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Episode Guide

Each weekend, the players assembled to play what has been designated as an episode. Each week, a recap of the most recent episode’s happenings was posted to allow those who have been missing for many or few episodes to get a feel for what they have missed.

Episode 1

Date: June 25, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Andrea, Brett, Cassie, Evin, Jason, Jerry, Joe

Summary: Seventy five years have passed since the Order of the Red Star defeated the White Necromancer in the “Revenge of the Lich” campaign. The Golden Age of Gantara has come and gone. Seventeen years ago, Santo Koribayed was slain by the Heroes of the North. Wardens of the Red Star now help protect the lands, which just haven’t seen the prosperity that was experienced not so long ago. The PCs are all citizen of the Gantara who have left Hightower by ship to travel to Celesthem for various reasons. After a couple stops, the S.S. Enterprise sailed on toward its destination, encountering some rough weather. Over the next days, most of the PCs became ill (slowly being poised by the cook) and were helpless as the ship was boarded by the Blood Mast pirates. Everyone (except for Jason) was taken captive and deposited at the pirate base on Brinereef Island. Eventually, the PCs broke out of the prison and retrieved their gear, but are still stuck on an island full of enemies and no immediate transportation available; a strong storm is coming.

Combat: Alwug the gnoll jailer was spellbound.

Episode 2

Date: July 2, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Andrea, James B., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: The party continued exploring their confines on Brinereef Island while trying to avoid any of the Blood Mast pirates that might be patrolling the area. The two rogues made it outside again to explore what they could on the limestone seamount. A storm made landfall and the pirates spent most of their time focusing on securing the three boats to the dock area of the island. Four additional PCs “joined” the party from unconsciousness (or unboxing): a warblade, a crusader, a ranger, and a sorcerer. Aside from the Halfling and Whisper Gnome, the rest of the party’s searching around found locked doors and a secured facility. There was some grousing overheard by the Ripped Flesh gang, as they seemed to be most interested in their survival above all. After a while, the party and any remaining members of the S.S. Enterprise moved out of the confines of the jail in order to engage the pirates themselves, prompted by the signal bell. Combat ensued, but time constraints would not allow for a resolution.

Combat: The party fought for their freedom against Blood Mast pirates (6 rogues, 2 fighters)

Episode 3

Date: July 9, 2011

Attendance: Andrea, James B., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Leigh

Summary: Combat from Episode 2 continued from Rounds 5-11, with the party finally able to take control of the pirate outpost. Several PCs were severely injured and would not have survived the day if not for the help from one of their fellow passengers (NPC) from the S.S. Enterprise named Moendria Isimar. As fighting continued inside and the storm ebbed outside, the Halfling and Whisper Gnome trekked around in the dark on the limestone shoal to witness Besk pursuing a female quarry out towards the docks. Members of the Ripped Flesh gang quickly came upon them and ambushed Besk, beheading him while two more of the half-orcs chased after the stone-slinging diminutive PCs. After coming up empty handed, the three Ripped Flesh fighters guarded the main door of the keep while their leader and second were able to supposedly flee the island. The rigging and sails of the S.S. Enterprisewere set afire, and both PCs and NPCs were able to extinguish the blaze without any substantial damage to the hull. As the game was closing for the evening, the party decided to look around to see if they could find anything of value through the complex (i.e., loot the rooms).

Combat: The party fought for their freedom against Blood Mast pirates (7 rogues, 1 fighter/rogue), Ripped Flesh gang members turned upon the party (3 fighters).

Episode 4

Date: July 16, 2011

Attendance: Andrea, Adam, James B., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh, Tak

Summary: With the combat from Episode 3 finally resolved, the PCs got down to doing what they do best: looting the bodies and searching the rooms. The majority of last Saturday focused on looking for supplies & treasure, inventorying what gold and magic items could be found, and discovering new ways of trying to horde what loot they pocketed. The entire facility was cleared out of what items of value that could be taken, and stowed aboard the S.S. Enterprise while minor repairs took place. Along with material objects, twelve servants, three Blood Mast pirates, and Alwug were found. The pirates tried to hide amongst the servants in order to evade the PCs, but eventually Bob, Frank, & Joe were discovered. The pirates surrendered to the PCs with the promise they would be let free when the PC’s ship reached Celesthem. Captain Picard took umbrage to not being part of the treasure found on the island (and also to allowing up to 16 new passengers on his ship), but things were smoothed over and all accounted members of Brinereef Island loaded up and set sail. The ship journeyed four more days until reaching Celesthem. Upon arrival, several party members immediately went for magic identification, bounty renewal, or for other information gathering trips. As the game was closing up for the evening, the players were looking at their options for future revenue opportunities, involving the apprehension of unsavory mercenaries and bandits.

Combat: None.

Episode 5

Date: July 23, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Andrea, Brett, James B., Jason, Joe, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: After the precursory exploration of the city of Celesthem in Episode 4, the party held a deeper investigation of several items to be looked into. The major theme of the evening centered around finding more clues on the Sons of Koribayed, particularly their current location. James sought information through the seedy side of Celesthem, checking several taverns and a house of ill repute, while Andrea and Jason visited the Temple of Olidammara to see what they could find. Information indicated that the Sons of Koribayed were mercenaries who worked for the highest bidder, thugs who enjoyed causing pain to other, murderers who did not leave their victims alive, and (a few instances) heroes of the people who rob (and murder) the rich yet give to the poor. The activities were seasonal and all indicators pointed west for their location. Further inquiry indicated that although claiming to be the offspring of Santo Koribayed, only Dante Koribayed is the lone member to keep his namesake. More information is hoped to be gathered when the PCs meet with Lorcan Evander, the head of the city Thieves’ Guild. In the meanwhile, horses were acquired and some minor B&E occurred when trying to pick up a masterwork bastard sword. James also was sought out by a farmer named Harvand, who was desperate for help: his vineyards were overrun by “monsters” and he needed a quick removal job. The party surmised this was a gnoll issue, and set out west to deal with the problem. As the party camped for the night, the PCs were attacked by a cluster of five vargouilles, which were quickly dispatched. Kelli was paralyzed, but her character recovered soon after combat was finished.

Combat: 5 vargouilles attacked the party's campsite.

Episode 6

Date: July 30, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Andrea, James B., Jason, Kelli, Korie, Leigh, Tak

Summary: The party continued to move west to Harvand’s vineyard in order to investigate the “monsters” tearing up with his lands. Any PCs who weren’t at the camp site quickly rejoined the party and the remainder of the journey to Harvand’s lands was brief. The only item of note during travel was a strong pervasive stench akin to an infection, but it dissipated after a short while. Upon arriving at the property, the PCs spread out to search for leads as to what the exact nature of the problem was. A gnoll carcass, bobby trapped with a thunderstone, was found, leading the players to believe that the problem might be more complicated than at first glance. The group setup blinds in the vineyard during the evening in order catch any trespassers, but nothing was spotted. The next day, most of the PCs rested after a long night. The party split in the late afternoon: some to travel back to Celesthem, others to stay at the vineyard. The PCs in Celesthem met with Lorcan Evander, the head of the Thieves Guild, and found out several bits of information regarding the Sons of Koribayed and those whom they have associated with. The vineyard team had an undisturbed evening, but heard screams and yells in the distance from the north. The party rejoined back at the vineyard the next day and proposed to travel north, to investigate the commotion and speak with Tomas Kelgore, owner of Harvand’s lands. The Kelgore estate showed signs of battle with the family and guards beheaded. A dispute broke out amongst the PCs involving what to loot, which came to a close when one of the Wardens of the Red Star arrived on the scene. The PCs returned to Harvand’s property, and then decided to enter the forest area to the west. Soon after, additional gnoll bodies were found along with a bugbear scout. The scout was captured, and when squeezed for information, insisted that he was going north with his group to pay homage to Zur.

Combat: Ruin and Omega nearly killed each other, a bugbear scout named Lug was captured by the party.

Episode 7

Date: August 6, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Andrea, James B., Jason, Joe, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: After interrogating Lug for more information about the bugbear encampment, the players decided to perform a further scouting operation in the evening using Edgar’s binding abilities and the whisper gnome’s stealth capabilities. Edgar was able to control a raven to give an aerial view of the bugbear camp along with the perimeter defenses set up. Along with twenty plus warriors, the raven spotted about thirty additional non-combatants in the form of women and children. The raven found what it could, and then returned to camp. The whisper gnome infiltrated the area around the bugbear camp looking for additional information. While circling around and confirming what Edgar’s raven had seen, he realized he was being followed by someone. After several attempts to elude the person tailing him, Ruin headed back to the party’s bivouac area, uncertain if he had truly eluded the tail. When morning came, the PCs learned of several bugbears watching their camp. After attempting to goad them into rushing the camp by harassing Lug, the party found itself surrounded by a bugbear force which rushed the campsite. A battle ensued with the bugbear’s attempting to cause enough chaos amongst the PCs that they would break rank and be overtaken by a flanking bugbear squad. Several party members were dropped because of the combat, but only Moendria died because of wounds taken. As the game session was concluding, the party returned to Harvand’s vineyard to rest and to recuperate, while Edgar and Tharin went continued on to Celesthem: Edgar to cash in on the bounty for goblinoids and Tharin to bury Moendria at the Temple of the Laughing Rouge.

Combat: The party was surrounded by a brigade of 23 bugbears.

Episode 8

Date: August 13, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Andrea, James B., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: The group started where Episode 7 left at: spending the night at Harvand’s vineyard, recuperating from the bugbear battle. Edgar, Shadow, & Tharin left late in the evening to make it to Celesthem as night fell, while the rest of the party stayed behind and slept in Harvand’s barn. Harvand and his wife were having a difficult time with accepting the fact that their second-youngest son, Hennet, was to be taken as an indentured servant in the place of the money owed to the PCs. While everyone (except Omega) slept through the night, Arianna left the party for no apparent reason, and wandered through the country side toward the forest. The party awoke to find her missing and decided to follow her trail back into the forested area, where the bugbears had been camping, along with another set of heavy footprints. Edgar and Shadow soon joined them after taking care of burying Moendria at the Temple of the Laughing Rogue (where Edgar was robbed by the “clergy”) and cashing in on the spoils of their adventuring. Arianna came to in a deeper forested area, seeming now aware that she was away from the party. The party finally found her as she was being swarmed by a gang of giant ants, which were easily dispatched. The PCs caught up with the bugbear group of non-combatants and relieved them of their treasure, but spared their lives, and sent them back to the south. More northern travel led to the town of Harncoast where the PCs got the distinct impression that the town was an unpleasant place to stay. Paying for passage on a ship headed toward Celesthem, the session came to a close with the PCs returning to Harvand’s vineyard to retrieve Hennet and make him the squire of Leigh’s crusader. The game ended with questions about which direction the party would want to go in for Episode 9.

Combat: The PCs rescued Arianna from a crew of 11 giant ants.

Episode 9

Date: August 20, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Andrea, Brett, James B., Jason, Joe, Leigh

Summary: Much of the outset of the game centered around the players deciding on what the name of their group would be called. After much discussion, the group selected the Silver Blades as their moniker, and promptly went off to see what sort of bounties could be obtained. There were several low-, mid-, and high-level bounties involving missing persons investigations, monster removal, and suspect apprehension. The PCs chose to investigate a former servant who had murdered his master. The family from House Estasian put forth a bounty on the head of Fidrian Seepwater, who was witnessed to have killed Wilsher Estasian in cold blood. The town guards had spent several weeks looking into the matter, but reported that the murderer had fled town and had not been seen for several weeks. After dropping off Hennet at the temple of Kord, the party mounted up and headed west along the Royal Road to pursue their quarry. The PCs made to Harncoast after several days of uneventful riding (with the exception of meeting a cleric of Pelor for some brief conversation and a shared dream with Leigh’s PC), so that Andrea’s PC could make some coin from fixing various locks for the rich and wealthy. There, the players encountered a group of dwarves called the Mordwand, who seemed to have a great amount of influence over the citizens of Harncoast. The Mordwand provided information about Fidrian, and that he was accompanied by two other individuals named Gabriel Welker and Alson Bareris. All three men headed west toward Wycliff a couple weeks prior to the party’s arrival in Harncoast. The Morewand also pegged the party to retrieve a merchant named Martin Charrington and some missing money in exchange for the information provided. Foul weather and a Valderin Maelstrom prevented the party from leaving right away, and during the evening of their departure, the party had to fend off a pair of mummies which attacked the camp in the evening.

Combat: 2 mummies came wandering out of the swamp to attack the party's campsite.

Episode 10

Date: August 27, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Andrea, James B., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: After the battle with the two mummies, the Silver Blades were quickly joined by three of their errant members, while Edgar attempted to harvest the dust from the mummies in order to get it turned into cash. Due to the conditions of the bodies, only 10K worth was able to be obtained and the PCs quickly moved on toward Wycliff so to stay on track and to deal with Alwug’s injuries. Upon arriving in Wycliff, the party sought out healing opportunities at the Temple of the Stone Ring (Obad-Hai), but found the better option at the shrine of Kord. Arianna made contact with the local wandering priest, who directed her to the problems of a repentant gnome named Simeon Sandflinger. Simeon joined the party at the behest of the Kord priest, in order to help provide a sense of protection against the bounty hunters (the Serpent’s Tooth) on his trail. The party continued onto Alendar and spent time looking around the city in search of Fidrian Seepwater and his associates. Alston the druid was found at the Temple of the Shalmstaff’s Bearer (Obad-Hai). A thorough questioning indicated that Seepwater and Gabriel Welker were both headed toward Felspar to join back up with Welker’s gang. The party spent time looking into more details about the Serpent’s Tooth, as well as the history of Santo Koribayed and the Tigid family. The ranger lost money at gambling, and the party found that non-humans were even more subjugated that in the previous towns visited. The party Halfling and gnome spent time wandering, investigating, and pilfering from the town NPCs, but found a gutted rat on their doorstep as they awoke in the morning. The Silver Blades moved on southwest toward Felspar, but found they were being followed. James confronted their tail, Mickey Cornsyrup, and invited him to join the party for the evening. Later in the night, the PCs were attacked by two hungry ankheg’s which were dispatched with little problem.

Combat: 2 ankhegs burrowed up from under the party's campsite.

Episode 11

Date: September 3, 2011

Attendance: Adam, James B., Jason, Joe, Korie, Leigh

Summary: The road toward Felspar was a long trek, as the players met with inclement weather for the first two days of their journey. Mickey Cornsyrup encouraged the Silver Blades to take a minor detour east toward a trading post run by the Ambermead family. While enjoying the shelter from the elements, the PCs encountered an aloof warrior professing to be associated with the Brotherhood of the Vorpal Tusk. The warrior showed open disdain for Alwug’s presence at the trading post, and left hastily without saying much of anything to the party, although several conversation opportunities were presented. Clear skies led to the continuation toward Felspar. Upon reaching the town, the locals were questioned about Fidrian Seepwater, Gabriel Welker, and any of their known associates. A quick stop-in with the (bizarre) town sage, led to some questions being answered. Having a ranger background, Mickey was hired to track down Welker’s hideout in the mountains. After several more days of travel off-road, the Silver Blades made it to the crags where Welker and his crew set up as home base. After some yelling at each other, the Silver Blades finally caught up with Welker’s crew, and handily defeated them in mountainous terrain. Seepwater was captured alive and was forced to bury the bodies of his comrades. The party spent one evening in the Welker base, but could not find any treasure or worthwhile goods. The next morning, the Silver Blades made the 22-day trek back to Celesthem in order to cash in on the bounty place by the family of Wilsher Estasian. Upon arriving in Celesthem, the transfer of Seepwater to the Estasian family went seamlessly and funds were acquired with no problem. Arianna visited Hennet at the Temple of Kord and found his progress was going rather nicely, but more training was expected. Edgar also procured quick passage on the S.S. Enterprise to Saltmarsh to follow up on the bounty for Martin Charrington’s capture for the Morewand of Harncoast. Players cashed in goods, loaded up on new magic items, and readied themselves for the next journey.

Combat: The PCs killed the Welker Gang (7 barbarians) and captured Fidrian Seepwater.

Episode 12

Date: September 10, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Andrea, James B., Jason, Joe, Korie, Leigh

Summary: Prior to the Silver Blades leaving Celesthem on their way to Saltmarsh, several of the PCs chose to do some quick shopping and take care of company business. Pippen went to acquire a counterfeit constabulary seal for Harncoast in order to create a forged bounty document to arrest their quarry. Arianna and Omega sought out Erolin Kashtilan, the merchant responsible for the bounty on Simeon Sandflinger. Discussions were productive as Kashtilan made his case for the bounty, and that he would not renege until he found that satisfaction had been achieved. He did open the door for the party to take care of this issue personally: (a) turn over Simeon, who was already associated with the party, or (b) retrieve the gemstone, then resolve an upcoming future opportunity. Retrieving the gemstone would result in the Serpent’s Tooth being called off, but until then, the bounty remains. The players left to dwell upon the matter as the S.S. Enterprise ferried them off to Saltmarsh in order to track down Martin Charrington. Upon their arrival, the PCs found that Charrington was a well-to-do glass merchant who had built himself in the community. Omega and Edgar journeyed off into the swamps to visit the lizardfolk king, Frothix, and present a gift of tribute. The remainder of the party went to capture Charrington, learning he was not too difficult to find. After directly confronting him with the alleged warrant, Charrington stalled in order to better understand the situation. Meeting several party members at the Merry Mermaid, the situation went quickly downhill, as tables were flipped and weapons drawn. In the end, two bodyguards lay dead, and the PCs and Charrington were incarcerated for the brawl in the bar. The PCs made several visits to the magistrate (as did Charrington) in order to resolve the issue. Edgar teleported to Harncoast to ensure the proper officials would uphold the falsified warrant. In the end, money was paid out to the Mordwand dwarves, and fees were assessed for Tharin and Koronae. As the game was wrapped up, the players were gearing up to leave town, with Yorkwater as a possible destination.

Combat: A contingent of PCs fought with Charrington's enforcers (4 fighters).

Episode 13

Date: September 17, 2011

Attendance: Andrea, Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Korie

Summary: The Silver Blades made camp outside of Saltmarsh while waiting for Edgar’s return from Harncoast as a safety measure, fearing some sort of reprisal from the associates of Martin Charrington for the legal issues from Episode 12. The remaining PCs kept busy by purchasing goods and gambling at intermittent spurts in the city, while leaving the newly organized mercenary company NPCs back at camp. Edgar spent some time looking at opportunities to shorten the up-to-six day trek back. Riding by horse was the most direct solution and he quickly set out, also looking for a wizard to teleport him as soon as possible. After going through several sages (and their unique quirks), a wizard was found in Alendar, who also had connections with House Tigid. Lodgings, provisions, evening company, and a house note (500 gp) were provided as well as the teleport spell (in exchange for a drop of blood). After making it back to the party, the Silver Blades quickly set out to Eshelvadon, through an indirect route to Yorkwater. On the way there, two merchant wagons were found near the road along with the bodies of 5 humans and 4 horses. Being aware of something bad in the area, the PCs continued while keeping watch for any potential ambushes. Later in the day, during a torrential downpour, a band of bugbears attempted to ambush the party, using the elements and the forest as cover. Using patience and solid tactics, the PCs were able to counter the ambush and kill off their foes. On to Eshelvadon for a quick stay, the party moved east toward Rosbere and finally made it to Yorkwater. The Silver Blades snooped around for leads on different jobs, and did more shopping. While Tharin was passing by an alleyway, an unknown figure attacked him with a heavy crossbow coated with wyvern poison. Tharin was able to reel off an eldritch blast as his assailant fled from the scene. A good saving throw for secondary damage (the first save failed) was enough to spare his life. Tharin stumbled into a tavern, where Koronae was having a drink, needing medical help. As he was trying to recover, Simeon informed the party that while roaming around town, he had spotted Syme Parson and several members of the Serpent’s Tooth.

Combat: A brigade of 13 bugbears attacked the party while traveling south, an unidentified assassin shot Tharin with a crossbow.

Episode 14

Date: September 24, 2011

Attendance: Adam, James B., Jason, Joe, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: Tharin stumbled into one of the temples of Kord looking for help in recovering from the ability damage he sustained during an assassination attempt on his life last game session. Soon after, word was put out for the remaining Silver Blades members of what had happened and things quickly went into motion to find the assassin. Arianna and Omega arrived from Saltmarsh carrying three scrolls of prophetic writings of Kord to be delivered to the local temples. The investigation started with an inquiry with the Thieves’ Guild about who would be a person to have access to wyvern poison, leading to a local wizard named Meen Carceright, a local alchemist by trade. The PCs once again tried to use trumped up legal documentation (as well as false impersonation of a law enforcement officer) to attempt to force Meen to allow the party members to search his business. The ruse had some effect, but as local law officials stepped in, things fell apart. While making himself visible to another attack by the assassin, Tharin was (willingly) kidnapped by the men of another wizard named Darsiff Larwood, who was in league with Meen. Both elderly wizards insisted that Tharin was a younger version of business associate named Adimarch Verbane who had fled town before keeping up his end of a bargain; something to do with a spell that promised youth and vitality. While this was transpiring, Arianna & Lilith sought out Syme Parsons, posing as easily culled hotties looking for a good time. Parsons was quickly inebriated and the ladies convinced him to go back the Mermaid’s Revenge for an “interrogation” session. Questioning and filtering took place for the remainder of the evening, informing the party that Syme knew where the buyer’s of Simeon’s diamond were traveling to: north to the Thuciend forest. A visit to the pantless sage indicated there is a site called Castle Alderman, which would probably be the likely location of the small group of explorers. Stern negotiations with Syme struck a bargain for the services of the obnoxious ranger. Arrangements were made for the party to travel north under Syme’s direction, which will start off Episode 15.

Combat: Tharin thwarted his own kidnapping.

Episode 15

Date: October 1, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Andrea, James B., Jason, Joe, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: After making several last minute preparations for their journey, the Silver Blades left Yorkwater and headed south toward the forest of Galunid, led by Syme Parsons. The trip took two days as Edgar wanted the company to camp some distance from the woods as a cautionary measure, since the group’s horses were to be left behind with the wagons. The forest was thick and traversing on foot took some time, as Syme insisted that precautions were needed to avoid the trolls living nearby. At one point, Syme left the party for several minutes to investigate “something” up ahead: an area containing several bugbear bodies. Curious about what Syme had found, Ruin decided to tail him, also learning about the bugbears. Unfortunately, as Syme returned to the party, Ruin lost the trail and was separated from the party. The PCs continued on being led by Syme until nightfall when leadership finally decided the need to retrieve their lost whisper gnome. Syme and Lilith backtracked into the night, only to encounter an enraged bugbear. As Syme distracted him, Lilith was able to make it back to the Silver Blade campsite. Upon hearing the sounds of battle, Ruin eventually found Syme dead, and promptly looted the body; he found some nice items, but left the body behind. The enraged bugbear tracked the party to their campsite, but the Silver Blades quickly defeated him. As the CSI team inspected the body, the players noticed an odd aspect to the blood and suspected the bugbear to have been altered by Transmutation magic. The next morning Edgar sent out several magical birds in an attempt to find Ruin, but was interrupted by a bale tempest as it struck the area. The PCs took some damage from the hail storm, but their lives were saved because of the thick forest canopy. Ruin was united with the party after a successful discovery by one of Edgar’s magic birds. Another bird found the lost castle, but was dispatched by a blade-wielding foe that was on the roof. As the game wound down, the players were ambushed by a tendriculos, which swallowed several party members and nearly killed Simeon Sandflinger and Lilith. While the bugbear did not have much in the way of loot, the tendriculos had some items in its gullet.

Combat: The PCs killed an enraged bugbear, a tendriculos ambushed the party while traveling to the castle.

Episode 16

Date: October 8, 2011

Attendance: James B., Joe, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: The battle with the tendriculos had just finished and the PC had finished removing any items of value from the gullet of the creature. Members of the Silver Blades were still hurt and belts of healing were distributed in order to get everyone (including Simeon) back up to positive hit points. It wasn't before long that several party members noticed the tendriculos was slowly regenerating itself, and the group decided to head out quickly rather than face the monster again. The Silver Blades made good time with the use of Edgar's raven, Arianna's dream, and Lilith's tracking ability. As the PCs came upon Castle Alderman, they found it to be much worse than expected, having been subjected to countless bale tempests. With the player-less PCs parked out front of the castle, the remaining group entered the structure through the main doors. Upon reaching the courtyard, Omega disturbed a nest of dire rats, which were quickly dispatched. A search of the facility led to the discovery of an overlooked armory of rusted weapons, as well as several empty rooms; remnants of an orderly evacuation of the castle. Later, a choker surprised Simeon, but the players were able to overcome it to save the gnome's life. Delving further, the party encountered a carrion crawler, whom had killed the fighter associated to Simeon's gem purchasing wizard. Destroying the beast took no time at all. A continued exploration found that many of the areas of the castle were destroyed when the towers of the castle fell upon the main structure. A continued search to the southern part of the castle netted the body of a rogue associated with the previously deceased fighter, along with the assassin vine who killed him. The assassin vine combat took the longest of the four, and Lilith was able to harvest the grapes of the creature as a food source since her supplies were running low. Another bushel of grapes was also preserved to be used later; assassin vine fruit DOES make a heady wine. The session wrapped up with the party taking shelter in an internal shrine to Heironeous, which was very well-preserved. That evening, as the PCs slept, Arianna had a dream about three paladins of Heironeous extolling to her about how they were unceremoniously killed and buried nearby. Omega also had a vision of a Warden of the Red Star dying while in the clutches of some unknown pursuers.

