Part 4 - Road to Fort Rannik

Part 4 – ROAD TO FORT RANNIK

18th Lamashan

MagnimarGuard-Loredo
  • Party was summoned to meet with Mayor Grobaris to help him deal with a situation he had.
  • The Mayor wanted the party to head to a Ranger's Station (Fort Rannik) on the edges of Magnimar territory as there had been no official word from there for quite some time. Some of the local courts and officials have obviously been pressuring the Mayor as he seemed to have no real interest in this at all.
  • As reward, the Mayor offered the party 300gp for expenses, after all it was about 450 miles away (20 days by foot, 10 days by horse or 1 week by barge).
  • Kathra sparked up and bargained with the Mayor, winning the party some extras. The mayor agreed to pay all travel expenses and also to send along five of the city guards with the party.
  • The party thought about taking Sgt Athanaskas, however eventually decided to leave him to keep an eye out in Magnimar for them, as he seemed somewhat trustworthy and a friend to the party.

21st Lamashan

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HalflingLeader%2BScratchy
  • After a few days resting in Magnimar the party headed to the docks to meet Jacqueline Starling, the captain of the barge, River Wasp, that would take them up the river.
  • Started travelling up the Yondabakari River. There was intermittent rain until lunch. The barge slowed to travel through a series of sand bars and were ambushed by halfling pirates in canoes. The leader appeared to be a druid with a giant weasel as a beast friend ("Scratchy").
  • Kathra disposed of Scratchy quickly and the halfling pirates boarded The River Wasp, led by their furious druid leader. However most fled once the leader was killed. One of the guards was lost.

22nd Lamashan

  • Cold & wet, party anchored to avoid dangerous shoals overnight.
  • Hargev on watch in the middle of the night was attacked by a winged humanoid (harpy).

23rd Lamashan

  • An easy stretch of water but there was a cold rain.
  • Anchored in a shallow cove with scattered trees.

24th Lamashan

  • Very cold head winds.
  • A guard (Loredo) wanted to leave to follow an enchanting light luring him ashore, however Capt. Starling convinced him to stay.
  • First snow/sleet of the year on the last watch.

25th Lamashan

  • Very cloudy and cold day.
  • After an uneventful day the barge docked at Harker's Jetty.
  • Party stays at large inn there.
  • Capt. Starling played her lute with one of the locals on a flute.
  • Bryak spoke with a merchant (Qunintanite) about both their barges travelling together for safety but this never eventuates.
  • Capt. Starling bartered with the innkeeper for goods and in the end set up a business arrangement to sell goods here regularly for 50% of the profits (less expenses).

26th Lamashan

BlackfeatherLeader BlackfeatherShaman BlackfeatherWarrior
  • Party travelled by barge again and were attacked by swamp beasts (Boggards of the Black Feather Clan) when the barge had to negotiate some muddy islands.
  • Party stopped at Harker's Hollow, a very dreary Hamlet where two attractive women took a shine to one of the guards (Themros), but the party quickly left, much to his dismay. They decided to row further upstream to avoid this dreary and suspicious place.
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  • Hargev saw a giant otter in the water.
  • Party passed another barge going downriver.

27th Lamashan

  • Cold day.
  • A small oared boat approached the barge. The approaching vessel was Captained by Joran Stygmont, a famous explorer and leading member of the Pathfinder Society. Capt Starling called to him and he came aboard for a chat and invited the party to Hidemarsh Manor, saying they should think of joining the Society. He claimed to have just dealt with the Green Lich of the Dead Meres.
  • Kathra told him to clear off, much to the annoyance of Captain Starling who has him as a guest on her boat.

