I watch but I have to fight for my life depends on it. Tarov and Adrianna would sooner see me dead then see me walk beside them. Gath, Alreil, and Achmed protect me against harm but Gath has changed and the other two cant always save me... I must fight. We didnt have to wait long, I had long ago quit humming. A patrol came marching into our ambush, cowards we are but better alive cowards then dead heroes. The patrol got in the middle of us when Lady stepped out of the bush and mumbled some words and instantly 3 gnolls caught a flame, my heart races as I saw the magic transpire before my eyes. Two of the gnolls died instantly and the third turned to lady but as if on cue Alriel stepped out and mumbled words to and unlike before a blast of flame hits the middle of the patrol. My heart raced evn more this was not a smoke ball but a huge ball of flame I could feel the heat from my position in the tree. The next few moments are a blurr, I can remember seeing Achmed drop out of the tree and snaps go off, looking down i saw two kobolds, taking darts from my pouch i let loose and hit one of them with a dart. Moments later another two kobolds were in my sight and not moving either, caught in a trap maybe. Taking aim i threw 3 darts at its throat one striking home, just like playing a game of darts. I then could hear voices calling me, climbing down i hung upside down from the tree and got Achmed or Alreil to hand me my darts. Tarov and the others were actually a little bit impressed as i had finally done something useful. Watching from my tree I watched the commoners pick up the bodies and dispose of them, I would never dirty my hands on scum like that, its enough that I have to remain unclean for there is never a true source of water and let alone eat their disgusting food. Finally after some time they dispose of the bodies and we move on.

Looking at my fine silk clothing a frown in disgust, my clothes are filthy with dirt, Father will not be happy with this let alone how they treat me. I deserve the best treatment and they treat me like an equal or a lesser, the outside world lacks the respect for me as I deserve but I dare not say a word against it, I have seen what each is capable of doing and frankly i dont want any of it.

Back to marching, we walked on and on not knowing where we were going i went into a trance of humming ignoring the others and the scenery just thinking about home where I was treated like Torin himself and with all the girls fighting over me, oh those were the days, I would give anything to go back to them. Suddenly I could hear poeple yelling at me, I stopped my thinking and listened. It was the most beautiful singing in the world, I thought I was good but this made me sound like Tarov. I listened deeply to the singing and I can remember little for what happened next, I remember walking towards the singing and seeing others follow. We walked forward to the singing and stood in a line staring blankly ahead. I have no idea what went on while in that trance, or how much time passed but when I opened my eyes I saw Gath standing over top a wierd creature to say the least with a wing in his hand, Spike and Sparky standing over a similar creature and Rex was on his knees crying. I had no idea what had happened. I took a good look around, people were missing. Where was Lady and Drac? Falling to my knees from exhaustion I asked Gath who told me that they were taken. I can't believe it, my companions were taken just like that and I had done nothing to stop it. Sure they dont like my much, infact I like them about the same but they have helped in and in return I let them down... We shall get them back, we shall not rest until they are back in our company our we have buried them... The strange creatures have won the first battle but they shall not win the second.

Casualties: 1 Bugbear, 7 Gnolls, 11 Kobolds, 2 Harpies, and taken either dead or alive: Eiji(Drak) and Lady(npc)

Treasure: More equipment and weapons

Experience: 100xp/lvl/hour, four hour session

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 12:23 on Nov 12, 2000
Date: 6th of Sampous, 729

Location: Below Coops

Present: Members of the Burning Arm

Summary: Group gathers in the guild hall discussing plans... takes a vote and decides to go back to the caves and explore some magically sealed doors... after much frustration the doors are finally opened by one of the warriors, with the rest in amazement at his strength... down a set of stairs and into an abandonned set of chambers.. encounter with some strange creatures that looked like reb rubbery balls with six eyestalks and claws, that burst when you strike em.... took a lot of damage from the beasts as they kept pouncing and attaching themselves to the adventurers.... group prevails with one member left unconscious.... group seperates and goes exploring... one group finds big mushrooms and giant beetles... another finds a secret entrance to a chamber below... and yet another lone mage attempting to go back to the streets above comes to a tragic end at the hands of 'hidden guards' of the guild itself....

Casualties: 10 strange little red globes with eyes and claws, 8 giant mushrooms that gave off and ear piercing scream, two giant beetles with huge mandibles, and the necromancer Shoken

Treasure: none

Experience: 80xp/lvl/hour, five hours

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 14:57 on Nov 18, 2000
Date: 17-19th of Tramic

Location: South of Aldred

Present: Gatheian, Alriel, Adrianna, Tarov, Achmed, Zander, Vincent plus npc's

Summary: the party huddles together under the tarps mourning the loss of their two comrades Drak and Lady... get visited in the day by a ‘friend’ who leaves what seems to be a map sketched into the earth with a feather from one of the vile Harpies stuck into it... much discussion on their directions... decide to tend to the beasts first and find out the fate of the ones carried off... long walk.. successful raid on the cave that left all but one of the creatures dead with a wounded one flying off... a new friend found hiding in the lair as well as the bodies, or what was left of them... also discovered a stash of finely wrought jewelry... group heads off to rest and discuss new plans.

