He's Undead Now, But He Packs a Wallop

After battling the fang dragon to a draw, SWAG rode back to the Shining Citadel for some rest. Near the Citadel they again met with Naryalla, bard and representative of the Ebon Cabal. She repeated her plea that the group not destroy the demon gate, but instead help restore it so the Cabal could channel its power to protect the valley. SWAG was not pursuaded, but Thelonius continued his "discussions" with Naryalla throughout the night at a private room at the Jewelford Inn.

On the last day of Planting, SWAG rode to the Slaughterscar, and again suspected that someone might be following them. They entered the depths and fought two more gnoll archers. The archers, however, were rather green and failed to penetrate Petra's solid plate armor.

The archers were quickly overshadowed by the half-fiend orge that SWAG had finally killed the day before, now animated as a zombie. It crashed out of the pit and landed with a thud in the long hall, pummeling Secundus with a critical hit slam attack for more than 40 points of damage. DeKelley quickly cast close wounds on Secondus while SWAG counterattacked. Petra failed to turn the powerful zombie, which responded with a death dealing pounding to Secundus, sending him to his maker. SWAG continued the fight, with hacks, slashes and magic missile volleys finally sending the zombie crashing to the ground.

SWAG continued on to the troll, who said that Gashkarr was quite angry at his repeated mistakes in allowing intruders past. Rolff the troll was quite insistent that none shall pass, but SWAG finally intimidated him into letting them past, albeit with a warning for SWAG never to return.

SWAG entered the demon arch chamber and rode the SE elevator up, finding a room of non-animated skeletal horses. Upstairs, a room barred from their side opened to find a dead gnoll, badly pummeled, and a 5x5' chest. As SWAG approached the chest, it grew an arm and slammed Odette, grappling her with its sticky appendage. SWAG battled back, with Petra's sword getting stuck on the chest creature. The skirmish finally ended with the creature's demise.

SWAG then rounded the corner, down some stairs, to a violet demon arch at the end of the corridor...

KIA - Secundus, Knight Luminous

Luminous Order Reinforcements

SWAG returned to the Shining Citadel after suffering heavy losses in their Slaughterscar raid. The Citadel was surrounded by military tents treating the wounded and burying the dead from the clockwork horror battles to the south. SWAG sold some of Petra's items to raise her from the dead, buried Morna, and spent the night licking their wounds.

The following day, on Planting 27, SWAG returned to the Citadel and was joined by 3 Knights Luminous who had returned from the front lines of the clockwork horror battles - Odette the 4th level Fighter specializing in shot-on-the-run bow attacks, Lundquist the Elf 4th level Ranger, and Secundus the 4th level Paladin. The 3 joined Petra, Thelonius and DeKelley in returning to the Slaughterscar.

A reinforced SWAG entered the scar, again having a feeling of being followed but not spotting anyone in the scarry mists. SWAG descended and again fought 2 gnoll archers in the long excavated corridor. After a short battle, SWAG was victorious.

DeKelley again talked his way past the troll and the group descended the elevator to again fight the half-fiend ogre. SWAG engaged the orge in a tough battle. Petra and Secundus both fell unconscious, but were healed by DeKelley and the fiendish ogre was vanquished.

SWAG explored the orge room's 4 demon gates, which shot a beam of light onto the chest of anyone standing in front of them. SWAG found the ogre's hidden claw medallion -- the two southern gates scanned this medallion and temporarily disabled the gates' fire, allowing passage. Both southern gates led to elevators going up. SWAG entered the SW gate and rode up the elevator.

At the top, SWAG entered a hallway and took stairs to the south to another fire gate. The claw medallion allowed this gate to also temporarily shut down its fire. Beyond was a large fang dragon that attacked SWAG, while two humanoids with horned heads watched the battle from the top of the room's stairs. SWAG damaged the dragon, but with healing spells low retreated to continue the fight another day.

SWAG Suffers Heavy Casualties in Slaughterscar Raid

After defeating the elite gnoll guards, SWAG turned their attention to the massive troll standing just a few feet down the corridor. The troll called out in the gnoll language, asking who was there. It was bound with an iron mask secured over its face blocking its sight and heavy chains bolting it to the wall.

DeKelley, the only SWAG member to speak gnoll, responded that they were friends of Gashkarr. DeKelley had overheard the gnoll guards mention Gashkarr's name in the initial assault into the Slaughterscar. After a few gifts of "crunchies" to the hungry troll, DeKelley managed to sweet-talk the troll into letting them pass. The troll, Rolff, even offered to lower SWAG down the 50' dropoff using the winch and elevator system the gnolls had set up to ease their descent into the excavated tunnels.

SWAG descended and hopped off the escalator. Around the corner was a large beast, with rippling muscles and wings, and wearing full plate armor and a shining falchion. It stood in an ancient room with a fallen statue and four flaming demon arches. The creature appeared unaware of SWAG, so Petra cast bless and Quintavian cast mage armor to buff the group.