Combat: A disturbed nest of 6 dire rats prompted their attack, a choker hid about a doorway, a carrion crawler wandered into the PCs' area, an assassin vine wound its way into an eating area, .

Episode 17

Date: October 15, 2011

Attendance: Adam, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli

Summary: The Silver Blades continued to explore the main floor of Castle Alderman, with the hopes of finding Erolin the wizard and Simeon’s lost gem. After spending the night resting in the sanctuary of Heironeous, the PCs felt refreshed and returned to several of the nearby rooms that were already explored. The pit trap room was intentionally activated to see if there were any victims: a dwarf body was found, possessing a leather wallet with a miniature blue shield. Continued exploration of the grounds led to an encounter with a harpy on the remnants of the second floor, as well as a blocked passage to a lower dungeon area. With only NPCs being affected by her song, the party soon made quick work of her and proceeded on. While dealing with the blocked area, several party members noticed aged blood splatters on the walls and floor, and wondered if this had anything to do with the three dead paladins of Heironeous. Omega and Tharin were able to get around the stairwell blockage using spells and strength, and the party delved into the underground level. After making it past several defensive rooms, the party was overwhelmed by the cancerous smell as the group entered into a larger underground area. Further investigation could not find the smell, but the group was able to see that the dungeon areas were either damaged from the collapsed structure upstairs, or just weren’t finished by the previous garrison. Several areas looked as if someone had occupied the area more recently since the castle was abandoned. In one large room, two tables were set up in a central area, apparently used for necromantic spell casting. The PCs were unable to identify the spell, but it seems as if to consist of the transfer of life energy for some means. While investigating the area, the PCs attracted the attention of an allip, which did significant damage to the wisdom score of the warforged before it was dispatched by those PCs wielding magic weapons. The episode wrapped up with the PCs discovering some leftover items in the secondary armory: boxes of masterwork heavy crossbows with a large quantity of bolts. The party decided to explore the remainder of the dungeon during the next weekend, and to determine how the group might transport the boxes of crossbows back to the remainder of the Edgar’s entourage.

Combat: A lone allip was found haunting the area.

Episode 18

Date: October 22, 2011

Attendance: Andrea, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: With the first section of the dungeon level of Castle Alderman completed, the Silver Blades prepared to continue on toward the second section. The PCs were joined in their exploration by the familiar face of Cartu and his companion Joran having been led to the deserted castle by Abelard Foedren, a ranger from Saltmarsh. The party debated about how to continue on since it was getting late in the day, and preparations were needed to camp during the evening. Arianna focused on preserving the bodies of the fallen paladins, and there was some discussion about how to return their bodies to Yorkwater to be turned over to the proper authorities; some discussion also focused on the large stash of heavy crossbows found as well. During the night, noises were heard emanating from the unexplored areas of the underground level, prompting characters to awaken in the middle of the night and prepare to deal with any issues. The mate of the carrion crawler found on the main level appeared to have broken through some of the masonry as it burrowed for more food. The party was able to dispatch the monster quickly as Omega was immune to its paralyzing attacks. Continued exploration allowed the Silver Blades to find a battle room with old maps of the realm, with three preserved maps. A row of prison cells containing three bodies were found locked away: the first two died of starvation, while the third committed suicide (possibly leading to the presence of the allip). An officer’s battle room was discovered containing some magic weapons and armor. A hallway with several smashed statues dedicated to Heironeous was opposite to a storage room containing several fire beetles. Beyond the storage room was a secret door leading to a make-shift treasure vault containing gold and several preserved magic items. Another set of prison cells revealed that a vardigg (water grue) had taken residence in the underground level. After a brief attempt to communicate, the creature was destroyed, but several PCs questioned as to why it was here in the first place. The final room led to the last combat of the evening: the underground well. The PCs encountered a mob of vargouilles hovering around something the referred to as an Abyssal Cyst. Exhausted from their adventures that day and with only a few hours of sleep, the party decided to rest and continue their adventures in Episode 19.

Combat: The PCs eliminated a carrion crawler looking for its mate, a vardigg was founding hiding in one of the prison cells, a mob of 11 vargouilles inhabited the area around an Abyssal Cyst.

Episode 19

Date: October 29, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Chris, James B., James D., Jason, Leigh

Summary: The episode started with the party investigating cryptic writings sketched around the interior of the underground well room. The players were able to quickly discern that the language was Aquan, and suspected it might have come from the water grue that was dispatched in Episode 18. With their business finished at Castle Alderman, the Silver Blades consolidated their loot and made plans to return to civilization using Abelard the ranger as their scout to navigate through the Galunid forest. The general consensus was to travel more to the east, taking extra time to ensure there were no encounters with any sort of creatures since there was a care to avoid combat to preserve the several non-magical treasure items. Aside from treasure, the bodies of the three paladins of Heironeous were also brought along by Arianna, as the group was able to successfully trek out of the forest. Edgar’s bird relayed a message to the Silver Blades’ entourage and the group was able to meet up with the caravan after several days of rain-soaked travel. The mercenary sergeant left behind informed Edgar that the caravan was attacked by gnolls during the party’s absence, which quickly fled when a counter-attack was mounted. Rather than return to Yorkwater, the Silver Blades decided to head south to Saltmarsh. The sage in Saltmarsh translated the Aquan writings into some sort of jibber-jabber, and Joran left the script with the local wizards’ guild in order to figure out what it meant. Arianna spoke to the church of Heironeous and returned the magic longsword found at the shrine inside Castle Alderman, as well as the bodies of the slain paladins. While different party members were scattered throughout the city, Arianna ran into one of the Serpent’s Tooth mercenaries while at the Temple of Kord. He declined her offer to wrestle and left the scene as more than a palpable amount of PCs showed up. Rather than deal with the Serpent’s Tooth, the PCs took a quick trip to Celesthem via ship to meet with Erolin Kasktitlan to relieve the debt of Simeon Sandflinger, by returning Erolin’s stolen diamond. After the meeting, Omega spied a person of interest from Bloodmast Island; she was the one who killed Besk. Edgar also went looking for more information on one of Santo Koribayed’s former henchmen. Both Edgar and Arianna’s meetings were not totally concluded as each one now has some unnamed service to perform to their respective benefactors.

Combat: None.

Episode 20

Date: November 5, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Chris, James B., James D., Jason (as DM), Kelli, Korie; Joel played Abelard

Summary: The Silver Blades rested in Celesthem for a short while before a beleaguered individual sought out Lilith, stressing that the town of Caris was in dire need of help. According to the story, Caris was once again overrun by different varieties of undead, forcing many of the townsfolk to flee the area. The PCs quickly resolved to deal with this issue, by chartering passage on a ship headed north to the coastal town. Once the group arrived, the Silver Blades found clues to the origins of the undead leading to a farmstead on the outskirts of town. The party encountered crazed townfolks as well as several zombies and wights, leading them to investigate the underground labyrinth upon which the farmstead was situated. During this time, one of the citizens mistakenly recognized Omega as Kragen, another warforged of the past years and Omega’s creator. As Omega returned to the ship to report, Abelard Foedren joined up with the party and helped fight off a large amount of undead who were encountered in aggressive and passive states. The group eventually made their way though most of the underground complex, and defeated the bloodwight at the center of the dungeon.

Combat: The PCs destroyed 10 zombies and a bloodwight while exploring underground.

Episode 21

Date: November 12, 2011

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: After almost non-stop adventuring for quite some time, the Silver Blades returned to Celesthem to rest and resupply as the first snows brushed the Valderin landscape. The PCs took the treasure from Caris and distributed it amongst the party, and made a sizeable donation to the group fund. Holy symbols and information were passed along to the churches of Kord, Pelor, and Heironeous involving the undead issues in Caris, which begged to question why the Heironean Citadel of the Silver Sword had not taken on the issue directly. Other religious politicking ensured with various sources during this time as well. Realizing that winter was coming soon and there would be some downtime, Omega’s skin was upgraded with Blueshine leaving other party members to investigate other personal issues on town. Edgar sought Dante Koribayed and the Sons of Koribayed in order to hear more about their mutual father, Santo Koribayed. Connections were made, and Edgar looked to find even more by searching out Wiglan Durtin (under the name of Mylor Larakti) a former accomplice of the Folding Circle, looking to hear more about his father. Wiglan was more acrimonious than Dante, refusing to talk until after repeated attempts to ply information. Arianna was contacted by Erolin Kashtitlan about the repayment of a favor for sparing the life of Simeon Sandflinger. Once again, Omega spotted the woman who was thought to have slain Besk on Bloodmast Island at the Kashtitlan estate. When overtures about who she was were made, during the brief encounter, she claimed ignorance to the fact. Kashtitlan’s dealing with Arianna directly connected with a priest of Obad-Hai named Father Ryan Aidem. In order for the debt to be repaid, Arianna was asked to track down a chest of holy items connected to Obad-Hai, as they were stolen from a shipping caravan traveling from Altguard to Dryntal. Rather than spending time using the Silverblades caravan to travel west, the PCs decided to have a wizard teleport them to their location. Being suspicious of their mission, the party inquired through several channels about the validity of Father Aidem’s claim, but many questions still remained. A local druid helped guide the party north toward Dryntal and to the area where the caravan was ambushed. While exploring the outskirts of the mountainous areas, a group of ogres encountered the party, but were quickly dispatched.

Combat: A band of 8 ogres were attacked by the PCs.

Episode 22

Date: November 19, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: The skirmish with the ogres had just finished and the looting was resolved when a second set of Silver Blades members (along with a new party member) joined up with the main party, in the Massif of Pantreath. With a winter chill in the air, the party chose to continue heading west toward to the location of Cragnar’s base. As the group continued up into the elevation, the temperature dropped and snowy conditions began to prohibit significant movement through the cragged areas. After a day of travel, the PCs still had not found Cragnar’s base and the group was starting to feel the effects of the cold environment. Nighttime conditions were compounded by a lack of firewood in the area to help keep party members warm during the evening. The next day, sure sighted party members spotted a body of an ogre ranger, leading to another ogre ranger body; both killed and left to rot on the mountain side. The party sought shelter higher in the upper most crags for the evening by constructing a snow blind and using the wooden weapons of the ogre rangers as fuel for evening fires. After a bitterly cold night, the next day, Edgar’s raven spotted a lone dwarf harvesting food. Using the limited communications skills that PC-controlled birds possess, a message was relayed about how the party needed the dwarf’s help. Holgir was able to assist the party make their way to Belwald, a dwarven mining outpost, to determine if help could be given. Pleasantries were soon replaced with suspicions, and hot-heads from both sides quickly led to conflict, resulting in the Silver Blades not receiving the initial help they sought. After an evening of diplomacy, gift-swapping, negotiating, story sharing, and swill drinking, a deal was struck allowing the party to gain access to the necessities for survival: the dwarves will assist the party and lead them to Cragnar’s base, if a certain frost giant named Aendak was removed from the area. With the agreeable situation in hand, the Silver Blades and the dwarves set out to ambush the giant by using several head of mountain goat as a lure. The ambush went off as planned, even though the supposed frost giant turned out to be cloud giant. No casualties were reported as the two groups were able to take down their foe. At the end of the episode, the groups returned to Belwald (after Grimbold sawed the head off) and planned their trip toward the Cragnar’s hideout.

Combat: Aendak (cloud giant) was killed during joint Silver Blades/dwarf warrior assault.

Episode 23

Date: November 26, 2011

Attendance: Adam, Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh, Thomas

Summary: After the decapitation of the dead cloud giant by Grimbold, the party and the dwarves returned to Belwald to celebrate the victory and leave for Cragnar’s hideout the next day. Unfortunately, the night did not go uneventfully as Arianna once again came up missing from the camp site,from inside the fortified doors of Belwald. Koronae was the first to spot her missing, even though Omega claimed to have been on watch all night. Lilith was awoken along with Grimbold in order to hunt her down during an evening of blizzard-like conditions. To make matters worse, the icy conditions made it difficult for the PCs to climb out of the cragged area that helped defend Belwald, leaving Grimbold as the only one to leave to search for Arianna. Time passed, and neither the dwarf nor the crusader of Kord was seen as morning broke. The remainder of the dwarves was notified of the night’s happenings and a search party of the Silver Blades and the citizens of Belwald set out. During the search, Arianna realized she had another of her wandering spells and rejoined the party carrying a near dead Grimbold. After Grimbold was back on his feet again, the party traveled north the next day towards Cragnar’s supposed hideout. Along the way, the group ran into an ogre-slayer named Oclar Eversmith who accompanied the group to Cragnar’s lair. Upon arrival, the bandit base was found empty with most of the stolen goods missing, as well as evidence that pack animals had transported the merchandise before the snows had fallen. In order to appease Cartu’s desire to find a family heirloom in Pollspire, the party traveled east back to warmer climes. Upon arrival in Pollspire, the PCs learned that the lord mayor had been recently murdered by his wife (who was subsequently killed), and a local lord named Sir Orined LeVand had staked a claim as the new lord mayor in town. LeVand had also ceded the land upon which an abandoned keep was built, where Cartu had stashed his family heirlooms. The local militia (supporting LeVand) tried to shoo away the PCs when they arrived to investigate. Only later into the evening did a handful of party members make a stealthy approach to the compound, and were able to descend in the underground levels of the keep. Their findings indicated that something is afoot, but the specifics were difficult to nail down. The episode ended with the party returning to town to figure out what their next step would be.

Combat: Several party members were damaged while fleeing LeVand's keep, by the wizards protecting it.

Episode 24

Date: December 3, 2011

Attendance: Adam, James B., James D., Jason, Joe, Leigh, Talisa, Thomas

Summary: While the party had been adventuring in the western part of the Duchy of Valderin, Tharin continued his search to understand the mysterious runes appearing on his back. His journey took him to Aspenbrook to consult with the wizard’s guild, who offered to help him as best they could. After several days of research and investigation, two more sigils appeared upon his back and Tharin left with more questions than answers. The name that continued to reoccur when speaking with the wizards was Damlegan Gault, someone who had previous dealings with Adimarch Verbane (someone who looks remarkably similar to Joe’s character). Gault supposedly enjoyed vacationing during the winter months at his estate in Pollspire, where Tharin decided to travel to, but found few answers at Gault’s estate (even with a Neanderthal in tow). Coincidentally, the Silver Blades had been in the town the last couple days helping Cartu retrieve some lost family heirlooms. As Tharin arrived, he found the local constabulary up in arms about violations of private property and a break-in at one of the local jewelry stores; both instances involving Silver Blades members. Constable Lesk questioned the party members, finding that Jorah was the most likely individual guilty of wandering onto private property. Cooler heads were able to convince Lesk to allow Jorah to be freed after paying a reasonable fee, and the party left town continuing the quest to track down Cragnar and the missing Obad-Hai items. The PCs visited several other cities and towns looking for the items, and questioning the local priests of Obad-Hai about the location of the missing items. Evidence and magic scrying began to lead the party to believe there was something more going on than a simple case of stolen religious items, and (unfortunately) more questions were found than answers. The PCs traveled to Aspenbrook to speak to various entities about Cragnar’s location. While most of the party members went shopping, some PCs went to visit the infamous Wilson Frisk III, head of the Lotus Syndicate. Direct answers were hard to come by, but Frisk did indicate that whoever Cragnar might be, Fulmont (the seat of the duchy) would a starting point to look. Frisk also indicated that the players’ suspicions of Cragnar/The Bone Man being more fable than fact might also have some validity. Preparations were made by the party to travel to Fulmont to further investigate the missing items.

Combat: None.

Episode 25

Date: January 7, 2012

Attendance: Adam, Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Korie, Leigh, Talisa, Thomas

Summary: Several party members wanted to finalize their dealings in Aspenbrook at the outset of the episode fearing that if the Silver Blades left for Fulmont, then loose ends would plague the group in the future. Edgar sought out Luthien Elsenar, the oracle of Corellon. She was a first hand witness to the demise of Santo Koribayed, and Edgar wished to seek audience with her in order to find direction for where he should go in removing the stain to his family’s name. Although he did not see her directly, Edgar was pointed toward the Citadel of the Shining Blade in the north, to further deal with this matter. While Edgar was dealing with the oracle, Arianna was confronted by a part of her pre-Crusader past: a fellow prisoner when Arianna was jailed in her youth in her dark years before seeing the light of Kord. Iboriana pressed Arianna for financial help, claiming she owed 2000 gold pieces to the Lotus Syndicate. Rather than hand her the money directly, Arianna offered Iboriana a spot on the Silver Blades’ roster and later sought out the proprietor of the local gambling den to pay him off. Koronae went shopping for several books involving alchemical creations. Tharin made arrangements for further investigations of the markings on his back, finding it disturbing that the more research done, the more questions are raised. Ruin connected with the gnomes of Aspenbrook while looking for news about his family. He found several bits of information leading him to believe that his sister had been sold into slavery, and was accompanying her owner to Yorkwater. Iboriana bedded Edgar (or vice versa) in order to gain favor with the leader of the Silver Blades; her reward was masterwork weapons and armor. After hiring two NPC rangers to lead them south, the PCs made their way to Fulmont to investigate the presence of Cragnar. Upon arrival, the party focused in on several merchant houses they suspected might be middlemen for the bandit lord. Iboriana split from the party and was able to persuade the foreman of one merchant warehouse to give her a shot at work opportunities that would get her closer to the operation. The remainder of the party continued to investigate the town for any leads that would connect specific individuals with the smuggled goods. The game closed up with the party trying to set things in motion as to better investigate a merchant named Beautalez Harshain.

Combat: None.

Episode 26

Date: January 14, 2012

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Joe, Kelli, Korie, Leigh, Talisa, Thomas

Summary: The party first sought an opportunity to remove Iboriana’s poison issue that resulted in her attempting to break into Harshain’s merchant house. Luckily the local temple of Pelor was able to provide a scroll of neutralize poison. Iboriana’s advances on Daven Strongone allowed her access to his home, which she found to have several high dollar art items that did not seem to meet with his demeanor. Her efforts paid off and she was hired on as a secondary bookkeeper. Further investigation netted several random journal entries that seemed suspicious. Elsewhere in town, party members noticed the arrival of six members of the Order of the Vorpal Tusk. Initial encounters led to ambiguous answers, while other PCs met with righteous indignation toward non-human members of the party. Things almost got out of hand, but cooler heads prevailed when obliqued insults were lobbed at specific characters. The next morning, the town was buzzing with news of the body found on the outskirts. Tharin and his Neanderthal companion (who earlier was mistaken as a man named “Vader”) went to investigate and found several tracks in the area, but nothing definitive to trail back into town. All the while, Iboriana found that Daven quickly left work the same morning in order to meet with his boss. As the day passed, several of the employees of the warehouse left abruptly, leaving her alone to her own devices. This later led to the PCs to breaking in to search of the holy items of Obad-Hai. When Edgar (posing as a merchant) showed up to purchase mithril bars from the merchant house, he was given word that Lord Harshain had left on family business. Searching the town for clues, the party ran into Mickey Cornsyrup, a ranger of the Tigid family. Mickey clued the party into the fact they were wanted for several broad daylight murders in a variety of towns in the southeast portion of Valderin. The Tigid family offered a place to hide in Alendar until the whole ordeal had passed. Realizing the need to move quickly in order to deal with the accusations, the Silver Blades went directly to the Harshain estate to confront Beautalez and Daven. Inclement weather prevented a quicker turn around and the PCs stayed the night on the estate grounds. The next afternoon, the group met with Beautalez and Daven, resulting in Beautalez promising the party to turn Daven over to the proper authorities for questioning. The group left the estate and headed west that evening.

Combat: None.

Episode 27

Date: January 28, 2012

Attendance: Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Korie, Leigh

Summary: Uneasy about how things ended from the encounter with Harshain Beautalez, the Silver Blades realized that there were two pressing issues on the table: the closing out their dealings involving Cragnar and clearing their names in Celesthem. Edgar and Alwug chose to leave with Mickey Cornsyrup, and return to the east to investigate the murder charges against the Silver Blades, while the remainder of the party would press Daven Strongone and Beautalez for more information about Cragnar. Arianna, Omega, Koronae, and Joran stayed either outside of the Beautalez estate or took a room in town. When Silver Blades members attempted to speak with Beautalez, servants informed the PCs that their master had taken ill and was unable to speak with them. The party soon learned that the Brotherhood of the Vorpal Tusk was also interested in Beautalez, while attempting to gain audience with him. In order to expedite the process, Arianna contacted the Duke’s Clerk of the Chamber with charges that Harshain was in connection with Cragnar. The wheels of justice began to turn (albeit rather slowly) and a full government investigation was instituted. As time began to drag on, the party began hearing snippets of trouble involving the Brotherhood of the Vorpal Tusk; their numbers were dwindling. When the party confronted the remaining Hoofs, they learned the Brotherhood had been pressuring several of Daven’s henchmen for information and were directed to several areas west of the mountains. Unfortunately for the Brotherhood, they were decimated by a clan of athach, bringing their numbers to two; initially they were a group of eight. Koronae decided to do some footwork investigation asking around town about any details that the party might have missed. Upon consulting the town sage, Koronae learned that the Beautalez family had legal claim to several areas outside of the town, including one spot that had been a former shrine to Vecna. After grabbing a ranger and two guardsmen, the PCs headed towards the former shrine’s location, but came upon a lone athach. The party was able to overcome the creature, but not before Omega was killed in the process. His body was recovered by the party, and the plan is for him to be resurrected.

Combat: A lone athach wandered along the same trail and attacked the party.

Episode 28

Date: February 4, 2012

Attendance: Adam, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: Back in Fulmont, Ruin had a unique altercation: someone trying to pick his pockets. An elf bard (really a human beguiler) named Vhandreal used this misunderstanding to ingratiate himself into the party as Ruin and Lilith were trying to track down where most of the group went. After speaking to the town sage, the three adventurers left to find the rest of the Silver Blades. Meanwhile, the rest of the party was mourning the loss of Omega after the combat with the athach. The party continued west after spending some time preserving the warforge’s body. Using her superior ranger skills (over the lesser ranger skills of the hired NPC), Lilith was able to track down the party, and learn of Omega’s demise. As the reunited party traveled west, Edgar, Alwug and Mickey Cornsyrup continued to Astin, dealing with a roaming werewolf. Quickly dispatching the lycanthrope, the smaller group decided to alter course to Redcastle to find a wizard to teleport them rather than tromp through the wilderness. Back with the main group, the party arrived at the area designated as the former site for a shrine of Vecna. After searching the area thoroughly, a false door was found with a shield guardian just inside. Destroying the shield guardian took no time at all and after disabling a trapped archway (the NPC ranger died testing this), the contents of the hidden cave were illuminated. Several crates from various shipping companies were found hidden inside. Most importantly the Wincar crates holding the missing objects of Obad-Hai were located. However, upon further review, Arianna questioned the authenticity of the objects, leading to further inspection. The gold censer seemed fine. The gold box of sacred ashes contained three containers of red powder; alchemically akin to a fuel additive, but not for personal use. One of the holy candlestick holders contained a note professing allegiance toward Hextor (an outlawed god of evil); signed by the name “O.G.” Under the witness of the two guardsmen, items were tagged and evidence was brought back. As the party returned to Fulmont, word had traveled throughout town about how the Jade Lions had arrived with warrants for the arrest of the Silver Blades for the murders back east. Joran was questioned, Lilith was arrested, and the remainder of the party sought out opportunities to reunited with Edgar and consolidate their efforts.

Combat: Edgar was stalked by a werewolf, the PCs dispatched Vader (shield guardian) as he guarded the temple entrance.