Casualties: 4 Harpies

Treasure: A small stash of jewelry

Experience: 85xp/lvl/hour, 5 hours

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 15:05 on Nov 18, 2000
Date: 14th of Sampous, 729

Location: Coopersville

Present: Storm Bringer, Whitewind, Tananda, Zyphlin, Marek, Calia. Cleo

Summary: Group gathered at the Black Dragon Inn... discussed future plans... caught rumors flying about of caravans being raided on the in the plains to the west... were approached by a couple merchants looking to hire the group to eliminate whatever has been ravaging their trappers camps in the forest... set off in separate directions to gather
more info and to prepare for the journey


******************************

In the words of Storm Bringer:

*The rains finally broke, two weeks of solid rain and gloom, the weather willed but not to the point of freezing. Storm Bringer took up his usual seat by the corner of the fireplace. Whitewind, Tananda, Zyphlin, Marek, andCalia sit about the table with Storm. Krough brings the familiar foods and beverages to the group. They seem glad to be preparing for adventure. After a couple of hours of debate as where to start Krough manages to get the attention of Storm. After a brief conversation Storm meets Ivan and Mark, the two men propose an offer to the leader of the group. After careful consideration he informs the men
that he will speak with the others and get back to them. The group seems genuinely interested in the proposal, but unsure of the men and the circumstances. Storm convinces them
that the reaper would most certainly have killed anyone who had been there. The group took up the campaign. Storm had Marek get info on Ivan and Mark, Zyphlin was getting information on the guide, the ladies however were getting lost in the forest. An elf, ranger
and druid getting lost in the forest, this is gonna be one crazy campaign.

Casualties: None

Treasure: None

Experience: 80xp/lvl/hour, four hours

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 15:13 on Nov 18, 2000
Date: 16th, 17th of Vitrool, 729

Location: on the road from Spr. Forge to Downs

Present: Members of the Black Daggers, Dork the Orc

Summary: Group spent an evening in Spr. Forge, meeting old friends, stocking up on supplies, and healing up from the recent journey... left before first light the next day... experienced some strange seismic activity and some very odd reactions of the local wildlife... spotted smoke far off in the distance... made camp that even to be awakened to a huge fire burning a few hundred yards off... investigated only to find unwanted guests: Giants! ... that resembled enormous armored black skinned dwarves with fiery red hair,
standing as tall as three men, wielding huge blades, along with an evil hound with glowing red eyes... short attack leading to an all night stand off... at first light a challenge made between one of the giants and Dork the orc... the fierce orc won the battle only to
fall victim to the traitorous blade of another giant.... by some miracle the group defeats the creatures and now limps around the battlefield tending to the wounded and mourning for their comrade and fellow warrior.

Casualties: 4 fire giants, 1 hell hound, and the heroic Dork the Orc

Treasure: yet to be counted

Experience: 100xp/lvl/hour, 7hour session

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 08:12 on Nov 19, 2000
Date: 14th of Sampous, 729

Location: Below Coopersville

Present: Members of the Burning Arm

Summary: After some discussion the group decides to head back down through the strange mystical doors concealed in the caverns... one of the priests takes them back to the statue of his goddess and they still can not figure out its purpose or how to activate it, but it does make an excellent blade snapper... frustrated explore the rest of the temple... find rats that turn into some strange mist... capture one in a flask and take it back to the guild for study.. the others go off to find the nest of the giant beetles, filled with mushrooms and molds... defeat the beasts and find three sets of double doors as well as some unexpected treasure... one of the rogues is also attacked by some type of tiny humanoids from the darkness that retreat before being seen... the things seem to be somewhat accurate with their tiny darts...

Casualties: 3 Giant Beetles, 15 screaming shrooms

Treasure: 3 pottery jars filled with coin

Experience: 75xp/lvl/hour, five hours

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 20:41 on Nov 19, 2000
This is an IC account of the final days of Dorc the Orc by a traveling companion of his:

From the Journal of Finbar, the Goblin.

THis is my first entry into my journal, I hope that this will be a record of my deeds and exploits, so that my growing power and prestige cannot be doubted. I will take my rightful place within the clan hierarchy and earn many wives.