The creature heard the spellcasters' enchantments and moved to attack while also creating a shadowy field around its falchion. Morna lept forward while the rest of the group advanced. The creature charged Morna, causing substantial damage. Quintavian cast enlarge person on Petra to increase the damage she could inflict with her longsword +1.

As Morna retreated for healing, Petra moved forward but missed the creature. It responded with a devastating blow, critically hitting for massive damage. DeKelley attempted to heal Petra, but she was hit again, dropping her to -11 hp and an untimely death. With Petra down, Red moved forward while Morna slipped behind the creature. Quintavian blasted the creature with magic missiles, penetrating its spell resistance about half the time. The creature responded with another devastating blow, dropping Morna unconscious and dying. Red attacked and missed, and then he too fell unconscious from the creature's unyielding assault.

With most of SWAG down, Quintavian summoned a celestial eagle, which managed two miraculous 20's to hit, injuring the creature. Quintavian continued her magic missile barrage while the creature attacked the eagle, inflicting massive damage and sending it back to its celestial plane. DeKelley retreated to the elevator until it looked like the creature was fleeing from its wounds. But before DeKelley could reach her, Morna failed to stabilize, and died from her wounds. Red remained unconscious, presumed dead, but unbeknownst to the group, still clinging to life. DeKelley and Quintavian dragged the bodies of their friends out of the Slaughterscar and rode back to the Shining Citadel for help.

Killed in action - Petra, Morna
Severely wounded - Red, evil creature
Sent back to its celestial plane after two miraculous attacks - summoned celestial eagle

Clockwork horror horde attacks, SWAG enters the Slaughterscar

The late spring heat began to grow in the Valley as SWAG awoke on the morning of Planting 22. SWAG ventured over to the Carstellan manor to claim the reward for freeing Jarrik Carstellan, son of Lord Carstellan. While they received their reward, Morna snuck into the kitchen to query the skullery maid, who said that she makes meals for both Lord Carstellan and Jarrik, but has not seen them recently.

The group also received 1 affiliation point with the Stiletto Crew for rescuing Phillius Stirp, leader of the Stiletto Crew, from the sewers. Ollie the Shakes expressed confidence that Phillius would soon be freed from the city jail.

Petra retrieved her new +1 full plate armor and summoned her Palidan mount, while Thelonius, Morna and DeKelley purchased horses for the ride south to the Shining Citadel. The group travelled 3 days by horse, stopping over briefly in Riverbend to chat with Carrack and Erlwyn at Riverbend U.

On the night of Planting 24, SWAG arrived in Jewelford and stayed the night at the inn. The morning of Planting 25 SWAG headed over to the Shining Citadel to receive payment for the adventures in Surrinak. Petra was inducted as a Luminary Captain and received a luminary tabard and Morna was inducted as a Knight Luminous. While at the Citadel, two dozen badly wounded knights rode from the south, reporting a pitched battle with about 100 electrum clockwork horrors and 2 lightning bolt shooting gold horrors. The horrors appeared to have been created from the ore barge previously reported missing. About 100 Sumberton troops marched south to engage the horrors that destroyed most of the shipping lanes and bridges to the south, which cut off vital metal ore supplies to Valley.

DeKelley and Luminous Order clerics helped heal the wounded knights while other knights suited up to ride south. With the Luminous Order stretched thin fighting the horrors to the south and gnolls near Kel's Rise, SWAG was asked to investigate a third piece of Slaughtergarde that Order clerics devined to be in the Slaughterscar, where dark forces may be opening a gate to the Abyss. The Order warned that the scar is patrolled by bands of powerful undead. SWAG would be paid 1,500 gp per person to destroy any gates there.

SWAG immediately returned to Jewelford for shopping, and encountered a bard who identified herself as with the Ebon Cabal. She offered SWAG 2,000 gp per person to keep any gates intact, rather than destroying them. She warned that the Order was short-sighted in seeking their destruction -- a powerful evil was growing and that the gates' magic could be turned against this growing force. SWAG reacted with skepticism, and the bard transformed into a hawk and flew off.

On Planting 26, SWAG began the short journey to the Slaughterscar. SWAG found a dark tunnel descending 500 feet below and entered to find 2 raging, powerful gnoll barbarians guarding a stockade. SWAG defeated the gnolls and passed through the stockade entrance to find 2 gnoll rangers guarding another fortified stockade and portcullis down a 100' hall. Thelonius opened fire with magic missiles while Petra ran down the hall, only to fall into a pit trap. With Petra stuck 40' down in full plate armor, the rest of SWAG fought for many rounds to help Petra escape and stop the gnoll arrow barrage. DeKelley raced to heal the wounded. After a lengthy, near-deadly battle, Morna clambored over the stockade and opened the portcullis, allowing Petra to kill the gnoll ranger.

Now about that large troll 15' feet away from the stockade with the iron mask secured over its face...