[no game]

D&D Sundae cancelled.

[no game]

D&D cancelled.

Character Levels

Everyone is 19th!   Usual awards for character sheets on level up.

20th level is only a bit away...

Roley, Poley, Zombie Heads

Roly Poly Zombie Heads

In General Bagromar's maps and notes, the party finds out that the Demogorgon has several legions in defensive positions in the Gaping Maw.  Also, there is a key to triggering the Savage Tide, a master pearl located somewhere in a location called Wat Dagon.  Research indicates that Wat Dagon is an ancient temple and a demiplane where the Demogorgon will perform the ritual to release the savage tide.  Most importantly the time for the ritual, when there is a planar conjunction, is two weeks away.

With all possible effort made to recruit help to stop the Savage Tide, the party calls on Iggwilv who suggests that it is time for all interested parties to meet.  The party comes up with Sigil, and all agree though some will have to send proxies.  Daria secures a special room in the Azure Iris, at a cost of 20000gp.

Inside the Diamond Suite of the Azure Iris, the group gathers to discuss the battle plans.  Charon sends his proxy, Rowan Kellani, since the party is familiar to her.  Gwynharwyf sends Celeste and Iggwilv arrives with her four apprentices.  Things take a disturbing turn when Malcanthet manifests her presence through Nesta, and Orcus' shambling corpse of a proxy, Xerivar finalize the arrivals.

The party plans the assault, Gwynharwf/Celeste and Orcus/Xerivar offer their tactical advice (and preferences) for the battle.  The adventurer's agree to contact everyone to time the invasion.  Heading back to Sasserine and Greyhawk for equipment and resupply, the party is informed that the-town-formally-known-as-Scuttlecove has been overrun by undead, and the Ur-priest mansion has reappeared.

A quick teleport to TTFNAS, the party sees the towns defenses have barricaded off several streets and buildings and are holding their positions against the waves of undead.  The adventurers arrive at the mansion to see a strange sight.  Eldritch energies crackle about swirling eddies of darkness and mists cover the sky.  Fires and pools of glowing ichor rise up from the ground.  Rudy smashes the gate and as the party moves in and is overcome by a wailing scream.  The party fights two foes hiding in pools of darkness, a crawling head and a blackguard frost giant.  Hjalmgerdr's holy word turns the tide and the group makes quick work of their opponents.

==========
Session Characters:  Ortho, Maybold, Nesta, Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Daria
Session Loot:  large +2 frost greataxe, large +2 full plate armor, cloak of Charisma +2, ring of minor energy resistance (fire), 2 doses of bloodroot poison.

I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General

The last leg of the recruiting trip, leads the party to Pazunia.  General Bagromar's camp lies just five miles from the river Styx.  The party walks over and presents themselves to the pickets outside the camp.  They make their way to Dingoslag, Bagromar's balrog minister of entrance.  Dingoslag listen, nods, and then agrees to lead the party.  Once outside he attacks.  Nearby demons start cheering for him.

But the party makes quick work of the balrog and the demons start cheering for the adventurers.  Once defeated, the demon bystanders wander off as if the entertainment is over.  Wandering into the camp further, they find Bagromar's tent.

Inside he is musing over a battle map, and invites the party closer and asks them what they want.  Not trying to reveal too much, the party bargain with him to turn on his twin.  Without sufficient cause to help, Bagromar attacks the party.  His attacks are brutal, and the fight is long.  At the end of the fight, he is destroyed and most of the party is severely hurt.

Once Bagromar is dead the camp breaks into chaos and the demons flee.  The party regroups and makes their way back to the ship on the river Styx.

==========
Session Characters:  Ortho, Maybold, Nesta, Muttons, Rudolpho, Mittens, Hjalmgerdr.
Session Loot:  large +1 vorpal longsword, large +1 flaming whip, +4 anarchic keen greatsword (with persistant image CL20 of a measuring stick), ring of major spell storing w/ 2 commune spells.

Hey, Hey, You, You, I don't like your boyfriend...

The party decides to return the locket of titan Aroten, who is imprisoned in the Tear of Mount Zionyn.  Approaching the mountain, the party follows a small narrow trail up into the mountainside.  Then they are challenged by a molydeus and his glabrezu guards.  A fight breaks out and the party quickly overcomes the demons.

Arriving at the Tear, six glowing columns inscribed with runes, surrounding him.  Aroten seems catatonic until all of the columns are destroyed.  Then he simply goes crazy.  The party attacks, but hampered by Hjalmgerdr's subdue-don't-kill request.  A combination of debilitating attacks and spells slowly wears down the titan.  Finally, Hjalmgerdr vanishes Aroten into some unknown location.