I write this only a few minutes after our collasal battle against the giants, I assume them to be fire giants from descriptions I have heard and the pet fire dog they had in their midst. I have never seen the group so down as they are now after Dork's valiant,
but ill fated duel with one of the fire giants.... but I am getting ahead of my self.
This entry should really start from yesterday, after we arrived in Springinatown Forge, with a sick Mage in tow. We took up lodging at a non-descript inn and relaxed for the night.
Kailes was put to bed in the hopes that he would feel better in the morning. I was at this time that we picked up another member in our little group. His name is Azarmatha Godspear,
a truly disgusting human, even as humans go. He was once a warrior of some skill before taking on the life of a Chaoslord of Ballog, which really only means that he now kills people
for a god as opposed to just for himself. He was know to Kargoth and Dork and was quickly accepted into the group, even though no one asked me!
Our time in the inn was spent relaxing and drinking, I of course, not being so low and barbaric as these others, spent my time in a more useful way, listening in on the conversations going on around us. The only interesting bit of gossip was of and old abandoned monestery, said to be haunted (bah... more human silliness) and of sheep gone missing, like anyone would miss them. Supposedly the monks who lived there spend much of their time in the noble persuit (they must have been goblins) of gem cutting. It is said there still maybe some gems lying around there still, this is someplace I will have to convince the others to visit.... but I am getting off topic again. Dork commissioned a local healer, some servant of the One god, who ever he is, to heal our sick mage... he did this, I guess, since the next morning the mage was ready to eat the inn out of a week's supply of food.
We left in the early morning, going south until the town could not be seen anymore and then circling around to the north. The travel was fairly easy, except for that damnable sun shining all day long. It was sometime during the afternoon when we noticed a strange noise coming from behind us, a low booming. It turned out to be score upon score of animals running away from something. It seems the animals knew what was coming, because only a few
moments later the ground shook, it was an earthquake. Now I have never experienced an earthquake in my 15 years on this world, but it was very unnerving. Ground, that you always
took for granted, was now moving under our feet. Some of our mounts paniced, Elyos and Kailes where thrown from their horses. My dog stayed true and under control, but I got off him all the same, just in case. We layed low and waited, but nothing happened. Finally, Dork climbed a small hill and looked around, he called Elyos up to get a better look. Nothing much was going on, but there looked to be some smoke out on the horizon. We all
felt very odd about this and moved on. We made camp for the night in a small forest we came upon, really nothing more then a bit clump of trees.
It is during mine and Elyos's second shift of night watch that we saw something very weird, the road was on fire. Was it ever, the flames must have shot up 40 feet into the air,
the thing was huge. I proceeded to wake everyone else up, and we watched and waited. Nothing happened, just a huge fire. There was no sight of any movement near it, or any sight of who
or what built it, we just all knew it wasn't there when we got here. We all went a little closer and could see that the fire was made of gigantic trees, whole trees. What could have done that, I knew it wasn't something I wanted to meet.
Elyos and an invisible Kailes went out to investigate the blaze, I followed them, but stopped part of the way and waited, figuring I could relay anything that happened back to the rest of the group. I saw Elyos, I would assume the mage was with him, make a
circuit of the fire, staying out of the accursed light and heat eminating from the bonfire. It seemed that nothing was going and and he almost made a complete circle when a huge rock came flying out of the night, hitting Elyos is the shoulder. It was then that we heard
quick moving feet and saw a huge fire breathing dog emerge from the shadows from our left. I couldn't believe my eyes, a fire breathing dog, and the thing was huge. Elyos started to
run back to the camp, which was a good idea, because the largest thing I have ever seen came out of the fire then, a giant. It must have been 20 feet tall and was simply huge. I quickly followed Elyos's lead and started moving back to camp, but not before I heard an increadible burst of sound and heat that make my skin crawl. I turned to see the now visible mage Kailes, with his arms pointing at the dog, and lightning coming out of him. The dog
was hit dead-on by the blast and was sent hurtling back into the night, it never got up again. Elyos and Kailes continue to run toward camp as the gaint gives off a tremendous growl and
runs after them. It seems that I'm unnoticed at the moment and start moving toward the camp, but then I start to hear noises behind me.... more of them!!! I start to run toward camp
as well. The giant following Elyos and the made it into bow range of the others, to bad for him, and was stuck by a Dork fired arrow right in the chest. The gaint bellowed in pain
and stopped his pursuit... he actually ran away. I continued to run to camp and told the others that we had more company....
We all got to the trees and took up positions hiding behind them, and then.... nothing. Everything was quiet. The giants weren't coming in after us, they weren't doing
anything. We waited, and waited, still nothing. The crazy elf decided to taunt them a little to get them to attack us, but it didn't work. Nothing happened until the early morning,
when we saw that the giants had broken up into two group of two, waiting for us. They have large bags full or rocks sitting by them. Dork tries to go out and shoot some arrows at them, he hits them, but go hit too. One of the giants then challenges us to a duel, Dork accepts and after getting some healing strides out and attacks the giant.
What happened next was just amazing. The orc concentrates and gets him self into a kind of blood lust frenzy, never seen anything like that before, and actually attacks the
fire giant. He must have been too eager, because the orc lost his balance and his axe, while the giant took the oppurtunity to land a tremendous blow on the orc, I would have never have
survived such a hit. But the orc just grunted and managed to recover his ax, he seemed evenmore in a frenzy, if that is possible. The orc lauches his attack again, this time with more luck, striking a massive blow to the giant, who doesn't even make a noise. The giant retaliates and again strikes the orc with his massive sword, the orc howls in pain, but continues his desperate attack. It was then that the other giant behind the combatents
clenched some sort of symbol and began chanting, pointing at the orc. I don't know what was supposed to happen, but the orc wasn't effected by it. It was then that I told the elf that we needed to charge the other one, since he was helping his comrade. Dork and the giant
exchange blows and the giant falls back, the rest of us charge into the battle to attack the magic using giant. Dork brings his ax around for one more strike, spilling the giants entrials
all over himself and the ground, the ground shutters slightly as the giant falls, slain by the mighty Orc. But the giants companion, with a bellow of anger, rewards Dorks victory with a
monsterous attack himself, sending the orc flying backwards to land with a sickening crunch. Kargoth and Elyos scream as then are only seconds late getting to the giant and attack
simultaneously. Kargoth screams and attacks the giant head on while Elyos runs past, trying to touch the giant. I hear the mage casting behind me and see 5 magical bolts fly from his
hand impacting on the giant. Elyos draws his swords and attacks the giant screaming for Azar to help Dork. Draco and I stay back and fire missile weapons against the beast. I didn't
want to get too close, if it could kill someone like Dork, I would be dead in a second.
Kargoth attacks the beast, but in his fury, stikes ineffective blows. Elyos became a whirlwind of blades scoring a hit on the giant. Draco and I fire on the giant, and I am more surprised then anything, as one of my arrows sinks into the giants side. The mage again fires another salvo into the beast, making it scream. The giant, being attacked from all side can't decide who to attack and fumbles his sword, but recovers quickly. Kargoth
finally steadies himself adn strikes two mighty blows into the giant, making it howl and falls into a heap.
It is then that we notice the other two giants approaching us from behind. Azar, with a fury I have never seen before, draws his blades and runs to engage the giants, yelling curse words even I don't know. I see the giants and quickly dive over one of the
giant bodies and prepare to fire arrows at them. I fire my bow, but both arrows miss, the others just wait to take the giants on, with revenge making thier eyes burn. The giants fall upon
us, and as they do, two small forms also join the fight, Elyos's and my dogs. The giants seperate, one on Azar, while the other one attacks Elyos and Kargoth. Both Elyos and Azar
score a hit, but Azar also looses one of his swords. I decide it is time for me to show off some of my minor magic talents, to begins uttering words of power and throw some colored sand into the giants eyes, the sand becomes fans of color and strike the giant dead on. THe giant is so surprised that it takes a step back, stunned... but it didn't last long. The other giant is uneffected and slams his sword home into Azar, who screams, but keep on fighting, cursing all the way. Kargoth again attacks his giant, scoring a single effective hit. While Elyos' blades bounce of the giant harmlessly. THe dogs continue their attacks and the mage, who must have run out of spells, throws daggers at the giants, to no effect. Draco's sling bullets are ineffective, seems the dwarf much prefers using his axe. I fire more shots into giant, but my sting breaks, cursing it get out another a quick as possible. Azar, Kargoth and the giant exchange blows, Kargoth's giant goes down, and so does Azar. The other giant
runs, but before he can run I am able to fix my bow and fire again, hitting him once and the dogs pounce on the giants and between us we are able to bring the giant down. Elyos strikes
out at the prone giant and decapitates it...... the battle is over!!!!!!
Between myself and Kargoth we are able to stop Azar's bleeding and save his life, but the spirit that was Dork has left world for the next. I just stand there and look over the field covered in blood, mostly the giants, but very much of it is Dorks, and just feel amazed and sad. Amazed that we won, but also sad at the cost of the victory.