28th Lamashan

  • Party passed islands in the river and saw a kid hanging from a tree in a bamboo cage. In another cage was a boggard.
  • Hargev spotted a big bellied boggard in the reeds when they stopped to help.
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  • Captain Starling sang a verse from the Ballad of the Emen Men trying to raise the spirits of the party, but it didn't work.
  • These boggards thought they have them in trouble, but the party will burst their bubble, and double the trouble back, let them get ready and attack them, make them rue their attack on the crew
  • Party defeated the Big-Belly boggards and release the captive boggard (of the Black-Feather tribe), who was terrified. They gave him a spear and told him to leave, which it happily obeyed.
  • When the party released the kid, Hargev stabbed him through the neck with his spear. For a moment the party were horrified, especially the guards, until the kid turned into one of the faceless stalkers that the party had encountered at the Foxglove Manor in Magnimar.
  • Party arrived in Wortle and stopped to re-supply.
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  • Party continued on and heard some beautiful singing across the water. Orik and Themros were bewitched and Orik tried to wrest control of the barge from Capt. Starling, but Capt Starling distracted him by trying to give him a quick kiss which broke the spell.
  • Themros however, dove into the water and tried to swim to the shore. Hargev dropped the anchor.
  • Hargev then threw a rope into the water to Themros to try and save him.
  • Party was attacked by the flock of harpies that had started the enchanting singing. Bryak dropped two as they swoop across the water with bolts of cold.
  • Themros was dragged back to the barge and party drove the rest of the harpies off killing all but one of them (the leader).

29th Lamashan

  • Nice day.
  • Strong winds drove party very close to Whistledown.

30th Lamashan

  • Cold day with clear skies.
  • Party saw a couple rapidly getting dressed, fleeing from the river bank.
  • Party arrived at Whistledown (high gnome population) and stayed at the Azure Cup. This town is known for its musical instruments and other odd (including arcane) paraphernalia.

1st Neth

  • Party bought a continual light lantern at the market in Whistledown, before returning to the barge to head to Ilsurian.
  • Party passed the Silent Mage in his red dragon corpse boat (Gorantuan). (Chaddy taking out the quote of the day asking, "Does he say anything?")
TheSilentMage Ilsurian

2nd Neth

  • Party arrived at Ilsurian late afternoon (800+ people). Arkin used to work here and the party passed some of his work.

3rd Neth

• Party bought a wagon and two ponies to head to Pendaka.
• Party decided to take the path around the marsh in the open.
• Orik had his sword fixed at the local smith's on a day rest.
• Arkin visited with his former employers in town.

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4th Neth

• Party started the journey to Pendaka (about a 3 day trip).
• About lunch time, the party saw a sign saying, Turn back, Rangers are gone. Themros touched the paint and found that it was dry.
• Party camped overlooking the Shimmer Glen.

5th Neth

• Warm and cloudy, NW wind, travel parallel to the Shimmer Glen.
• Party camped in a copse of stunted pines.

6th Neth

• Gulping and croaking sounds woke the party. The sounds were coming from the glens, about 1 mile away, and carried on the wind from the east.
• After two hours travel, a cart and a dozen people approached from the other direction. Party spoke with them (they were repairing the walkway). The group warned of the gnomes wanting them gone and talk of ogres in the area. The party bought 7 days food for each member from the group from the workers.
• Continued along the trail, 2 gnomes wanted to trade furs with the party. They had no relevant information about what lies ahead. Orik bought a rabbit from them.
• Forest closed in as night approached. Orik cooked his rabbit on the camp fire. He cooked it a lot. If it wasn't dead before, it definitely was now, after he dropped it in the fire several times.

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7th Neth

• Cold winds returned with heavy, low clouds.
• Party headed into Sanoss Forest, easy to travel on the path there. The path didn't appear to be there the day before.
• A white fletched arrow struke the wagon next to Kathra. Fearing an ambush, the party were surprised to see a familiar face. Shalelu (the female elven ranger who they worked with in Sandpoint). She was accompanied by gnomes.
• Shalelu joined the party as they are heading to the same place (Turtle Back Ferry). The gnomes returned to the Sanoss. Shalelu told the party that it appeared that ogres from the Kreeg Ranges had taken out the Black Arrow Rangers.
• Shelalu reported that apparently a half mad and injured ranger was seen in Turtle Back Ferry a few weeks ago but disappeared mysteriously that same night. Bryak suggested that ogres aren't known for their stealth so there must be another way the ranger was taken (was apparently too injured to leave himself). (The party kept this in mind to investigate when they arrived there).
• Bryak dropped hints to Shalelu to go hunting but she stated that they would make it to Turtle Back Ferry by nightfall if they don't waste time doing that.
• In the afternoon, the party arrived at the Wicker Walk (3 mile long boardwalk over marsh) and across that, Bitter Hollow (a dive of a place). They did't make it to Turtle Back Ferry that night, after all.
• Shalelu talked the party through the local militia check point and the party stayed at Barnabus's Nest, a trading post and barn. Fort Rannick was about a day north of there.