Episode 29

Date: February 11, 2012

Attendance: Adam, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Leigh

Summary: While Lilith stayed in Fulmont’s prison and Koronae sought to support her, the remainder of the Silver Blades convened at the church of Kord mulling over their options. The primary need was to reunite with Edgar Koribayed at Alendar, although the PCs did not know he had chosen to find a means to teleport rather than travel over land. A local wizard at Fulmont was hired to create scrolls for teleporting straight to Alendar, but logistics issues held the party up. Before their departure, the three sacred relics of Obad-Hai needed to be acquired from the local constabulary’s evidence locker. Several party members continued to check out the town for opportunities to help with their transportation to Alendar. After several frustrating attempts by V.V., Ruin was brought onboard that evening to break into the central vault and remove the artifacts. The main items were found, but Ruin also helped himself to a couple other knick-knacks at the expense of the constable. Back at the church of Kord, the Silver Blades rejoined to teleport to Alendar in staggered succession. Meanwhile, Edgar, Alwug, and Mickey Cornsyrup arrived in Redcastle and quickly found a wizard to teleport all three to Alendar with no issue. As Edgar’s group arrived in Alendar to meet at the Blue Elephant Inn, Arianna’s group teleported to the outskirts of town, only to be met by a bale tempest. The party was able to flee into town and obtain shelter as the storm blew over, and then quickly reunited with Edgar. After making contact with Lyran Tigid, the Silver Blades were scurried outside of town to a local keep owned by House Tigid. Boredom quickly set in, and the party soon felt they were more under “house arrest” than under the Tigid family’s protection. Joran and V.V. were able to transport Omega’s body back to town for the local priest of Heironeous to cast raise dead upon him. As the party settled down for the evening, Ruin wandered the keep looking in all sorts of places for trouble, but was unable to break into the vault room to see what he could find. The next day, Edgar (with Omega by his side) met with Lord Tigid himself. Lyran extolled his reasons for his actions upon Edgar, but they were none to pleasant to hear. While the conversation became more in depth, Omega encountered a brash gentleman named Victor Plumdoor, who insisted upon audience with Tigid, but left after he spied Omega.

Combat: None.

Episode 30

Date: February 18, 2012

Attendance: Adam, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Leigh

Summary: It looked like Lilith would remain captured for a while as Delta Fash of the Jade Lions interrogated her about where the members of the Silver Blades had fled to. It wasn’t long before a local wizard helped spring her from jail, and she was teleported (on top of the whisper gnome, no less) to the keep outside Alendar to be reunited with the rest of the party. The morning after her arrival, she was caught up to speed on the happenings of her time away. Several party members were still in town dialoguing with Lyran Tigid about how the Silver Blades would be able to clear their names. Lord Tigid insisted the group stay in Alendar and lay low in order to ferret out who was really behind the fake Silver Blades. Although Lyran maintained the need for the party to stay outside of town, Edgar was eventually able to convince him of the need for the group to stretch its legs and stay in the small city instead. Conflicts between Omega and Alwug were patched up (more or less), and the party moved into the two inns in Alendar, relieved to be done with the keep. The Silver Blades had all of their needs taken care of during their stay, as Lord Tigid arranged for private valets and parties. V.V. decided to snoop around the Tigid mansion, going so far as to break into Lord Tigid’s private study. Behind a trapped secret panel, a large ruby (with old inscriptions) and an old ledger were found. Notes and tracings were taken before V.V. left; he was unable to reset the trap, however. Arianna continued to pray to Kord for guidance, and received a disturbing dream about her younger self being covered in blood while chasing a feather, leading her to believe that the party needed to move on. Party members (and the addicted sage) were consulted about the ruby inscriptions, leading Arianna and Omega to investigate what they could at the Temple of the Lance Unbroken. Gaining access because of the good deeds done for the fallen paladins of Heironeous, Arianna was able to determine the ruby was connected to Erythnul, compounding an even greater desire to remove them from Lord Tigid’s influence. The party left without notice and started off-road on the five-day journey to Narlane. On their way, the group was attacked by four members of the Brotherhood of the Vorpal Tusk, who were dispatched and the enemy horses taken.

Combat: The PCs repelled an assault by 4 hoofs (human knights) of the Brotherhood of the Vorpal Tusk.

Episode 31

Date: February 25, 2012

Attendance: Adam, Allison, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: It didn’t take long for the party to loot the bodies of the Brotherhood of the Vorpal Tusk riders, and stack the corpses nicely for disposal. As three other party members arrived on the scene, the whisper gnome was devastated that others had already picked the riders’ pouches clean. All of this happening right before, Koronae teleported wearing ruby-red stiletto slippers, which allowed for him to be transported from Fulmont to the rest of the party. With horses redistributed, the Silver Blades continued looking for more answers about who is besmirching their names in Celesthem. The PCs stopped in Narlane to refit minor items, and were mostly bored as the small hamlet offered little for the group. Ruin spoke with the local sage (who believed he was a superhero), and found that members of the Vorpal Tusk had been providing protection from the swarms of bugbears that had infested the area during their pilgrimage north; Narlane is an small, but affluent area that can afford such luxuries. Messages were sent to Erolin Kashtitlan and Joran’s father setting up arrangements for meetings as the party planned on slipping into Celesthem unnoticed. Putting themselves on a tight schedule, the Silver Blades swiftly left Narlane, and quickly marched east. Along their way to the Royal Road, the party was ambushed by a contingent of bugbears, with whom the party had little trouble dealing with. During the end of the battle, Hennet (the farm boy who the party accepted as collateral, then sent to the Temple of Kord for training) arrived attempting to bring the party in for questioning. After picking through the bodies, the group continued on toward the outskirts of Celesthem, hoping to meet with Kashtitlan. The Silver Blades were met by a member of the Gray Men (thieves’ guild), instructing the exchange of the holy relics of Obad-Hai would take place east of the city at a villa owned by Kashtitlan. More information was exchanged about who was murdered, and that how witnesses in good standing were at each scene. Arianna sent messages to the high priests at the Temple of Storm and Battle looking for sanctuary and a good word. Eventually, Kashtitlan showed up to collect his items, ending their dealings with the merchant lord. The Silver Blades were given two more days to stay at the villa, and then were asked to leave as they were wanted for crimes in the city.

Combat: A brigade of 24 bugbears attacked the PCs while the party was traveling on the Royal Road.

Episode 32

Date: March 3, 2012

Attendance: Allison, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Leigh

Summary: Backtracking from last week, several of the PCs wanted to take care of some of the items that were not covered due to ending the game at midnight last weekend. Vhandreal Vhaldrine continued interviewing the four alleged individuals who were slain by the fake Silver Blades, in order to gain an insight to the character of these assassinations. Three of the four citizens were upright members of society; two prominent merchants and one well-liked teacher. The fourth was a murderer with ties to the Darkened Blades assassins’ guild. While Vhandreal was collecting his data, Joran met with his eccentric wizard uncle, and found there were wide and varied stories about who the Silver Blades were, and the information was akin to what Vhandreal had harvested about the citizens being legitimately killed by those who looked like members of the Silver Blades. Edgar also did his amount of investigation, but found Wiglan Durtin instead, who provided the notion that many were ready to join him in recreating the Folding Circle. The next day, several of the PCs waited patiently for the bishop of the Temple of Storm and Battle to show up at the Kashtitlan villa to speak with Arianna, and to possibly grant asylum. The group was astonished to find that Arianna and Hennet were both missing, getting past Omega’s sentry precautions. Both of the warriors of Kord found themselves awakened far outside of Celesthem after having a shared vision where Arianna saw images of individuals that Kord wanted her to be aware of. After dwelling upon her vision and rejoining the group, the party relayed to her how Omega had given himself up to the bishop to be taken into custody to set things right. Arianna made contact with the bishop directly, and, with an item Kord gave her, was able to convince him of the ruse involving the Silver Blades true motives. The PCs found a way to get Omega released from jail, using Vhandreal’s forged documents. Looking to seek out more information, the Silver Blades attempted to find Victor Plumdoor and other members of a collective known as the Ophes-treum. Using the celebratory day of the Snowdrop Festival, the party was able to cozy up with some of their members in an attempt to take advantage of them. However, the tables were turned when Arianna got more than asked she for, and had to flee an aggressive Plumdoor. Edgar attempted to woo Bela Coy into bed, but was manhandled instead. Smarting from his bruises, like Arianna, he too left the scene to reunite with the party west of Celesthem.

Combat: None.

Episode 33

Date: March 17, 2012

Attendance: Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: Looking to avoid any trouble and to get on with their investigation of the fake Silver Blades, the party sent Joran and Vhandreal into Celesthem to procure passage on a boat to Yorkwater in order to avoid any patrols between Celesthem and Eshelvadon. Both PCs noticed they were being followed while in town, but were not dissuaded when finding Captain Waynejay of the S.S. Voyager was able to meet the party’s needs. After making landfall in Yorkwater, the Silver Blades left straightaway to the most recent site of the where the fake Silver Blades had been sighted: the ambush site of the royal exchange wagon as it crossed the bridge of a small tributary on the Galunid River. The party made certain to avoid any conflict, traveling to the bridge, while avoiding the Royal Road. At the site, an overlooked body of a partially burned Halfling was found, a counterfeit tabard for the Silver Blades was located nearby, and an obscure sign made evident Kord was encouraging Arianna to continue back east. The party camped under the bridge, while Hennet and Alwug helped where they could. The Halfling body was transported to Eshelvadon and taken to the local temple of Cuthbert, where speak with dead was cast for further interrogation. Vhandreal continued his gumshoe work on tracking down other victims of the fake Silver Blades, building his profile of connections, which later led to Martin Charrington’s name coming up. Arianna also received some guidance from Kord about how some of the crimes were committed randomly. The PCs decided to head to Saltmarsh to finish their investigations, learning that several higher profile victims had been killed. Wanting to end this quickly when suspicions about Martin Charrington became overwhelming, the group masqueraded as merchants from Flanaess looking to deal with Charrington directly. After buying out a local favorite restaurant, the players lured Charrington to the eatery by his lonesome and captured him without a fight. After charming him and calling the Royal guards, Charrington was interrogated by the players and the High Constable, to which he magically confessed. The party was arrested (as was Charrington) and held for the evening until matter could be sorted out. Representatives of the Silver Blades met with Baron Thoroar Strifelan to plead their case, and were offered an opportunity to work of the baron after the fake Silver Blades were found and brought to justice.

Combat: None.

Episode 34

Date: March 24, 2012

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Leigh

Summary: After speaking with the Baron Thoroar Strifelan about clearing their names, the Silver Blades continued their investigation into tracking down their counterparts in order to bring this issue to a close. Whereas the Whitebrood brothers did much of their work in Saltmarsh, they hailed from the northwest and many of the PCs suspected that Malvarin might be where the group was laying low after robbing the royal treasury shipment. Several of the PCs decided to outfit themselves while in town, and, while no longer lying low, when others went to speak with Martin Charrington’s associate, who was bribed into cooperating with the party. The wizards at the Eltecarium were used to determine if there was a magical means to track the fake Silver Blades down, and Charrington’s henchman was able to assist with the scrying on Boydin Lashcraw. Nothing much was learned except that the group of six impersonators dined together during the evening, with no other clues handed out. The town sage did link the Whitebrood brothers to their home town of Malvarin, but the party still felt it needed a more certain sign if that was the direction to travel. Prayers to Kord by Ariana and Hennet reinforced the thought that the fake Silver Blades were still in the area of the barony. Finally, a commune spell cast by the high priest of the Temple of Storm and Battle nailed down that Malvarin was the exact spot. Rather than risking their doppelganger’s flight, the party spent an uneventful evening in Saltmarsh before teleporting to the constabulary in Malvarin with writs of detainment issued by the Baron himself. The party moved swiftly to the Mary Traiten boarding house to directly arrest the Whitebroods and their associates. The situation quickly escalated as the fake Silver Blades attempted to flee out the backdoor while a sorcerer made a distraction out in the front. Solid planning by the group allowed for most of the fake Silver Blades to be killed in the boarding house, as party members blocked their escape route. Edgar and Allison foiled the sorcerer’s escape, as he fell from the second story only after which Edgar himself jumped to deliver the killing blow. Two of the boarders escaped, but were tracked down by Omega (who jumped off the roof of a two-story building while in pursuit). The rest of the party caught up with the pair while slugging it out with Omega outside of town, and they were quickly dispatched.

Combat: The PCs ambushed the fake Silver Blades (1 fighter, 2 rangers, 3 rogues, 1 rogue/assassin, 1 sorcerer) as they were hiding in a boarding house.

Episode 35

Date: March 31, 2012

Attendance: Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Leigh

Summary: The combat with the fake Silver Blades had just finished, and the PCs assessed the outcome of the battle: most of the group was exhausted (except Omega) and Joran suffered from the effects of the poison used upon him. Slowly, the party reunited back in Malvarin as Vhandreal arrived upon the scene. With local officials on hand, Edgar directed the party to further investigate Mary Traiten’s boarding house to see if the PCs could find the missing shipment of royal gold. Traiten was arrested as an accomplice to the fake Silver Blades (her son was one of the combatants killed), and the royal gold was recovered on the altar of a hidden underground shrine to Erythnul. Traiten was further implicated in unlawful worship. However, when motions were made for the Silver Blades to take her back to Saltmarsh for trial, the Lord Mayor imposed on the party their lack of jurisdiction. Cordial to a fault, the Lord Mayor offered his home to the party to stay the night since the boarding house was still smoldering and sleeping in the tavern did not seem the best way to thank the party for its actions. Hennet reported back on an atmospheric disturbance outside of town, leading Edgar and Alwug to learn of a carriage that appeared carrying an individual named Vosler Truemper and his entourage. Truemper was seen leaving the house of the local sage, and had an initial chance encounter with Edgar. Ariana and the remainder of the party were invited to the estate of Tior Pickgate, an area cattle baron, for fine dining and entertainment. A widower with two children and a loyal follower of Kord, Pickgate lamented to the party about his issues with hill giants stealing from his herds. The Silver Blades postponed their immediate departure for Saltmarsh in order to help deal with the threat. That same evening, Edgar had a private meeting with Truemper and information was shared, as Truemper bore a striking resemblance to Joe’s character. Truemper was searching for the body of Santo Koribayed, as well as desiring “to meet” Damlegan Gault. The PCs snubbed the Lord Mayor offer to stay the night in the guest quarters and started out in the morning to deal with the hill giant issue. Being led by a local ranger, the PCs found the giants’ hovel and initiated a combat with the four brigands. Although terrain was an issue, the giants were slain, although several party members were close to dying.

Combat: The PCs attacked a gang of 4 hill giants at their hovel.

Episode 36

Date: April 14, 2012

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: Omega and Arianna made quick work of the hill giants’ bodies, by removing the heads from the bodies and mounting them on stakes. The remaining carcasses were burned and the ears were taken in order to claim the bounty from the kill. As night passed, several of the PCs heard what sounded like a large winged creature flying around during the evening, but no encounters happened. The next day, the Silver Blades returned to Tior Pickgate’s estate to ensure the cattle baron the giant threat had been dealt with. Declining offers to stay and celebrate, the PCs returned to Malvarin to collect the bodies of the false Silver Blades and to begin to return to Saltmarsh. Taking their wagon south to Lyseria, the PCs did eventually run into a yrthak (the winged creature) while on the plains, which was dispatched. Taking precautions to guard the royal gold in Lyseria, the party planned to spend the night. Arianna were attacked by a young girl named “Katniss”, who was armed with a poisoned drow hand crossbow that rendered Hennet unconscious. When questioned about the weapon, she indicated she found it just past the royal road, but the party decided not to get distracted and left questions for another day. Later, the party hired a barge captain in Eshelvadon to ferry them down the Kingfisher River toward Saltmarsh. Upon meeting with the Baron Strifelan, they were placed under house arrest, in order to ferret out the rumors of the Silver Blades causing trouble in Myrkan; two days later this was lifted. Word leaked to the PCs that several berserk lizardmen were prowling outside the city. Edgar and Joran went east to speak with Frothix the lizardfolk king, and found the swamp territory had been adversely affected by invading bugbear tribes. Frothix also mentioned how the “bad water” was created by a green-haired elf seen in one of Arianna visions from Kord. While Arianna stayed behind to help the citizens of Saltmarsh, she met an elderly lady name Bolina who requested the crusader to save her husband who has been missing for over three years. As this conversation went on, Omega noticed a hooded figure spying on her, and attempted to confront the person. After following the stranger to a local tavern, Omega was ambushed, rendering him unconscious. Later, he found himself bound with manacles and placed upside down in a box, supposedly on a ship.

Combat: A yrthak attacked the party as it searched for food, Hennet was shot with a crossbow, Omega was subdued by four cloaked individuals.

Episode 37

Date: April 21, 2012

Attendance: Allison, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: As Edgar and Joran continued their stay in the swamp outside of Saltmarsh, they were slowly joined by several other party members who traveled there through various means. The lizardfolk king, Frothix, provided food and shelter for all the members of the Silver Blades, hoping their continued presence could help assuage the situation his people were suffering from. Frothix indicated the “bad water” might be connected to an elf that “does not belong” in his marsh territory, causing madness among some of his warriors. To compound the issue, contingents of bugbears have been attacking his tribe during a period where the lizardfolk are more likely to brumate. Already out of bounds of the confines of Saltmarsh, the party volunteered to move deeper into the swamp, past the lizardfolk territory on the other side of the Galunid River. The next day, the PCs and a lizardfolk escort moved deeper into the swamp, and were left on the opposing side of the river after being ferried across. The Silver Blades found indicators of how the other side of the river appeared as a place where some of the maddened warriors were left to fend for themselves. Several lizardfolk bodies were found in various states of decomposition, along with tracks of bugbears and larger creatures. During the investigation of one body, the PCs were ambushed by a vilewight, a former bugbear who had changed into something hideous and undead. As the party continued, the group also encountered a family of three enraged catoblepas. After traveling aimlessly through the swamp for several days, the party changed their game plan and decided to back track to the sites of the catoblepas and vilewight encounters to track where each had come from. A small group of bugbears were destroyed by the catoblepas, as they tried to attack the herd. A larger group of bugbears were found torn apart and decapitated at a campsite nearby. Also found, more of the red powder belonging to the church of Hextor in a wrecked wooden chest that was strewn around the camp site. Continuing their trailing, the party eventually found the source of the “bad water” in a hidden mausoleum to followers of Nerull, springing up from the cracked rock and seeping into the water table. A large mob of vargouille appeared, just outside of the mausoleum, where the party quickly dispatched the creatures.

Combat: An evilwight ambushed the party as they investigated a lizardfolk corpse, a family of 3 catoblepas stampeded through the area the party was traveling, a mob of 25 vargouilles were found around the Nerull mausoleum.

Episode 38

Date: May 5, 2012

Attendance: Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: The party had just finished with the vargouille combat, and was picketing the area to ensure there were no other monsters in the area. Several PCs investigated the upwelling in the Nerull mausoleum, and discussed means to stop the flow of enchanted water. In order to avoid any adverse effects of the spring, the Silver Blades moved south, out of the swamp to camp in a less marshy area. During the night, a noticeable hum emanated from the mausoleum area, prompting a handful of PCs to investigate. The group ran into a squad of bugbears looking for their missing regiment (earlier destroyed by the vargouille). Edgar intimated them through various demonic vestiges, and combat was avoided. For a couple days, the party spent copious amounts of time to ensure the spring had been sealed, using engineering as well as magical means. Arianna was visited by a vision from Kord, urging her to move to the north to help with the baron who resides in Yorkwater, also indicting that this upwelling of enchanted water was one of many and all were connected to the Ophes-treum. Kord also indicated Bolina’s husband was also mixed up in this plot, but is unsuspecting. Satisfied the leak was relatively sealed, the Silver Blades traveled back to Frothix to pass the good news, noticing their movements were being observed by a young black dragon. During their journey back, their evening campsite was ambushed by a flight of wyverns, leading to Alwug’s death during the ensuing battle. At the lizardfolk home, Frothix asked for the party to stay, to help stamp out the issues with the bugbears and the green-haired elf, but the Silver Blades insisted on continuing back to Saltmarsh. Upon their arrival, the group was arrested by local constable on the decree of Baron Strifelan, due to their extended absence during the investigation of any wrongdoings in Myrkan. From their jail cells, the Silver Blades entreated mercy from the baron, as they were only trying to further eliminate any issues that might cause trouble in Galunid. After dwelling upon their actions (and regarding the glowing reports from Lord Pickgate via Arianna’s dealings), the party was released. Several members went to confront Radimar and Besk for their questionable actions, and to demand that Alwug be returned to life, since the same was done for Besk. Deals were made, and information was traded, giving the party a better perspective on which path to travel next.

Combat: A flight of 6 wyverns attacked the party while they camped for the night, killing Alwug.

Episode 39

Date: May 12, 2012

Attendance: Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Joe, Leigh

Summary: Upon waking up on the resurrection slab in the Temple of the Grand Illusion, Tharin was brought up to speed about his current predicament by a half-elf named Jarthis Lassiter. As it had happened, Tharin was killed by Vosler Truemper, a man who bears a striking resemblance to Tharin and is directly connected to his existence. Both Vosler and Damelgan Gault have issue with each other, as Tharin has had altercations with both separately, causing more conflict for all parties associated with either. Jarthis indicated that Tharin is not unique, but an imperfect copy of Vosler which is why he was eliminated by means of Daam Strope (one of Vosler’s followers) setting up an ambush. Evidence was given to prove this notion, held in the bag of holding Jarthis kept with him, and Tharin was given the mandate to continue his work, as being a large cog in the machine to help protect the empire. To further this belief, Jarthis awarded Tharin with a blue badge; reminiscent of the icon for the Keepers of the Azure Shield from the past campaign. As Tharin was being resurrected, Alwug was also having the same procedure done by way of Radimar’s evening of the score between his associates and the Silver Blades. As Alwug breathed again, Radimar noted the ledger was clear between the two groups and there would no longer be a debt to be held, as Edgar had done the same for Besk. Tharin rejoined the party and was quickly brought up to speed on the new goals for the Silver Blades. Plans were underway for the party to travel by ship to Yorkwater to aid the baron of Galunid, as Arianna envisioned his life was endangered. As the party boarded the vessel, a guardsman for the baron relayed a message for a meeting with his lordship. Plans had changed and now the PCs were assigned guard duty for a caravan shipment to Yorkwater, in order to ferret out bandits in the area. Later, more information revealed the bandits to be the Sons of Koribayed. Later, the Silver Blades were able to ascertain who was behind the attack: a man named Gerald Baumish who had worked with Martin Charrington in the past. The party returned to the Wicker Goat Tavern (this time avoiding any table flipping), and arrested Baumish without incident. The PCs set off on the Royal Road, eventually running into a planned ambush by the Sons of Koribayed, leading to a combat in which many of the attackers lay dead in the end.

Combat: The Silver Blades were able to fend out an anticipated ambush by members of the Sons of Koribayed (barbarian, 2 bards, cleric, druid, fighter, 4 rangers, 2 rogues, barbarian/ranger, ranger/rogue).

Episode 40

Date: May 19, 2012

Attendance: Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: The remaining Sons of Koribayed were being interrogated when other party members arrived upon the scene, having trailed behind the main group for various reasons. The main bit of information gleaned was that Dante Koribayed was not part of the attacking group, because he and several other members of the bandit party were working in tandem with another group on a job in the western part of the barony of Fanderword. The large pile of loot from the combat was given out to various party members, and the rest was cashed in so that each PC was able to have some spending money in their pouches. As the party arrived in Yorkwater, the group noticed the Duke of Arbatum was visiting with his royal entourage; note: the PCs all live in the Grand Duchy of Valderin. Immediate requests to meet with the baron were rebuffed, as much of his time was consumed in entertaining Duke Selvant and his followers. The party used their waiting time to investigate new equipment to outfit their group to better protect the baron, as Arianna had the notion his life was in danger. Tharin made is a point to visit Meen Carceright and Darsiff Larwood about any further information regarding Adimarch Verbane. Both men were eager to hear the news, and warned Tharin that a man who looked similar to him (Vosler Truemper) had arrived in town, asking about Verbane as well. As Tharin finished with the two elderly wizards, he quickly spotted someone following him. Turning to face his pursuer, he was confronted by Willia Parsons, sister of Syme Parsons. Her intent was to find out what happened to her brother, as rumor had it the Silver Blades lured him into the forests to the south, killing him and leaving the body to rot. Her information had been supplied to her by another ranger, who seemed intent on besmirching the Silver Blades’ name. After her fears were assuaged, she left Tharin on good terms to search out Syme’s remains on her own. The PCs were invited to dinner with the baron, as he also planned to receive a contingent of merchants who had complaints. The baron was overwhelmed by a much larger group of merchants, and was nearly assassinated by several followers of Zur, who used the merchant group as a cover to gain audience with the baron. Sound party tactics allowed the PCs to overcome the assailants, and their leader was captured while trying to flee the scene. Interrogation indicated that Zur had become more of a threat, and needed to be dealt with.

Combat: The Silver Blades thwarted an assassination attempt on Baron Chorster (cleric, 7 fighters).

