Previously on Straagor nights.

As we can see Queg had quite the experience, he is now firmly back on the material plane. Through no small expense of his companions including quite a discount from the priests of Pelor, he has rejoined the group and is anxious for action.
The companions make ready to face D'gru uth Dunne. The hunter becoming the hunted. The only question is on whos terms will this battle be on.

Acheron?

The mist began to well up, seemingly from his very feet. Queg knew something wasn't right, his hand flashed to his bastard sword. The very sword wrested from the depths of Khundrukar. Queg's eyes bulged, furiously, he tried to draw breath from a mouth that no longer could and nostrils that had been rendered useless. He was as vaguely aware of the cold metal that had just past under his chin and the life blood that now washed the floor as he was of the melodic voice, bidding him to be quiet, behind him. Queg saw the floor rushing up at him but he never hit it. The blackness that overcame Queg was impenetrable, or was it? A distant voice, a far away voice, yelled unintelligibly. It became clearer and clearer, as if Queg was rushing towards it or it to him. No sooner than Queg could decipher what it was saying, a great flash of white light and a sharp searing pain shot through the half-orc.
"Dwarves and elves, elves and dwarves!" came a scream, an impossible scream, in the deep guttural tongue of the orcs. Again, a crack and the sudden coolness in the stifling air told Queg that he had just lost another swatch of skin. Flayed to the bone, Queg gradually became aware of his surroundings, the iron under his feet and the battles raging all around him could only mean one thing...Acheron. Acheron, the home plane of his deity, Gruumsh. Constant battle was waged here, vast war cubes with infinite armies engaged in constant strife against one another for no other reason than bloodletting. Queg's eyes snapped to their fullest diameter, as a wet splash announced another crack of a flesh rending implement. Daring a glance over his shoulder, Queg saw his god, or his god thing.
Shorter than Queg but twice his bulk and outfitted in black full plate, Gruumsh assailed Queg relentlessly.
"Dwarves, wretched friend of dwarves. Elf lover, stinking elf lover." Gruumsh spit.
His unblinking eye, centered on his cauldron like head, fell on Queg and promised an eternity of pain.
"I will tear out the half of you worth beating and leave the other half for the devils, elf lover!" Gruumsh howled as his blows fell faster and faster.
How many blows fell? Queg could not tell. The pain, or the planar qualities of Acheron caused time to stand still. His ruined flesh lie in piles at his feet. Sweat mingled with tears stung Queg's eyes. The battles raged ever on around him. How he longed to trade places with the warriors, a stand up fight. He saw, to, that the combatants were too busy being ran through by swords or impaled on pole arms to witness Queg's shame and torment at the hands of his god. His god, the one he followed more out of tradition than any faith based calling. The one thing they had in common, the only portion of Gruumsh's dogma that Queg subscribed to, was battle. Queg, loved it. He had tried to take up smithing, to scare away his demons. The war mongering, the blood lust that comes over the half-orc. He had tried, and failed to deny these urges. But no longer, he would walk onto the infernal fields of battle that are Acheron, and he would die a thousand deaths, he would fall a hundred times but would fell ten times that many. If only the torture would end.
"Don't you dare!" the tone of the god thing changed from rage and elation to confusion and trepidation. Gruumsh heard it. A calling, a voice somewhere off plane. The god double his efforts, no longer wishing enduring torment, but to keep the traitorous half-orc here, on his plane.
Queg barely understood, the scourge whistled wildly on and around his shattered form. Each attack landing with gut wrenching pain and skin flaying destruction. The blow, the last one, the first one, Queg couldn't tell anymore, landed with a finality that rocked the warring plane. The hooks of the scourge sank into unprotected meat and bone. Anchoring him to the spot. Queg heard it then, what was obviously a fell voice to Gruumsh was music to him. The barbarian knew that his friends were calling. They needed him and he intended to go.
Reading his thoughts, knowing his every move Gruumsh raged on. "If you go half breed, you only prolong the inevitable. Your suffering will be the thing of songs and nightmares of children." Gruumsh stamped and snorted. He pulled on the scourge which was now more a part of Queg than the god thing's weapon.
It was too late, however, because once called the choice became Queg's. The path back had been laid out before him. A hand of hope had been extended into this unholy place with the sole intention of ripping Queg back from death...and rip it did.
The curses spewed from Gruumsh like lava from an angry volcano. His voice growing more and more distant. Queg's mouth fell open in horror and pain as the scourge finally tore from him, the sinister weapon's reach extending long after the angry god's voice had died away.
Queg's eyes fluttered open, a glowing staring priest of Pelor standing over him. The horror filled visage of Queg Bor a stark contrast to his companions smiling faces.

