Faerun Adventures

Joell had ventured into the Barrowmaze along with Mac and some other adventurers and was so excited by the prospect of more loot that he talked everyone else into heading in again, though Gorlock spent some time gambling (and winning, for once!) and Greeba recruited another assistant (a delicate-looking half-elf, more's the pity). So, they headed in, bringing along Ted, Mac's half-brother, who always seemed to be smoking...something. And Liam, a halfling that Ted was well acquainted with. The weather was surprisingly good and they made their way through the forbidding area with little trouble. They neared one barrow (33) with human boot tracks outside, already open. Inside they find an open sarcophagus with a mummy lying face down on the ground nearby it. Taking no chances, they torched the mummy. Gorlock with his jeweller's eye, spies a fancy ring (530 gp) and grabs it. They continue on to a still sealed barrow (38) and Eamon gets to work.  It was a narrow crypt 10' w...

Arnor comes to everyone with news from Queen Sarastra. He has been tasked with dealing with a threat to the Darkwood -- the Dusk Queen, it seems, has some dark plans. Their task is threefold: capture or eliminate the Dusk Queen (and, likely, her paramour, a dread dark paladin), locate the shards of a magic mirror, and (he confides to Nathia), find the shadow grimoire .  Coincidentally, and luckily, Gruffyd, the mighty dwarf, had stopped by for a visit and he and Jane Poole decided to travel with the group. Arnor leads the way and their passage into the shadowy realm of the Dusk Queen is quick. But they soon encounter their first obstacle. A large, tree-like creature blocks the path. Bravely, Blurb approaches it.  "The Dusk Queen has returned," it says, in a scratchy voice. Somehow, Nathia keeping her mouth shut as she had no talent for mistruths, they manage to convince the creature that they are servants of the Dusk Queen and will collect the mirror shards for her. The creat...

The Yellow Rose Monks ask the Faerun Runners (placeholder until we figure out a good name) to investigate attacks along the King's Road near an old stronghold of the Crimson Monks. They think it might be demon cultists and the tunnels below the once proud monastery seem like the obvious spot for them to be coming from. On the way there, they stop at the Cumin Inn, which seems much unchanged. Greeba finds time to explore...the stables...with an old friend, Sgt Stahlen.  When they reach the ruins, the area seems deserted. Rather than entering from what was obviously the main entrance, they search around and Eamon discovers a back entrance by a grassy knoll with a very deliberately concealed door. Mac very perceptively notices a trip wire just inside and Eamon, with the help of Blurb's Immovable Rod, is able to jury rig the trap so it won't go off.  The party once again ruminates on why none of them have picked up any thieving skills. Inside, they wander the dark, often damp t...

It had been an eventful few months -- Wisteria and Eamon had teamed up to help (hopefully) prevent a war (with Wisteria truly showing a knack for conversion that no one had anticipated). Eamon had fought alongside another brave band and died for his troubles, though happily he had been revivified not much the worse for wear.  Nathia had attended a wedding and spent some time training her cousin, as well as working alongside Greeba in crafting armor...and, of course, spending some time with Arnor, who still seemed a bit shellshocked that the queen had let him return to the surface. Happily, Mac and Gorlock were able to use their charm to get a good price for the extra armour, netting a tidy profit for everyone. (600 gp to everyone other than Greeba and Nathia, who get 1200 gp each, plus an additional 50 gp each to Mac and Gorlock). Joell spent his time perfecting his woodworking skills. Gorlock had spent his time crafting and charming the fey who had accepted his plea to visit -- Ma...

Nathia held her breath as the portal magics took hold--that gut-wrenching feeling of weightlessness followed by the all-too-quick return to normalcy. Her stomach had barely settled when a cool voice greeted them: "Welcome to the Court of Queen Sarastra." They were in a small room, the summoning circle fading around them. Two ShadowFey Guards, practically twins of Arnor, stood on either side of an arched doorway, tall enough that no one need duck. A female fey herald stood, politely but stiffly, in the door. Nathia stood tall and returned the greeting after Arnor made no move. He looked even paler than normal and a sheen of sweat stood out on his brow. She wanted to take his hand, but was not sure how it would be received by either Arnor or the Queen's herald.  The herald, Lissori, seemed pleasant enough. She offered to wash the dirt of the road from them with a cantrip that she flung out with well-practiced ease, even freshening up Nathia's makeup, giving her a sultry...

As the time neared for Arnor to leave, they all prepared in different ways. Gorlock busied himself with managing Gorlock's Palace and putting the finishing touches on a tiara, though he found no one to sell it to, it was so fine. Mac mostly tended the bar, though no one remarked if he occasionally took a drink himself.  Greeba spent her time tending to her small foundry and training her apprentices as gently as she knew how while Eamon, Joell, and Wisteria each disappeared into their rooms for long periods of inner reflection.  It was the Goliath who could not sit still. Nathia spend the last two days furiously cooking and baking every unusual recipe of her gran's she could think of: a layered grumpfl so green it nearly glowed (using up nearly an entirely parsley plant from Arian's garden), misshapen bon bons the size of apples and tasting of summer, traveller's sandwiches large enough to quench the heartiest appetite. She hoped they might prove unusual to one such as t...

After Blurb had harvested what he could from the dead spider, the party returned to the myconids to tell them that the deed had been done and they would no longer be troubled by the giant arachnid. The myconid leader gave his thanks and, when asked if they could do anything else for them, merely replied that fertiliser was always wanted. Nathia debated about the feasibility of re-directing the Fort's waste system down into the tunnels, but realised they were too far, even as the crow flies, for that to be feasible. So, she promised them bodies aplenty, if they ran into any troublesome things. The party explored on and soon came across more spiders--giant, swarms, and additional J'ba Fofi as well as the ape-like creatures they had seen tracks of -- quaggoth. But far from being friendly, as the myconids had indicated, the quaggoth (and the spiders) immediately attacked.  Blurb immediately responded with a well-placed moonbeam spell, and Greeba with javelins. Wisteria, once she g...

Arnor had been concerned for some time about sounds coming from the barred door in his bedroom that led down to the caverns below the Fort. When they had a moment, the group gathered there to investigate, Nathia somewhat distracted by her worries over Arnor's imminent departure. Would this be their last adventure together or would she be able to talk the others into accompanying him at least part of the way down the shadowy path he must walk? They discover creepy derro attempting to break in via the door and follow them down into the darkness, their insane-sounding ramblings promising trouble to come unless they were all taken care of. The invaders were swiftly dispatched, and the party were happy to see that the drakelings were still alive and well -- and friendly.  Determined to root out the rest of the derro infestation, they press on until they found what appeared to be their main encampment. But it wasn't just derro that they found; no, there were giant bats, cockatrice, a...

Bent over her anvil, Greeba was putting the finishing touches on the forged steel sculpture in the shape of a bard’s lute.  This will be placed on a plinth in the Druid garden in Fort Skulnar, in memory of the half-elf bard Trystan who laid his life in the battle with the half-dragon twins.   Greeba wiped her brow with the back of her hand.  The garden was getting full of her steel forms - a wolf’s paw, representing Arian the elf druid, a lighting bolt for the young sorcerer Xarius, a highly decorative, if not sharp, knife for Errol the halfling rogue... The life-sized paladin shape representing Thibault was placed more centrally, in the middle of the grounds, as it was to him that the Fort was bestowed by the local Duchess.  Greeba thought of Bryn, the elvish lady thief who first offered her friendship when she reached these parts, and not for the first time thought of making a memorial for her - but she fell before the taking of Skulnar, and at least her body ...