Episode 41

Date: May 26, 2012

Attendance: Forrest, James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Korie

Summary: Morning of the day after the foiled assassination attempt, the Silver Blades were still in Yorkwater discussing what options lay before the party. Vosler Truemper had met with Edgar the previous evening. offering him information on how to directly deal with the threat of Zur by providing the location of his forest fortress. The deal hinged upon Edgar agreeing to return three of Zur’s items in exchange: a book, a ring, and a crystal skull of a succubus. The items were not discussed at length, and there were some musings about how much trouble it might cause the players later to provide Vosler with these items now. With the intent of keeping Baron Strifelen updated on their status, Edgar teleported back to Saltmarsh with information and looking for guidance. Baron Strifelen gave his blessing for the Silver Blades to go forth and do what was best for the empire, including taking whatever means necessary to protect Baron Chorster. Once back in Yorkwater, Edgar confirmed the agreement with Vosler, who provided a map along with tools and a bag of holding to contain Vosler’s three desired items. Vhandreal continued to be pestered by several thieves, until finally cornering one. It seems there is an elven bard who looks very similar to Vhandreal that has a “purple key” in which the local thieves guild wants returned. Making his way to a tavern viewed as a place to contact underworld figures, Vhandreal convinced the bartender for an appointment with the Academy of the Last Moon. When a representative arrived, relations were soured when Nettie realized she had been setup, and that Vhandreal’s intentions were not valid. The Silver Blades were summoned to the court of Baron Chorster by Bentas Krintoc, where the party agreed to help in eliminating Zur. Bentas was asked to accompany the party as a representative of the court (Jerry retired his other character and is playing something new). An extra day was lost when Alwug returned later than planned while spending time with his fellow gnolls in the southern woods. In order to move quickly toward Zur, the party requisitioned a ship to sail up the coast in order to an amphibious landing. While traveling through the Thuciend Forest during the evening hours, the group was attacked by undead and ogres, in consecutive order, which were taken care of in quick succession because of the thick forest cover. Hobgoblins could be heard very close by.

Combat: The PCs were set upon by 18 ghouls, 6 ghasts, and 8 ogres as they trekked through the Thuciend Forest.

Episode 42

Date: June 2, 2012

Attendance: Allison, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: The battle with the undead and ogres had just finished, as Omega and Arianna arrived on the scene passing Tharin as he made his way back to the ship from Yorkwater. Night was still upon the Silver Blades, and several party members noted a squad of (possibly) hobgoblins moving up toward their left flank. Choosing not to battle them, the party quickly moved forward through the darkness and was able to avoid any confrontation with the enemy unit. Traveling toward Zur’s temple, Joran and Lilith overheard crazed singing from the south, leaving the party to move closer to investigate its origin. They found an old man, brushing his hair and singing about others thinking he was crazy. Dismissing him as a lunatic, the two quickly rejoined the party and continued on their overland path. Sticking together as a tight unit, they came upon a road, engineered by the removal of trees. Choosing to take this path in order to save time verses continuing to make their own trail, the Silver Blades altered their course and used the pathway instead. After a short amount of traveling, two humans appeared in the distance, mocking the party as “city rats” sent by Baron Chorster. Staying just out of visual range, the PCs pursued their deriders into a large clearing, created by the same group that most likely created the trail, and engaged in combat two squads of bugbears that seemed to mill around in the open expanse. Moving forward to quickly engage the enemy, party members soon noticed three archer towers at the far end of the clearing, with tangle vine area interspersed throughout the field. Edgar and a small unit ran down the mocking humans, killing one and forcing another to surrender, just as he acknowledged Edgar as the son of Santo Koribayed. As the combat progressed, a young adult blue dragon (Brunire) entered the fray, strafing the Silver Blades with breath weapon attacks and calling out party members by name. Unable to retain the advantage on the battlefield, the order was issued for a retreat into the woods. In the end, most of the bugbears lay dead, but the Silver Blades lost Bentas, Orcraft, and Hennet; Edgar and Allexia also lay at death’s door for part of the combat. After finding each other in the middle of the Byton Forest, the players learned Zur had arranged the ambush through his captain, Bonafazz, and that members of the Black Dog Guard mercenary company had helped carry his plans to fruition.

Combat: A brigade of 32 bugbears, 2 human fighters, and a young adult blue dragon ambushed the party in close proximity to Zur's temple.

Episode 43

Date: June 9, 2012

Attendance: Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Korie, Leigh

Summary: Corenathin (Korie) and Magnus O’Connol (Jerry) continued travelling through the Thuciend forest, heading north toward some sort of temple, as per contract with Caranor Aranestan. Hearing sounds of combat throughout the night, the group of three stayed out of sight until morning. Caranor sent Corenathin and Magnus to investigate, finding the battle site between Brunire and the Silver Blades. Pushing farther into the forest, the two adventurers found the bivouac created by Lilith, to help the Silver Blades avoid enemy patrols. While returning to their campsite to check back with Caranor, Tharin intercepted them and explained why the Silver Blades were in the area, offering them an opportunity to join up with a larger group as a safety precaution. Tharin’s presence unnerved Caranor enough he teleported away when learned who Tharin really was. Being released from their employment, Corenathin and Magnus joined the Silver Blades only their journey toward Zur’s temple. Deciding to actively scout the area, a small contingent of the group was sent forward to determine if there was any enemy activity in the area. Find the temple and avoiding patrols took some time, but eventually several party members were able to reconnoiter the area enough to find the structure itself was built into a hillside, with a possibly underground connection to the main building. Another issue was detection spells indicated Brunire was behind the wall at the far end of the temple, although it appeared to be overgrown by vines. Using invisibility and silence spells, the far wall was further investigated, only to reveal it to be a clever constructed screen; a combination of vines and stone façade woven together much like scale mail. Behind the screen, ten Black Dog Guard mercenaries stood watch over the rear area of the temple. Splitting their force, the main group began tunneling into the hillside, to breach the underground area of the temple, while several party members chose to stage a distraction for the mercenaries. Killing and capturing the enemy prompted the arrival of Brunire from a secret room, along with three earth elementals. The battle in close quarters proved to be a disadvantage to Brunire allowing the Silver Blades to use better tactics to destroyed the blue dragon, as well as two elementals; the third elemental was charmed by Vhandreal. Brunire’s lair was investigated and pillaged, and the PCs began investigating the large secret door in the floor.

Combat: The Silver Blades exacted their revenge on Brunire by destroying him, 3 large earth elementals, and a squad of Black Dog Guard soldiers on the above-ground level of the temple of Zur.

Episode 44

Date: June 23, 2012

Attendance: Donny, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Korie, Leigh, Russell

Summary: Blood still streamed from Brunire’s corpse as his body lay on the temple floor. Several of the party members continued to carve away parts of the blue dragon’s carcass, harvesting items that could later be used as spell components. The remainder of the party took count of the dragon’s loot, determining how to distribute the treasure and magic items found in a side chamber. Meanwhile, two mercenary adventurers named Bilar (Russell) and Alorotom (Donny) continued their uncomfortable trek to the temple, captives of a bugbear raid on Dornmarsh. When the town’s sentries were overrun, both adventurers ditched their gear (later found by the bugbears) and blended in; realizing that fighting the invaders would be futile. Luckily for them, both were assigned to the same prisoner group of 25 captives and were being transported to the temple complex to be sacrificed to Zur. Wanting to keep their presence unknown for the time being, the Silver Blades picketed the temple battle site, using spells to clean the area of any evidence of a combat. As Bilar and Alorotom’s prisoner group arrived at the temple, a second group of bugbears accosted their allies attempting to convince them to give some of the females to them. Uncertain of how this argument would play out, the Silver Blades used spells to emulate Brunire’s voice, to lure the bugbears inside. Using a combination of magic and bluffing, the party was able to ambush both bugbear squads, freeing the captives. Out of the 25 prisoners, ten decided to stay behind with the Silver Blades while the remaining group headed to the coast, under the protection of a charmed earth elemental. Bilar and Alorotom decided to join up with the Silver Blades to help them deal with Zur, as it seemed like a solid pay out. The remaining eight prisoners stayed only because they were so enamored by Edgar Koribayed and his epic leadership skills. Once again, the area was picketed to help their presence was unknown, although Corenathin spotted a mercenary opportunist named Rio flying through the area. As the party woke in the morning, they found a much larger bugbear force waiting at the front of the temple, while another tribe pestered the group with their want to meet with Brunire; uncertain if he was alive or dead. The party finally decided to enter the trap door to the temple’s lower levels, and dispatched a trio of trolls who had taken up guard duty at the bottom of the stairs.

Combat: An ambush was set up for 25 bugbears as their arrived at the temple, and 3 trolls were killed as their guarded a stairwell.

Episode 45

Date: June 30, 2012

Attendance: Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Korie, Leigh

Summary: With the trolls dead in the underground stairway, the Silver Blades regrouped and reordered their attack plans for breaching the locked door. Bilar, Alorotom, and Tharin were sent back to the surface to help guard the entry way into Brunire’s lair; these players were unavailable. The remainder of the party moved forward to the door to investigate what they could. The group relied upon Vhandreal’s spell casting to open the portal into the next room, only to find it deserted. A quick look around allowed the party to realize this was an unattended guard room. Magnus heard whispering in the adjacent room, and peeked through the next door only to find a darkness spell cast into the room. Edgar summoned a raven to fly through the darkness, and was quickly killed by arrows in the next chamber. Not wanting to wait too long, Omega and Joran burst into the room, dispelling the darkness. What they found was a small brigade of 20 Black Dog Guard warriors waiting for them. Wading into the fight, several Silver Blades were caught unaware by the invisibility sphere and a wizard with 6 more warriors on their right flank. Quick thinking by Vhandreal with a silence spell, forced the wizard to flee, drinking a potion of invisibility to assist in his escape. With Omega killing the lieutenant in charge and seeing their caster flee, the remaining Black Dog Guard took flight to the back of the chamber. Escaping out of the rear door, the remaining mercenaries alerted several other members of the underground complex. Pushing their advantage and holding the doorway, the Silver Blades moved into a central hallway, confronting another 10 Black Dog Guard warriors, as well as 6 priests of the Patient One. As Arianna pass through the doorway, she was paralyzed by blistering of hold person spells. In order to protect his ally, Omega pulled her back into the main room and defended the door. The extended combat will continue in Episode 46.

Combat: The PCs invaded the first level of Zur's underground temple, killing or forcing to flee several members of the Black Dog Guard: 29 fighters and 1 wizard.

Episode 46

Date: July 7, 2012

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Leigh

Summary: As the battle continued, Arianna, Omega, and Edgar reinforced the main door with a propped-up table, uncertain of their next move; the players had not made it to the game session yet. Joran and Magnus ordered Warwick and Alwug to reinforce the side doors to prevent from being outflanked. Joran continued his sensory sweep for the invisible wizard, hoping to find him in some corner. Magnus helped with the search, hoping to trip the enemy with a rope and grapnel. Eventually, members of the Black Dog Guard and the clerics of the Patient One consolidated their efforts outside the central and western doors, hoping for a joint attack. Realizing a breech was imminent, the Silver Blades centralized their forces in the center of the great hall. As the denizens of the temple burst through, many of them were cut down by Joran’s breath attacks and Edgar’s flaming bolts. When Salazar Ghint charged across the room at Magnus and Alwug, Arianna and Omega were revived from their stasis and entered the fray. Turning his attention to the crusader of Kord, Ghint struck her down with a mortal blow, leaving her on death’s door. Already critically wounded, Alwug sacrificed himself to activate her healing belt, saving her from death, but opening himself up to be slain by Ghint. As the Silver Blades turned their focus on the leader of the Black Dog Guard, Ghint was killed, and his forces retreated. The remainder, being overmatched the Silver Blades, were able to quickly destroy the remaining forces and retreated back into the main room.

Combat: The combat from Episode 45 continued, and the PCs killed an additional 17 fighters and 11 clerics.

Episode 47

Date: July 14, 2012

Attendance: Donny, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh, Russell

Summary: The great hall of the temple complex was finally secured from the Black Dog Guard and the clerics of the Patient One, allowing the Silver Blades to assess the carnage of the extensive battle. Choosing to stay in the area they had made tenable rather than return to the surface, all four entryways were barricaded with the bodies of the slain enemies, and the loot was quickly accounted for. Although it was only the middle of the afternoon, the group decided to rest before continuing to explore any other areas. While on watch, Corenathin and other members of the group were bothered by an invisible stalker, who was looking for Edgar Koribayed, to relay a message. Eventually, the creature left after being misdirected to a corpse of one of the dead bodies. Later, another individual communicated through the entrance door that he chose to speak with Koribayed, but left when he could not obtain the audience he desired. The Silver Blades decided to venture further into the complex, splitting apart when needed to cover more ground. The living area of Danal Mitburr (the wizard silenced by Vhandreal) was located through several secret doors. Other rooms housing the members of the Black Dog Guard were also found, including the rooms for most of the command staff. The mercenary company’s treasure room was located, and the destrachan guarding the loot was defeated. Large sums of treasure were counted and stored in Edgar’s bag of holding. Several times during the party’s investigation, noises were heard back in the great hall, forcing the Silver Blades to split their resources to guard their flank, but no evidence was found for the sound. Moving on, the Silver Blades found more areas dealing with the clerics of the Patient One. In one clerical study, the PCs found substantiation of an investigation of something valuable to the clerics, which seemed to have been taken from the room during the combat in the great hall. The reoccurring words, “The Ire of the Undeath Prince”, were found in the scattered notes. Further investigation led to the cleric’s treasure store, including several containers of the red powder of Hextor. Using Vhandreal’s keen abilities to locate secret doors, another portal led to two more destrachans, guarding a large set of the iron doors with a complex lock. Defeating the creatures, the party decided to leave these doors until the rest of the complex was totally cleared (two more door unaccounted for), then delve into this area next.

Combat: The Silver Blades dispatched 3 destrachans who were guarding several areas.

Episode 48

Date: July 21, 2012

Attendance: Donny, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh, Russell

Summary: Estimating to have cleared all but two rooms on this temple level, the Silver Blades circumvented the last two locked doors, and found the allotted loot that was inside. As the party dispersed to make plans for resting for eight hours, Bilar and Magnus were felled by the poison affecting their strength which was nullified by their close proximity to Edgar’s bindings. Several scrolls of restoration were used to remove the detriments of the poison, and both were quickly back on their feet. Choosing one of the large barracks to stay in for their resting, mattresses and linens were removed from other rooms and brought in for a more comfortable night’s stay, as the door to the barracks was barricaded and reinforced to prevent entry. During the night, Magnus noticed someone attempting to open the doorknob, but refrained to do so with the doors reinforcing. While the rest of the part was awakened to the possibility of an outside entity trying to get in, the group noticed that Arianna was missing. As she awoke in the arena of Kord, Arianna spoke with the visage of Hennet, who encouraged her to fight hard in her upcoming match with the Greatsword Lord. Just before the match took place, Hennet requested she “enter the blue door alone” to allow for the glory of Kord. Although she fought valiantly, Arianna was bested and saw several other glimpses of the reoccurring vision instilled with her. Waking up from her encounter, she found herself on the bank of an underground river in the middle of a darkened cavern. Realizing she was not alone, she decided to scout the area looking for a way back to the party. As the rest of the Silver Blades moved back to the great iron doors, indicators of other denizens became more prevalent; particularly the snuffed torch rigged with a fireball trap. Breaching the great iron doors led to a trapped stone stairway, leading to some party members nearly sliding down into the aforementioned fire pit. Navigating past the trapped area, the PCs were reunited with Arianna at the base of the stairs, and the group was able to better see the cavern and a displaced bridge. Corenathin shapechanged into a falcon to get a better vantage point, noticing a smaller group of wights and a larger group of bugbears guarding a mound of skull on a façade of a pyramid. Bilar lobbed a fireball into group of bugbears initiating a battle muddled by shadows and darkness, with the Silver Blades trying to cross the river. The extended combat will continued in Episode 49.

Combat: The Silver Blades initiated combat with 6 wights and 15 bugbear fighters in an underground cavern.

Episode 49

Date: August 4, 2012

Attendance: Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: Having made great strides to secure their position on the north side of the cavern, several members of the Silver Blades continued to organize to traverse the rope bridge across the underground river to assist Omega and Edgar on the other side. Corenathin maintained his position on the outside of the pyramid face, casting spells and causing the bugbears to rethink their strategy of how to deal with the party. With Bilar and Alorotom resting in the back (their players were unavailable), the remainder of the party pushed forward clearing out the remaining wights that blocked the rope bridge area. As the main force moved closer to the bugbear army, the party noticed the bas-relief set into the bronze doors: the image of a bugbear king sitting on a throne. Vhandreal continued to assist on the battlefield with diversions, casting spells that hampered the bugbears ability to freely move across the cavern floor. Several members of the Silver Blades began to hear a trumpet dirge coming from the inside of the pyramid as they neared the structure. Focusing on the spellcaster behind them, the bugbears shot a volley of arrows at Corenathin, forcing him to meld into the stone of the pyramid and take cover. Moments before his merging, he noticed several dug-up areas on the cavern floor, but being ignored by the enemy. Several rounds later, the bronze-laden doors of the pyramid opened with only an inky darkness to be seen inside. Moments later, a powerful looking bugbear (not Zur, but perhaps Bonafazz) stepped forward from the darkness, accompanied by one of the demonic entities from Arianna’s visions from Kord. Speaking in Abyssal, the bugbear ordered the demon to “destroy my master’s enemies”. Seeing an opportunity to deal damage early on, Corenathin emerged from the pyramid stone, casting spells at the demon and the bugbear commander. The demon moved forward to face the remainder of the party, and, unbeknownst to Corenathin, the commander imperceptibly moved after Corenathin. Upon finding him, the bugbear commander struck him a mortal blow, leaving Corenathin to bleed out on the side of the pyramid before disappearing again. The remainder of the party continued to winnow the bugbear ranks, as Omega valiantly fought against the demon. Corenathin’s wounds were bound by an unseen entity, but after taking a couple of his items while at it. The extended combat will continued in Episode 50.

Combat: The Silver Blades defended themselves against 6 wights and 26 bugbear fighters.

Episode 50

Date: August 11, 2012

Attendance: Donny, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh, Russell

Summary: Only fourteen enemies remained on the battlefield: thirteen bugbear guardsmen and one demon. However, a shift in reality (an inaccurately redrawn map) led to a flux in the space-time continuum, leaving distances distorted, spells skewed and a rapid growth in facial hair in some NPCs. Lilith disappeared, showered in a myriad of small glowing orbs. Vhandreal continued to entrance three of the bugbears with a rainbow swirl, while other bugbears were hampered by several spells which continued to allow the Silver Blades to funnel their enemy toward them. Bilar, Alorotom, and Magnus stayed on the far side of the underground river, providing arrows and spells to soften up the enemy force. Other members of the team sought to use the solid fog spell to their advantage when being pursued by the Ire of Orcus. Corenathin recovered on the side of the pyramid, from his near-fatal experience with Bonafazz. The remaining PCs engaged a group of bugbears that attempted to form into a phalanx. Having been weakened from his encounter with the demon, Omega was overwhelmed by the bugbear force and perished on the battlefield. The Ire of Orcus was lured into the solid fog where his opportunity to attack the Silver Blades was diminished. Arianna continued to fight on, gaining a second wind after seeing Omega fall (she leveled up between episodes). Lilith returned to this reality (when Kelli showed up), and immediately began to contribute with her archery skills. Bilar was able to overcome the demon’s spell resistance with several well-placed spells, causing the creature to temporarily remove itself from the battlefield. In the midst of the combat, Corenathin sensed an entity, removing items from Omega’s body. A terse exchange between the two ended when Corenathin attacked the entity with a spell. The Silver Blades finished off the bugbear phalanx, and then fled into the solid fog. Looking to cause more chaos, the Ire of Orcus felled Vhandreal with an eldritch blast, before the faux-bard could make it to safety. Joran finished off the final three bugbears who had wandered into the solid fog. Deciding to sacrifice himself for his teammates, Bilar stepped from safety and attacked the demon, hoping the others around him would be inspired as well. Left vulnerable from stepping out of the solid fog, the Ire of Orcus killed him quickly, allowing the needed time for the Silver Blades to regroup. Lessened by attrition, the Ire of Orcus finally fell at the hands of Arianna.

Combat: The Silver Blades eventually destroyed the enemy force of 13 bugbear fighters and an Ire of Orcus.

Episode 51

Date: August 25, 2012

Attendance: Donny, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Kelli, Korie, Leigh, Russell

Summary: The fifty or so bugbear bodies from Zur’s honor guard lay strewn across the underground cavern, as the Ire of Orcus quickly disintegrated into nothingness. Many of the party members quickly moved to the fallen bodies of Bilar and Omega, wrapping them up in their belongings to be transported away from Zur’s temple complex. As any upright crusader of Kord would do, Arianna knelt in prayer and immediately fell swoon to the power of the Greatsword Lord. In his audience, Kord indicated a third party was involved with the battle, and this person also wishes to obtain the items wanted by Vosler Truemper; Kord also helped describe these items in better detail. She also found that Hennet had no wishes to leave the halls of Ysgard and return to the land of the living. When she awoke from her time with Kord, Edgar used the sending stone received from Baron Strifelan, to send a request for transport via teleport in order to jump the Silver Blades back to Saltmarsh so the group could refit and resurrect fallen comrades. Fearful of whatever else might come forward from the pyramid, Corenathin summoned an earth elemental to move large amounts of stone in front of the main door to block anyone from continuing to attack the party. Quite some time later, while maintaining a defensive vigil, a wizard named Letaxee appeared via teleport along with the several scrolls needed to allow the party to transport back to Saltmarsh. Needing to take two trips, Letaxee and Joran transported most of the group back to the wizard’s guild in Saltmarsh. While waiting for the second trip, Edgar sensed Bonafazz invisibly stalking the group. Letaxee returned for the second trip, and departed with the remaining Silver Blades, but, at the last second, Corenathin was dimensionally anchored by an unknown individual. Facing the choice of fighting Bonafazz alone, Corenathin soon turned himself into a fish and dove into the safety of the underground river. Back in Saltmarsh, the remainder of the party found they did not have the resources to return to retrieve their missing party member and decided that Corenathin could survive on his own, since he was a druid. The remainder of the party used their time to resurrect Omega, and purchase additional magical items to help deal with Zur’s final defenses. Alorotom left the party to take his friend Bilar back north to be buried with his family. However, Arianna was able to find replacement members soon after.

Combat: Bonafazz probed the defenses of Corenathin and the Silver Blades while he was invisible, but neither side damaged the other.

Episode 52

Date: September 1, 2012

Attendance: Donny, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh, Russell

Summary: After a refreshing evening in Saltmarsh, the Silver Blades continued their wait on party upgrades and the purchase of several additional magic items in order to deal with Zur. Corenathin was still in his same predicament from Episode 51; being left behind outside the pyramid of Zur to fend for himself. He initially sent out a summoned earth elemental to scout the area, and then begin to replace stones in front of the pyramid door. After hearing sounds of combat in the dark and believing his elemental was destroyed, Corenathin again attempted to travel through the underground river as a fish. Swimming downstream, he made it to the coast and eventually headed south to return to the party. Omega requested a visit from the high priest of Kord in order to discuss the possibility of becoming a paladin in the near future. Edgar met with Baron Strifelen several times, learning that Galunid has more than enough issues to keep the baron busy. Joran took the time to travel by boat to Celesthem to make contact with his uncle, in order to purchase several items for the party. When he arrived, he learned that his uncle had been missing for some time and that neighbors had begun to worry. Using a scrying device, Joran saw glimpses of his uncle in a dumbfounded state along with several other people, and worried he might be under the thrall of a mindflayer, rumored to have taken refuge in Celesthem’s underbelly. Edgar was invited to a meeting with a mysterious benefactor, but changed his mind at the last moment suspecting foul play. Upon searching out more information on who Salan Moontooth worked for, it was learned that the unknown patron was probably Damlegan Gault. As the party gathered, Corenathin was finally able to rejoin the group, and the Silver Blades teleported back to Zur’s lair. When they arrived, the lighted area had been extinguished, and several vampire spawn lurked around the cavern in gaseous form. After the party drove the undead off, the group struggled at the outset to open the main doors to the pyramid. Gaining access with a knock spell, the group moved forward into the pyramid, only to be met with several deadly traps. Summoning earth and fire elementals to help prevent the loss of character life, doors were eventually opened and access to the main room of the pyramid was breeched, but Zur was not to be found. The PCs searched the area, and suspected their enemy might be yet further below them.

Combat: 11 vampire spawn (former followers of Edgar Koribayed who were left behind) were driven off when there were found lurking about the pyramid.