The Chronicles of Mordek Vol. 028

Gameplay Date 11-25-07

Players present: Mordek, Taneus, Brynn

It's good to be home

When we could at last see the buildings that comprised Bumfor, I began telling my companions that Bumfor was primarily a mining town made up of dwarves, but also humans, gnomes and halflings, and that the buildings were mainly for their benefit, as we dwarves lived in the tunnels and warrens that we had carved into the mountains. There are some half-orcs here too, as I point toward their encampment on the north end of town as we are approaching. I turned to Arda and said that I would take my friends to the Inn and get them settled, and then I would come to the temple to explain things. Arda & his group continued south toward Penneck's Stables while I led the way to The Brimstone Inn. It's a three story tall building, with a tavern on the main level and 6 rooms per floor above. Inside there are about fifteen, very thick and sturdy, square tables and a very low bar, that comes up to my waist. It's quiet in here at the moment... it's usually a riot of drinking and laughter and a few games of chance... Goblin Bones and The Three Maidens being a couple of the more popular dice games. Behind the bar are a couple of doors that lead to a storage room and to the kitchen. Falaan, a female halfling and owner of The Brimstone Inn, comes out from the kitchen when she heard the noise of us entering. Her eyes lit up at the sight of my companions as she tells us how ecstatic she is to see cultured elves to share a drink with, and she quickly goes to one of her locked cupboards and pulls out a bottle of fairy wine. As she's insisting that we share a quick drink, and rummaging to find some glasses, I can't help but think to myself that fairy wine is made by wringing fairies of their juices just like you'd wring out a wet dishcloth... HA!!! When I tried the wine though, it was much too fruity for my tastes, so I asked Falaan for a mug of Dwarf Spirits instead to quench my thirst. Falaan looked at my elven companions and muttered "You see what I'm dealing with around here!"

We inquired about getting rooms during our stay here in Bumfor. Falaan says she's still got 8 rooms vacant and that it'll be 2 gold pieces per night. I dig into my coin purse and pull out enough coin to cover my drink and a room for myself. The others did the same, as Falaan handed out keys to each of us. My companions decided to turn in early to get some rest, while I told them I had to pay a visit to the Temple of Moradin and clear up a few things. As I was heading out the door, Falaan was leading the others up to their rooms. Walking across the short distance between the Inn and the temple, I marveled again at the craftsmanship of it's construction... carved right into the side of the mountain itself. Stopping in the open doorway, I gave a curt bow before entering into the Great Hall. There isn't a single column in here, the ceiling being supported instead by a giant stone arch reaching from the middle of the wall to my left, to the middle of the wall to my right. There are doorways carved into each base of the arch... the left door leads the rooms where the priests are housed, while the right door leads to a banquet hall, a school for dwarven children, a sparring chamber and several training rooms. Ahead of me on the far side of the Great Hall is a raised dais with 3 steps leading up to an ornately carved stone seat. Arda and the group he had been leading to Nerom are in here waiting for me, as are several dwarven priests, and presiding over all of them is a very old dwarf... Scale Sledgemore, the High Priest of Moradin here in the temple. They gesture me forward before them and appear to settle in to hear what I have to say. It was a few hours later when I had finished explaining everything that had transpired in Nerom and had finished answering their questions about those events. I had mentioned that the town did in fact seem receptive to having a temple to Moradin joining their ranks, at which I handed over the plans I had drawn up, and suggested that they continue pursuing the matter. They told me they would look into it, and that for now, they were content with my explanation of events. They appeared to be finished with me, so I bid them all a good evening and made my way back to the Brimstone Inn to get a decent night's sleep.

I awoke in the morning to the lively sounds of lots of dwarves downstairs having breakfast. After getting dressed, I met Taneus in the hallway... the women though, were taking their time getting ready... something about finally having a hot bath... and said they'd meet us downstairs. As we came down the stairs, the appearance of an elf garnered a lot of laughter from the dwarves, as well as several not-so-whispered snide comments about my being back in town too. We grabbed an empty table and ordered up some breakfast, and while we were waiting, the door to the Inn opened. In walked Tilik, the owner of the general store in Bumfor. He looked around for a moment, taking in everyone... until he spotted me! Then he made his way through the busy tables with his gray hair and beard all in a huff. He came right up to our table, pointed his walking stick into my face and said "I've got something for you!" Whoa there... easy Tilik! He went on to say that a message arrived for me just last night, carried here by a hawk no less. As he didn't know I was back in town, he didn't have the message on him, but rather that it was back at his shop. I still didn't see what had gotten Tilik's ire up until he told me that the hawk killed & began eating one of his carrier pigeons before it left. And as the message is for me, he wants me to pay to replace his bird. Fair enough I suppose... not sure who would be sending me a message here though... maybe Fazu... he's got all of them animal friends. I dug into a pouch and tossed Tilik a gold piece, saying that I'd swing by later to pick up the message. He took the money and seemed a little less angry as he turned and headed off to get his own breakfast. As I turned back to Taneus to resume our conversation, I noticed that everyone seems to be keeping an eye on us... that is, until Brynn & Kiri came down the stairs. There are other humans in Bumfor, so Kiri wouldn't be too out of place, but when everyone saw another elf, someone yelled out "Well, there goes the neighborhood!!" and another round of riotous laughter filled the Inn.

