Monkey Shrines

The Red Shroud provided a guide, Shadowfire, and he leads the party through the pathways to the Well of Debased Eros.  Along the way, more abyssal ants emerge and attack the party.  Combat is short, but Daria gave the stink-eye to Shadowfire over a lack-luster effort.

Arriving at the well, the party begins to make its way down.  Thick foliage fills the well, enough so that climbing down is easy.  A few opt to fly, some climb, but all make their way down.  Several four-armed gorilla demons begin howling and making lewd gestures at the party.  Negotiations are replaced by Nesta making a pin-cushion out of one of the Gorallons.

Rudy takes the fast-track to the bottom of the well, and encounters the large spider-like creature guarding the bottom of the well.  Rudy opens up the second front all by himself.  The party struggles along until the various fractured groups begin to pull together.

Reunited at the bottom of the well, the party communicates with Shami-Amourae.  The party agrees to free her in exchange for her help.

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Session Characters:  Ortho, Nesta, Vin, Gwendelyn, Hjalmgerdr, Rudolpho, Mittens
Session Loot:  artwork and gems totaling 10000gp, demon armor, efreeti armor.

I See A Red Moon Rising.

Orgosh gives the party more information after Vanthus' defeat.  The Demogorgon's lover Shami-Amourae was imprisoned in a place called the Wells of Darkness, after she found a way to manipulate him, it was rumored.  Such a drastic action by the Demogorgon, implies that it may be true.  The succubus Red Shroud of Broken Reach is the formost expert on Shami-Amourae.

Since the Wells of Darkness have no connection to the Gaping Maw, the party arrives at Broken Reach in Pazunia.  Pazunia, the Plane of Infinite Portals, is the first layer of the Abyss and home to the Red Shroud, formost authority on the Lady of Delights, Shami-Amourae.

After a bit of shopping, the party makes the necessary bribes to meet with the Red Shroud.  The party pays a steep price for information of the Lady of Delights and the Wells of Darkness.  One of the relics from the Isle of Dread turns out to be a key, the tooth of Ahazu.  Traveling to the Pit of Prisoners the group gains entry to the Wells of Darkness.

The party arrives in the bottom of a well, infested with chasme demons and abyssal ghouls.  The party fights fiercely and maintains its foothold in the Wells of Darkness.

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Session Characters:  Ortho, Gwendelyn, Nesta, Vin, Daria, Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Mittens the Destroyer
Session Loot:  -7500 gp and an unfinished shadow pearl for bribes,  -25000gp for audience with Red Shroud.  And a lock of Vin's hair for extra information.

What's Eating Vanthus?

After the party recovers from the vile damage of the shadow demons, the party heads toward Vanthus' location.  Lavinia, now convinced there is no good left in her brother, demands that he be destroyed once and for all.  Vin is more than willing to oblige.

Approaching the bridge, several dread wraiths and shadow demons attack the party.  And swooping in on flying carpets, are a group of heavies taking advantage of the defense of the bridge.  Nesta and Ortho take an especially rough beating.  After defeating the demons, undead, and flying menaces, the party gears up and opens the doors to Vanthus' cell.

The inside is unnaturally dark and filled with death.  And a bit of undeath.  Fighting breaks out and then the glorious Vanthus emerges from the back room.  Combat retreats to the bridge, and Vanthus falls before the last of his shadow demon minions.  Lavinia is relieved and saddened, and finds comfort in Vins steady arms.

Saureya goes a bit more crazy, and the party ends his suffering.

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Session Characters:  Vin, Nesta, Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Ortho, Gwendelyn, Daria, Mittens, Mire, Krenshaw.
Session Loot:  +5 mithril brestplate, +4 flaming burst longsword, +2 flaming burst sickle, +6 belt of giant strength, +5 mithril chain shirt, +3 shocking burst greatsword, +3 composite longbow (+7 STR), 50 adamantine arrows, gloves of dexterity +4, ring of protection +3, amulet of natural armor +4, boots of speed, 4 gold earrings with 300gp each.