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8th Neth

• Party arrived at Turtle Back Ferry. And yes, they had to cross the river on giant turtle shell ferries.
• Orik found out that the injured ranger they had heard about stayed at Quinter's. (A local seamstress).
• Party stopped by the mayor of TBF. Mayor was a cleric of Erastil (arrow holy symbol).
• Quinter was there and the party questioned her, but she didn’t have any information on how the crazed and wounded ranger in her care disappeared. The ranger's left arm was smashed and he also had a deep cut across his chest.
• Party decided to stay there and leave for Fort Rannick the next morning. The fort was about a day away.
• Bryak investigated Quinter's home and again comes the the conclusion that ogres were not working alone.

9th Neth

• Party headed along river path towards Fort Rannick.
• Not long after crossing a bridge, along the forested west river bank, Hargev and Orik heard what sounds like a wounded animal in a trap (a bear) and dogs barking at it. They moved to investigate.

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• Hargev cast beast friend and made the lead dog cower in submission after he asked it to flee. The dog did so and most of the other dogs also fled with it.
• Owner of the dogs appeared to be a young, deformed ogre - yet not as big as an ogre. He appeared to be some mutated human-ogre crossbreed, an ogrekin! The ogrekin claimed the bear in trap was his. Party fought the ogrekin and his dogs, Hargev trying to release the bear which appeared to be intelligent enough to indicate it was hurt by the trap.
• The young ogrekin got cocky and danced and laughed in delight as it delighted at the prospect of winning.
• Kathra dispatched several of the dogs then turned on the ogrekin. Arkin jumped over the dog and swings his hammer at the ogrekin's head. Blessed by Torag, he hits (00 critical with 3 raises, 20 dmg), caving in one eye socket. Orik joined the fight attacking the ogrekin as well. Kathra pick-axed the young mutant to the face, finally killing him.
• Ogrekin had black arrow insignias sewn onto the blanket he had tucked into the back of his smelly loincloth.
• Hargev released the bear and healed it. The bear started to run, looking back to see if Hargev was following him, so Hargev did so.
• The party followed the bear along a path that led into the woods (away from the river). They came to an area where tokens and chimes that appeared to be made out of human and gnome bones chimed eerily in the breeze.
• Beyond the chimes was a clearing with a hut on the left and a barn on the right beyond a small corn patch. Both buildings were pretty decrepit, saggin and covered in moss. Form the homestead the party heard guttural sounds yelling, and from the barn, what sounded like a whimpering dog.

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• Another ogre-crossbred mutant with a large growth on its head came walking out of the barn and saw the party. It yelled a challenge then charged towards the party with a large hook. The bear hesitated before letting out a large roar. Shalelu shot at the ogre and hit him in the guts. (A nasty gut wound). The wounded ogrekin with the growth cried out to "Mammy"!
• Bryak used his arcane power to turn Kathra's skin hard like rock. Kathra then charged up attacking the ogrekin, hitting him in the leg and then landing a killing blow.
• The party then headed over to the barn where the distinct smell of alcohol fermenting could be smelt through the open doors.
• Shalelu instead headed towards the homestead (rather than accompanying the others to the barn).
• Inside the barn the stench was a mixture of the ogrekin's foul liquid brewing in a large still and worse. Orik and Kathra entered the barn with the bear urging them on, they encountered another two ogrekin with the dog that got chased off from the bear trap. The first was hulking no-necked brute, with pale, wrinkly skin and a vestigial arm growing from his left elbow. The other had stunted, twisted legs more appropriate for a dwarf.