(this was meant to be posted with the trip ticket from the Black Daggers)

Couyon

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 09:27 on Nov 26, 2000
Date: 8th of Tetranian, 729

Location: Below Coops

Present: Members of the BA: Hart, Thunder, Delmon, Daeinl, Morath, and the npc Kerl

Summary: The party gathers and decides to explore further into the temple complex below.. figures out a secret to a statue of Diadra and a hidden armory... get trapped and after much frustration find a way out... explore more of the passageways and manage to open a large set of sealed wooden doors... travel a long natural cavern to find an abandonned tower, half of it buried in the black silty soil... four of the members enter the structure as two wait outside and soon begin bickering... the ones inside soon find out the hazards of the tower as the windows seal up with solid stone and the skeletal remains of undead crawl out of the soil to attack...

Casualties: 7 skeletons

Treasure: None

Experience: 75xp/lvl/hour, four hour session

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 09:43 on Nov 26, 2000
Date: 8th of Tetranian, 729

Location: Below Coops

Present: Part 1 of the session:

Members of the BA: Hart, Thunder, Delmon, Daeinl, Morath, and the npc Kerl

Part 2 of the session:

Other members of the guild and new initiates

Summary: the group trapped in the tower fights on for it's life as undead attack and a noxious green fog begins to fill the tower... they escape the first room only to find the lower level filled with more of the beast and a thicker fog... the men fought bravely and felled many of the creatures.. but in the end both the orc Kerl and the elf Hart fall victim to the rusty blades of the undead soldiers... Delmon and Thunder make a desperat run for the trap door leading below... defeat the skeletal corpse belonging to the Master of the tower, and manage to gather a pair of magical bracers and a couple ornate rings... explore further below only to come face to face with more beasts... Thunder falls... Delmon makes a mad dash back to the top of the tower throuh the horde of undead chasing him... finds the windows still sealed and turns to face the creatures attacking him... finds the magic of the bracers is aiding him in his final moments... but too little to late as the dark priest is the last to fall prey to the evil within the tower... while outside the tower Daeinl and Morath begin fighting among each other... the druid Morath is successful in defeating the elven rogue, only to fall prey to a small group of tiny humanoids that had been trailing the party... the two are dragged off to the den of the beasts for days of torture and finally a welcomed death...