Episode 53

Date: September 8, 2012

Attendance: Allison, Donny, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh, Russell

Summary: Not having seen Zur yet, the Silver Blades continued to investigate the interior areas of the pyramid, looking to find the bugbear king. The party was initially distracted by the sounds of commotion out back of the pyramid, finding a shadow dragon engaged in combat with a large humanoid, clad in black armor. While the dragon appeared to vanquish its foe, it took one look at Omega and jumped back into one of the continuum orbs, and disappeared from this plane of existence. During this bizarre episode, Edgar was kidnapped by minions of Damelgan Gault, brining him to be questioned. The interaction was brief, as Gault made his inquiry simply: asking about the whereabouts of the body of Santo Koribayed. Being glib with his answers merited Edgar’s freedom, along with two scrolls to assist future fallen party members. Back at the pyramid, knowing the main doors led to the central area of the pyramid, the party searched an eastern room dedicated to Zur’s exploits in hunting. After being received by a magic mouth spell, the PCs found the room to be filled with tapestries of Zur hunting various creatures from nearby regions in Valderin. The only item of note was a trapped tapestry, holding a chaos beast which the group quickly dispatched. The tapestries were left behind, designated to be burned later. Making their way to the western part of the pyramid, the Silver Blades encountered a room dedicated to Zur’s history of war-making on the other intelligent creatures of the realm. The mosaics in the room were beautiful, but were also trapped with another appearing chaos beast, which was destroyed with little effort. Returning to the main dining area, the room was found lavishly decorated, allowing the players to acquire the solid gold tableware used by Zur and his retinue. Searching closely, a trigger mechanism was found at the head of the table, allowing for the room to reconfigure and reveal another stone stairway leading down to another level. The party descended the stairs and investigated the large stone doors at its base. Hearing chanting on the other side and preparing for combat, the Silver Blades burst into the chamber, to engage twelve bugbear guardsmen and four clerics of the Patient One: Loban (the would-be assassin of the baron of Yorkwater), High Priestess Ireis, and two minor clerics. Combat quickly ensued with Arianna, slaying Ireis and Loban, after some of the Silver Blades fell. The session ended when the last bugbear was slain.

Combat: 12 bugbear fighters and 4 clerics of the Patient One were overwhelmed by the party during some sort of ritual.

Episode 54

Date: September 15, 2012

Attendance: Allison, Donny, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Korie, Leigh, Russell

Summary: It did not take the party long to realize that Loban was not intentionally allowing himself to be cornered before his death, but was attempting to escape through a secret door. As some characters picketed through the bodies, casually looking for anything of interest, several party members located a pair of secret doors, along with a set of three levers behind the altar to the Patient One. Examining mechanisms and looking for traps, it was hypothesized the levers controlled the secret door access and a decision was made to use them to get closer to Zur. Edgar telepathically scanned the area for any enemies, noticing bugbears, humans, undead, and a demon. One presence was alone past one of the secret doors and it was decided to eliminate that adversary first. Correctly guessing the third lever, the Silver Blades were able to access a side hallway leading to Bonafazz’s sanctum, and encountered a sleeping female bugbear vampire spawn. Edgar summoned a fire elemental and the creature was reduced to ash. Wanting to move quickly, Omega broke down the next door, to find an Ire of Orcus, two bugbear guardsmen, Salazar Ghint (resurrected after being slain by Arianna), and Danal Mittbur (the Black Dog Guard wizard which fled from the initial fight with the Silver Blades). Back near the levers and overcome by curiosity, Corenathin decided to activate the middle lever, initiating the lockdown sequence to permanently seal the two secret doors, sectioning him away from the party. Having set a trap for the invaders of his temple complex, Zur cast a magic jar spell, possessing Arianna’s body, announcing to the Silver Blades that they were “a factory of sadness”. Realizing that his ally was compromised, Edgar directed the remainder of his companions to attack Arianna, bring the crusader near death as Zur released his grasp upon her. Bonafazz attempted to flank the party, but was turned by Elric who forced the vampire to flee the battle field. With the party members being spread thin allowing PC-possessed Zur and Danal to cast area of effect spells (Edgar did summon a hound archon to temporarily flank Danal), several Silver Blades fell during the combat, while destroying the bugbear guardsmen and Salazar Ghint, and forcing Danal to flee the immediate area. Zur’s soul was unable to possess any more of the Silver Blades and his presence seemed to exit the party. The combat will resume this coming weekend, as the Ire of Orcus still lives.

Combat: A resurrected Salazar Ghint and 2 bugbear guardsmens were killed, but Danal Mittburr, an Ire of Orcus, and the soul of Zur survived.

Episode 55

Date: September 22, 2012

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Kelli, Leigh, Russell

Summary: The combat resumed from Episode 54 with the Silver Blades tactically withdrawing to the room used to house Bonafazz’s coffin, in order to heal up and take a second shot at the Ire of Orcus. Devany Lia had watched part of the combat, while assisting Rio Dalaq in the scouting of the temple complex. Having been warned not to give away their position, Devany moved forward invisibly, after seeing several of the party members fall. As Edgar consolidated the party in the room, he barred the entrance, leaving the Ire of Orcus in the hallway wasting its time trying to breach the door. Using his telepathic abilities to sense a new presence and also being detected by Joran’s ability to see the invisible, Devany announced herself as an ally and joined the fight on the side of the Silver Blades. Again summoning hound archons to help fight, Edgar pushed the group back into the fray with the evil outsider, forcing the Ire of Orcus to retreat down the hallway. After being healed up, Omega helped force the Ire of Orcus back down into a choke point in which the creature could not effectively maneuver, and the demon was eventually slain. As the Silver Blades continued through the remaining part of the complex, Edgar sensed Zur’s presence being surrounded by a hundred suffering minds: prisoners of the bugbears used for sacrifice. Danal (the Black Dog Guard wizard) and Bonafazz also were found plotting to attack the PCs in a separate area as well. Splitting the force, the party sent one group to deal with freeing the Zur’s prisoners, while the other was sent to eliminate Danal and Bonafazz. Edgar was able to telepathically parlay with Danal, allowing him to flee if he kept out of the remaining fight; some of the party suspect he was killed during his escape by Rio Dalaq. Omega and Devany freed the prisoners, and captured a young girl that Zur had magic jarred in order to attempt to flee the area. As the party engaged Bonafazz in the treasure room (he stayed behind to defend his master’s body), Edgar was struck down and nearly killed by Bonafazz’s morningstar “Life-Slurper”. Having released his sway over the young girl, Zur returned to his body to help Bonafazz. Elric again caused Bonafazz to cower in the corner, calling upon the holy power of Kord to turn the vampire bugbear. The party was able to finally overwhelm Zur, as he fought attempting to help his second-in-command. Episode 56 will start as the combat ended in order to deal with any other remaining threats.

Combat: Zur, Bonafazz, and the Ire of Orcus were destroyed.

Episode 56

Date: September 22, 2012

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Leigh, Russell

Summary: The combat ended and the sounds of Zur’s prisoners fleeing from captivity still echoed through the dungeon. Edgar was back on his feet and ready to lead, surviving the near fatal blow from Bonafazz. He split the group in two, in order to categorize the treasure and find the three items of importance, while the remainder of the group chased down the prisoners to prevent them from doing more damage to themselves. Devany, Joran, and Edgar quickly found the invisible chest holding a covered book (“The Fury of the Undeath Prince”, a willow box (holding a crystal succubus skull), and multi-faceted ring (of 3 wishes). Joran pilfered the ring into a side pouch as he used the magic instruments provided by Vosler Truemper to move the two larger items. The items were stored in the bag of holding which Edgar gave Joran for safe keeping. Back in the main cavern, the remainder of the party was able to catch up with the refugees, and provide them minimal amounts of food and water to help restore their strength. One of the prisoners, a warpriest of Kord, was able to work with Dornmarsh’s lord mayor to calm the remaining 92 captives, and clothing stores from the Black Dog Guard were passed out as everyone bedded down for the night. Edgar’s sending stone allowed for him to communicate with Baron Strifelen, who sent Letaxi and Lecab to appear with more supplies in order to move the refugees back to Yorkwater. Investigating the ground level outside the temple, masses of bugbears and human mercenaries still remained. Choosing to attempt to dissuade them from remaining in the area, Joran delved back to the bottom level of the dungeon to retrieve the heads of Zur and Salazar Ghint. As he was removing the corpse heads, he was encased by Otiluke’s resilient sphere from a wizard calling himself Rio; this was the same invisible entity that had originally brought Devany to the dungeon. Rio insisted on relieving Joran of two items of importance, even going so far as to partially reimburse Joran for taking the two items. Regardless, the book and the skull were lost to Rio. The corpse heads were used effectively to drive off the bugbears, and any remaining extremists were destroyed. Traveling east to the transport ship, the party was able to make peace with a coven of ettercap, while negotiating the forest of Thuciend. When arriving in Yorkwater, the Silver Blades were hailed as heroes and Baron Chorster announced a three-day celebration for the party.

Combat: None, but Danal Mittburr fled the scene, but was later killed by Rio Dalaq.

Episode 57

Date: October 6, 2012

Attendance: Allison, Forrest, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Leigh, Russell

Summary: The second day of the three-day celebration in Yorkwater in honor of the Silver Blades was much like the first day: plenty of style and not much for substance. The party kept itself engaged while taking some time off, while trying to be a productive to make sure to keep their edge. Lilith and Joran immediately engrossed themselves at the local gambling houses, looking to gain some extra coin. Arianna and Elric both received visions from Kord. Although different in their messages, both were prompted to continue onto the west to help diminish the power of Hextor, a deity no longer legally worshiped. The Greatsword Lord also clued Arianna into the fact that the mysterious red powder was actually produced by the destruction of several warforges. Edgar was summoned before the high priest of the Temple of the Aurosian to answer for the reason why the priest of Pelor, who accompanied the group north to confront Zur, did not return with the rest of the party. Once finished with that matter, he was again summoned by Baron Chorster, and was given the hard sell of why the Silver Blades should stay in the barony of Thuciend, rather than return home to Saltmarsh. Edgar declined and, feeling the party should not overstay their welcome, gave orders for the group to return to the barony of Galunid by ship the evening of the next day. Enjoying their hot streak at the gambling house, Lilith and Joran were invited by members of the Academy of the Last Moon to participate in a late night, high stakes card game; both lost a considerable amount of money. The third day in Yorkwater skirted by rather quickly, and the Silver Blades boarded the S.S. Voyager to return home to Saltmarsh. Upon their arrival, the PCs presented themselves to a weary Baron Stifelan. After pressing for more details, Stifelan indicated the bugbears of the area had not totally dispersed, the lizardfolk were in turmoil, and a childhood friend had pleaded for his help in finding his missing wife. Hoping to calm the lizardfolk, Edgar led the party into the Saltmarsh swamp to help assuage the situation. Being confronted by belligerent lizardfolk guards, the party soon learned a group of five ssvaklors had moved into the area, allowing a weaker faction of lizardfolk to dethrone Frothix. Disguised as lizardfolk soliders, Edgar, Vhandreal, and Joran split with the party, as to be taken to the main lizardfolk campsite. Later, one of the ssvaklors was killed when it attempted to ambush the remainder of the party.

Combat: A part of the group dealt with a squad of lizardfolk led by a ssvaklor.

Episode 58

Date: October 13, 2012

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Korie, Leigh, Russell

Summary: Continuing their journey into the heart of the lizardfolk territory, Edgar and Joran (leaving Vhandreal to his own devices) questioned their lizardfolk scout as to the political issues resulting from the coup of Frothix, and the placement of the new lizardfolk chieftain, Regator. The scout seemed to indicate that Regator’s power base was the main reason why the lizardfolk were so pliable in the allegiances and that the arrival of the five ssvaklors only helped to consolidate Regator’s ability to usurp the throne. Arriving at the deposed chieftain’s abode, the pair quickly found that Regator was the third son of Frothix, and took the throne in a bloody uprising, by eliminating all of his siblings except for two: the oldest son was afflicted by the “bad water” and was let loose on the other side of the river, and the youngest son disappeared when the coup began. Frothix was pleased to see a friendly face, but had already accepted his fate, being thankful to Regator for sparing his life. Edgar and Joran rested for the remainder of the morning since their journey through the swamp took most of the evening, and were led off to an area away from the ssvaklors. The remainder of the party picketed the area of their campsite to ensure a second ambush did not befall them. Omega took the carcass of the slain ssvaklor, and ordered the two lizardfolk prisoners from the previous night’s combat to lead the Silver Blades back the where the group could gain audience with the lizardfolk chieftain. The PCs made the long trek through the swamp, in order to confront Regator, as well as his ssvaklor allies. As Edgar and Joran awoke later in the day looking to do the same, both learned of a surviving half-elf named Photas was being held, with the plans to have him sacrificed in the morning. Using his telepathic abilities, Edgar was able to coordinate with the arrival of the Silver Blades in order to confront Regator in his throne area. While attempting to address the lizardfolk chieftain, the four remaining ssvaklors interrupted Omega by attacking the party. While initially attempting to defend Regator from any reprisal attacks by the ssvaklors, Regator chose to side with his dragon allies and attempted to strike down several of the party members. Half of the party succumbed to the paralyzing poison of the ssvaklors bites, but those remaining were able eventually defeat the beasts along with several lizardfolk warriors. Regator was grappled, and the combat ended there.

Combat: Back together again, the Silverblades defeated four ssvaklor and a dozen lizardfolk guards.

Episode 59

Date: October 20, 2012

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: With the lizardfolk king still grappled by Omega, King Regaor was given an opportunity to end the combat lest he continue and be destroyed. After the situation cooled, the Silver Blades were able to state their case about why the group decided to trespass into the area. King Regator was not amused and asked the party to leave his territory, and return to the human territory. As they emerged from the swamp and continued their travel over dry land, the party was attacked during the night by three charnel hounds. Quick thinking by Joran helped save the day, by using a halt undead spell. Trudging through poor weather conditions, the Silver Blades eventually arrived in Caldbush. The party quickly came to the conclusion this town was the same location in which an elderly woman who traveled to Saltmarsh and entreated Arianna to help find her husband. Speaking with the local constable and the lord mayor, the PCs were able to piece together two different stories for the two missing individuals. For Joseph Hardin three years ago, he and his wife were visited by two individuals bearing the symbols of the Ophres-treum. The next morning, Joseph had disappeared, and no trace of the two visitors could be found. There was no evidence of any foul play, and most of the townfolk of Caldbush wrote it off as just bad luck. Even Bolina (his wife) felt the same way until she received a vision (from Kord?) that he was alive, but in great trouble. For Edna Highcamp, four weeks ago she dropped off her two children at the home of family friend (Ella & Zallan Mousig), then abruptly left for Saltmarsh to attend the funeral of her great aunt, being led by a ranger named Donald Brantreacle. Three days later, her husband, Lawrence, traveled to Saltmarsh in search of her when she did not return; the first day he was unaware of her absence, the second day he sought her whereabouts around Caldbush, the third day he journeyed to Saltmarsh. Upon arriving in Saltmarsh and finding Aunt Viridinia alive and well, Lawrence returned to Caldbush and requested Constable Akalvin start an investigation. When Constable Akalvin was unable to find anything indicating foul play, Lawrence returned to Saltmarsh to petition Baron Strifelen (a childhood friend) to use his resources to help find his wife. As the party investigated further, the only wildcard of note was Edna being visited by a family friend named Robert Nurbell, the son of a tavern owner from Enstol.

Combat: The PCs were able to effectively bring down three charnel hounds.

Episode 60

Date: October 20, 2012

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: After spending a restful night in Caldbush, the party awoke in the morning to continue their investigation on the two missing persons they sought. As they came down for breakfast, they encountered an odd person calling himself Professor Raudell Pickle, a scientist investigating the phenomenon of the Bale Tempests in Gantara. Before he was led off by his son, Professor Pickle mentioned he had heard of the return of Santo Koribayed in the barony of Aloraghen. Rather than splitting the party, the entire group of Silver Blades visited the elderly Bolina Hardin on her family estate outside of the city limits. After investigating her financial books and questioning both human and plant life in the area, it was determined three years ago Damlegan Gault and Caranor Aranestan visited Joseph Hardin, then teleported away with a shapechanged Joseph. The party reassured Bolina they would try their best to bring him back. Moving onto their investigation about Edna Highcamp, the PCs spoke to several persons around town, eventually running into Janetta Reese who cleared up some of the holes in the investigation. Although Lawrence Highcamp was totally devoted to his wife, Edna was smitten by family friend Robert Nurbell of Enstol. Wanting to be with him, she dropped her children off at the Mousing house, and then left with a ranger named Donald Brantreacle, heading first toward Saltmarsh, later turning southwest toward Alendar in order to throw off any trails. The party decided to continue on to Enstol via teleport, making political efforts to not arrive unannounced in another barony. Received formally in Enstol, Baron Darstin Newand gave the Silver Blades a guarded leave to investigate the large city, while being accompanied by the town guard and members of Darstin’s personal retinue. It was learned that Edna had assumed the alias of Antoinette Roundmarch, and both Robert and Edna were seen together and separately at various taverns around the city, but were currently considered missing by the local constabulary along with a handful of other citizens. As the party call it an evening after dining with the upper crust of Enstol society, Joran decided to disguise himself and go off to investigate on his own at several of the local taverns. There, he was propositioned for an exchange of information by an unknown female. Later, this feral female attempted to murder him, but was forced to flee the scene when Joran prevented her from a quick kill.

Combat: Joran was able to chase off some sort of female commoner who had a mouthful of razor sharp teeth.

Episode 61

Date: November 10, 2012

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: As dawn broke in the city of Enstol, Joran slept heavily after staying out the previous evening investigating leads on Edna Highcamp/Antoinette Roundmarch, as well as recovering from the altercation he had with a possible shapeshifter who tried to kill him in an alley. As the slept, the remainder of the party worked various angles to help gather more information about their quarry. Jerry’s PC accompanied Allison’s PC to the western districts of Enstol to help feed the poor, particularly the demi-humnas of the city. While he was handing out meals, Jerry’s PC noticed several Halflings dressed in black sackcloth with their heads covered and encountered the local dwarven priest of Moradin who encouraged the humans to return to their side of town. Arianna spent the morning at the Temple of the Mighty Thews, helping with the liturgy and promoting a ruckus among the followers of Kord worshiping there. During a lull in the service, a representative of Vosler Truemper contacted Omega, requesting directions about getting connected with Edgar. As the party reunited at the Iron Knight Inn, Vosler’s representative entreated Edgar to meet with his master about the three items he was sent off to recover. After several dead ends in their investigation, the party used two commune spells to help give them greater clarity on the situation, finding that Edna and Robert were both dead and their remains were unrecoverable. Still wanting some closure to this quest, Edgar spoke with a front man for the Outrunners, looking for information about who might be behind the disappearances. Through the thieves’ guild, the party learned of several kidnapping happening throughout the city, particularly with vagrants and newcomers to town. Victim A would accompany Victim B outside of town, Victim B would return alone and accompany Victim C outside of town, etc. The cycle had been occurring for four weeks, and even when the Silver Blades performed a stakeout on the several of the suspecting kidnapping taverns, nothing was turned up. Alone, Omega chose to investigate the Manacled Maid Inn and, after persuading the inn keeper to allow access to a client’s room, was able to find evidence of the kidnappings (or perhaps murders), along with a map to Greenblaat Tower, a decaying structure well outside of town. Edgar and Joran separately spoke with Vosler, to explain the situation and the party made preparations to travel toward the west Greenblaat Tower.

Combat: None.

Episode 62

Date: November 17, 2012

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Korie, Leigh

Summary: Standing his usually evening watch for the party, Omega encountered one of the mysterious glowing orbs which the party has witnessed for some time now. When attempting to interact with the orb, it displayed a simple intelligence, and when Omega touched it, he felt the calming feelings of the Forge. The orb seemed content to stay with the Warforged, and he was able to pluck the energy anomaly and place it in his pouch. When the party awoke, preparations were made, political overtures were overtured, and the Silverblades began their trek east to Greenblaat Tower to further investigate the local disappearances. Being led by Donald Brantreacle, the PCs came upon a forested area surrounding the tower. Several party members paid their respects to the statue of Asilomar the Lesser to the east of the tower. Corenathin changed his shape into a hawk to get an aerial view, noticing a simple gravesite to the south and rubble to the northwest. As he sought to get a closer look at the grave, the party was ambushed by a retriever. Using the terrain to their advantage, the Silverblades made quick work of the demonic construct. Exhuming the grave, the party found evidence to indicate the buried remains were of a local druid; Donald mentioned her name was Araceli Sevastin. Buried in her cloak, the body indicated death was by blunt force trauma resulting in a broken neck, and the gravesite was marked with a warped wooden headstone formed into a druidic symbol. The PCs respectfully removed any magic items they found useful, then she was reinterred using Edgar’s summoned earth elemental. Investigating the rubble the northwest, the party found the remains of six Vorpal Tusk warriors, along with their mounts. The bodies had been picked clean, and most of the gear was left behind to bleach in the sun. Deciding to attempt to breach the tower, Edgar sensed the presence of several outsider minds inside and under the tower. Realizing the southern door to the tower was blocked, Omega destroyed the barricade, revealing three babau demons blocking the way. Combat ensued with a hezrou demon appearing from the next room. Using their blasphemy and teleportation abilities, the outsiders were overwhelmed, although both party NPCs nearly died. The episode ended with the party deciding on their next steps in order to further investigate the tower, as Edgar sensed the presence of several power entities just below them.

Combat: 3 babau demons, a retriever, and a hezrou demon were dispatched back to the home planes.

Episode 63

Date: December 1, 2012

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: After doing some investigative work for the Keepers of the Azure Shield, Tharin’s path led him to Enstol to help make more sense of the schemes of Vosler Truemper and how they coincided with Damlegan Gault. Information gathered led him to believe that Vosler would be in the city within a certain timeframe, but the reasons were unknown. Having arrived the day after Vosler’s departure, Tharin learned the Silver Blades were also in town, and, after spending a few days, departed from the west gates. With Lilith being left behind from overindulging at the local tavern, the two journeyed together to rendezvous with the party at Greenblaat Tower. Arriving just as combat had concluded, the two party members were able to catch up on what had transpired during the encounter with the demons found in and around the structure. The group moved farther into the tower, realizing that the dilapidated edifice was not habitable and posed a danger for anyone who moved toward the upper levels. Using their abilities to fly, Tharin and Joran searched the upper levels, finding a body from years past along with a supply of red powder, stamped with the symbol of Hextor. Recovering what items they could find off of the body, Joran took the powder outside to destroy it, and glimpsed a presence in the tree line. Both he and Edgar went to further investigate who might be out there, although neither was able find anything. Omega found a stone plug in the floor leading to a lower level, gouged with the claw marks of something obviously big enough to lift the mass by itself. After opening the portal, the group delved into the lower levels of the tower, quickly noticing rotting smell associated with an abyssal cyst. Edgar sensed several demonic minds further down, and realized the Silver Blades and the outsiders both were hoping to use a choke point to their advantage. Not being one to wait, Omega valiantly charged forward to engage the enemy, followed by the other party members. Initially, the Silver Blades engaged in fighting more hezrou (like the one from the previous episode), but also found vrocks and two nalfeshnees were there as well. As the combat progressed, two demons outflanked the PCs from the rear, and a vrock who teleported into the middle of the cramped hallway. Jerry’s PC was able to gain favor with Kord, which allowed him to rise after being weakened. The evening ended with most of the demons defeated, but more still remained.

Combat: The Silver Blades destroyed 2 hezrou, 3 vrocks, and 2 mauranzi demons under Greenblaat Tower.

Episode 64

Date: December 8, 2012

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Korie, Leigh

Summary: Combat continued from the previous episode as the Silver Blades battled against the contingent of demons dwelling in the lower level of Greenblaat Tower. The party had successfully cleared several hezrou and vrocks, but two nalfeshnee, a trio of vrocks and a lone hezrou remained. Arianna and Omega worked on removing the hezrou blocking the doorway as the party attempted to gain the advantage while fighting out of the L-shaped hallway. The vrocks teleported to the rearguard of the PCs, attempting to outflank them with their “dance of ruin”. Edgar and Corenathin summoned several outsiders and earth elementals to help deal with the issue, forcing the vrock to teleport back into the main room after the last hezrou and first of two nalfeshnee were destroyed. Having all of their opponents in one confined space, the Silver Blades were able to dispatch the rest of the demons and clear the room. Joran used his flaming breath attack to destroy and dry up the viscous substance which had welled up from the Abyssal Cyst that had opened in the corner of the room. It seemed that the demons were enjoying some sort of benefit of basking in the unknown substance. Upon investigating the contents of the area, the PCs found the remains of a Tooth of the Vorpal Tusks, and bagged his magical loot. Another body was found relatively unmolested in the corner of the room. Going on the information Tharin had provided in Episode 63, the corpse was identified as Brasnia Webb. More interesting, she wore the amulet of the Ophes-treum, and bore the scarring of a Thrall of Demogorgon. Aside from the remains of the Tooth and Webb was the opening of the Abyssal Cyst, welled up directly from underneath the tomb of Asilomar the Lesser; a long past hero affiliated with the Illuminated Ones. Some of the party suspected this perforation in the tomb might lead to straightforwardly to the Abyss, and the Silver Blades began discussing how to close the hole. Using earth elementals, the remains of Asilomar were exhumed and Corenathin was quick to try to pocket some of the uber-choice magic items buried with the body. As the PCs argued about what to do the said items, a marilith appeared and the Silver Blades quickly dispatched her. Another marilith appeared right after (with the same results). Defeating both demons ended the session for the evening. Episode 65 will start up right away from the demons destruction.