SugarGraul

• Screaming from within the homestead continued in a guttural language (giant). A commanding, but crude female voice was telling someone else to go out and see what was happening. Another voice from somewhere inside told the former that that would not be happening. It appeared more ogrekin were within the homestead and continued their foul exchange by screaming from room to room.
• Shalelu climbed up a pillar onto the roof of the porch of the homestead, but there were no windows looking inside from up there.
• Back in the barn, the dog attacked the bear, killing it with a ripping bite to the throat.
• Kathra dropped the stunted ogrekin, when a third (a tall one with milky eyes) erupted from the hay-bale to attack her. Kathra quickly puts him on his ass.
• The dog attacked Themros (guard) who gutted it with his sword. Orik dispatched the three-armed ogrekin.
• Kathra took a drink from their still and threw up as it was so disgusting, appearing to include bits of flesh (possibly human, gnome, squirrel etc) and the-gods-only-knew-what-else.
• Orik explored the barn's stalls and found human skins nailed up on the wall to dry, and intestines and bones in another of the stalls.
• The double doors on ground level to the rear of the barn appeared to be stuck.
• Orik and Kathra went up stairs to the walkway on the second level. Each ended at a door into the rear part of the barn. Beyond, the walkway continued to circle the upper story, but below them was a scary site. Thick webs hung from the railings and filled the entire rear of the barn, forming a funnel down to ground level and continued deeper still, into a hole in the floor of the barn. Whatever spider lived in their must be huge!

GiantBarnSpider
• Orik turned to tell the others below what he has seen. By the time he turned back towards the rear of the barn, a truly immense spider has ascended the webs and loomed over him with fangs the size of swords. One swift attack and Orik was bleeding and feeling the burning effects of the venom. Arkin used a miracle on Orik and counteracted the poison in his system, though he remained exhausted.
• Arkin casts a stoneskin spell on himself and went into the spider room to see if there were people alive in there. He found a wooden cage in corner of the walkway, with 3 people chained up in it (a young man, a large shoanti and a dark haired man).
• Arkin bravely crossed the walkway above the web and choped at the rope holding the cage door closed. As he opened the cage the spider climbed up the webs, looming over the railing to attack him. Arkin jumped into the cage and the spider tore at the cage, trying to get to him.
• Orik drank a potion of healing curing him of his injuries.
• Arkin called on Torag for great power and turned into a creature of earth and stone to combat the giant spider. Kathra ran in to help him fight it.
• Bryak issued a command to Kathra to hit it again (Warfare-Tactics) and she belted it, smashing into it and knocking it back into its hole in the ground.
• Arkin and Kathra pulled the prisoners free (Vale, Jakardros & Kaven) and helped them out of the spider room. They were very beaten up, fatigued and barely conscious. Even conversation was hard and they seemed mentally unstable too. Vale may be the leader of the last of the Black Arrow Rangers. Arkin used the last of his potions of healing to revitalize all three before the party had to move on.
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• The group retreated to the woods to find a safe place for the ravaged rangers. Shalelu knew Jakardros. (Jakardros and his adventuring group had helped Shalelu's elven community to defeat a green dragon. He was in a relationship with Shalelu's mother but the green dragon attacked as an undead dragon and killed Shalelu's mother. He helped defeat the dragon again but then left the elven community, meaning to return, but never did). He was the reason that she was heading to Turtle Back Ferry. He regretted leaving Shalelu, but now that they were reunited, a spark of hope entered his one good eye.
• While the party was helping the guards to get into the forest and Shalelu was catching up with Jakardros, Orik decided to open the side door into the hut. The door opened into a dark, putrid kitchen with baskets of hands and feet, rats and lots of flies. Pushing through and just managing not to throw up from the smell, he tried to open a door on the other wall of the room.
• He opened the door and sprung a trap set on that door, causing a blade to swing out from the wall and slam into his chainmail, hurting but not doing any serious damage. Beyond, there was little light but appeared to be chairs scattered around a table, a mangy red-haired head sits on the table like a centerpiece. There were two other doors in this room, another on the same wall and one in the opposite wall.
• Leaving the Magnimar guards to watch over the freed rangers, the party went back to the house. Orik filled them in on what he had seen so far.
• Going further into the home, another room appeared to be a child's room with sick drawings of demons and mutilation on the walls. A bookshelf had a collection of skulls and bones on it.
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• In this play room, Orik was attacked by an ogrekin who's legs didn't work, while what could be an ugly human cowered in the far corner.
• Kathra came in and the ugly human-like one threw a skull into her, making her extremely angry (berserk). With its face revealed, it was not so easily mistaken for human - it had an over-sized mouth with sharp, stunted teeth. Kathra attacked 'Bigmouth', dispatching him instantly and then turned to finish the crippled one that was dragging itself around on its arms laughing at the death of his brother.
• Hargev thought he heard laughing from under the floor. He also noticed Orik bleeding from the leg, so Hargav called on his ancestors to help heal Orik.
• Back in the hallway the party decided to ascend a flight of stairs to the second level. At the top of the stairs there were two doors: behind one was lots of junk (parts of traps, bones, nails, bolts etc.)
• Behind the other door was a smelly bedroom with seven beds in it. Human skulls with antlers were attached to the bedheads. Bryak decided to open a large chest, but the lid wouldn’t budge.
• The party headed back downstairs and tried another door, to reveal a long room (that runs along the inside of the porch). A large bear rug lay in front of a fire; a big couch made of bones and bits of bodies, stitched with human flesh and animal hides sat facing the door.
• The party ignored the entry room and heard chanting coming from behind another door. Orik kicked in that door and saw something he would have like to never see.
• The stench was nearly overwhelming. Orik freaked out upon setting eyes upon this room: a very stained bed; a painting easel, with human appendages for brushes; three ogrekin sitting up in coffins with their mouths sewn shut with hair; buckets of filth and waste by the wall; and most importantly, a huge disgusting ogrekin? woman who was reclining on the bed. She immediately used magic to sap Orik's strength, she then motioned to the three ogrekin in the coffins and they start to lurch forth (undead).