Brynn & Kiri joined us at our table, ordering breakfasts of their own. Taneus though, had caught some talk by other patrons, and when Falaan came to our table again, he asked her if she could tell him more about the gryphon attacks he'd overheard. Falaan mentioned that right now it is hatching season for the gryphons, up among the various peaks of the Jagged Mountains. That people go in search of the eggs because they go for about 3,500 gold pieces on the right market, and that some animal trainers are offering double that for a live, young gryphon that they can train. Taneus's eyes seemed to glint when she mention how much they were worth. Falaan mention that Tinker, he's kinda the local guide for travelers, a jack of all trades, had just left yesterday leading 3 humans up into the mountains. She thought they were just another group of people hoping to score big by finding a gryphon nest, but she had overheard something that had her a little worried. One of the humans had said "Hag," and though it was too loud in the bar to have heard the rest of their conversation, and they could've been talking about anyone, there where rumors of a Night Hag living up in the mountains somewhere. She warned us to stay away, and was praying that Tinker's group wasn't going anywhere near her either. Falaan went off to tend to her other customers, and we started talking amongst ourselves. 3,500 gold... for an egg! Gotta admit... it'd put a nice heft to our coin purses if we could find a few ourselves. We talked it over for a bit and decided that we were gonna go for it. I told them that we'd need to go to Tilik's store to equip ourselves for some mountain climbing, and that we'd need to find "Skunk." I tell them that Skunk is... well... he's... he's kinda like Tinker... does a lot of everything, and while not as good as Tinker, is still a capable guide. The thing is though, if the group runs into trouble, you're on your own as he's already long gone.

We paid Falaan in advance, to hold our rooms for us for a few more days, then we made our way to Tilik's store, where it just so happened that Skunk was inside having a discussion with Tilik. There conversation died down as we came in, so we approached Skunk first to see if he'd be willing to guide us up into the mountains in search of gryphon nests. He said as long as he's getting paid, he'll do it. He asks when we'd like to leave and we tell him as soon as we get some things here at Tilik's. He excuses himself to go and get his own gear, saying he'll meet us at the base of the mountain path. Tilik asks what he can help us with, and we start asking for the basic camping supplies & rations, along with lots of rope and a grappling hook. I added a hammer and several pitons to our list, and a spear that I saw leaning up against one of the walls. Before he started gathering up all the items we were requesting, Tilik handed me the message he had told me about. I opened it and started reading as Tilik went back to work. I glanced at the bottom to see if it was indeed from Fazu... nope... Degarren. Oh this ought to be interesting!

"Mordek...

First I must commend you on your skillful ruse. Gaining poor Aglum's trust, playing to his hubris, and taking advantage of his desire to help the good peoples of Nerom. All under the guise of collaboration and prosperity... truly masterful. I applaud you.

But enough commending. Let's get on with the condemning. That's right, I condemn you Mordek to a life of fear and pain.

Undoubtedly, with the aid of that insolent Tyrellian elf, you managed to destroy a mutually beneficial endeavor. Robbing the people of Nerom, the temples of Erythnul, and the wizard Vexx of desperately needed tools of fulfillment and advancement. For this blasphemy, I will make you famous. No, I will make you infamous.

From this day forward, every priest of my Order, every assassin, every dark, sinister, wicked thing will spit your name like bitter poison from their lips. Just as Aglum's name will be spoken with reverence, your name will be spoken in hushed tones in dark places. As a plague, your name will spread over the face of Caldor. Like a Stygian black stain, those of the foulest pits will striveto cleanse the world of your wretchedness.

However, I do hope you survive this curse. For I fully intend to fall on you with the full weight of Erythnul's might. I will do everything in my considerable power to see to it that you and I meet again. Then, will begin the slow torturous end to your unnaturally long dwarven life.

Aglum's name will ring with the sounds of martyrdom. The laments and cries to one, who in the midst of his holy and humanitarian deeds, was struck down by the murderous Mordek.

Your name, however, will become synonymous with pain and despair. I vow to you that your suffering will be legendary.

Till we meet again,

Degarren"

When I finished reading, I gave a snort and asked Taneus to come over, handing him the message so he could read it as well. "Looks like we made somebody mad!" Brynn & Kiri also read through the message. When they were done, I turned to Brynn and said "don't know why he's got it in for me so bad... you're the one that killed his buddy Aglim!" Guess we're gonna have to keep on our toes.

Once we had finished gathering supplies for our trip up into the mountains, we headed over to the Temple of Moradin. The priests greeted us as we came through the doors, asking how they could be of service. We inquired if they had any healing potions that could sell us, in case we ran into some serious trouble on our little excursion. They came back with 6 Cure Light Wound potions, which we happily paid for and thanked them as we went back outside. I handed two to Kiri, two to Brynn, and was going to give one to Taneus, but he declined, so I kept the other two myself. I then led my companions through town to the base of the paths that led up into the mountains. Along the way, we passed some ore carts as they were brought down from the mines and taken to the smelters. Taneus overheard them talking about "Dark Iron" and asked me what it was. I just told him that it was an iron ore that the gnomes had discovered, and that it had a high carbon content. We found Skunk waiting at the foot of the mountain path. He tells us it'll be about a twelve hour climb before we'd reach the top, then turned and started leading the way. We fell in behind him and got ourselves a good workout as we made our way uphill, hour after hour. We finally decided to stop for the night and make camp at a point near to where we would have to start using ropes to make further progress. The watches went by without a problem, but just after first light, we could see a gryphon heading in our general direction. It flew past, taking us in before heading off again. Brynn asked if we might encounter Tinker's group, but Skunk replied that they had taken a different path, heading left while we had gone to the right. Skunk thought they were in search of something else, to have taken that route, but as we were after gryphon eggs, this was the direction we needed to go. We had some rations for breakfast, then readied ourselves for another day of climbing. We broke out the ropes, knotting them for easier climbing, and attached the grappling hook. We had a 200 foot climb to make and it was slow going for a while as the elves were obviously not used to such rugged terrain. When we reached the top, we paused to take in the sights. Skunk said that there were gryphon nests on the next peak over, but first we'd have to climb back down the other side about 250 feet to a ridge that connected the two peaks. Problem was, we only had 200 feet of rope with us. Fortunately, we spotted a good sized ledge about halfway down, so we could take it in stages. Once we reached the jagged & rocky ridge, it was about 300 feet across to the next section of mountain we'd have to climb.