The second half of the session involved members of the BA going above ground into the streets of Coops, attempting to gather information of the recent fires at the palace and the location of the elf suspected for the crimes... visited many local taverns.. picked a bar fight with a group of obnoxious goblins... spread out in three groups and gathered as much information as possible... returned to the guild hall with their reports and are still awaiting the return of the other group that went below (it'll be a long wait)

Casualties: a couple dozen Skeletal Warriors, Hart, Delmon, Thunder, Daeinl, Morath, and Kerl (npc)

Treasure: jewelry and magical bracers (now lost)

Experience: 90xp/lvl/hour, six hour session

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 21:58 on Nov 27, 2000
Date: 18th, 19th of Vitrool, 729

Location: on the road from Spr. Forge to Downs

Present: Members of the Black Daggers

Summary: Party tries to regroup after the massive battle... tend to the wonded and begin mourning the dead... search the bodies and belongings of the giants... found much coin, dented armor, and what appear to be arcane items of unknown value... load up and head out for Downs... reach the town after nightfall, secure a room, and find a stable for the mounts... meet a new friend in the local tavern... the mage Kailes still mourning the loss of the orc uses some of his magic to hide the corpse... more bickering within the group as they plan to leave before sunrise...

****************************************

In the words of a goblin:

After the Giant Fight.

I finish writing in my journal and look around. The entire area is covered with blood, most of it from the giants, but too much from Dork and Azar. Kailes is out feeling bad that he couldn't do more for Dork, while Elyos and Kargoth look after Dork's body. I get up and examine the giant bodies, looking for anything worth keeping.
Looking through the giant's stuff we find three interesting things, plus
a large amount of gold and silver coins, though they have strange markings on them. Kargoth finds a large flask in a reddish leathery container. Elyos finds a two foot long stick, black as night and real heavy. I find a huge stone tablet with runes on it. I am very excited by my discovery, they look to be magical runes... could this be how giants scribe scrolls? It
seems impossible, I have never heard of any giant magic users, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I ask Kailes about this and he is of the same opinion. Kargoth tastes the potion and lets us it tastes like honey... he says it will be a good drink to have once we
resurrect the mighty Dork, who knows if we will ever drink from that flask. The stick that the elf found also has runes on it, both it and the tablet will need to be studied to find out if they have any true magical properties.
The tablet is huge and weights about 200 pounds, so I come upon the idea of strapping it to a shield and having a horse drag it. With my expert knowledge of knots, and a lot of
padding, I am able to secure the table to one of the large shields the giants
were using.
It is time for us to leave, Kargoth takes Dork's great ax, saying the orc
would have wanted him to have it... everyone seemed to agree. With my help, the others tie the body of Dork and the still breathing body of Azar to horses and we set off for the closest
town, the township of Downs. We travel far into the night and finally arrive
there. We are challenged at the front gate, but tell them that we were attacked by ogres and need a place to stay, they, being trusting Halflings, let us in. It seems the entire town is halfling, but no matter. The guard takes us to a stable for our horses, then shows us to an inn for a hot meal and a good nights sleep.
While we are at the inn, a human there, only one I have seen in town,
approaches us and inquires to our condition. He has seen the wounded and dead bodies we brought in and seems to be excited about them. His name is Tharks, and an even stranger human then
Azar... why are they always so weird, these humans. He seems to enjoy pain
and suffering, both inflicting it and receiving it. Me I just like the inflicting, the receiving... not
so much. The others take to him right away, but of course they are all crazy
too. The human actually sits there and draws little pictures into his skin with a dagger!!!
I finish my dinner and head over to the common room where Dork's body is
laid out and Kailes is watching over him. There is another strange bird, that Kailes, he only meet the orc a week ago, but is fawning over his body like they have been friends since childhood. I don't think he can be trusted when he is so emotional... seems I was right. When I get to
the common room, all I see is the mage slumped over a huge slab of stone,
which wasn't there before, and the body of the orc is gone. I quickly draw my daggers and have a look around, but all the windows are locked and there is no other way to get out. What could have happened to the body? I go over to the mage and check on him, he is still alive. Not knowing what to do, I go find the elf and tell him Dork's body is gone.
I don't think I have ever seen the elf so made before, the goes running
into the room and looks around and tells me to find the others and the woman who was serving us. I didn't
argue with the elf and did just that, got the others and the woman. They all
arrived in short order while the elf checked out an alcove in the ceiling above the stone that I'm pretty sure
wasn't there before. The Halfling was very scared, as she should be, while
the elf yelled at her asking where the body was. The halfling was horrified and tried to explain to the seething elf that she was cooking and serving us food the entire time. I took the time to do something more useful and revive the mage, since he is probably the only
one who knew what happened. I got some water from the kitchen and dumped it on the mage, that did the trick. Still sputtering from the water, he mage told us that it was he who hid the orc body... inside the stone table!!! I have never heard of this spell, but I had the proof there in front of me. It looks like he melted the stone from the ceiling and formed it into a stone
block around the orc's body. He says that it will keep the body safe until
we find a way to resurrect the body. The elf, just simply over come stormed out of the room. I went over to
the mage and told him that he should have told us what he was doing before he did it. He nodded and blubbered about for a while and kept his watch over the table. The elf finally
stormed back into the room and demanded that the mage give him a copy of the
spell within a week. The emotional mage argued that it wouldn't be easy, but that he would try to do it. With that the episode was over.
Shaking my head I walked over to the otherside of the room and plopped
down on the bed, I had spells to memorize and prepare. I also thought about the mage, he seems more powerful
then I thought he was, way more then me. It would be good to learn from him. Perhaps I could swap some spells with him, though I probably only have one spell that he might find useful. I suppose I could use his guilt for dork's death as a way to get some spells out of him, I will have to think about this, and gather the supplies necessary to make the transfer, which no doubt will be difficult. I do not trust this human mage, he is too emotional. Strong emotions and spells to not mix, it is the first rule I ever learned. I will have to watch him.