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• Kathra charged in to attack 'Mammy', hitting her once and doing some damage as she tried to strike through the blubber.
• The same black energy spell from the Mammy sapped the strength of Kathra and then two more zombies appeared magically beside the bed.
• Bryak cast lightning bolt and hits Mammy, also taking out one of the zombies in the process.
• After much fighting, Mammy teleported from the room in a cloud of darkness. The party destroyed the rest of the constructs/zombies.
• Arguing from below indicate Mammy had somehow gone into the basement.
• While the party rested for a couple of minutes, they let the freed prisoners and guards know they were ok and that they were going to venture downstairs.
• In the basement, the party opened one of three doors. Beyond was an earth-floored room with a mattress on the floor and unfinished chairs and patches of mould.
• Another door opened into a room packed with old furniture, old farm equipment etc. All appeared broken. Double doors at other end of the room opened into a short corridor with doors at other end. These doors opened into yet another room, with a door to the right, and was choked with more stinking rotten vegetable matter, fungi and mould.
• A moss/infected plant-like creature, but vaguely humanoid was in middle of room. Mammy oozed on far side of room, and ordered her sons to attack. Apparently the plant-creature was one of her sons (Muck). The other (Hucker) was a typical ogrekin with a malformed jaw, some sort of improvised leg bracers and some feral donkey rats at his feet. Fighting ensued.

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• Arkin magically burrowed behind Mammy and attacked. Hargev turned a donkey rat against its owners and it tried to eat mammy. Kathra fought the plant thing (Muck).
• The charmed donkey rat jumps up and latches onto Mammy's neck, killing her. (yep the donkey rat killed her! It got a joker and that was the end of Mammy). Kathra downed Muck, but it rose up and she downs it again, this time chopping it to pieces. Hargev healed Arkin.
• After the battle the party opened a door in this room to see what was there. It was a storage room with a chest in it. Party thought it might be trapped, but Arkin couldn’t find any so he opened it. Inside chest: large elven bow (Jakardros's), large red dragon scale with embedded rubies made into a cloak clasp (600gp); large sack of coins; leather gloves, studded with pearls (good for archery +1 marksmanship die); a necklace of silver with drop emeralds (300gp?); a spare ogre hook; and a hand with an agate gold ring (50gp?) on it.
• Back to the bedroom to search the chest upstairs: bag of coins - 121cp, 45sp, 23 gp.
• Back in the basement, someone got up the courage to search Mammy: human forearm bone decorated with runes radiates magic (ray of enfeeblement). On Hucker: large ogre hook and a leather wrist strap decorated with bears. Radiates magic - adds to toughness. (After talking with the surviving rangers later the party heard how it belonged to Brunak, a dwarf Black arrow ranger).
• Bryak noticed some jars (5) of acid under a table on his way out, party left them. Party left the house and returned to the guards.
• Party and others travelled back to Turtle Back Ferry and heard story of what happened at Fort Rannick from the rangers.
About three weeks ago, the Black Arrow Rangers met their match. Only reason these three survived was because they were on a long range patrol. When they returned they found Fort Rannick overrun with ogres. Fleeing into the woods they were pursued by ogres, who picked off several. Eventually they were captured by the ogrekin. Five others who were with them have been fed to the spider or tortured to death.