The Pit of Despair

Moving deeper into the prison, The Divided's Ire, the party encounters an old gnome trapped in a luxurious room, chained to a wall.  Nurt Bilgeflower asks to be freed, and draws a quick map on where the last remaining contender for controlling the prison is location.  A vicious marilith, Lillianth, is nearby torturing a prisoner (Lavinia).  Vanthus is located elsewhere.

In a large room, with a small 10' ledge around the molten lava pit 20' below, six iron cages are suspended from the ceiling.  As soon as Vin sees Lavinia, he takes action and moves to rescue her.  As the party follows, the Marilith, her babau bodyguard, and six shadow demons.

The battle with the Marilith takes a fruitful course, but the shadow demons prove to be tough opponents.  Lavinia is rescued, an ice demon plunges to his death after the chain for his cage is cut, and a trumpet archon jumps to his death after his cage door is opened.

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Session Characters:  Daria, Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Ortho, Mittens, Nesta

Session Loot:  +2 keen halberd, +2 unholy whip dagger, +2 wounding heavy pick, +3 keen scimitar, +4 short sword, ring of force shield, bracers of armor +4

The Halls of Montezuma

Exploring the prison further, the party fights a babau captain and several hezrou.  They are victorious and there is much rejoicing.

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Session Characters:  Daria, Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Ortho, Mittens, Nesta
Session Loot:  +4 black dragon hide improved shadow banded mail, black dragon hide gauntlets of ogre power +2, +3 keen halberd, pink rhomboid ioun stone (+2 CON).

Zombie Zoo

The party rests in the realm of Saureya and wanders west further into the prison.  Finding an alter, the party immediately begins to assail it, which triggers the summoning of a molydeus.  The molydeus Zarvab, does not take kindly to the interlopers in his master's shrine and lays a beat-down on the party.  But the party still manages to eek out a victory in the end.

Moving on, the group encounters a strange creature Orgosh.  The bullywug lich entreats the party to go after the other faction leaders and gives the party the approximate location of Lavinia and Vanthus.  There are a great number of undead in this section of the prison, strangely subdued.  Orgosh claims that the party must eliminate Vanthus before the draw of the death knight wrests them from Orgosh's control.

Striking a deal, the adventurers move into the next area and discover a few demons feeding on a pile of human corpses.  The party prepares for a bit, then strikes fiercely, quickly overcoming and destroying the filth demons.

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Session Characters:  Vin, Gwen, Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Ortho, Mittens, Nesta, Daria
Session Loot: a wooden nickel.

The fall of Kululblax

With the information provided by Saureya, the party takes a direct path to where Kululblax makes his lair.  The party encounters a group of nycaloths and defeats them in a quick scuffle.  Patrolling Vrocks swoop in and combat continues a while longer.

Arriving in a large vaulted room, with large cages suspended from the ceiling to 1' above the floor, the party closes in on the warden of the Divided Ire.  A pair of babau demons engage the party, but don't offer much opposition.

Moving into a large side-room, Kululblax waits prepared for the party, but in the end, is no match for the stalwart adventurers.

The party passes over the other bridge spanning the chasm, and enters and area patrolled by two demodands.  They are so revolting, even Rudy is disgusted by their presence.  The demodands are defeated, and everyone needs a bath.

 
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Session Characters:  Ortho, Nesta, Daria, Gwen, Vin, Hjalmgerdr, Rudolpho
Session Loot:  2 greataxes +2, 2 med fortified breastplates +2, 2 amulets of natural armor +2, rubber duck of bathing:  summons tub of hot, soapy water 1/day for one person.  Grants +3 circumstance bonus to charisma based skill checks if used for last seven days.

She's Just A Devil Woman, With Evil On Her Mind

Continuing inside prison, the party searches several crumbling rooms, debris, and meets a female kelvezu.  She introduces herself as S'sharra.  After the PCs introduce themselves, S'sharra explains that the prison is currently in a bit of disarray, and where the warden is located.  She knows Vanthus is here, but not where he is located inside the prison.  The party continues on, and S'sharra disappears quickly.

The adventurers cross the span between the halves of the Divided's Ire.  After opening the doors on the other side, the party finds a pillar that starts shrieking when they get close.  Drawn in by the siren shriek, a few party members get close enough that spikes rend their flesh and drain their life force.  The group quickly disables the shrieking pillar, and restores the flayed faces of the party.  Drawn by the sounds of battle, 3 Hezrou enter and attack the party.   The battle ends quickly and the party moves onward.