Casualties: None

Treasure: Large amount of coin from the giants, along with what appears to be a magical stick, stone tablet, and flask.

Experience: 80xp/lvl/hour, four hour session

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 07:49 on Nov 30, 2000
Date: 15th - 17th of Sampous, 729

Location: Coopersville moving north

Present: Storm Bringer, Whitewind, Trina, Serranna, Aeryn,, Zyphlin, Marek, Cleo

Summary: Group meets their guide... gather supplies and some info... leave Coops traveling north... story telling and rumors of beasts in woods fill the first couple days on the road... second night settle down and make camp... suprised by some freakish two headed snake who manage to sink it's fangs into three of the adventurers before being surrounded and finally felled by the entire group... the bitten victims thank their gods that the poison has not spread so far... especially the warrior who was bitten in the privates....

***************************************

In the words of Sir Storm Bringer:

*The first day was uneventful, the group seemed to be making pretty good
pace, watches were set and things were looking pretty good. We got the
message that a group to the north killed some giants. The group seemed
pretty concerned, we don't want to be messing with no giants at this time.
The next day was going pretty smoothly as well.

Just as the sun was beginning to set as we were making camp we saw
the oddest thing. It appeared that a wheel from a wagon was rolling our way,
no one thought much of it, as it got closer it was to late for us to get init on it, the thing was wild, a creature with two snake heads or reptilian heads attacking, the went for Cleo and Zyph , this got me going Cleo took a strike as did Zyph, unable to wait I closed the distance in an instant between the creature and Cleo throwing myself into melee with it between her. It struk, faster than I thought, man was I preying as that sucker caught me in the upper inner thigh. Woe, thank the gods they were watching nearly lost my ability to procreate. Calling upon gods will I struk the beast, decapitating it and saving myself from chancing my luck any further. Well we survived this one, but coulda lost three o! f us in an instant. This is gonna be one testy campaign.

Storm Bringer


Casualties: One big ugly snake

Treasure: None

Experience: 80xp/lvl/hour, four hour session

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 16:01 on Dec 03, 2000
Date: 20th of Vitrool, 729

Location: Downs

Present: Members of the Black Daggers

Summary: Group spends a day in town, healing and gathering supplies... find some new employers... make trouble with the locals... make more trouble with some drunken orcs... decide it might be best to leave before things get worse.

****************************************

Longer Version (from a goblin's pov)