To be continued...

Map of Bumfor, on the Island of Wolfguard

I'm not sure how big the map will actually display, so you may not be able to make out all of the numbers. In any event, here is the list of prominent buildings in Bumfor.

Population: 400

Scale: 1 square equals 15 feet

1. The Brimstone Inn (later to be renamed The Slagstone Inn, later renamed again The Clanging Anvil Inn)

2. The High Temple of Moradin

3. Togan's Smelting

4. Tug Tanay's Office

5. Meger Lorentz's Mining Office

6. Queg Bor's Smithy (a large pile of raw ore sits outside his shop)

7. Penneck's Stables (houses all of the horses, ponies & dogs of the village)

8. Unger's Monuments (as an artisan, he's considered a laughing stock by the dwarves)

9. Headquarters for The Shovels (a group of dwarves who clear out new tunnels of monsters)

10. Tilik's General Store & Supply

There is a half-orc encampment on the northern edge of town.

Human homes make up the majority of the town, as the dwarves live in caverns and warrens carved into the mountains. There are also Gnomes and Halflings in the town.

Two winding paths lead up the mountain. One to the summit and the other to the Gnomish Mines.

The Chronicles of Mordek Vol. 027

Gameplay Date 11-04-07

Players present: Mordek, Taneus, Brynn

The road to Bumfor

I woke up with one hell of a headache, still lying on the ground with one foot caught up in the cords I had tripped over last night. I disentangled myself, then took a minute to get my bearings. Then I slowly got to my feet and started heading to the Inn. Taneus, Brynn, Kiri and Corny were all gathered at a table having breakfast, though Corny still looked like he was suffering from last night's drinking binge. "'Bout time you turned up! Where have you been? You never came back last night." Oh, whoa... not so loud. I told them I was holding a prayer meeting at the Temple of Moradin and that it ran long. Taneus told me I better eat some breakfast quick and get my gear together, as they were all ready, and waiting on me so we could stop by the Temple of Pelor before leaving town. I ordered some food from Kaela, then ran upstairs to grab my stuff and brought it back down to the table with me. I quickly cleaned off my plate and washed it down with a mug of water. Then we paid Kaela for our meals, returned our room keys and bid her well, thanking her for her hospitality.

Once we were outside, we started heading for Briar's Stable to retrieve our horse and load it up with our supplies. I suddenly remembered that I had left something behind. I told the others I'd catch up with them at the Stable, then headed over to the "Temple" of Moradin. I started winding up all of the string and put it into my pack, then pulled up the stakes to return them to Kelper's shop, and finally grabbed the shield I had put out as a marker. On the way to Briar's, I quickly stopped at Kelper's and dropped off all of the stakes. The others were finishing up as they tied our extra gear to the horse's saddle and saddle bags. Adding my own extra gear to the horse, we settled up our bill with Briar, then led the horse across town to the Temple of Pelor. The priests were waiting for us when we arrived, and they motioned me forward so they could complete the spell. A few words of prayer to their deity... and it's over? ... they say I'm cured. Don't know why, but I was expecting something more... like when they exorcise demons outta people. We paid them for their services, thanked them and then went back outside. We'd said our goodbyes to Luvana yesterday, so now we wished Corny well and made our way out of town to start heading for Bumfor.

It was going to be a couple of days of walking before we'd get there, and thankfully, the fresh sea air was helping pass the effects of last night's drinking binge. By late afternoon, it started to get much darker, as the sun was setting behind the mountains and casting us into shadows much sooner than normal. Out to sea, there were storm clouds closing in on us, so we found an overhang under which we could make camp for the night. We huddled there as the rains started coming down, until we heard a really strange sound. "Wharrgarble! Wharrglblaarglflrrrngnaarble!" A few flashes of lightning revealed a writhing mass of grey flesh covered with dozens of randomly placed eyes and mouths, all of different sizes and shapes, sliding down the mountainside toward us. What the hell is that thing?!? It continued making it's way closer into the light of our campfire, gibbering incessantly from all of it's mouths, as Taneus, Brynn & Kiri started slinging spells and shuriken at it from beneath our overhang. It got close enough to loose a stream of spittle that ignited on contact with the air. It flashed brightly, but we managed to avert our eyes enough to keep from being blinded. One of it's mouths even lashed out and attached itself to Kiri. I started swinging at the tentacle to sever it as Taneus & Brynn fired off a few more well placed spells and finally that thing fell silent. Kiri had some acid damage where it had latched on to her, but other than that, she seemed fine. We pushed the mass over the cliff edge so as not to draw any more predators to us, then went back to our campfire to heal Kiri's wounds and eat some rations before turning in for the night. We set a watch order for the night, and fortunately, nothing else came calling.