10th Neth

• Party patrolled next few days to help shore up Turtleback Ferry's defences. Rangers sent word back to Magnimar via a merchant that Fort Rannick had fallen to ogres. (With such a harsh winter, the group hoped the message would get there, but help was unlikely to arrive soon).
• PCs remained in Turtleback Ferry for a few days, waiting for the Black Arrows to recuperate. Several joined in patrols in the nearby woods.

13th Neth

• Themros got lost trying to follow a will-o-wisp.

14th Neth

• Patrol encounter - along the river, between TBF and Bitter Hollow. Patrol got between a few gators hidden in some bushes and the water. One rushed at the guards and others tried for the water, but attacked any party members in their way. Kathra killed one easily and took back to town as food.

15th Neth - 19th Neth

• Hargev used tribal medicine to help speed up the process of the rangers' injuries.
• Encounter on 15th - harpies - patrol took care of them.
• Encounter on 16th - auroch, killed for food.

20th Neth

• Party now consists of Arkin, Kathra, Bryak, Hargev, Shalelu, Jarkadros, Vale & Kaven + Magnimar guards - Themros, Loretto, Hermodius.
• The new party left for Fort Rannick. As they approached, they came across bones, bits of armour etc hanging in trees as wind chimes. They observed the fort from the cover of the trees. It has a small hole in wall, one gate piled with debris (wagons, rocks etc). Party planned to use tunnels at back of waterfall to gain entry into Fort. The three Black Arrows rangers with the party have given them a map of these tunnels and a basic rundown of the layout of Fort Rannik itself.

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• Booming laughter could be heard from the gate, and ogres could be seen moving around the gate battlements near the pond.
• Party moved around to waterfall area and tried to sneak across to climb under waterfall. Bryak cast wall walker on some of the group's less competent climbers.
• Two ogre guards spotted movement, saw the party trying to sneak around and came out to investigate. Arkin burrowed to another part of the area to distract the ogres, which caused them to separate; one after Arkin and the other head towards Bryak who was huddled under a blanket with others still casting spells from his book.
• Ogre smashed Hermodius in the head, busting through his shield to cave in his skull, killing him instantly.
• Ogre struck Arkin, hitting him and stunning him momentarily, before he started to retaliate, dealing a blow to the knee (called shot).
• Ogre hurled a rock at Loredo, smashing him into the cliff wall as he tried to climb out of the way, knocking him to the ground dead.
• Bryak blinded the ogres as he climbed up wall.
• Ogre leader came out from gatehouse to investigate as Arkin scurried under the waterfall with ogres smashing and throwing rocks at him the whole time.
• Cavern floor beyond the waterfall was full of puddles with walkways of soggy planks. Fungus and moss were abundant. Arkin noticed that the ogres were climbing up after the party.
• One ogre tried to climb into the cavern (unarmed after dropping his club) pushing Arkin back to get in. Kathra and Arkin attacked it, while Shalelu and Jarkadros shot at it.
• Party downed that ogre and then headed into the 5' passageway that leads out of the cavern.
• Entering another cavern there were 2 shocker lizards. Vale used his torch with bitterwood on it (which the shockers hate) to guide the lizards back behind the party down the 5' passageway. Several crates were located in the tunnels with Black Arrow weapons in case of a siege - swords, daggers, arrows etc.
• Party headed downwards, towards shocker lizard lair which they would have to pass through to get to the Fort's dungeon.