==========
Session Characters:  Mittens, Maybold, Nesta, Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Daria, Vin, Gwendelyn.
Session Loot:  a year supply of Jiffy Muffin Mix.

Sister, Sister

Pressing the battle on, the brave party members eliminate the vampire ninjas.  Focusing all of their effort Crimson, they fight on until she is destroyed.  The party finds a locket on her from Aroten, imprisoned in the scar of Zionyn peak.  Bringing the body of Crimson back, the party finds that Malcanthet is not happy about her death.  Malcanthet brings back Crimson, only to allow her sisters to tear her body apart.  Malcanthet gets another kiss from Nesta and sends the party along.

The next ally is a bit trickier.  The group must sneak into a depot and awaken the imprisoned aspect of Obox-ob.  The party travels to Zionyn and makes its way to Feedgut, a small but noticeable hill in the Blood Shallows.  The party sneaks in and gets the drop on Gorgan the Two-Faced, commander of the demons garrisoned here.  Powered up, the party strikes quickly and makes quick work of the Demogorgon's minion.  They move quickly into the warehouse and cast the freedom spell, and capture the Obox-ob aspect.

In the confusion and mayhem, the party starts to leave when they are confronted by Major Enderan and his bodak-tyrannosaur riding lemorian lancers.  The party shows unusually sound tactics and quickly resolve the encounter to their favor.

==========
Session Characters: Daria, Mittens, Hjalmgerdr, Rudolpho, Nesta, Vin, Gwendelyn, Ortho, Maybold
Session Loot: +4 glamered leather armor, +2 vorpal whip dagger, ring of evasion, +4 ring of protection, two gloves of storing, gold heart jewelry (2500gp),  +4 thundering dwarven waraxe, +3 full plate armor, +3 improved silent move leather armor, +5 sunshield (minor artifact), staff of transmutation (27 chargers), five large +5 full plate armor, five large +5 unholy lance, large +2 keen lawful outsider bane bastard sword,  four large +3 lances, four large +2 greatswords, 2 free season tickets for the Dodgers.

"When The Lights, Go Out, In the Dungeon" or "Sister Crimson"

The party leaves the docks of Miomanta, and makes their way to Malcanthet's palace.  They are stopped by a group of glabrezu, informing them that they are not properly 'attired' to get an audience.  The glabrezu discover the parties short fuse and are corpses in the streets in mere moments.

Arriving at the palace, the building is remarkably open to visitors.  The adventurers try to find Malcanthet's throne room, but no one seems interested in helping them.  Scenes of decadent, hedonistic, carnal frivolity fill the building.  The air is thick with perfume and sweat.  Eventually the party finds the throne room.  Malcanthet seems irritated and amused by the groups bad form.  Her off beat humor draws out the discussion, but eventually gets to the point.  She is willing to help, but wants the party to retrieve her lost sister Crimson.  To seal the deal, she wants a kiss, and directs the inquiry at Nesta.  Nesta, not-as-reluctantly-as-you-might-expect agrees, and Malcanthet plants a long, wet, deep, level-draining kiss.

The party travels to an old, run-down, building.  It's a mockery of a temple of Pelor.  Searching the grounds for some time, Daria finally uncovers a trap door leading to the lower levels.  Slabs of tables for the killing and dismemberment of humanoids fill the first room, a large dining hall fills the next.  The third room is a crypt.  Exploring the crypt, elite vampires attack the party.  Ortho breaks out the Light of Pelor, but quickly has it disarmed from his grip.  Then in the darkness, the item is stolen.

The fight continues on and Nesta discovers the room where Crimson is resting.  After telling the party to leave several times, and the party killing off the last of her vampire-ninjas, Crimson strikes.  Nesta gets her head ripped off by Crimson's razor-barbed whip.  The fight goes on...

[to be continued]

==========
Session Characters:  Mittens, Nesta, Maybold, Ortho, Gwendelyn, Vin, Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Daria
Session Loot: no loot, just lost the Light of Pelor

Character Levels

It is with much happiness that I make the following announcements:

Advancing to 19th level- Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Daria

Within extra credit range of 19th-  Vin, Nesta

Within double extra credit range of 19th-  Ortho, Gwendelyn

Advancing to 18th level-  Mittens, Maybold


Updated character sheets are worth character level * 50xp when submitted as PDFs.

Trick or Treat! Smell Defeat? You Know We Can, The Demogorgon Beat! (*revised*)

After a couple of days of recovery, the party wanders up the trail to the tower.  After some bizzarre antics, the party is ambushed by a trio of arcanaloths.  Invisible, polymorphed, the arcanaloths optimize their strikes for the closed quarters.  Using walls of force to cut off some party members, but the party still manages to hold their own.  The fight is disrupted by an arcanaloth disguised as Iggwilv, who scares off his brethren.