The next morning, it was still dark, cold and windy as we gathered up our camp and got back on the road. We walked until it was nearing noon, when we spotted a few pebbles and stones fall down a nearby slope. A big cat-like creature came into sight... and man is it ugly! It's four or five feet long, has a shaggy, spotted coat, a bristling mane along its spine and a long bushy tail. It also has a long narrow head, but it's like all the fur on it's face was pulled back to it's ears revealing the muscles and bony structure underneath. It cut loose with a loud screech, which made us all start heading away from it. It hopped down from it's rocky perch to give chase as we headed back along the way we had come only to find 3 more of the creatures as they jumped out in front of us. What happened next was all a blur as the 3 new ones surrounded me, sinking their teeth and claws into me. I was a bloody mess when my friends finally managed to kill off the last of them. Brynn came over to heal some of my wounds with her magic, and wrapped up the rest saying I'd heal better with some rest. She even thanked me for keeping those things... Krenshars, she called them... busy and off the rest of the group. I quipped back, "Well of course they were gonna go for me! You three are too scrawny... no meat on your bones!" To which Brynn replied, "Yes, but we taste sweeter! We're a delicacy!" and I couldn't keep the smirk off my face, shaking my head in amusement.

We continued on until it got late again, and we found a decent spot to make camp. After eating some more rations, the others let me turn in without having to take a watch so that I could try and heal up by morning. When I finally woke, all of my injuries had healed up nicely. We ate some more rations for breakfast, then packed up and got back on the road again. After about an hour, we met a group of 7 dwarven riders on ponies as they were heading from Bumfor to Nerom. They came to a stop as their leader recognized me. He got down from his pony, came over to me, pulling out a piece of parchment from his coat, and asked me what in the blazes this was about. I took the note from him... the one I had sent by courier pigeon... and turned to my companions to introduce them to Arda Sparkburst, a cleric of the Temple of Moradin in Bumfor. I then told him about the trouble that had been going on in Nerom, and how I had concocted plans for a Temple of Moradin to be built in Nerom, as a way to get close to the troublemakers, and had sent the message in order to make it look legitimate, in case they were watching me... but now that the problems in Nerom had been dealt with, I was on my way to Bumfor to explain all of that to the Temple elders, and clear up any confusion. Arda just looked at me with a "not another wild scheme" look on his face, then said I'll have a lot of explaining to do once we got back to Bumfor. He then remounted his pony, turned his group around and escorted our little group the rest of the way back to Bumfor.

To be continued...

The Chronicles of Mordek Vol. 026

Gameplay Date 10-28-07

Players present: Mordek, Taneus, Brynn

Nerom - the aftermath

Morning came too early as far as I was concerned. Rolling out of bed, I began getting dressed. After putting on my armor, I started reaching for my weapon belts, then remembered something... I had Aglim's rather nice looking belt in my pack. Pulling it out, I gave it a once over... heavy duty, thick leather, double width, 2 buckle closure, seemed nice and sturdy... but would it fit? Wrapping it around my waist and over the armor, it was gonna be a little snug, but I managed to hitch the last notch on the belts... might have to lay off the mutton for a while. I gave a few twists and bends to see how it moved given it's double width... comfortable enough... so I took it off again and started transferring my weapons, scabbards & pouches from my old belts to this new one, then put it around my waist again. Next I grabbed the knife sash I had gotten off of that Greyfinger. In the thick of things last night, I had just thrown it over one arm and around my neck. It had been a little tight as well, but now I had more time to adjust it's straps to fit better. The normal buckle closure wasn't going to fit comfortably around my larger chest, so I pulled out some leather cords and created a couple of tie straps to cover the extra distance. I drew out one of the identical looking daggers to gauge their heft, balance and sharpness... not bad... well balanced for throwing... good edge to them. Doing a quick count, I had 20 of the 25 knives that the sash could hold. The others had been left on the ground where we had faced off and are probably long gone... unless... maybe Vidgath had collected them last night. Might be worth stopping by his shop later to find out... besides, I needed to swing by Zelnus's place anyway to purchase that warhammer he'd reserved for me. Scooping them up, I put my old belts into my pack, then went to put that on... odd?!?... feels lighter than it should... did I lose something out of it? Putting my pack down on the bed, I started going through the contents, making sure that everything was accounted for... nothing's missing... hhmmm! Maybe those ales from last night haven't quite worn off yet.

As I came downstairs, I spotted Taneus & Brynn already at a table with that woman who had accompanied the man that Malward the Mad had killed in front of everyone. I went up to the bar and ordered some breakfast and an ale from Kaela, who only handed it over as long as I promised not to pour it on the floor again. I nodded sheepishly and took my ale over to join the others. Taneus introduced me to Kiri as I took a seat. Then, as we all ate some breakfast, we filled each other in on what we each had gotten up to last night. Sounds like they had taken the Tome of Helgar to the Temple of Pelor, found Gohla and got him and a few others to go with them to the High Temple. While there, he read from the Tome, and from what they described... removed Nerom from the sight of the Gods... all of them... and thus made all religions balanced in Nerom. And then everything went to hell!! The priests & clerics of Pelor decided that without the power of Erythnul backing them up, now was a good time to storm the Scarlet Jester to rescue their captive brother. Taneus & Brynn went along with them to help, but Brynn got jumped by Aglim as they were leaving the High Temple... that's about when I had seen her fighting him and gone to help her. The Temples of Hextor & Heironeus had each started marching on the Scarlet Jester and Temple of Erythnul. The Greyfingers made a break for it, but started a fire to the Jester before leaving. Taneus and a few others went inside the Scarlet Jester to rescue the missing cleric, and also found Kiri in the process. But before they could leave, they were attacked by a succubus, who had transformed from the woman who ran the place.