Entering a large room, with many columns, the group encounters a pair of trumpet archons.  After a parley, the archons lead the party to their leader Saureya, an astral deva.  He confirms some of the information that S'sharra disclosed earlier.  He greatly desires to see Kululblax fall, and offers the party a place to rest before moving on.

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Session Characters:  Ortho, Nesta, Daria, Gwen, Vin, Hjalmgerdr, Rudolpho.
Session Loot:  none.

Into the Divided's Ire

A quick scan of the ship reveals it has already been looted by some vile clawed demons, as Nesta notes. The mists of the island are poisonous, so with the aid of Hjalmgerdr, the party swiftly makes it's way

There is a breach in the outer wall on the north side of the prison. The party moves inside the building. the building is vast 30' high ceilings and thick stone walls. A giant crack in the floor in the chamber where the PCs entered, causes the party to search around the edge of the room. On one side, a giant wall of rotten flesh and bones, topped by skulls reaches a height of 30'. Rudy collapses a 10' section of the wall trying to climb it while Ortho flies over the wall and discovers a yet larger stone-like golem of the Demogorgon.

Combat ensues with the great monster, and as it is being brought low Vrocks arrive on the scene, probably alerted by the sounds of combat. The party continues to fight and is victorious over them as well.

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Session Characters: Ortho, Nesta, Daria, Vin, Gwendelyn, Hjalmgerdr, Rudolpho

Session Loot: none

Into the Great Abyss...

After regrouping from the assault on Scuttlecove, the party sets sail for the Abyss and the Gaping Maw. Once out to sea, Captain Harliss Javell activates the Wake Portal device. The wake of the Sea Wyvern begins sparkling and flashing with mauve light. The smell of salt and blood fill the air as the bubbles thickly, and the sky turns dark. After many minutes the sea surges up and lightning strikes several points of the ship, then as things calm, the party realizes that they are no longer in the ocean they know but in the strange and dangerous abyssal sea.

After a day of travel, the party encounters the Sapphire Griffon. The ship is crewed by mercenaries, but commanded by a few mercane merchants. After a brief parlay, the adventurers buy several items and the ships part ways peacefully.

Getting closer to the Gaping Maw, a terrible storm comes up, and the Sea Wyvern struggles to make its way through. Cap'n Harliss keeps the ship to its task, and the adventurers arrive at the Gaping Maw and make sail for the Dividend's Ire.

Navigating through the islands, the party encounters a vessel that looks like a giant floating scab. The scab makes a direct run at the Sea Wyvern. The party battles the two vicious blood fiends, and rescues a palrethee named Azael. Daria wants to stabitty-stab-stab-stab, but Vin has second thoughts successfully negotiates for the services of of the fiend to serve as guide to the prison where Lavinia is being held. Arriving near the isle, the Sea Wyvern arrives at a secluded inlet. There, Vanthus' ship quietly rests.

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Session Characters: Ortho, Nesta, Daria, Vin, Gwendelyn, Hjalmgerdr, Rudolpho

Session Loot: 700pp, emerald (1200gp), 3 black pearls (600gp each), 4 pieces of amber (110gp each), ring of improved swimming, periapt of wound closure.

Sacking of Scuttlecove

The sacking proceeds on schedule.  Several of the city's residents have been converted to the cause of the new Scuttlecove:

Rhemus Caldakar, male gnome, *LG, necromancer 10
Stonch Figwater, male dwarf, *LG, fighter 8
Agarik, male human, CG ranger 8
Abetheny Rovenka, female human, *NG aristocrat 12
Borsch Dipraft, male human, *NG, fighter 7
Captain Harliss Javell, female human, CN, swashbuckler 3/rogue 3/ scarlet corsair 9
Lilith, female araena, N, araena 3/ sorcerer 3/ druid 4/ mystic teurge 1
Vrakar, male ogre-mage, *CG, giant 5
Mittens, male rakshasa, *CG, outsider 7/ eldritch knight 1

Escaped:
Peryoil Whistlecut, female halfling, bard 11
Tyralandi, female half-fiend nymph, ranger 1/thrall of Graz'zt 10

After processing the party haul is:
26500 platinum, 318000 gold, 4000000 silver, 5500000 copper, 460000 objects d'art, 397000 gems, 512000 jewelery, 290000 misc magic stuff, 388000 other.