Combat: After finishing off 2 nalfeshnee, 3 vrocks and a hezrou, the PCs dispatch two mariliths who appeared after combat had ended.

Episode 65

Date: January 5, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: As the body of the last marlith dissipated, the Silver Blades were able to catch their breath from the prolonged combat and take stock of their surroundings. The summoned earth elementals were able to completely close the gaping hole in the underground chamber, after Joran burned off the remains of the abyssal cyst. One of the earth elementals retrieved a large opal at the bottom of the hole (at the origin point) which was later scrutinized by several party members. Arianna spoke to Kord through a vision, in which he related the danger was still to the west and these cysts would still keep appearing until the individual(s) responsible were stopped. Kord also reaffirmed her notion the fissures were not random, but appeared at specific places; tombs of powerful beings, sites of great conflict, etc. Treasure was collected, and the two bodies (Bransnia Webb, Asilomar the Lesser) were preserved in Edgar’s bag of holding. It was decided amongst the party to leave Asilomar’s items with his corpse, regardless of how powerful they were, out of respect for the fallen hero. Not wanting to spend another night at the tower, the party returned to Enstol, late in the evening. The next day, Edgar met with Baron Newand, reporting what he had found and turning over the remains of Asilomar. Both the Baron and his court were surprised at the news, indicating a group of adventurers had already reported clearing out the tower some time ago. Under the Baron’s blessing, the rest of the party was able to cash out the treasure at full value. Brasnia (through speak with dead) was extensively interrogated by Tharin and Edgar, to clarify the character and intentions of Damlegan Gault. The Silver Blades decided to split ways so Edgar and Tharin could teleport to Caldbush to report to Lawrence Highcamp about his wife, as well as travel to Saltmarsh to check in with Baron Strifelan. Arianna and the remainder of the party teleported to Altguard seeking out the evil Kord had spoken of. Highcamp’s response to Edgar and Tharin went poorly, as the grieving husband looked to cast blame and wanted retribution. The two PCs also briefly spoke with Antoinette Roundmarch when she mistook Tharin as Adimarch Verbane. In Altguard, the Silver Blades gathered information about the area, learning of the Craven Judge Tavern in Marsaic which is known to use a “blue door”. The episode ended with the party discussing which direction to go next.

Combat: None.

Episode 66

Date: January 12, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Joe, Leigh

Summary: Arriving in Saltmarsh on schedule, Edgar and Tharin went immediately to meet with Baron Strifelen, in order to report their findings on the disappearance of Edna Highcamp. Strifelen was relieved to see the Arm of Galunid had returned, and both sides shared information about the happenings across the duchy. Wanting to rejoin their allies quickly, Edgar and Tharin did some quick shopping, then teleported to Marsic. In Altguard, the remainder of the Silver Blades hastily prepared themselves and teleported to Marsic, finding the town to be one-tenth the size of the population of Altguard. Looking around town, the group quickly found the Craven Judge Tavern along with the recently sought after blue door. Due to a logistical error by the DM, the party chose to investigate around the town, then set out east to setup camp for the day, waiting for Edgar and Tharin to arrive. Arianna spent much of her time in prayer, looking for guidance from Kord, but receiving audience from Hennet instead. After Edgar and Tharin arrived at the camp, the Silver Blades returned to Marsic to face the "blue door", but found Arianna swept away by the spirit of Kord, in order to do battle. After narrowly losing to the god of battle, she was returned to her primary plane of existence, only to find a naked warrior woman lying on top of her in a nearly stream. As the remainder of the party eventually found Arianna, a conversation with the soon conscious warrior woman proved futile as she was unable to speak in any of the party's known dialects or written aspects of communication. Instead of waiting until evening for Edgar's binding to provide more information, the Silver Blades thought to deal with Arianna's blue door, in order to understand why Kord had directed her there. Upon making preparations to deal with what was behind the door, Edgar decided to take "Free" (as she later referred to herself as), shopping for clothes while the remainder of the party eagerly awaited the outcome of Arianna's encounter. As she crossed into the tavern area of the Craven Judge, Arianna was quick to locked eyes with Father Ryan Aidem, a suspected priest of Hextor who had masqueraded as a follower of Obad-Hai. Seeing someone so diametrically opposed to her alignment, Arianna initiated combat, but was forced to retreat after being disarmed several times. When she recovered, she found Aidem had absconded with one of her swords, and had fled the scene in disguise.

Combat: Arianna engaged Father Ryan Aidem in one-on-one combat, leaving both to take tactical retreats.

Episode 67

Date: January 26, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Leigh

Summary: As soon as Arianna was able to touch base with the rest of the party outside of the Craven Judge, Joran quickly cast locate object on Arianna's lost longsword and was able to determine where Father Ryan had fled off to. Joran took to the air and was able effectively track down Father Ryan, as he is rode toward the hills southwest of town. While the main group of the Silverblades dealt with the minions of Hextor, Edgar was committed to some early evening shopping to make sure Free was dressed appropriately. Leaving a Marsic tailor, Edgar's enhanced senses realized the pair was being followed by a gnoll, who was disguised as an elf. Quick to confront him, the gnoll indicated he was ordered to deliver a scroll to Edgar, via command by the shaman of his tribe. Examining the scroll revealed instructions for summoning an extra-planar creature; just a manifestation that would be able to talk, not a summon monster spell. Choosing to deal with this scroll sooner than later, Edgar gathered the necessary components, and made his way outside of town. Joran continued to pursue Father Ryan, using his invocations to slow him down and prevent his escape. As soon as Arianna arrived, combat initiated again. This time, Father Ryan was killed, and a search of his body found articles confirming him as a follower of Hextor. Edgar followed the summoning instructions on the scroll, bringing forth the spirit of Alwug, who entreated his former master to slay Damlegan Gault at the behest of Yeenoghu, demon prince of gnolls. Tentatively agreeing to do so, Alwug departed, mentioning that he would contact Edgar again in the near future. As Edgar and Free rejoined the party for the evening, their camp was attacked by a blue dragon named Lazaward, searching out Arianna. Although nearly killing Arianna, the dragon was slain. Further questioning of Father Ryan's corpse revealed there to be a contingent of Hextor followers in Marsic. Praying to Kord for guidance, Arianna found a fallen crusader of Kord named Rosentos Hissenbolt, who was killed by Lazaward while his party was searching out a temple of Hextor. Rosentos was able to provide some information about the whereabouts of the temple, and requested his electrum necklace to be retrieved and returned to his home temple in Aspenbrook. As the episode came to a close, the party sought to move on the Hextorians living in the Marsic area, particularly the Lord Mayors's seneschal.

Combat: Father Ryan Aidem was slain by Arianna, and the Silver Blades were able to repeal and defeat a mature adult blue dragon.

Episode 68

Date: February 2, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: After assessing their situation, the Silver Blades discussed the merits of dealing with any Hextorians in Marsic verses going directly after the Temple of the Lord of Tyranny, which was supposedly southwest of town. As the PCs attempted to gain a semblance of rest after dealing with Lazaward in the middle of the night, several members of the group dealt with their own issues. Arthos O’Connol spent the morning in prayer to Kord, looking for guidance. Being granted a vision, the Greatsword Lord charged Arthos with crushing the enemies of the faith, particularly the members of this particular sect of Hextor; there was also some talk of dealing with a Vecna presence as well. Omega was again overcome with the desire to travel east, and seemed distracted during his usual spotless guard duty. When members of the party questioned him about the location of his space-time-continuum orb, he seemed confused at first, but then eventually was able to produce the orb in his hand. Demanding the orb, Arianna made contact with the globe and disappeared. Several party members attempted to locate her via telepathy or spells, but to no avail. After dealing with some residual damage, Arianna found she was located in a blinding white area that appeared void of anything. Taking several steps forward (she seemed to have a semblance of gravity), she decided it best to let go of the orb, and she reappeared in front of the party. Omega later put away the orb for safe keeping. Free seemed interested in Arianna’s physical response to the ordeal, indicating Arianna had gone through a door, but was coy when pressed for details. The party was later joined by Lilith and Tharin, as they were taking care of other matters which were pertinent to their persons. Edgar summoned several large eagles to help transport the party quickly to the hilly areas outside of town. As the party set down to begin tracking into the gully areas, two elder air elementals (a security system for the temple) attacked the Silver Blades while in the open, attempting to toss party members around the battlefield. As the Silver Blades worked to dispatch the extraplanar creatures, a group of eight athatch lumbered along, throwing rocks at Omega. Edgar attempted to dissuade them telepathically, but was unsuccessful. After destroying the air elementals, the party made quick work of the athatch, thanks to Joran’s and Arthos’s abilities to help control the flow of battle during the combat.

Combat: The Silver Blades destroyed two elder air elementals and eight athatch.

Episode 69

Date: February 9, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: The bodies of the athatch clan were piled together and burned, since there was no tangible loot to be taken; ears were tagged for bounty reimbursement when the Silver Blades planned to return to town. As the party continued toward the southwest, Koronae saw the smoke from the distance and flew down to rejoin the party. Sensing a storm in the area and Lilith confirming an unnatural cold front coming in from the west, Koronae warned the group to take shelter in the hills. Edgar summoned two earth elementals to dig out a space in the hillside and the group stayed safe for the night. During the evening hours, Edgar’s telepathic senses noticed two spectres passing over the area, but the duo seemed to ignore the PCs. Morning arrived after the storm, and the PCs continued to the Temple of the Lord of Tyranny. Using a combination of Edgar’s raven and Lilith’s tracking skills, the Silver Blades were able to make it to the abandoned temple. A thorough sweep of the first floor indicated no one had occupied the structure for some time. With the Hextorians having abandoned the temple at some point, followers of Heironeous had vandalized the sanctuary area, defacing religious symbols and looting the place; mostly everything was cleared out. The party moved onto the second floor and found much of the same. The library still held tomes of the faith, but much was left scattered about. Hidden behind a secret door, a weapons locker was found empty, even though the door trap was set. In the living quarters, gouts of dried blood were found on the floor, but no physical remains of corpses were seen. On to the third floor, the PCs revealed only three rooms dedicated to the former high priest of the temple. Upon opening the executive living area, the party found several crates containing the mysterious red powder which has appeared in several instances throughout the campaign. Along with the boxes of powder, a small lab guarded by two metal statues (blood golems of Hextor) was investigated. As Arianna walked into the room, the golems animated and attacked, but were dealt with quickly. A second room with many more boxes was found, as the floor was cleared. Choosing to check out the basement, the party revealed a secret floor door found inadvertently by Arianna pulling sconces from upstairs. Descending through the opening, the Silver Blades encountered two more blood golems in an underground area, and destroyed them.

Combat: Two pairs of blood golems of Hextors were cleared out of the abandoned temple.

Episode 70

Date: February 16, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Leigh, Lori

Summary: Arthos, Magnus, and Cassandra continued to picket the area for the remains of the athatch bodies from the ambush that happened the day before. While his two compatriots made sure to properly burn the bodies, Arthos sought refuge in prayer to Kord, looking for guidance in how to deal with the menace of Hextor. While fervently meditating on the precepts of the Greatsword Lord, Arthos felt Kord’s presence briefly, letting the warpriest know that another follower of Kord would soon be upon him, and to help guide her to strike down Hextor. Lori (I forgot her PC’s name) had seen the smoke from miles away and had committed to investigate the sight having just been led to the forests of Shiramet by a wood woad druid. The druid had warned her of a great danger facing the area: a four-armed creature was wantonly murdering travelers it came into contact with. Upon arriving at the funeral pyre, Lori chose to ally herself with the three adventurers, looking for safety in numbers. The group of four continued southwest, following the trail left by the rest of the party on their way to the Temple of the Lord of Tyranny. While underneath the temple, the Silver Blades inspected the area after their battle with the blood golems, realizing they were not in some run-down abandoned religious site, but a well-maintained temple dedicated to Hextor. Edgar returned to the surface to lead Arthos’s group through the wilds, via his summoned raven. As the group of four made it to the temple area, Magnus pointed out they had been followed, possibly by a group of three men wearing robes. As the party reunited in the underground area, Edgar’s senses confirmed Magnus’s suspicions, as three humans crept onto the temple grounds looking to gain access to the subterranean levels; he also sensed an undead presence ascending a central staircase. Joran and Magnus barred the secret entrance by jamming the lock behind them. Edgar was able to ascertain the undead to be a ghost, and attempted to communicate with the creature, who rebuffed him for invading a holy area to Hextor. The conversation became more aggressive when the ghost passed into a holding area activating a squad of four blood golems. Combat ensued with the party using the combined might to defeat the constructs. Another four blood golems were activated, and their demise soon followed. The episode ended with the party investigating a new sanctuary, and discussing which direction to go next.

Combat: Eight blood golems of Hextors were destroyed, and the three monks were prevented from outflanking the party.

Episode 71

Date: February 23, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Jorge, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: Tharin remained at the top of the basement staircase, ensuring that members of the Silver Blades were not outflanked by the three mysterious individuals who moved around the upper levels. Although the mechanism for the trapdoor was already jammed, he went one step further, nailing a door spike into the entry way preventing anyone from breeching the entrance. Further below, the remainder of the PCs checked out hidden sanctuary to Hextor, looking for more traps similar to the one Magnus sprung. Ensuring the area was clear, the party found several unholy clerical accoutrements for ceremonies. A locked door to the vestry was easily overcome, and several fine robes and a chest were recovered; the chest contained a small fortune and a book of attendance to the Hextorian services. Another closet revealed a kidnapped dwarf named Argygas, who had been tied up by the followers of Hextors and was being saved for sacrifice later. As it was early in the evening and several casters wished to rest and recover spells, the Silver Blades decided to camp for the evening, with Edgar ordering a summoned earth elemental to dig out a 30’ x 30’ area for the party to bivouac in safely. During the night, the Hextorian ghost, which had accosted the party previously, returned and was able to momentarily possess Omega. Quick thinking party members were able to force the spirit from the warforged, and calling upon the power of Kord, Arthos was able to turn the creature, forcing it to flee the area. Taking extra time to ensure everyone was fully rested, the party started again just after noontime, with an earth elemental digging out a tunnel for the party to access the lower levels. As the Silver Blades moved through the tunnel, Argygas noted the instability of the area and encouraged the party to move forward quickly into the sub-basement areas. The Hextorian ghost also returned and briefly spied on the party’s activities according to Edgar’s telepathy. Having arrived in a broom closet, the party moved forward into an open area containing two blood golems of Hextor. As combat ensued, an Aspect of Hextor arrived on the battlefield, but was quickly dispatched. Further enemies arrived including a heavily armored high priest to Hextor, several undead warriors, a crusader to Hextor, and new versions of the blood golems. The combat ended since it was close to midnight, and will resume immediately this weekend when everyone is ready to go.

Combat: Three blood golems of Hextors were destroyed and a ghost was turned multiple times, but several more adversaries remained.

Episode 72

Date: March 2, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Leigh, Lori

Summary: The combat from Episode 71 continued in the sub-basement area of the Temple of the Lord of Tyranny. The Silver Blades held an open area connected to the storage closet from which they emerged via the tunnel created by Edgar’s earth elemental. Five blood golems of Hextor, several undead, and a handful of humans sustained their defense of the underground area, fighting through two main double door areas. The first enemy to fall was the last blood golem of the first squad encountered, leaving a bloody mess on the floor. Moving past the remains, five undead warriors (later to be found out to be swordwraiths) moved up with a crusader of Hextor, while receiving support from a high priest of Hextor. The high priest was heavily armored and difficult to hit at the outset of the combat, prompting the DM to refer to him as “Father Abrams”. A second squad of more advanced blood golems moved forward from the southern doorway, and engaged Cassandra and Omega, in which the two Silver Blades tanks prevented the constructs from flooding into the area. This group was directed by another cleric who was unseen at the initial part of the combat, due to no line of sight opportunities by the party. As the combat persisted, Blackthorn, the undead leader of the swordwraiths, targeted Arianna as his group reached the doorway. [As a background note, Blackthorn was originally named Brandon Blackthorn and was a member of the Soul Chasers from the “Revenge of the Lich” campaign. He and his mercenaries were destroyed by the Order of the Red Star.] The crusader of Hextor (sister of Ryan Adair) moved past the entranceway when an opening was made available, and flanked Omega from the rear. Using her heavy flail and Improved Disarm, the crusader was able to neutralize the warforged’s greatsword, leaving it clattering on the ground. With the party using their various spellcasting and supernatural abilities, the PCs were able to overcome the surge from the east doorway, killing the crusader of Hextor and destroying most of the swordwraiths. Tharin used invisibility to outflank and kill the high priest of Hextor, as he attempted to stay in the back and spellcast past the undead. Only one of the advanced blood golems of Hextor was destroyed leaving three more and the controlling cleric. The combat ended since it was close to midnight, and will resume immediately this weekend when everyone is ready to go for Episode 73....

Combat: One standard blood golem of Hextor and one advanced blood golem of Hextor were destroyed. The crusader of Hextor, Blackthorn and three of his minions were killed.

Episode 73

Date: March 9, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Korie, Leigh

Summary: With three more advanced blood golems Hextor and their controlling priest, the Silver Blades continued the combat which started near the end of Episode 71. The PCs maintained their hold on the southern doorway to the underground complex, resisting the temptation to push further into hallway and allowing the golem to engage the party in a single file manner. The priest of Hextor continued to cast spells at the party, but was not effective in deterring the group. Edgar and Koronae moved through the complex in order to outflank their adversaries, calling upon astral devas and elementals to help target their foes. The combat was resolved quickly, more opponents were slain and the Silver Blades took control of the level. As the bodies of the enemy were inspected, Edgar's mindsight sensed another priest, hiding in a storeroom adjacent to the area used for creating blood golems. After capturing him, the party continued their room to room search, looking for anything else of value. During this process, Joran was contacted by Rio Dalaq, encouraging him to meet on an upper level. Eluding the party with a ring of mind shielding and a dimension door spell, Joran and Rio traded information for favors; Rio also repaid him for an altercation that happened at the Temple of Zur. With Joran coming up missing, Omega stopped the party’s actions and ordered Koronae to scry for Joran, who returned a few minutes later claiming to have blanked out. Having cleared this level, the party continued further down another set of stairs, leading to a cavern area below. During the combat which last multiple episodes, Edgar had established humans, undead, and outsiders moving about below the level they were on. However, the party did not find any of the adversaries that Edgar had sensed. Initially, an underground lake was found which turned up nothing of importance; one of the open areas did contain some bits of bones which had been trampled over for some time. Searching the caverns turned up naught, except for a large iron pole covered with Hextor runes set in the ground and the cavern ceiling. Using the combined might of several PCs, the pole was torn down and plans to transport it to the surface were talked about. The PCs ascended the stairs at the far ended of the cavern, which led toward the surface, with Arianna still looking for Rosentos Hissenbolt’s remains. The game ended early because of daylight-savings time.....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 74

Date: March 16, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: The Silver Blades continued to clear out the area designated as Level D. Joran continued to get an uneasy feeling about the underground lakes at the southern end of the cavern, while Edgar’s earth elementals continued to pull down the Sustant of Hextor. Joran surmised the water might have something to do with the Tears of Alyolvoy, but the party instead focused on finishing the task at hand of clearing out the entire complex. Tharin ascended a natural stone staircase to Level E, finding Lazaward’s lair as well as the rooms housing Blackthorn and his swordwraiths. The treasure was collected and enumerated by some of the party, while the rest of the group disabled the portcullis blocking their way. Continuing toward the opening to the outside, the PCs defeated two blood golem set as guards, and disabled several more traps left by the priests of Hextor to guard the secondary entrance to the underground areas. Edgar magically contacted the Baron of Shiramet informing him of the need to send support to the Lord Mayor of Marsic because of the recent events. Summoning horses via Joran’s wands, the party traveled back to Marsic with the intent of ferreting out the remaining presence of Hextor. The party rented out the Craven Judge tavern as a base of operations; Lilith enjoyed the opportunity to practice her bartending skills. Using the list of names gathered from the Hextorian prayer book, specific individuals were questioned, as the party looked for a way to gain more traction on their investigation. Edgar, Arianna, and Joran teleported to Enstol to speak directly with Baron Newand on the seriousness of the situation, who ordered the Hardened Edge to become directly involved in the situation. Rejoining their comrades via teleport, the PCs rounded up several suspects, with the help of the recently deputized Silver Blades members. Aside from the one-tenth of the population being incarcerated, a secret priest of Vecna was flushed out and another duplicate of Tharin was found (Arianna confirmed who he was by investigating the brandings on his back). Praying to Kord, Arianna confirmed that time was running out on stopping Damlegan Gault and Vosler Truemper, whatever their plans may be, and that Edgar is still trustworthy, even though the people he has associated himself with are a danger to the followers of Kord and disdain the precepts of other good-aligned entities....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 75

Date: March 23, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James D., Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Joe, Korie

Summary: With the Hardened Edge arriving in Marsic, the Silver Blades found less of a need to stay as the business regarding the zealots of Hextor was more of a concern for the local government of Shiramet than for the adventurers who were following Kord’s guidance. Disagreements arose about how to further process the suspects and how to house them arose, and Edgar felt it was time for the party to move on. Arthos made a connection with Kord, who reiterated his message to Arianna about how several powerful entities are up to no good with their evil and insane plans. Noticing one of his fellow clones, Tharin individually questioned Aeron about his origin, finding that Aeron and others like him were being actively hunted by Vosler Truemper. According to Aeron, he awoke in Kentfasser and made his way to Southwell, after being united with his fellow clones by a man named Fausto Earthbane, who often referred to Adimarch Verbane as “father”. Arthos, Kasandra, and Koronae chose to investigate an abandoned tobacco farm to the southeast of the town as a possible opportunity to begin a temple to Kord. While inspecting the property, they dispatched a small group of zombies, and found evidence of a wagon having hidden in the farmhouse the previous evening; the PCs suspected this also helped transport the extraplanar creature Edgar sensed in the Hextorian temple. Looking to help Aeron, Tharin went to some lengths to conceal that he secretly freed his twin, although members of the Hardened Edge came into conflict when the two were trying to leave. Wishing to get back home sooner than later, the Silver Blades trekked by to Enstol to touch base with Baron Newand, who granted each of the attending members various boons of thanks for what the Silver Blades had done for the Barony of Shiramet. A free teleport spell dropped the party back home in Saltmarsh, where the Baron of Galunid was visited and information was shared. Baron Strifelen seemed most concerned with rumors about Eurythnulites in Castle Alderman, and the revealing of a church of Hextor within Saltmarsh itself. Forcing the issue, the PCs decided eliminating the Hextorians should be the first order of business. The party was able to quickly and effectively infiltrate the church, catching several members during a night service and arrested them without any altercation. The episode ended with the discussion about the list of threats and which one to deal with first....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 76

Date: April 13, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Leigh

Summary: As the party reconvened back in Saltmarsh, the initial discussion focused on which direction the Silver Blades should go, in regard to the threats which were felt to carry the most weight. Edgar spoke at length with Baron Strifelan, looking for wisdom on the situation, but the Baron deferred to Edgar’s instincts, since he had shown great success as of late in seeking out troubles and resolving them. Arthos sought advice in prayer and connected with Kord, who indicated the greatest threat was Damlegan Gault, but a closer threat to home would be the followers of Eurythnul residing in Alendar and/or in the forests surrounding Castle Adlermann in the northern part of Galunid. Kord also related that the issues with Free needed to be cleared up, and that Arthos must “travel to Aspenbook and get lost”. As the party reassembled, Edgar sent Arthos north via teleport, while the remainder of the Silver Blades contended to investigate the issue surround the militant attitude of the local lizardfolk tribe. Arthos arrived in Aspenbrook and quickly became lost, as well as having his belt pouch and weapon stolen, by halfling pickpockets. While chasing one of the culprits down, he found his weapon near the church of Yondalla. He entered to find his belt pouch and learned more about the symbol he had seen several times earlier. Speaking with the high priestess, more information was doled out about an entity called the Purifier. Not wanting to tarry, he returned to Saltmarsh on the next day. During his absence, the Silver Blades trekked into the swamp, but were rebuffed to stay away by a lizardfolk patrol. Learning that Frothix was dead and Regator had consolidated his power on the throne, the party scryed to find Venthix (who was believed to be dead) as another opportunity to assuage the situation. Finding him near the destroyed crypt of Nerull, the party teleported to the far side of the Saltmarsh swamps to find him. Encountering a half-elf named Luxun, the PCs were led to Venthix and his group of exiled lizardfolk. Wishing to depose the treacherous Regator and place the youngest son of Frothix on the throne, Joran impersonated Venthix and challenged Regator to a trial by combat. After killing Regator during a protracted combat, the remainder of Regator’s advisors were executed and Venthix was secretly swapped back with Joran. The evening ended with more discussion about what direction the party should take in Episode 77......