Outside, DeGaren had his back up against the flaming building of the Scarlet Jester as Brynn and her wolf arrived, repeatedly attacking him, even scorching him with a little fire of her own. When he saw the 2 groups from the Temples of Hextor & Heironeus closing in, he began stalking his way toward the cliff. Brynn stayed on his tail, pounding him again & again with her quarterstaff, but when he got to the cliff's edge, he just stepped off and was carried by a sudden wind right to the deck of one of the ships out in the harbor. He had turned and looked back up at her with a look of foreboding menace as they severed the mooring ropes and began readying the ship to depart. Around that time is when the skies opened up and everyone sought whatever shelter they could. Taneus said that the clerics described it like the Gods came together, saying "How dare you mortals presume to dictate to us!" and they let loose the heavens upon us. Sounds like Nerom is under a very watchful eye again. Everyone had gone back to the Grove after that, where we all met up again.

After that, we started discussing what we were going to do next. The Crimsons Spears had been wiped out here in Nerom, so Brynn was open to suggestions. Taneus didn't really have any pressing concerns. Kiri, healing well from her imprisonment, even asked if she could accompany us, given that her reasons for being here had been taken care of. In the end we decided to make our way back to Tyrell, but make a stop in Bumfor first, to let me explain the cryptic note I had sent to the Grand Temple. Luvana was going to be staying to continue her studies, so we'd have to swing by to say goodbye to her. We were also going to have to get some supplies too. Taneus suggested that maybe I should swing by a temple and get my Wererat problem cured. At which Brynn snickered, "ahh... you've got a tail and whiskers under all that hair!"

We paid Kaela for our breakfasts, then started heading through town toward Corna's General Store. Vidgath's was nearby, so I told the others that I'd catch up with them in a bit, and made my way toward his door. He greeted me as I came in and asked what he could do for me. Pulling one of the knives from the sash, I showed it to him, asking if he came across any that looked like it last night as he was cleaning up the battlefield, as I pointed at the empty slots of the sash. He said I was in luck... that he had found 4... and that they could be mine again for a gold piece each. I told him it was a deal, but that I wasn't done. I was also eyeing a short sword, and reached out to grab it. Pulling it from it's scabbard, I gave it a couple of swings to feel it's weight and balance. It still had a decent edge, though the whole thing had obviously seen some use. I asked how much and Vidgath said "7 gold." I pulled out enough coin to pay him for the items and thanked him as I went back outside, putting the knives into the sash and tucking the short sword in my belt.

Zelnus's Armory was right next to Corna's shop, so I went there next. He asked if I was here for that warhammer he was holding for me. I said I was... and more. I put the polished warhammer back onto his counter and pulled the morningstar, the one with the agate, out for his inspection. He ended up agreeing to take back the polished hammer, the gold I had given him to reserve the other one, and the morningstar as an even trade. He took my weapons off of his counter and presented me with one, very sturdy, very finely crafted warhammer that was quite obviously the work of a master craftsman. Oh, you are a thing of beauty... aren't you! Then I asked him about armor, and what he might have that would fit a dwarf. He points toward a suit of half plate on one shelf, a suit of dwarven plate on another, and a suit of studded leather behind the counter. Neither of the suits of plate armor interested me, as I want to remain quick on my feet, so I asked him how much he wanted for the studded leather... 200 gold pieces he said. I asked if he'd be interested in taking my well used leather armor in trade, and he said he'd give me a credit of 10 gold for it. Then I reached into my pack and produced Aglim's heavy, blunt, well decorated morningstar. Giving it to him for inspection, he offered another 112 gold of credit. Pulling out another 78 gold pieces to cover the remainder, we had a deal. I started shucking my old armor and putting on the new, marveling at the master craftsmanship of it as well. Thanking him as I left, I went next door to Corna's shop to rejoin the others.

As I entered the general store, Taneus, Brynn and Kiri had already amassed quite a pile of gear for the road. Taneus had even started a pile of things he knew I would be needing... basically everything that we had lost when the 2 ogres attacked us and we had to leave it behind. We only had one horse for the 4 of us, so we were going to be walking to Bumfor this time, and using the horse as a pack animal. We paid Corna for her goods, then hiked everything back to our rooms at the Stone's Throw Inn. We had a few other things to attend to before we could leave town. Taneus said he needed to see Miranda, the woman who had barricaded herself in the basement of the High Temple, so we started heading that way to find her. As we neared the HIgh Temple, we could see that there was a gathering of people outside... it looked like a lot of the head priests and clerics along with their entourages. Several of the prominent shopkeepers and townspeople were there as well... and all of them seemed to stop and turn to look at us as we drew near. Oh... this can't be good! As it turned out... it wasn't bad either. They said they understood what we did and why and that they weren't going to blame us for recent events... but nor were they going to celebrate us either. They said there was going to have to be some restructuring done for the city to govern itself better and then they went back to their discussions. Luvana was here, near the edge of the group, so we went over to speak with her for a moment. We told her how we planned on leaving town soon, and asked if she was going to be alright on her own now. She said she would, that her studies were keeping her well occupied, and that Cornelius was still going to be around for a while yet, so she wouldn't be completely without friends. Taneus managed to get the attention of one of the many priests of Pelor and motioned him over to join us. He asked what we wanted and Taneus told him about my lycanthropy condition and asked if there was anything that the benevolence of Pelor could do to cure it. The priest looked me over as he seemed to be thinking about it. He said that Pelor could certainly heal me of my affliction, but it was not something that they were normally prepared for and that it would have to wait until tomorrow morning. We told him that we would be swinging by the temple in the morning before we got on the road for Bumfor. The priest nodded, saying that he would have things ready for us, then went back to listening to what the group was discussing. We gave Luvana a hug goodbye in case we didn't see her before we left, then we maneuvered our way around the group so we could enter the High Temple.