Landerbold, the fourth arcanaloth, apologizes for the behavior of the other apprentices and informs the group to be dressed (formally) and ready for their audience with his mistress.  Iggwilv receives the party coolly and gives them a rundown of potential allies they could petition for help.  Charon, Orcus, Gwynharwyf, Malcanthet, Obox-ob, Bagromar, and finally the Demogorgon himself.  Graz'zt is going to be a no-show.

Iggwilv gives the party a letter of introduction to Orcus.  And the party departs for Thanatos.  Before leaving the ship, the party takes special precautions again the planar effects.  The party tries to recruit a bit of help from the Dustmen, but their price was too high and Rudy's patience too thin.  Rudy quick draws his falchion and lops the dustman's head off.  The party finishes off the rest of the dustmen, and goes it on their own.  After a bit of travel, the party gets an audience with the dread demon lord Orcus.  Orcus challenges the party to a battle of champions, one of his death giants against the party's chosen:  Rudolpho.  The party powers up Rudolpho with everything they have, and with a modest effort Rudy takes her down.  Orcus is amused and agrees, and the party departs for the next leg of their journey.

Finding the Court of Stars seemed easy enough, but the party was greeted by a snobby eladrin.  Negotiation strained by argument with Sir Andros almost leads to blows, until Celeste breaks in and calms things down.  The party is taken to the court where the Queen asks the party to retrieve a star from the belly of a monster of a beast, Redfang.  Redfang is an ancient linnorm, powerful and deadly.

Arriving at the lair of the linnorm, the party cautiously approaches and feels its way along the roots of the great tree.  Perched above the party, on one of the roots, the invisible linnorm strikes.  Pelted by repeated prismatic sprays, the party takes a heavy toll.  Nesta dies from poison, Mittens and Gwendelyn are sent to other planes.  The rest of party toils with Redfang, and things are looking grim until Rodolpho's vorpal weapon strike brings down the great dragon.

The party takes a few days to recover and then resumes their quest.  Malcanthet's realm, Shendilavri, is the next stop and is conveniently located on the river Styx.  Arriving at the dock a pair of mariliths stop the disembarking party.  In an effort to win the "who-gets-bored-with-negotiations-first-contest", Maybold attacks one of the mariliths.  The party triumphs and no one seems to bat an eye at the scuffle on the docks of Malcanthets city, Miomanta.

==========
Session Character:  Ortho, Daria, Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Maybold, Nesta, Gwendelyn, Vin, Mittens
Session Loot:  +4 huge banded mail, +3 huge unholy great axe, cloak of protection +3, headband of intellect +4, boots of levitation, ring of improved jumping, ring of three wishes, and The Bearded Anvil. "The Bearded Anvil of the Midgard Dwarves". It is a 300lb steel anvil, inlaid with mithral to show a thick silvery beard on one side. It is a minor artifiact that grants a +4 divine bonus on any Craft or Profession involving metalwork. Any slashing weapon that is worked on this anvil for 1 minute (plus a DC 25 Craft[weaponsmithing] check gains the keen magical property (and a +1 enchantment bonus if not already magical).  This effect lasts for 24 hours.
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(Revised) additional loot:  170400 sp, 32350 gp, 6061 pp.

delayed posting

The posting for this date will be included on the following D&D Sundae's post.

In The River

As the waters of the river Styx keep pouring in, Shami-Amourae plane shifts away.  Off in the distance, a dark shrouded creature paddles his skiff closer to the party.  The bony hands and the glowing eyes give away Charon identity.  Charon asks the party, "What have you done to my river?"  The party denies any intent to cause the event, apologizes, and tells the long tale of their adventures.  Upon hearing this, Charon the sound advise to seek out Iggwilv.  He offers to show the party the way.

Charon's skiff travels a wide variety of landscapes before emerging from the fog, next to the party's ship.  Already docked at a pier, the ship is fit and ready.  Charon informs the party that while they are on their current quest, they are under his protection while traveling on the river Styx.  With that, he leaves.

After a few moments, a wolf-headed creature emerges and yells out that the adventurers should leave immediately.  They are unexpected and unwelcome.  With that, two powerful linnorms emerge from the water and attack the party.  The combat is particularly lethal with Ortho and Nesta being destroyed.  Hjalmgerder beaten into unconsciousness, dropping into the river Styx and starting to drown.

The party struggles be defeats the linnorms.  Vin dives in to save Hjalmgerdr, as he does, the Styx wipes his memory clean.  The party will have to do a bit of planar traveling to recover from this fight.