The payout to each party member is 308500 gp.

Entered into the record this day by Vin D'Icemark, servant of Fharlanghn.

Showdown at the OK Corral

The party finds the Emporium heavily defended. Obviously tipped off to the presence of Vin's shininess, the guards were positioned for all out defense of the warehouse. After several rounds of combat, the city defenders, alerted by telepathic communications, swarm on the PCs position. Pophry golems, a gigantic demonic minotar, and reinforcements close in on the warehouse and they adventurers.

Explosions, earthquakes, collapsing buildings, feats of valor and treachery, all highlight the party's efforts. Slowly, the party gains the upper hand.

Even before the battle is over, citizens of Scuttlecove were trying to evacuate. They found they were unable to and retreating into their hiding places or started to run around the city in a panic. General panic sets in the populace.

Quickly the party begins to recruit their city-captains, and geas members of the city to begin looting. The party's two ships, the Sea Wyvern and the Vicious Spanking, fill up with loot as patrols go house to house emptying valuables onto wagons that return to the docks.

As more loot is processed, a militia is formed and begins to quell the city. The city-captains and the newly appointed mayor, establish a small measure of control as the magical ward around the city falls.

The party takes over Kedward Bone's tower for its use, and the newly formed city government. The city's operational funds will come from a 5% tax on good entering or leaving the city.

The Scuttlecove mansion, former home to the Ur-priests that founded Scuttlecove, is gone. Only scrub grass and dirt remain is the fenced in area. No signs of life, ruins, or where it went. Gone as well, are any signs, hints, or rumors of Maria, Kongu, or any of their cohorts.

Looting Scuttlecove will take two weeks.

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Session Characters: Ortho, Nesta, Daria, Vin, Gwendelyn, Hjalmgerdr, Rudolpho

Session Loot: scroll of Mordenkainen's private sanctum, scroll of sending, scroll of teleport, 2 shock daggers +1, 2 cloaks of Charisma +4, 2 rings of protection +3, 3 elixirs of fire breath, 3 potions of cure serious wounds, 3 potions of invisibility, 2 potions of haste, 4 doses of deathblade poison (Fort DC 20, 1d6 Con/1d6 Con), 5 doses of giant wasp poison (Fort DC 18, 1d6 Dex/1d6 Dex), 10 masterwork scimitars, 10 masterwork light crossbows, 10 masterwork chain shirts, 10 masterwork bucklers, 148 crossbow bolts, 4000 gp in assorted jewelry.

Game Tracking Sheet

I've posted a Google Form for character information. If you did not get a link e-mailed to you, let me know.

Fight in the warehouse

Continuing their way to the Red Foam Whaling, the party stops at Eralakni's Emporium for a little havoc. Still 5am, the city shows some signs of stirring. Off in the distance there are cries of alarms and bells.

The party slowly approaches the warehouse, taking careful observations as they approach. Bands of thugs, lead by yuan-ti from the 7th Coil, lay in wait for someone near the Emporium. The party springs the trap, and quickly quells the would be assassins. Successful in their tactics, the adventurers enter the emporium quietly.

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Session Characters: Ortho, Nesta, Vin, Gwen, Daria, Hjalmgerdr, Rudolpho.

Session Loot: 3 scrolls of Mordenkainen's private sanctum, scroll of sending, scroll of teleport, 2 shock daggers +1, 2 cloaks of Charisma +4, 2 rings of protection +3, 2 elixirs of fire breath, 4 potions of cure serious wounds, 3 potions of invisibility, 2 potions of haste, 7 doses of deathblade poison (Fort DC 20, 1d6 Con/1d6 Con), 5 doses of giant wasp poison (Fort DC 18, 1d6 Dex/1d6 Dex), 12 masterwork scimitars, 12 masterwork light crossbows, 12 masterwork chain shirts, 12 masterwork bucklers, 194 crossbow bolts, 6000 gp in assorted jewelry.