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• Opening a secret door, they found what was once a part of the dungeon, now decked out in luxury with silk drapes and many cushions. Inside was Lady Lucrecia. (The lady that ran Paradise, a gambling boathouse that burnt down and sunk into Claybottom Lake a month ago. She was known by the rangers, AND of course the womanising Orik).
• Lady Lucrecia welcomed the intruders and invited them to join Mokmurian's pursuits. When Kaven entered, she indicated that the Fort was taken thanks to information that she gained from him. Of course, Vale was furious at hearing this and tried to grab Kaven who, in turn, fended him off. Orik pushed Kaven aside but couldn’t get past Vale into the room.
• Lady Lucrecia talked calmly to Vale and told him he should calm down and come to her side, which he did (obviously charmed). Kaven ran in and fell before LL. Orik finally got into the room and gave LL a hug and she gives him a peck on the cheek. Kaven isn't too happy with this.
• As things looked like they were turning heated the lamia Xanesha (that the party fought in the clock tower in Magnimar) slide out from the cushions at the rear of the room. She still wore her medusa mask, and with a flash from its green lenses Orik was turned to stone.
• Jakardros stepped in and fired an arrow at the Xenesha's head, but missed.
• Lady Lucrecia then also turned into a lamia, snake coils filling and spilling out from her dress. She attacked Jakardros with two short blades, first wounding him, then cutting his throat.
• Vale, who appeared to join Lady Lucrecia, suddenly turned on her (he was playing possum) chopping her to the side of the head, blood pouring into one eye.
• Madness ensued, fighting in close quarters, hack and slashing. In the chaos, Vale was dropped.

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• Xanesha taunted Kathra as she backed into the room. Kathra went berserk and accepted the challenge eagerly.
• Loud bang from behind the party, shock lizards may have dispatched an ogre that was trying to sneak up on the party.
• Arkin used the holy relic given to him by the church of Torag in Magnimar to give Orik another chance. His petrified body begins to move, and the stone Orik gained life as some sort of stone elemental, but was soon wrapped up in LL's tail.
• Kaven was confused and frightened, and ended up throwing his lot in with the lamias. He attacks Shalelu, before Themros stepped in to grapples him, getting him in a headlock and squeezing over and over.
• An ogre waiter arrived to deliver food at the door opposite the party's entry. As he poked his head through the door, Bryak cast a spell making the ogre grow in size until he was too large to move in the corridor outside the door and couldn't get through the doorway. At some stage during the fight it was shot with an arrow, and its struggles cracked the masonry at the rear of the room.
• Themros knocked out Kaven and a few moments later stabbed him through the neck, killing the traitor.
• Orik experienced a few moments of consciousness as an earth elemental, broke free from the lamia's tail and returned back into his human flesh form.
• Lucrecia tried to slice Orik's neck from behind but he came to his senses and pushed her off with just a wound to the neck.
• Xanesha was dispatched finally, and a few moments later Arkin killed Lucrecia. The two lamias were finally dead.
• The ogre returned to normal ogre size with the arrow that Hargev shot into the doorway sticking out of its knee. Arkin, smashed into it with his hammer, dropping it before it could flee back upstairs to warn the others.
• Shalelu searched the cells and found lots of dried blood on the floor in one of them. Themros guarded the stairs leading up in case any other ogres started to come down.
• The lamias had: elven blades x2; rapier; magical medallions with 7-pointed star x 2; the magical medusa mask; magical snake skin shirts x2.
• The party said a quick prayer for the dead rangers. Shalelu's reunion with Jarkandros proved to be short; she took his bow to remind her of him.