Taneus led the way down to the basement level and to the doors of Miranda's library, which are no longer protected by magic. Going inside, Miranda welcomed Taneus back as he introduced the rest of us to her. Taneus said he'd had to use his magic to turn himself into a gaseous cloud and slip through the cracks around the door frame. That Miranda had been the one to tell him about the Tome of Helgar and where he might be able to find it. Miranda was also a spellcaster and Taneus had previously asked if she was able to identify magical items. She had told him that it required a pearl worth more than 100 gold pieces, a drink of wine and an owl feather for each casting of the spell. He rummaged around in his pack and produced several of each of the items that she had asked for, having gathered them since his last visit. Taneus pulled out a horn from his pack... not sure where he got that... then turned to Brynn and asked for the hummingbird medallion... then he turned to me and asked for the belt I was wearing. I asked why and he said that earlier, he had cast a detect magic spell to see if any of the new items we had acquired had magical auras to them, and that the belt I had taken off of Aglim had radiated as such. He already knew that the medallion was magical from a previous casting of the spell, he just didn't know what it did. Brynn turned to him saying "I thought you said it was enchanted with luck?!?" Taneus just gave her an odd smirk as she scowled back at him. Miranda took the items and laid them out before her. She started grinding up a pearl into a pile of powder, which she then poured into a goblet of wine, and used an owl feather to stir the concoction together. I think it was about an hour later, when she said it was ready, and turned to the first item... the horn. She said that it was a Horn of Fog... that whenever it was blown, a thick cloud of obscuring mist would come forth from the horn and quickly fill the space around you. Useful to help hide or make a getaway, but not very quiet. Taneus took the horn back and put it back into his pack. Then Miranda started grinding up a second pearl... oh, good lord, it's gonna be 2 more hours before we're done here... wake me up when it's over!!! I made my way over to a chair, took a seat, crossed my arms, and let my head droop down to my chest. I told Taneus to wake me if my snoring was gonna disrupt what they were doing, then closed my eyes and took a little nap.

Two hours later, we had all three items identified. In addition to the horn, the medallion was enchanted to enhance the dexterity of whoever was wearing it while the belt did the same for the wearer's strength... no wonder my pack felt lighter, and why Aglim's blows hit as hard as they did. Brynn slipped the medallion back around her neck as I put the belt around my waist again. Taneus thanked Miranda profusely, as did we all, then, bidding her well, we made our way back outside. Since all of our errands had been taken care of AND we couldn't depart until the morning AND there wasn't anyone or anything actively seeking to kill us at the moment, we decided to relax for the rest of the day. Taneus led the way towards another building in town... The Monk's Wagon Inn... saying that he was buying the first round... woo hoo!! As we entered, the first thing that was easy to spot was the more upscale decor than that at the Stone's Throw Inn... aww man, you mean I gotta drink nicely in here lest I spill on their fancy dancy rugs?!? We should head to the Stone's Throw where we can really party! I was about to suggest that, when Taneus was greeted by the server and asked if he would like another bottle of elven wine. He said yes, with three glasses, and a tankard of Dwarf Spirits, as he indicated me. Oh-ho! Dwarf Spirits, now we're talking. Sorry Kaela, but since you don't have Dwarf Spirits on tap at your place, it looks like we'll be staying here for a while!

We ordered some dinner as the drinks went by one after another and I was feeling really good... looking around, I thought we needed a few more dwarves in here to get some good songs going. The elves were drinking their wine more slowly... something about... hic... letting it breathe... hic. Ah, they just don't know how to cut loose and celebrate... somebody needs to pull that stick out of their arses. A server came over to the table and I asked him for another round, this one on me... "Mordek, it's me... Corny!" Squinting at the server, I was amazed how much he looked like this kid I know. "Hey kid, join us for a drink... our server was just here... now where did he... hic... get to?" The kid shook his head as he gave a soft chuckle and took a seat at our table. Another server came by and I asked for another round, including a tankard of Dwarf Spirits for the kid. When it arrived, he couldn't quite stomach it, so I took it off his hands. Corny had a glass of the elven wine instead, chugging it down, trying to keep pace with me... much to the astonishment of Taneus, Brynn & Kiri. After a few more rounds, the kid was a little drunk... I could tell by the way he wazzz sslurrring hiz wordzzz. He was complaining a bit about his nose, how one of the Greyfingers had gotten in a good punch last night and broken it, but with all the other, more serious injuries being attended to, he figured his nose could wait. He asked how it looked, as to him it felt crooked. I leaned in for a closer look... sure enough... his nose was bent sideways... so I reached over, took hold of his nose and straightened it for him. He gave a short gasp and suddenly passed out... guess the kid's had enough. I told Taneus that I'd take him back to the Stone's Throw Inn so he could sleep it off, and got to my feet as Taneus dubiously asked "are you sure?" Throwing down a handful of gold coins to help cover our bill, they all had another incredulous look on their faces as I hoisted the kid over one shoulder, regained my balance and replied "yep... I'll be right back! I believe it's Brynn's turn for the next round." Grabbing my tankard, I started heading for the door with Cornelius. The cool evening air felt good as I carried the kid across town. I reached the Stone's Throw Inn to find another large crowd in here, enjoying their own dinners and drinks, though the revelry was still a bit subdued. I took the kid up to the room I had gotten and put him down on the bed, then went back outside. Turning left, I started to make my way back to the other Inn only to find myself tripping over the stakes & string I had put out to mark the edges of my fake temple. The sudden shock to my equilibrium, combined with my current level of inebriation, caused me to pass out right there on the ground.