In the township of Downs

We all went to sleep after the excitement of the orcan body being incased in stone. I wake up early to go examine the items we picked up from the giants. I start with the tablet. Using my magically inhanced vision, I read the scroll. It is a protection scroll,
a protection from possession scroll to be exact. I'm not sure what use it
will be, but it will have to be transferred to a normal scroll. I'm not going to lug around a 200lb stone
scroll around. The examination of the stick was less successful, there are
runes on it and it is a magical wand, but what it does I have no idea. The runes are in a language I have never seen before, the mage hasn't seen it either. The flask has no markings
on it, and other then smelling sweet, it is a mystery.
Kailes and I spent a few hours tranferring the contents of the stone
scroll onto a normal scroll. Kailes truly is a master at the art, I watched him closely, hoping to pick up some tips on scribing. It is during this time and after that some excitement
happened in the common room. I wasn't sure what was going on at the time, but the elf informed me later on.
The local guard element of the township wanted to make sure that all the 'ogres' that we ran into were dead. The little men were hoping they wouldn't have to do anything, the
lazy halflings. The elf assured them that the 'orges' we faught were all
slain, none escaped to threaten the poor little halflings. For doing their work for them, we were rewarded by
having our stay at the inn payed for. It is also during this time that a
group of gnomes and fellow goblins approached the elf with a proposition. Basically they want our help to break into a mine and take its contents before the estate of some dead merchant is settled. It seems the owner died and had no will, so now his relatives fight for the rights to the mine.
It is a silvermine, but the goblins believe there is more there then silver, mainly jewels. Elyos is more interested in information about the region then gems, silly elf,and declined thier offer. A group of orcs and Azar exchange some insults as they eat. The largest orc challenges Azar to some fistycuffs, the silly human excepts. Kailes and I arrive at this
time and are witness to what happened. Everyone goes out side and the human
and orc begin to circle each other. As I make my way into the shadows, damnable sun, I study the combatants.
The orc is huge, as is most of their species, they make most excellent
slaves...strong and stupid.
The two circle each other, sizing each other up. The orc stikes first,
elbowing Azar in the stomach, I'm surprised the human was still standing after that hit. But the human retaliats quickly landing two, quick strikes with his hands, I don't think they hurt the orc much. It seems the humans blows do unbalance the orc, as his strike goes
wide, the human uses the opening to strike another blow, but this one also fails to jar the orc. The orc roars with anger and dives for Azar, grabbing his leg and nearly ripping it off. Azar punches down on the orc again, connecting with another blow, but the orc just shrugs it off. The orc comes up from below and with an almost elf-like speed, comes behind the human and pins him in a hold. The orc squeezes the human as his face starts to turn really red, but the human finally is able to break the hold with a lucky shot to the orc's face. The two circle
each other again, throwing punches, more as a test then an attack. The orc
moves first again, but the blow to his eye must have dulled his vision, as the human is able to move out of the
way. Azar is able to strike a blow on the orc, finally the blows seem to be
adding up on the orc. The orc roars out and catches the human with a ferocious blow to the side of the
head and human crumples to the ground, blood flowing from his nose and cheek.
The orcs cheer and walk back into the inn, slapping the winner on the back and laughing at the weak human.
The rest of us walk into the inn as well, with Kargoth staying back to wake Azar up. I sit down to eat with the mage... after a while I notice the goblins at the other table. They motion my come over, where they offer me the same job as they did the elf, I must have naturally thought that I was in charge. Tharks walks around after the fight, the stupid human actually scares some old woman with his talk of demons and evil gods, bringing the entire town to our door step on a witch hunt. There is a major incedent by the inn as the
local guards, the ones who payed for our stay, try to keep the town from
charging the inn. It is finally agreed that we will stay in the inn until it is time to leave. Kailes was able
to scare them a bit with his talk of magic and evil demons in the area. The
matter finally gets solved, with us agreeing to leave in the morning and agreeing not to leave the inn until
then.
We also agree to check out the mine for the goblins. We may also check out the talk of the strange things going on in the marsh. I have also been able to
convince the mage to trade some spells with me, my power is growing and I feel more confident then ever.

Casualties: None

Treasure: None

Experience: 90xp/lvl/hour, four hours

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 16:15 on Dec 03, 2000
Date: 18th - 23rd of Sampous, 729

Location: NE of Coops

Present: Storm Bringer, Whitewind, Trina, Serranna, Aeryn,, Zyphlin, Marek, Cleo, Calis, Tanda

Summary: Group continues on the road guided by the trapper... foul weather... more stories and tales from George Kinren... finally reach the outskirts of the vast woods... heavy fog and strange sounds

****************************************

Longer Version:

From the perspective of Marek:

After the death of the two-headed snake monster, we thought about skinning it. Our guide convinced us it would not be worth the trouble. So instead, Storm
milked the fangs of the creature and cut them out of his mouth. Wrapping them up in a cloth before putting
them back in his pack. We decided to burn the creature since at the moment no one felt like digging a hole to bury the vile thing. After our initial
shock wore off we built a fire, secured camp, set our watches and got some much needed rest.

We awoke to the smell of brewing coffee that our guide thankfully made for us. While most of the others had some, I decided not to have any. Prefering to keep my eyes on Aeryn as she is somewhat an oddity to me. Cleo helped those bitten by the creature with their
wounds, before we decided to hit the road. With George(the guide) starting to spin his tales of legend, we all followed along his trail. If I can say
one thing, that guy can tell tales taller than anyone I ever met.

After a while of traveling and listening to George stories, we came upon a split in the road. George
immediately took the smaller, less worn path that lead to the east. Our party travelled on for some ways, trusting the guide and listening to his tales the
whole time. About the second day after we turned onto the little path, we came upon a large tree that looked to have been struck dead by lightning and split down the middle. It was at this landmark that George informed us we would be making our turn towards the
south. According to him we would reach the edge of the might forest in about a day.

We made our turn, and continued on. George began to talk of these woods, and the things his grandfather told him of the land. It was a welcome relief to hear these stories instead of ones about evil creatures. Everyone was keen on listening to George, and his pride seemed to grow as he told them. As we travelled further on, the sky grew thicker with clouds, and moisture could be felt in the air...promising rain in
the not too distant future.

The downpour started after about an hour of travel towards the south. It was raining so hard it almost started to hurt. There was absolutely no way to stay dry out in the open, so we agreed to try and take shelter somewhere close. George managed to spot a clump of oaks off to the side of us. We all managed to head on over there, though I suppose some of us
might end up going hoarse we were yelling above the storm so much. Finally reaching the shelter of the
trees, I was amazed when the storm started to get much worse.