• Party left the room and ascended the stairs carefully. It rose up into the tower and opened into a filthy hallway. As the party entered the door at the end, a blood and gore covered ogre peered our from the nearest door on the right of the hallway. The ogre charged at Orik who was the first through the door (and the party then noticed that the ogre was not only covered in gore, he was gory himself; he was missing half his face, revealing just muscle and sinew).
• Arkin rallied the troops around the ogre, when a second ogre opened a door at the far end of the corridor. It dropped what it was carrying (possible a corpse) then retreated to get his weapon. When approaching up the hallway started banging on doors, alerting others. Soon the hall was filled with the brutes. Kathra took out the half-face ogre as the other ogres charged down the hallway.
• Bryak retreated down the stairs. The ogres reached the party and before most could retreat through the small doorway, with Arkin and Orik arguing over which of them will retreat from the fight last to provide cover. Kathra and Shalelu returned to fight hand to hand. Shalelu was struck in the right arm, bruising it deeply. Most of party still wished to retreat, but the two females were stuck in combat.
• Hargev turned into a lion and attacked the ogre leader.
• Ogre leader told the other ogres to back off so he could finish the intruders.
• Themros stabbed with his spear at the leader over the dwarves and lion and struck the ogre deeply in the chest, blood spurting everywhere, he looks sick.
• Kathra smashed him with her pickaxe and he dropped from a massive blow. (48 dmg with a joker - just after Chaddy leaves to go home ;)). She then stepped up to drop another ogre. The remaining ogres got angry after Kathra dropped their leader and attacked. Inspired, the rest of the party returned to help end the fight.
• Kathra dropped an ogre and it fell onto Arkin and Themros, knocking Themros to the ground pinning him momentarily.
• Hargev took down the last of the ogres in the hallway. There were seven dead ogre bodies within a small area, almost blocking the hallway.
• Searching revealed nothing except the weapons they were carrying.

Neth 20th - continues

JaagrathKreeg
DorellaKreeg

• party opened door to library which was in tatters.
• Hargev & Kathra check out the infirmary, which was a bloodbath horror with tortured and brutalizes Black Arrow Rangers everywhere.
• Party kept searching, entering the Armory which had rangers heads mounted on pikes.
• Party continued to explore and witness the same sort of horrors of torture and maiming throughout the fort.
• Party moved along the outside to a locked door and Bryak used a wand to open it magically.
• Party found the ogre leader with a couple of henchmen just inside and a fight ensued.
• After a long battle the party, though heavily wounded, succeeded in killing the ogre leader, his wife and their son.
• The party cleaned the fort of intruders and found only one survivor (Novak).

Dorella%26SonBrother

23th Neth

Karly-Lop%20Kreeg%20-%20Ogre.jpg

• Karly-Lop (a captured ogre guard) indicated that the ogres may be under the rule of Stone giants from up near Skull Crossing (a dam which they might be trying to knock down to flood the area below). To get to him, the party discovered they would have to pass what appeared to be an ettin (Gorga & Chole) before a group of trolls.
• Freezing cold rain for several days.
• 3 hunters and Bryaks retainers arrived after an animal messenger was sent to Turtleback Ferry after the party had taken the fort.

24th Neth

SkullCrossing
Gorger%26Chore

• Party left the Fort to head to Skulls Crossing, with Karly-Lop leading the way.
• Kathra told (intimidated) Karly-Lop telling him to leave and never come back.
• Party entered cave and began combat with ettin.
• After downing one head of the ettin, Bryak convinced the other head to help fight the kreeg ogres by offering to heal the downed head. Arkin healed the wounded head and the ettin agreed to help fight the ogres with the party.
• Party fought group of ogres on top of the dam, with the assistance of the ettin, winning a comfortable victory.

Skull%20Crossing%20Ogres.jpg
• Continued on, climbing into the keep in the middle of the dam by climbing through the skull archer holes.
• Party attacked by trolls in the keep, room covered in fungus and mould.
• Bryak cast fireball then jumped out the window to escape the trolls who were all looking at him as the fire burned them.
• Novak, Orik & Arkin went to look around while the others took a short rest.
• They continued to search and descended down a series of steps to enter a pool filled room at what would be far down the dam height.
• Party was attacked by a troll which emerged from the pool.
SkullCrossingTrolls Grazuul.JPG
• Novak passed through doors to the south and found a skeletal demon creature in a rune circle behind a porticullus. He decided to go in and try and drag the creature out when it reached out and in his mind he heard a voice whispir, “Save me”
• Troll jumped back out of the water, Hargev traps it in a fire circle and killed it.
• Bryak found a model in the other room which operated the floodgates. Novak stepped into one of the circles and sacrifices some of his own life force to lower help lower the flood gates, the demon was destroyed. With the floodgates open, water poured through them releasing the pressure on the dam.
• Party returned to Fort Rannick the same day.

25th & 26th Neth

• party rested and continued to clean up Fort

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