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 77

Date: April 20, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: As Arthos continued to provide religious council to the lizardfolk and to Luxun, Arianna arrived at the throne mound of Venthix and rejoined the Silver Blades as the group continued to debate the merits of which avenue to take next in order to further secure the barony (and empire as well) from any threats deemed powerful enough to destroy it. It was decided amongst the party to further consult with Baron Strifelan back in Saltmarsh, looking for his guidance as well as an opportunity for the group to collectively rest from their protracted adventures away from home. Edgar consulted the priests of Kord for divine direction regarding Damlegan Gault. Reaffirming this, but also wishing to help Joran’s uncle, the party decided to journey to Celesthem to free the city from any threats. While preparing for travel to Celesthem via ship, Edgar encountered (Barda) Free in full battle dress, with the newfound ability to speak in the Common tongue. As she explained, her husband was able to dimensionally send her a device called a “Mother Box”, allowing her to heal her mind from the confusion which had overtaken her since she had arrived in the plane of existence. Free further noted that the four-armed humanoid (called “Rip Roar”) was a personal enemy of hers, also from her plane of existence, and she was determined to capture him in order to return him to their home dimension to stand trial for crimes against her people. The Silver Blades confirmed the connection between Free and the extra-planar balls of energy that had lingered around Omega, which were “alive” but not fully sentient. Again looking to close off a loose end that several party members believed was connected to safekeeping the realm, the Silver Blades teleported to Altguard with Free; the baron of Shiramet was not informed since the party had just left his principality only a week before and chose to not embroil themselves in the local politics again. While in country, the PCs learned Rip Roar was being accompanied by a group of barbarians called the Gray Beards, which profited off the spoils left behind during Rip Roar’s rampage through the countryside. Using her Mother Box to lure Rip Roar, the Silver Blades were able to overcome him and Free placed her enemy inside of a stasis field. Guessing the dimensional fissure which brought Free and Rip Roar to this plane was near the badlands in eastern Galunid, the PCs teleported to Caldbush to begin their search....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 78

Date: April 27, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: The PCs continued making (and avoiding) contact with their connections in Caldbush, while trying to find a northwest route to the area that Free indicated was the location of the tear in the space-time continuum. Looking for any inside information about Damlegan Gault and the Ophes-treum, Edgar and Arianna visited Janetta Reese, but the encounter quickly turned sour when Arianna became belligerent toward her without provocation, ending a chance at a further dialogue. Moving on, Edgar sought out a guide to through the wilderness, and found Donald Brantreacle, who needed some convincing to take the job. While Edgar was pursing this endeavor, Arianna noticed his movements being tracked by a rogue who was recognized as one of Vosler Truemeper’s operatives. After determining the rogue was staying at the same inn as the Silver Blades, the PCs were put on high alert that Vosler might be in the area. The next morning, more representatives of Vosler contacted Edgar to attempt to persuade the Silver Blades to give up Rip Roar for an undisclosed sum. Their overtures were rebuffed, and the representatives indicated their master would not be pleased when their news was delivered. Leaving right away with Brantreacle, the party set out following the Galunid River, heading northwest into the wilderness. After crossing the Nottob River, a Leomund’s Secure Shelter was erected to provide lodging for the evening. During the night, a spellcaster pestered the party with several cloudkill spells, attempting to flush the party from the structure, but without any success. Bemused by the spells which were quickly dismissed, the party spent the rest of the evening preparing of the next day. In the morning, the journey continued, but was interrupted by an ambush of four Ire of Orcus demons. Choosing to stay up and away from the tanks, the outsiders attacked via eldritch blasts, initially focusing on Joran. Arthos was able to eventually use the holy might of Kord to force the demons to flee the area, saving the party from the encounter. The Silver Blades continued through the wilderness, following Free’s directions, settling down in the evening; this time, without Leomund’s Secure Shelter. A flock of rolling creatures (phargions from the last campaign) rolled into the camp during the evening hours, but the party was able to dispatch them more quickly. The episode ended with the party continuing the trip northwest....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 79

Date: May 4, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Joe, Leigh

Summary: After picketing the bodies of the phargions and piling them up for burning, the Silver Blades continued toward northwest in an attempt to find the space-time tear, and to return Free and Riproar back to their proper reality. The next morning, the PCs were greeted with near freezing temperatures as a cold front pushed in, even though most of the party was able to mitigate the climate change via Joran's abilities. During the next night, several more space-time continuum orbs appeared from the north, accosting Omega by circling around his head then leaving in quick succession. To communicate with the orbs, Omega touched one and saw a vision of an amputated warforged in need of aid, then the orb flew away quickly. Joran scouted from where the orbs departed to and found several crags within the hilly areas. Further investigation led him to a rocky outcropping with the crippled warforged watching over two humans. As the party moved closer to render aid, Donald mentioned ambush possibilities and Joran was sent ahead to entreat the trio if they needed aid. Soon after the three were teleported to the main camp, where the Silver Blades discovered Dr. Pickle and his son Freddy had saved the warforged scout (named Perth) from the bottom of a ravine while fleeing from a group of phargions. Deciding to keep the three survivors out of harm’s way, Joran teleported himself and the threesome back to Caldbush for further medical attention; before they left Free did her best to provide Edgar the materials to sculpt a substitute leg for Perth. Back on track, the PCs were able to make it to what the group believed to be an underground opening to access the trans-dimensional portal Free had described. More phargion were dispatched as the party investigated the cave system. Eventually Edgar used his ability to summon temporary walls of iron to block off any future phargion attackers, while also engaging a kython slaughterking who had also taken up residence in the underground area. Edgar surmised why Vosler wanted to keep the portal open by the gouts of power displayed when supernatural abilities were used. Although several bizarre side-effects were witnessed (such as the kython disappearing then reappearing), the party was able to dispatch their enemies along with a cadaver collector who was ordered to protect the gemstones arranged upon the altar in order to open the portal....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 80

Date: May 11, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Jennifer, Leigh

Summary: While Free continued to work with her Mother Box in order to calibrate a message signal back to her dimension, the remainder of the party investigated the bodies of the slain creatures from last episodes battle. During this time, allowing curiosity to get the better of him, Warwick stepped too close to the space-time tear and was sucked inside. Noticing his henchman was missing, Edgar surmised what had happened and jumped through the portal as well. Arriving in a vast blank area (similar to what Arianna had experienced when she tried to connect with Omega’s energy orbs), Edgar retrieved an unconscious Warwick, noticing his footprints began to replicate soil and grass from areas he had stepped in previous travels. Of greater note was the gradual appearance of a kython in larva stage, leading Edgar to experiment with retrieving a bit of gnoll dander (remnants of his time spent with Alwug) from his backpack in order to create a male and female gnoll; named Alwug and Arianna respectively. A stunted lizardfolk creature also appeared with the same blank slate as the gnolls and was quickly given the name of Frothix. Noticing ruins farther away, he and Warwick traveled to a burned out city, finding the results of some sort of disaster. Upon speaking with the dead, Edgar learned the city was named Houston, and that some sort of cataclysm was triggered by the appearance of a winged humanoid high in the sky. Returning to the grove where he started, the two found a human named Loris riding what looked like a winged tiger. After speaking with Loris, Edgar learned of the Arcadian tribe which also had a similar (but much less apocalyptic) entry to this dimension. Realizing they needed to return home, Edgar and Warwick returned through the tear and were reunited with the party. After the party was back on track, Joran and Arianna teleported to Aspenbrook to return the effects of Rosentos to the temple of Kord; an alcove to celebrate his good works was to be erected. While in town, Arianna learned of a mysterious sinkhole appearing and how several paladins disappeared during the exploration. She also found Damlegan Gault visited the area recently for unknown reasons. Omega had a vision of Kord while meditating and had several of his questions answered. Joran patiently waited for the party to travel to Celesthem to help save his uncle to no avail. The episode ended with the party discussing which direction to go next, and what adversary to deal with....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 81

Date: May 25, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: Back in Saltmarsh, the Silver Blades continued to organize and re-equip to deal with Lyran Tigid either in Alendar or at Castle Alderman, while awaiting Joran and Arianna to return from their mission in Aspenbrook. Omega and Edgar finalized their battle plan and where group would use teleport to first to take care of. Joran and Arianna continued to investigate the location of the Blade of the Last Citadel once held by a Kordian warrior named Alihaz Knightwar who died 95 years ago, which was revealed to Arianna in a vision to Kord. Further investigation pointed towards Drasnia to the far east of Valderin. In order to avoid being followed, both PCs disguised themselves as paupers who had accumulated enough coin for the Zarcurcus Association to teleport them to a temple of Wee Jas in Drasnia. When arriving at the Temple of the Devout Jasidin, the duo were able to blend into the city while searching for the tomb of Knightwar. Looking to stay out of sight, Joran and Arianna located the Temple of the Red Brawler to petition the clerics of Kord to help direct them in their cause; Alihaz’s crypt was located to the west of the city in the municipal graveyard. Praying to Kord at the gravesite, Arianna spoke with Alihaz, who gave her his blessing to retrieve the blade from his tomb, but that she would have to prove her mettle by defeating the protective measures put in place. Knowing the party needed them soon, both decided to return to Saltmarsh. Edgar continued to harvest information about the location of Santo Koribayed’s body, and sought audience with the high priest at the Temple of the Tower of Glory to learn more about Vosler’s attack on the Heironean Citadel of the Shining Blade; details were sketchy, but the facility partially survived with Vosler leaving the area partially intact. With the party reunited, the Silver Blades teleported to Castle Alderman in the Galunid Forest, north of Saltmarsh. Arriving outside the structure, the PCs delved inside, finding evidence of other beings moving into the dungeon areas. Encountering and subduing several guards (who were suspected supporters of Eurythnul), the remainder of the dungeon was alerted to their presence, and a stalemate ensued around a chokepoint neither group wanted to become engaged in. Faustina (Tigid’s personal mage) and Mickey Cornsyrup both attempted to parlay the situation, in order to stall, but eventually combat ensued with the Silver Blades eliminating their enemies.....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 82

Date: June 8, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Leigh

Summary: After rounding up the remains of the followers of Erythnul, the Silver Blades greeted and feed the large contingent of kidnaped victims that were held in the dungeon area of Castle Alderman. Among them was Tharin, who related he had infiltrated the slave caravan, and was attempting to gain further information on where the money trail would lead to. While seeking refuge in prayer, Arianna was again approached by the fallen spirits of the three paladins she encountered when she first arrived back in Episode 16. While communing with them, she learned members of House Tigid had arrived and murdered the contingent of Kord and Heironeous clerics sent to purify the temple after the PCs had cleared it out originally. It took some time, but the party was able to eventually teleport everyone back to Saltmarsh and hand the refugees over the Baron Strifelen so he could aid them. Speaking to Kord through prayer, the Greatsword Lord instilled in Arianna to continue seeking out Vosler and Damlegan Gault, as they were still causing trouble in the realm. Edgar continued his quest to stamp out any cultists in the barony, by traveling outside of its boundaries to Alendar looking to confront Lyran Tigid himself. Learning from various sources he had gone south, the party surmised Lyran was looking to connect with the rumors that Santo Koribayed had returned. The party followed suit, teleporting off to Jutesgrove to learn more of the entourage that Tigid was traveling with. Arriving in town, Edgar was summarily questioned by Lord Mayor Aninion about to why the PCs were out of their barony. Acquiring a ranger to help track through the plains of Fanderword, the Silver Blades set out west, finding the remains of several merchant caravans which had succumbed to attacks by Koribayed. On the third day of tracking, the party came upon the remains of the Tigid entourage finding the severed head of Lyran Tigid. After speaking with the dead and camping for the evening, the party was awoken by screams and combat in the distance. Omega set out to find the source of the commotion with several party members following behind. Catching up with Koribayed, the party initiated combat with him, finding it very difficult to overwhelm him. As Koribayed finally fell, the remains of the body indicated the creature posing as Koribayed was an advanced construct with an illusionary enchantment. The party looted the remains keeping the glamor-laden gemstone....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 83

Date: June 15, 2013

Attendance: James D., Jason

Summary: Edgar and Joran continued to investigate the area taking samples of the construct which posed as Santo Koribayed. Enough pieces were collected, and the Silver Blades chose to backtrack to their hired ranger, then back further to the remains of Lyran Tigid’s entourage. Remains were buried, and the PCs teleported back to Saltmarsh leaving several captured horses for the ranger to ride back to town to cash in. Both Edgar and Joran met with Baron Strifelen, reporting the activities of the Silver Blades. The Baron indicated he wished for the Silver Blades to stay closer to Galunid, although he did acquiesce to the fact their deeds brought glory to all of Valderin. The party spent the rest of the day investigating if there were any other happenings that seemed out of the norm: a crusader appearing in Drasnia, bizarre creatures near Kentfasser, the Brotherhood of the Vorpal Tusk becoming more aggressive, the Folding Circle expanding in Celesthem, and Cragnar continuing his banditry near the Massif of Pantreath. Turning to the wizard’s guild, the remains of the construct were found to be made in the Theocracy of the Pale; back in Greyhawk where Vosler came from. Joran made contact with Rio, looking to acquire a cursed magic item, while Edgar met with the High Priest of the Temple of the Tower of Glory to inform the followers of Heironeous that their initial efforts to cleanse Castle Alderman had failed and their priests were slaughtered. Being summoned the next day to meet with the Baron, the Silver Blades were informed the PCs were stripped of their status as Arm of the Barony; Strifelen felt this would better free up the party to continue fighting on without needing political delicacy. Soon after, Joran and Edgar were invited to meet with the head of the city council, who made overtures of political sway if Edgar chose to throw his influence into his camp. Although tempted, Edgar was able to avoid commitment, excusing himself from the situation. As the Silver Blades returned to the inn where they were staying, the group was accosted by several vagrants stating they had a message to pass to Edgar. The situation soon turned violent as the beggars were Hextorian monks. Combat ensued in the middle of the street as both sides (along with summoned elementals) fought hand-to-hand, with the PCs eventually gaining the upper hand. The episode ended with the PCs teleporting to Aspenbrook to speak with the elven oracle....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 84

Date: June 22, 2013

Attendance: James D., Jason, Jennifer, Jerry

Summary: Having finished their business with the elven oracle, the Silver Blades continue to harvest information about the Damelgan Gault and Vosler Truemper. Having stayed in town from previous episodes, Arthos continued his own private investigation, not realizing his fellow Silver Blades were in the area. The main aspect of his focus was the recent sinkhole which appeared over the Lillybrook Orphanage. Prevented by the town guardsman, Arthos was able navigate as best as he could to see he could get a better look at the situation. Edgar later joined him and using his sensory abilities and control of earth elementals, he was able to determine that the hole was probably not a naturally occurring phenomena and some sort of aberration was still farther beneath the area. Joran spoke with the local thieves’ guild and concluded there are several hewn-out underground spots where middlemen and rogues go about trading their illegal goods. The party went on to speak with the local sage who enlightened the group further about Damlegan Gault, providing much information; the exception was a real name. Further pressing the sage, the Silver Blades learned that a member of the Ophes-treum had family in Aspenbrook; Sivie Soulwolf’s deceased parents formerly owned a tavern in the merchant district. Finding Soulwolf, Edgar initiated contact, indicating he was finally interested in taking up the offer of Gault to join the Ophes-treum. Soulwolf confessed to the plan of bringing forth the Purifier, but the goal was to overthrow the tyrannical regime of the Duke. While interviewing him, Arthos remained in the outside alley, praying to Kord. The Greatsword Lord appeared in a vision directing Arthos to immediately slay this “tentacle of Gault”; Kord mentioned his actions would exonerate Arthos of the crime. Not wanting to displease his deity, Arthos entered the tavern and directly attacked Soulwolf with Joran’s help. Using his bardic abilities, Soulwolf fascinated Joran and Arthos, before Edgar was able to summon an air elemental to break the charm effect. Searching the body, several bardic items were found along with a chest tattoo of the symbol of the Patient One. Surrendering to the town watch and providing evidence that Soulwolf was a cultist, the Silver Blades could go free, but with a stern warning about vigilante actions. The party returned to Saltmarsh to consolidate their resources, and to speak further with Baron Strifelen....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 85

Date: June 29, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: After praying and training for several days, Arianna and Omega rejoined the Silver Blades while the group was reconnecting with Baron Strifelen about their recent excursion, in order to find out more information about Damlegan Gault and the location of the Ophres-treum’s base of operations. Joran used his magical remote and was able to locate Gaulttown in the mountains of the Barony of Conderight. Encouraged by Kord and the elven oracle, the party agreed that finding the Blade of the Last Citadel would greatly assist the PCs in dealing with the enemies of Valderin. After finalizing their plans, the Silver Blades teleported west of Drasnia to the gravesite of Alihaz Knightwar, entering the crypt area below the mausoleum. Joran’s sensing of secret doors allowed him to quickly realize the area under the cemetery had been used by thieves and smugglers, as there were several hidden areas which held possible stolen goods. Leaving the crates behind, the party continued through complex, finding evidence of cultist activity, and eventually coming upon an intelligent construct, standing near a pool of water. Joran was sniped by magic missiles as he peered around the corner, but everyone was soon at ease when the construct hailed Arianna as a champion of Kord. In order to retrieve the sword that Arianna sought, she bested the construct (who requested she free him from his obligation of guarding this area) and she was able to collect her prize. While Joran greedily investigated the treasure remains of other persons who had trifled with the construct, a spectral lurker came upon the party, but was chased off by two of Edgar’s earth elementals. Teleporting to Pollspire, the PCs questioned the locals for information about the Ophes-treum. While Arianna prayed at a shrine to Kord, she again was drawn into a vision and battled Kord while in the hall of the Greatsword Lord. Finally defeating him, she was whisked into another reality where she encountered aspects of several of the major personalities encountered by the Silver Blades during the campaign. The most notable happenstance was coming upon a visage of Damlegan Gault, as some sort of angelic figure who had been beaten and his wings mutilated. Observing her surroundings, Arianna was able to get a clear picture that all Gault needed to complete his master plan was to obtain the body of Santo Koribayed. The vision and episode ended with the party discussing the vision....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 86

Date: July 6, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Leigh

Summary: Several missing party members teleported into Pollspire to join up with the rest of the Silver Blades as the group continued to investigate the questionable activities involving the citizens of the village. Edgar insisted upon finding some sort of weakness that would allow the Silver Blades to gain greater insight into the dealings with the Ophes-treum. While staying at the Saintly Succubus, the party learned how the Baron of Shiramet was stricken by a strange disease, leaving him bedridden in Enstol. Having close ties with Baron Newand, Edgar dispatched Arthos, Kasandra, and Ivy to help with the situation; Joran provided the teleportation, but he also was looking to find several magic items. Continuing their investigation in Pollspire, Edgar, Arianna, and Omega learned the town constable was an extraplanar creature of some unspecified type. Asking around the area, the word was this new constable arrived recently, and replaced the previous under the order of Lord Mayor LeVand, who spends most of his time in a dilapidated keep outside of town. Being summoned for a meeting with Damlegan Gault, Edgar spoke of how he was involved in the death of an Ophes-treum bard. Gault indicated his offer to Edgar to join his group was rescinded. Gault teleported away leaving his female consort, who also disappeared when she realizeds she was surrounded. As this happened, the Silver Blades who has teleported to Enstol were able to acquire a magic item to help mitigate the baron’s disease. Arthos continued to investigate how the baron continued to relapse with the disease, suspecting someone was intentionally re-infecting him. Overtures were made to the thieves’ guild for information, and a location was determined of a possible suspect who might be the cause of the recent happenings. While trekking overland to the location, the party was ambushed by two demons, but Joran was able to turn the tide. A warning was left with the Thieves’ Guild for their betrayal, and the group prepped to return to Pollspire. The remaining PCs in Pollspire attempted to push the constable into an unfavorable situation, with Omega and Arianna engaging in fisticuffs in the middle of the village square. Confronted by local law-enforcement and ordered to stand down, Omega continued to defy orders belligerently. Across town, Edgar noticed Gault’s consort reappeared and was coming toward him while he was enjoying a drink at a tavern....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 87

Date: July 13, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Leigh

Summary: With Omega and Constable Belus about to come to blows, a retired paladin named Gaston Reverchon was able to step in and calm both parties, avoiding any bloodshed and further conflict between the Silver Blades and the local law in Pollspire. As this encounter played out, Edgar faced off with the female companion of Damlegan Gault, who met him at the Fiery Flagon tavern. There was a small amount of talk (her claiming Edgar had killed her sisters) right before she revealed herself to be an annis hag and attacked him. Edgar was able to survive the encounter and chose to avoid contact with others in order to verify she was a lone assailant. Omega and Arianna spent the night in jail, with Reverchon keeping them company through the night, and the duo were freed in the morning along with a Halfling (Fleet Starbottom) who had been involved in some sort of altercation at a local tavern the previous evening. Looking for more insight into the town, the Silver Blades sought out Reverchon at the local church of Heironeous. The paladin related he was a supporter of Lord Mayor LeVand, since he was his friend, but was not a fan of Belus. He indicated he believed there were questionable dealing happening out in Saeker Keep but felt that his former pupil (LeVand) would do the right thing in dealing with any issues. He clarified that “Gaulttown” was really named Kerodin’s Gulch, owned by a landowner named Moreno Kerodin. The Gulch was located in Drayann Valley along the Ironridge Mountains. The Silver Blades were able to convince Reverchon to help them journey to Kerodin’s Gulch, as he had been there. As the party traveled there, the group was attacked by an oozenado; very similar to a Sharknado, but with a flesh jelly inside. The creature was quickly defeated. Upon arriving at the Gulch, the PCs were able to see a large city made mostly of seamless granite. There were two pyramids and a larger ziggurat in the central part of town, an aqueduct provided a stable water supply, granite outer walls surrounded the city with single entry lacking a gate, and there was no noticeable trace of any city guards. A conventional looking tower stood outside the city gate but was surrounded with protection magic. Joran’s quick fly-by also revealed the city had the capability of supporting 5000+ citizens, but there were only 450 inhabitants. The episode ended with the party discussing what to do with their findings and what to do next....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 88

Date: July 20, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: The remainder of the Silver Blades were able to follow the trail marked out by Gaston Reverchon to bring the party together on a western outcropping in the Dranyan Valley overlooking Kerodin’s Gulch (aka Gaulttown). Wanting to observe but not needing all the party members to do so, Edgar, Arianna and Joran teleported back to Celesthem to deal with several loose ends the party had not dealt with. Arianna returned Hennet’s body to his family’s vineyard outside of the city and was met with an emotional response from the family; the father especially doing plenty of finger pointing. The others went to investigate the circumstances involving Joran’s missing uncle and how it coincided with the evidence of a mindflayer domination. Edgar confronted Wigland Durtin and other members of the Folding Circle about their activities, discouraging their desire to unite as a military force to continue the work of Santo Koribayed. The encounter was left unfinished as the trio left in a state of détente. Not wanting to continue for too long, but choosing to rejoin the rest of the party, the three adventurers returned to the area outside of Kerodin’s Gulch. During their absence, the remaining Silver Blades identified several associates of Vosler Truemper, who were spying on Kerodin’s Gulch and trifling with the town water supply. Instead of confrontation, the PCs used earth elementals to dig out a large area for shelter. When the entire party was back together, the PCs trekked into Kerodin’s Gulch looking for Damlegan Gault. While investigating two interesting statues in the city courtyard, the Silver Blades contacted Moreno Kerodin, tossing out veiled threats and inciting the town leader. The party left Moreno’s villa and continued their investigation into the town, inspecting the 3 large structures as well as speaking with various town folk. Several PCs noticed the presence of Bela Coy (who recognized the party as well), and Victor Plumdoor alluded to Lilith that it would be best for the PCs to leave the city by nightfall. Recognizing Plumdoor, Arianna accosted him, and soon the Silver Blades surrounded the unarmed thrall of Demogorgon and murdered him. Realizing their openly brazen act was attracting attention (“kicking the hornet’s nest”), the party teleported to Caris to look for Santo Koribayed’s body. However, to Omega’s protestations, Gaston refused to go and stayed behind to face any consequences....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 89