After covering his wagon and mule, George went to see about some wood for a fire Wind wanted to start. Tan,
George, and Wind all managed to secure some semi dry wood and with much frustration and effort finally got
a fire started. George went back to tending his mule, while Tan, Wind, and Trina tried to save our poor excuse for a fire from being blown out by the raging storm. After securing the fire and our camp, we settled down to sleep. The night passed uneventful,
wet, and misserable.

Upon waking, we found that at least the rain died to a misty type. However, the warmth and humidity of the coming day might make even this a problem. We decided to push on, as it would be no use to wait for this to pass us... George said it may take days, and none of us wanted to waste any time getting to the woods. Conversation was a little slow until Wind sparked a heated debate about the colors black and white. And
to think, all she did was ask Storm if he had a thing for grey colors. She never ceases to amaze me at all
that she can accomplish by opening her mouth. George told us that we could make it to the woods by nightfall, so we pushed onward.

George began one of his tales again, this one about something he called mudmen. He's a crazy one, must be
his old age. The drizzle continued on throught the day, and eventually a fog started to blanket the field we travelled. Storm called a halt, and had Tan check the view up front. Visibility was terrible, the misty
rain and fog combined did little to help our sight. George seemed amused at all the fuss we were making. According to hime, we only had a couple more hours to go until we reached the forrests edge. We started forward again, proceeding with as much caution as we could.

The last few hours of our trek were miserable. The wind ceased completely allowing the fog to grow thicker. It seemed to play tricks on your senses, and all of us were between a state of alertness and utter panic. The silence was peirced by Cleo, she stopped abrubtly and asked if anyone heard some noise. Of course, no one did...but it was enough to spook us. She said something about hearing horses. That was enough for Storm, as he and I headed out to the right to try and find this "noise". We walked into the mist
about 30ft. and didn't find or hear anything. As soon as we got back to the group, Storm sent Tan and Zyph
off to the left to see if they could find anything. They too came back empty handed. Personally, I think Cleo was just imagining things.

It was decided to try and find a glade or something to stop in for the night. Storm wanted something defensible incase anything tried to attack us. We
ended up finding one about an hour later. After securing camp, triple watches were set. Thankfully nothing happend during the night. By morning the fog showed some signs of lifting. George cooked a great breakfast, eggs and bacon. Everyone was happy to be
able to eat some real food, especially Zyph who wolfed his down in about two seconds...and then when I offered the other half of mine to the anyone in the
group, he secured and ate that just as fast.

Tan, Aeryn, and myself were sent to scout ahead before we prepared to head out. Nothing out of the ordinary
was found. We packed our belongings eager to finally make it to the woods.

Casualties: None

Treasure: None

Experience: 80xp/lvl/hour, four hours

[Scionist]

Couyon
DM
 16:37 on Dec 03, 2000
Date: 20th - 23rd of Tramic

Location: South of Aldred

Present: Gatheian, Alriel, Adrianna, Tarov, Achmed, Zander, Vincent plus npc's


Summary: Group awakes to strange noises on the tarps covering their campsite... looks out to see that during the day webs have covered the area... decide to light the webs and make a mad dash for it... semi-successful with a few of the members receiving venomous bites but in the end they manage to win the battle without any casualties... say their farewells to the kobolds and begin their trek northward with the hope of soon finding civilization... a few more days of travel... food supplies growing low but spirits picking up...

****************************************

Longer IC version:

From the jounal of Tarov the Elf

Things have gotten very tense in our rag tag group. It seems that everyone
is fighting since the departure of the kobolds. Well let me start at the beginning. We were still with the kobolds when we awoke to the fact that our camp was surrounded by webs.
After some discussion we set the webs on fire and made a run for the forest. I was able to make it past the onslaught of spiders as I pulled adrianna along with me. The others were not so lucky and we took some big damage. Adrianna and I stopped and
fired back as the others finished the spiders off. During the commotion
Zander was given the egg to carry. After the battle adrianna asked for it and it was cracked, ruined. An arguement insued between Zander and Adrianna. The kid did not back down
and adrianna was livid. Eventually Alriel calmed the kid down. I was able to extract some poison from the dead spiders as they argued and when finished yelled at Zander as well. The boy has been trouble since we found him and his days may be numbered. This
arugement lead to other disagreements and the whole group seemed in quite a
state. Packrat was the calming voice and we agreed to camp and rest while we
searched for food. The rest seemed to work and soon tenson was eased. I talked with the paladin and we reached an agreement. No use fighting with him at the moment since his sword will be needed to make it back to coops. Adrianna has seemed to become more
entranced with him and I am not sure if I like it. There may be something forming between her and I, but when the paladin comes into the mix things break down. I must be careful for even though she thinks like me she is dangerous. We will see. After our
rest it seemed Zander was the only one still in a funk. The paladin was also but this has become commonplace. As we make our way further north we have spotted some tracks. I will pick up the story later.

Tarov

Casualties: A dozen large spiders

Treasure: None

Experience: 85xp/lvl/hour, five hours