==========
Session Characters:  Nesta, Daria, Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Gwendelyn, Vin, Ortho, Maybold, Mittens
Session Loot:  27676gp, two star rubies (1000gp each), two huge moonbars (4000gp each), two pcs of jade (100gp each), two flawed yellow diamonds (800gp each), carved masterwork chestnut & ivory inlay & black sapphire harp (5500gp), amulet of natural armor +4 depicting twisted trident impaling a dolphin, darkwood helm of telepathy carved to resemble a nest of snakes with softly glowing emerald eyes.

You're The Best Part Of Me, Molypente

After freeing Shami-Amourae, her parasitic captor, a chokesnake named Molypente, takes control and initiates combat with the party.  After directing more attacks against the fiendish snake, the party eventually overcomes the creature and Shami-Amourae recovers.

A great rift opens in the sky, and the river Styx pours into the Well, and begins flooding the surrounding landscape.  The party scrambles to escape the well and the effects of the Stygian waters.

Shami-Amourae tells the party that the Demogorgon is his own worst enemy, that his divided nature works against itself.    Each head seeks to achieve dominance.  Aameul (cold and calculating) seeks to murder Hethradiah and use the life energy of the Bastion of Unborn Souls to cauterize the wound.  She doesn't think it will work.  Hethradiah's plan is to seed dozens of Material Plane cities with madness (called the Savage Tide) and siphon it to the Gaping Maw so that he can aborb Aameul.

In order to stop the Demogorgon's plans the party will need to distract the Demogorgon, and recruit help.  She suggests talking to Iggwilv.

==========
Session Characters:  Orho, Nesta, Daria, Mittens, Hjalmgerdr, Rudolpho.
Session Loot:  The complete works of Caruthers Willoughby on vinyl.

Please... Don't Leave... Shami

As the party begins to release Shami-Amourae at the Well of Debase Eros, four Lemorian Bar-Lurga Bloodscouts riding Retrievers show up to break up the proceedings.  The party (at reduced numbers) struggles with the encounter, but eventually succeeds.

==========
Session Characters:  Daria, Rudolpho, Hjalmgerdr, Vin, Gwendelyn.
Session Loot:  four bracers of armor +5,  four +3 seeking composite longbow (+6 Str),  100 cold iron arrows.

Azahu, Schmazahu

After a bit of research, the party figures out that Ahazu is imprisoned in a well and it is located somewhere in the ruined Overlook Tower.  Traveling up there is uneventful, but upon arrival the party is attacked by several nightwings.

Quickly dispatching the nightwings, the group continues inside and searches the ruins.  Eventually they discover the well at the bottom of the crumbling tower.  While preparing for the descent into the well, a swarm of abyssal ants attack.  Deep in the well, the Keepers of Ahazu begin assaulting the party with spells.  While the abyssal ants are a mere annoyance, the varrangoin lich arcanists prove much tougher.

Eventually the party prevails, and communes with the entity Ahazu.  In exchange for the release of Shami-Amourae, Ahazu requires a replacement of sufficient power within 66 days or the party members will be imprisoned in her stead.  He provides a book of infinite spells, with only one spell (freedom) remaining.  The party is to cast that, standing at the Well of Debased Eros.

Rudolpho, in a fit of barbarism, earns the mark of Ahazu.  Except that instead of the black smoke coming from his mouth, it comes from his backside.

The party returns to the Well of Debased Eros and prepares to release Shami-Amourae.

==========
Session Characters:  Nesta, Daria, Rudolpho, Hjalmderdr, Gwendelyn Vin, Ortho, Maybold, Mittens
Session Loot:  Paintings by Ulricon the Necromances, estimated value at 30000gp, by the Abyssal Antiques Roadshow crew.  Two paintings stand out from the others.  The first is a lush Abyssal landscape in a harsh blue light, depicting a dozen cities.  It is labeled Gallenshu and depicts the 377th layer of the Abyss. The second painting depicts a thriving city built in the middle of a giant rift in a mountain surrounded by jungle.  It is labeled Xuxuleito and depicts the Forbidden City of the Xaro Mountains in Hepmonaland at its height.  The two paintings of note are work 5000gp and 2500gp, respectively.  Two rings of protection +4, two rings of force shield, two tripartite amulets of the hive mind.  A book collection (hundreds of books) on the history of the Abyss (+10 circumstance bonus to Knowledge Planes checks) worth 12000gp.  Dozens of spell books, as a collection they contain all of the wizard spells in the Players Handbook except illusion and enchantment spells).  Amulet of the Planes, and a copy of the Demonomicon of Iggwilv.

Character Levels

Vin, Rudolpho, and Nesta are now 18th level !

Everyone else is closing in...