Date: July 27, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Jennifer, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: As afternoon passed over the town of Caris, the party went in two directions to accomplish a variety of individual goals. Joran, Arianna, and Omega teleported to Celesthem to offload and procure magic items which would better deal with the forces of Damlegan Gault and Vosler Truemper. Getting most of the shopping list accomplished, the trio teleported to Saltmarsh to obtain more items and spent the night. During evening mass, Arianna noticed a member of the Serpent’s Tooth watching her. She confronted him but chose to leave any violent action for later. Edgar and Ivy spoke with the sage in Caris (and his invisible stalker assistant) about recent happenings and how they might coincide with the location of Santo Koribayed’s body, finding there was a temple of Heironeous in town and that a shipment of bodies recently arrived from the Citadel of the Shining Blade. The sage also spoke about the two day battle in which Koribayed was slain and the Folding Circle was dispersed by the Heroes of the North. Lilith found the closest tavern, and, unable to find any sort of gambling, proceeded to enjoy several libations. However, she did find a backdoor game for later in the evening, and, using her renown, she was able to secure herself a seat at the table. While gambling, Lilith was able to win a small holy symbol of Heironeous, later finding the pendant belonged to a boy named Kaeded, who accompanied the bodies to the Caris temple; one of which was a paladin whom he was a page to. Connecting the coincidence that Koribayed’s body was both augured to be near Caris and that answers were to be found at the Citadel, the reunited party teleported to the Citadel to continue their investigation. Upon arriving at the site, the Silver Blades were able to see the carnage wrought by Vosler’s attack upon the Heironean college: scores of resident’s dead and a large section of the outer wall breached. Omega and summoned earth elementals assisted the cleanup process, while other party members spoke with High Marshal Zarstian and a mute groundskeeper named Dominic. As the party pressed for details about the location of Koribayed’s body, both became evasive and uncooperative about parlaying information, claiming ignorance to the fact that an elven oracle as well as two deities had directed the party to the Citadel. The game session ended with the party discussing what they had accomplished and what their next steps should be....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 90

Date: August 3, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli, Korie, Leigh

Summary: Koronae and Arthos were able to locate the Silver Blades from the messages left behind in Caris and Saltmarsh and were teleported to the Citadel of the Shining Blade by way of Letaxi. When they arrived, both were briefed about High Marshal Zarstain’s evasive nature about the location of the body of Santo Koribayed, as well as the possible connection between a groundskeeper named Dominic and a young Heironeon page named Kaeded. Although the Silver Blades had been encouraged to leave the next day, the group decided to stay and help in the armory as well as further investigate what exactly transpired when Vosler and his retinue attacked the fortress about three months ago. Dominic remained mute when questioned, although Omega did try several ways to get information out of him. Arianna determined Vosler had quickly broken off his attack, as soon as he had started it. Joran snooped through the catacombs looking for clues (finding several holy weapons, but choosing to leave them), and inevitably found a secret door leading outside of the fortress. Arianna had a conversation of Kord about recent happenings and was able to level up on her sword of legacy. Omega switched gears and spent time with Kaeded, to see if he could unfurl more information. As the party put their heads together, Edgar decided to focus on the boy rather than Dominic. Upon interviewing him, the party found that as Vosler attacked the Citadel, Dominic was able to spirit Kaeded away through the secret door, then was able to overcome Vosler by pandering to his enormous ego. Vosler then fled the area with his party, as Dominic (mute but able to speak) apprised Volser that the body of Santo Koribayed was not here. Deciding to move on, the Silver Blades teleported to Lorenzo and found Victor Plumdoor had recently visited the town, particularly stopping by the Keeper’s Club. Edgar met with the proprietor of the private club, learning Victor was searching for an entrance to the Underdark, having fallen out of favor with Damlegan Gault. The party also learned of a great creature killing caravans to the south and joined a wagon train to find out more. The party traveled with another caravan and was able to find the creature though Lilith’s tracking and Koronae’s bird form. When engaging the beast, the party was able to stay out of range of the suffering creature, and best it. Speculation was the beast was the Purifier in a nascent form...

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 91

Date: August 10, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Korie, Leigh, Rayana

Summary: Remaining behind at the Citadel of the Shining Blade, Arianna and Omega continued to speak with Dominic and High Marshal Zarstain about which direction to move forward. Deciding it was time to leave, Letaxi was summoned and the pair teleported south of Lorenzo to rejoin the Silver Blades after their battle of the protoplasmic creature from the previous episode. As the creature’s body dissolved, a lone warrior named R came upon the scene inquiring about the Folding Circle and looking for adventure. Deciding to join the Silver Blades, the party (and a distracted Letaxi) teleported to Celesthem with the goal of finding Joran’s uncle and taking care of other personal business. The PCs arrived at the beginning of a bale tempest and had to take shelter quickly at the Baron’s municipal seat in town and the Temple of Storm and Battle, while others went on to gamble. As Arianna and Omega arrived at the temple of Kord, parishioners witnessed the crusader’s ominous entrance as a reason to riot (again) during evening services; overall a successful homage to Kord. Joran and R gambled at a local tavern but had to change to mud wrestling in order to break their unlucky streak at cards; tables were tossed as well. Edgar met with the baron’s seneschal of the chamber in order to inform the government of the devious actions of Damlegan Gault. Arianna and Joran rode out the next morning to the Zilfren vineyard to speak with Harvand and his wife, trying to smooth the relationship regarding Hennet’s demise. The encounter became volatile quickly, but Joran was able to assuage the situation and Arianna was able to ride away with a sense of peace between Harvand’s family and herself. Omega sought guidance in prayer at the temple and had a vision of Kord who gave him a pendant which would allow Omega to have a direct audience with the elven oracle in Aspenbrook. Joran spoke with the Grey Men thieves’ guild about getting access to the underworld tunnels which would allow the party to explore beneath Aspenbrook. Edgar and Koronae went to The Bloody Tooth and Broken Bone Tavern in disguise (with Ivy trailing behind them) and retrieved the sword of Santo Koribayed (Doomsinger) from a hidden spot in the wine cellar. The next day, the party traversed the underground smuggler passageways looking for Joran’s uncle. Directed by a gnome rogue, the party delved into a dangerous area of the tunnels and defeated two hangman golems set to block their way....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 92

Date: August 17, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Leigh, Rayana

Summary: Clearing out the remains of the hangman golems, Joran was able to locate a secret passageway in the upper back part of the chamber, leading to an abandoned sewer line still filled with brackish, dark water; several dungeoneering rolls indicated the line led either toward the city or farther away from civilization. Deciding to travel more toward the city, the Silver Blades eventually found themselves chest deep in the sump, surrounded by a phosphorescent fungus which covered the area, perking up when exposed to the beams on Omega’s eyes. With the help of Edgar’s water elemental to shift water from the area, Joran was able to find another secret door out of the pipe and into a cavernous area surrounded by more fungi. Examining the fungi, the presence of yellow mold was detected, and the party became overly cautious with finding a means to avoid it. Joran was able to create a magical bridge (along with a secondary bridge to act as a canopy of sorts). With Edgar’s telepathy sensing about a dozen sentient beings in the area, the PCs progressed slowly over the fungal pit, trying to prevent a patch of shriekers from alerting the denizens, but were spotted by residents of the underground complex. After dealing with Drow guards, the party moved forward and dealt with an obnoxious water naga who initially the party attempted to parlay with, until Omega charged forward to attack her. The naga was unable to escape the PCs, and moving forward, the group was confronted by more Drow. Upon defeating the last of the dark elves, the party was able to free several prisoners from a make-shift prison, and learn that Joran’s uncle had not been seen for several weeks, indicating to the party that he was probably dead at the hands/tentacles of the mind flayer who ruled this area. Continuing, the party was hindered by several girallons, presumably mutated by the same warped magic which has afflicted several other creatures during the campaign. Omega was able to defeat a Dominate Person trap (in the form of a giant brain on the ceiling) and the party avoided a glyph of warding. Choosing to circumvent several other creatures sensed by Edgar, the Silver Blades moved forward to engage Gyzaxtrix (the mind flayer) and his protean scourge servant. The pitched battle was tenuous since Gyzatrix levitated and used prismatic sphere as his primary means of attack, while the protean scourge attacked invisibly using his spellcasting abilities....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 93

Date: August 31, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: Having dealt with the mind flayer and his protean scourge associate, the Silver Blades investigated the battle site, watching Edgar, Arianna and Warwick teleport away, but being joined by Lilith, who was tracking the party through the sewers. Not much was found in the area, except for the spawning pool of the illithid. Initially hoping to destroy all the tadpoles, greed overtook Joran and he was able to save three of the creatures in their embryonic state, hoping to sell them later; this happening unbeknownst to the rest of the party. The PCs raided Gyzaxtrix’s personal chamber finding two shelves of books, some bearing the symbol of the Ophes-treum, along with various bits of treasure. Remember Edgar’s scans of the facility and deciding to clear out the remainder of any threats under Celesthem, the Silver Blades moved toward the adjacent room which they had bypassed to deal with the life forms inside. Upon opening the door, the group was ambushed by two warped girallons, hanging from the walls of an area which was reminiscent of a museum. Being overly aggressive about getting into the fight, Lilith was slain (but revivified) and other combatants took significant damage before the killer monkeys were dealt with. Investigating the room, the party found two large demonic statues in the center along with cases of collectibles around the outside. Sensing magic on the statues and reasoning this might be the source of Edgar’s sensing of two outsiders, Arthos attempted to banish the creatures, but freed them instead. The (enraged?) cornugons attacked the party using their full abilities leaving most of the Silver Blades either dead, stunned, or fearing for the lives. Thankfully, Joran was able assuage the party’s defeat allowing the PCs time with recover from their situation. Omega turned the tide as he burst his enemy’s spiked chain and slew the final outsider. Further reconnoitering the room, the party found several exotic items behind the glass cases: some were kept as treasure, some were destroyed, and some were debated about their merits. After clearing the room, the group returned to the various areas of the facility to claim the treasure left behind, in their attempt to move quickly throughout the dungeon. Having taken what they wanted, the initially entrance was closed, and the party returned through the sewers the way they came. Having made it back to Celesthem, the PCs next made plans to teleport to Aspenbrook....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 94

Date: September 7, 2013

Attendance: Allison, James B., James D., Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: With the party back together in Celesthem, the PCs teleported to Aspenbrook in order to meet with the elven oracle which Kord had encouraged Omega to do so. Arriving during inclement weather, several party members decided to visit the Temple of Righteous Strength, where Arianna was received with a wide welcome; later she led services. Joran went ahead and made inquiries at the Cathedral of the Misty Isle to be able to speak with the oracle. The elven guardsmen responded gruffly, not allowing non-elves entry whereas Joran returned to retrieve Omega. When Omega arrived, both he and Joran were allowed access to the Cathedral, but only the warforged could visit Luthien Elensar. During their encounter, the oracle revealed to Omega that Santo Koribayed never actually died at the Battle of the Charred Veldt. Instead, he was released from a curse set upon him which turned him from lawful good to chaotic evil. Disgusted by the horrors which he perpetrated against the citizens of Valderin, Santo chose to go into hiding, changing his name to Dominic Sostomar and taking up residence at the Citadel of the Shining Blade. However, a second day of conflict took place at the Battle of the Charred Veldt as Tuaca Serpenthelm singly defeated the remainder of the Folding Circle and a Santo-imposter who was leading them. Another connection was Damlegan Gault was a member of the Heroes of the North, and formerly referred to himself as Xander Nightwing. Wondering about confronting Dominic, Luthien related that he had broken into the elven temple the previous evening, spoke with the oracle, then surrendered himself to the city guards. Information was also shared that Vosler had learned the Helm of Rithirulian’s location and was attempting to obtain it from a location near Byton. Looking to gain greater insight, several party members visited Dominic/Santo as he was locked up in the Aspenbrook constabulary. When entreated to come with the party to speak with Edgar, Dominic indicated that, as Santo, he had fathered many children over his time and these now adults needed to walk their own paths, doubting any words he could speak would deter his progeny and their goals. Choosing to confront Vosler, the Silver Blades teleported outside of Byton, finding Vosler’s carriage and guards after some quick reconnaissance. Defeating his minions (and Ire of Orcus summonings), the PC plotted what to do with the carriage...

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 95

Date: September 14, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jerry, Leigh

Summary: After the bodies of Vosler Truemper’s minions were stacked near the edge of the forest, Omega went back to attempting to access Vosler’s carriage by banging on the side door. Joran spent several minutes analyzing the carriage attempted to determine exactly what sort of magical device it is, and thereby gaining access. After several minutes of toiling with the carriage, the opposite door swung open, and three individuals stepped out. The PCs immediately began surrounding the trio, with Omega harassing them into giving up information about Vosler’s whereabouts. When the group (led by a cleric named Lady Tessa Kallyis) refuted any knowledge of Vosler’s locations, the Silver Blades further agitated the situation by ordering the party of three to surrender into the Silver Blades’ custody. When Lady Tessa’s retinue refused, the Silver Blades pushed forward to attack Vosler’s guests and combat ensued. Lady Tessa cast air walk to pull herself away from hand-to-hand combat, as did her rogue henchman (Edithia) using wings of flying. Tessa’s duelist henchman (Drogger) was left on the ground and was quickly surrounded by the Silver Blades. Having gained initiative and recognized a warpriest of Kord nearby, Drogger and Edithia used a combination of poisoned blades and a rapier of puncturing to quickly drain Arthos’s abilities. Scoring a critical hit with sword while using a maneuver, Omega decapitated Drogger, much to Edithia’s dismay; the PCs later concluded the two were married. Omega continued to berate Edithia, insinuating he would defile her mate’s corpse. Lady Tessa cast spread of savagery to cause several members of the party to turn upon each other until Joran was able to dispel the effect. Lady Tessa used fire storm on several of the PCs, eventually killing Arthos, while continuing to stay aloft from the combat. In a tactical move, Arianna used dimension door to appear right above Lady Tessa’s head and was able to grapple with her as she fell into the cleric the following round. Even when released from the grapple, Lady Tessa saw her other henchman die at the hands of Omega, and later in the combat, chose to retreat using ethereal jaunt and plane shift. The Silver Blades collected the bodies and belongings, while Omega was able to destroy Vosler’s carriage after several attempts at sundering the construct. The group chose to leave and return to Saltmarsh where they planned on questioning the bodies using speak with dead.

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 96

Date: September 21, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Leigh

Summary: After adventuring for so long, it was good for the Silver Blades to take a week off to recharge and refocus, as well as deal with several personal matters in order to further their individual and group goals. Joran chose to spend several days reading a recently obtained manual of bodily health, in order to gain a bonus to his Constitution. Edgar was found researching how to overcome the defenses of Kerodin’s Gulch, and more directly confront Damlegan Gault. Omega chose to speak with Baron Strifelen about the recent adventures of the Silver Blades, but during his trek to accomplish this, he encountered an enraged Vosler Truemper, as he demanded explanation for the destruction of his magic carriage. Having zoned the area of walls of force and insisting upon staying aloft, Omega fled using dimension door, and hid until Vosler left the area. Looking to unlock the other abilities of her sword, Arianna set off to do a selfless deed by finding an aristocrat’s son who had been missing for several days. Doing some basic detective work, the son was found to have obtained a map to a nearby island, where a magical wisdom-granting throne was buried. Hiring a ranger name Gus Graykitties, the Crusader of Kord was able to track down the son on Falderney Island as he and his friends, unearthed the chair. Making certain the youths returned home, Arianna showed up the next evening to test the magical quality of the chair, but found the throne to have glyphs of Tharizdun, and decided to burn the chair instead. While doing so, she also dispatched the ghost of a former adventurer who died looking for the chair. Returning home, she was able to get the party together to refocus on their goals. With the group reunited, Edgar was interrogated for holding onto Doomsinger (Santo Koribayed’s sword). In order to gain the party’s faith, he allowed Omega to sunder the weapon, although he couldn’t, and the blade teleported away. Speaking with dead on Vosler’s slain followers, the Silver Blades learned Letaxi has been spying on the party for Vosler, looking to lead them into a trap. When confronted, Letaxi begged Edgar to leave him be since, Vosler held his family hostage. When attempts to find the family failed, it was surmised Letaxi’s family died when Omega destroyed Vosler’s carriage, which housed an extensive inter-dimensional space. The episode closed with the PCs debating what steps to take next to deal with Vosler, or their other major threat, Damlegan Gault....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 97

Date: September 28, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Jerry, Kelli

Summary: Further discussing how to deal with the information learned in Episode 96 of how Letaxi has been working for Vosler during the last several months, the PCs hashed out several ideas focusing on reuniting Letaxi with his deceased family, then transporting him out of the country in order to live his life in secret. Respecting all the honor the baron of Galunid had granted to the Silver Blades, Edgar went to speak with Baron Strifelen about the entire issue, looking for assistance where he could garner it. Unfortunately, Strifelen was less than hospitable to overtly helping Letaxi, who, in his eyes, had chosen to work with an evil spellcaster and not attempt to warn any person in the government of what was going on. However, Strifelen did promise not to press charges against his employee if Letaxi were to leave the barony. Lilith continued to make money off of any gambling house that would take her. Omega was able to receive a vision from Kord, but the Greatsword Lord was unable to help the warblade if he was responsible for the death of Letaxi’s family when he destroyed Vosler’s extra-dimensional carriage. When the Silver Blades convened together again, the group reviewed the rogue’s gallery of enemies remaining and wondered if it was prudent to eliminate a few more before the campaign ends. Edgar urged the PCs to liquidate Eridrifen (the green hair elf druid), as he was still gunning for the leader of the Silver Blades and he was directly responsible for the abyssal cysts which had appeared since the beginning of the campaign. Looking to open themselves up to draw Eridrifen and his colleagues out into the open, the PCs transported themselves from Saltmarsh to Harncoast, then traveled slowly over land toward Celesthem realizing that the druid was magically tracking Edgar. As the party traveled, a storm of vengeance was called down upon the party, but Joran was able to dismiss it with an orb of storms. Traveling further, the party (through Edgar’s telepathic scans) was able to determine where the ambush would take place, with foes hidden in the trees off the side of the road. As Eridrifen stepped forward to verbally confront Edgar, the remainder of the Silver Blades moved aggressively against Gindeal’s Reavers. Eridrifen used reverse gravity to throw Edgar into the sky, and mixture of spellcasters and warrior NPCs gave the Silver Blades fits, even dropping Omega into negative HP range. Episode 98 will start off with finishing the combat....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 98

Date: October 5, 2013

Attendance: James D., Jason

Summary: The combat continued from the previous episode, but Omega, Lilith, and Arthos were stricken during the combat (some suspect it might be Vosler’s doing, but it might have been the space-time continuum); the reality was the three players were unavailable for this weekend. With only two Silver Blades left on the battlefield, Joran used his multiple breath attack to destroy Eridrifen’s animal companion, and severely crippled the blackguard who had taken out Omega. Edgar was finally able to remove himself from the reverse gravity field which had thrown him into the air, all the while using bolts of madness and verbally accosting Eridrifen into surrendering. Edgar’s earth elemental continued to grapple the elven druid, preventing him from escaping or spellcasting effectively. Gindeal (the ranger combatant) continued to pepper Joran with arrows, while the battlebirar did the same with volleys of thorns. Edgar’s follower was able to harass the wizard who was assisting Gindeal’s Reavers, limiting his viability on the battlefield. At one point in the combat, one of Edgar’s summoned elementals was able to pick up and throw the enemy wizard across the battlefield, leaving him partially impaled upon the battlebriar’s hide. After several additional rounds of attrition and with Gindeal out of arrows (as well as suffering a memory-losing head trauma), Eridrifen capitulated and parlayed for terms of surrender. As Edgar and his green hair enemy argued out their differences, an accord was reached with blood oaths being sworn, but allowing the ambushers to have their troops raised from the dead and permitted to go free. Breathing a breath of relief, the PCs rode to Celesthem to resurrect the family of Letaxi at Pelor’s Temple of Divine Light learning that the family was inside of Vosler’s carriage when it was destroyed. With the family brought back together, the group was teleported to Enstol to be reunited with Letaxi, as Edgar curried favor with Baron Newand to accept the beleaguered wizard into his employ, and under another identity. Celebrating their victories with the Hardened Edge, the Silver Blades teleported to Fulmont to speak with Duke Stonda about the dangers of the Ophes-truem. The Duke was open to the idea of moving troops to help deal with Kerodin’s Gulch, but there was some debate about how to deal with the citizens evenly. As the day went on, the party look toward the eastern horizon and noticed strands of darkness writhing over the horizon....

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 99

Date: October 12, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: As the morning broke over Fulmont, the Silver Blades noticed the dark streaks in the sky, from the previous day, continue to grow, arching toward the east, and bringing a greater sense of dread about things to come. The PCs attended to distinct tasks at hand: speaking with the Duke of Valderin, outfitting their personal inventories for the coming conflict, training to hone their skills, and spending time in prayer to their individual deities. Efforts were made to attempt to organize the armies of the duchy, as well as tap into the religious zeal of the followers of Kord to mount up an attack on Kerodin’s Gulch, in order for the Silver Blades to more directly deal with Damlegan Gault while the remainder of the forces could deal with the defenses built into the city. Plans were initiated, but time was the critical factor as many logistical issues would have to be overcome before a planned attack could take place. As Edgar and Omega walked through the capital, both noticed the merchant signet of Harshain Beautalez, whom the players suspected to be Cragnar, the bandit lord who had raided the Massif of Pantreath from Episode 25. Going the way of the snake rather than the bear, Edgar met with him using his suggestion ability to encourage him to meet with Duke Stonda to confess his crimes against several baronies. After participating in a moving prayer service with Arthos, Arianna received a vision from Kord, explaining how a creature interpreted as the incarnation of the Purifier had appeared in the eastern part of the Barony of Conderight, and was laying waste to Hawsburg. Getting organized, the PCs were able to magically transport themselves to the area, immediately going to work saving trapped citizens, extinguishing fires, and healing and raising citizens. Marshalling their forces, the Silver Blades moved swiftly and were able to encounter the creature by midnight; the swath of destruction and accompanying fires made it easy to find. The PCs were forced to dig deeply into their assortment of stratagems in order to attack the creature, as several NPCs allies were quickly killed or left ineffectual at the outset of the combat. Arianna and Omega both were felled but returned swiftly through revivify spells. In the end, the Silver Blades were able to use their combined abilities to defeat the Purifier, although there is speculation about a second creature which might have appeared at the original birth site. Its creator, Damelan Gault, remains on the loose...

Combat: UPDATE

Episode 100

Date: October 19, 2013

Attendance: James B., James D., Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Kelli, Leigh

Summary: Watching the body of the Purifier decompose at a rapid rate, the Silver Blades contemplated their next move to attempt to end the chaos which has surrounded the Grand Duchy of Valderin for so long. The choice between going after the second Purifier or Damlegan Gault was mulled over through discussion and inquiry with divinity. In the end, the Silver Blades returned to Saltmarsh to meet with the baron, making their final decision to go after the source of trouble in Kerodin’s Gulch, hoping to stop the creation of any additional Purifiers, allowing other forces to destroy the second Purifier already raging toward Kentfasser. Finalizing their battle plan, the PCs teleported to the west side of Kerodin’s Gulch to from the cave area created by the party during the last time they visited. As the Silver Blades peered down on the city, Joran noticed a line of magical energy streaming from the central ziggurat toward the tower outside of the city wall, then beaming toward the east. Splitting the party into two teams, Joran and Ivy were sent to the south side of the city to topple the tower, while the remainder of the party moved toward the north side and attempted draw focus to themselves. Using earth elementals to raze the support structure of the aqueduct, the larger strike force was able to damage the structure enough to draw the attention of Cerulus, the elder blue dragon which the party had been warned about through Arianna’s visions of Kord. The group was able to defeat Cerulus, while Joran and Ivy were able to command their earth elemental to topple Gault’s tower, causing the stream of magical energy to divert itself and beam upward. Storming the city, the Silver Blades found utter chaos, with many people shellshocked by the most recent chain of events. The PCs were able to confront Damlegan Gault and a cadre of associates at the steps of the central ziggurat. After a quick banter of ideologies, the combat initiated with several party members focusing on Gault while the remainder of the earth elementals provided clean up duty to his troops. The PCs were initially stymied when Gault continued to resurrect multiple times (via a magic ring) and were able to whittle down his forces. In the end, the PCs used subdual damage to prevent Gault’s resurrections, and the Silver Blades were able to end the threat. Later, the PCs learned of how the second Purifier was found mysteriously beheaded twice. The Grand Duchy of Valderin was saved once again....

Combat: UPDATE