To be continued...

The Chronicles of Mordek Vol. 025

Gameplay Date 10-21-07

Players present: Mordek, Taneus, Brynn

Even more hell breaks loose

As I was making my way toward the Scarlet Jester, I munched on a couple of Draugh leaves to heal up a bit from my injuries. Glad I did, as along the way, I spotted Luvana in trouble by the main reflecting pool. She's standing over a prone form... I'm guessing it's Teresela... desperately swinging her quarterstaff around to ward off a couple of acolytes of Erythnul. I quickly made my way over to help her, coming up behind one of them and taking him out with my spear, distracting the other one just long enough for Luvana to knock him cold. Reaching into my pouch again, I pulled out a couple more Draugh leaves to try and force feed to Teresela. As we're rousing her, a group of Greyfingers and orcs pass close by. One of the Greyfingers points at us and two of the orcs break rank and start heading for us. I tell Luvana to get Teresela out of here any way she can, then I turned back to face the orcs. The were smirking as they slowly advanced... well, I'll give you bastards something to smirk at... gripping my spear tightly, I trotted forward a few steps and let it fly... right through the chest of one of the orcs. As he fell over dead, I could see the spear sticking in the ground some 60' away... right at the feet of the Greyfinger who had pointed at us. The other orc was now being a lot more cautious as he approached us. Luvana had managed to get Teresela on her feet and they were slowly retreating, with Luvana half dragging & half carrying Teresela.

The Greyfinger that had pointed, now decided that he was going to join in and started coming our way too. Now I got my first good look at him... he's got a knife sash strewn over his chest chock full of daggers... aww crap! Gotta deal with the orc first as it finally closed the distance to take a swing at me. It missed, but I didn't, driving my hammer into his chest. As it fell to the ground, a dagger went whizzing by, just barely missing Luvana. She & Teresela were not getting away fast enough, so I interposed myself between them and the Greyfinger, using my shield to help deflect any more knives thrown their way. Pacing them as they retreated, it was all I could do to stop the knives from getting by, but if I really intended to stop this guy, I was going to have to change tactics. As he wound up for another throw, I charged at him and knocked him off his feet, then attacked him as he tried to get back up. He might have stood a better chance had he kept his distance, but up close like this, I wasn't about to let up. Gotta give him credit though, he didn't go easily, having managed to stick me with his blades before dying. I reached into my pouch and scarfed the last couple of Draugh leaves I had as I knelt down next to the Greyfinger. His sash, nearly full of daggers, could come in very handy, so I started pulling it off of him, and throwing it over my own chest. Then the sound of running feet caught my attention, and I spun to face whoever was coming at me now... so imagine my surprise when I see Cornelius skidding to a halt next to me.

He's breathing hard and asking where Luvana is. I had no more than pointed in the direction they had been going when he took off again. I tried to catch up, but damn, the kid's quick. He had caught up with Luvana and was assisting with carrying Teresela, and they were nearly back to the Temple of Obad-Hai when I finally managed to catch up with them. Once inside, Luvana led us into the teleportation area, saying we can get some healing from the clerics at the other destination. I'm all for that, especially if there's more carnage to be wrought. Corny says he'll go and help Taneus and I take Teresela off of his hands. I gave him quick directions to the Scarlet Jester based on where he had first seen me, then the kid took off again. One of the acolytes then casts the spell to take us to the real temple. Once there, we ease Teresela down where she can be treated. As the clerics come over to see to her wounds, another one comes over and offers Obad-Hai's healing touch to me & Luvana as well. The head cleric and several others are planning to teleport back to the Nerom temple and motion for us to join them. As we arrived back in Nerom, the clerics told us to spread the word that healing could be found here at the Grove.

Luvana stayed behind to help treat any wounded that came there. I meanwhile set out to inform the townspeople to make their way to the Grove if they could. I picked up another abandoned spear along the way as I headed for the backside of the High Temple... I knew there were still people back there, probably several injured thanks to the orcs. I was just about to tell everyone to make for the Grove, when the sky suddenly became VERY dark & cloudy. Then the sky cut loose and we were bombarded with thunder, lightning, hail, rain, fireballs and meteors... something tells me the Gods are really pissed. What the hell did Taneus do now?!? I yelled over the din, telling everyone to make for the Grove. Most began heading that way, several others merely sought the nearest shelter they could find. I followed a group of townspeople as they headed around to the front of the High Temple and went inside seeking shelter just inside the main doors. As we're watching the forces of nature wreak havoc outside, I realize that with Aglim dead, and most of the orcs running away from the Temple, anything Aglim may have been working on in here is know most likely unguarded... and another slow smile spread across my face.

I slipped away as the townspeople continued to watch the storms raging outside, and made my way upstairs. There are 4 doors up here on this level, the first led to a raised platform and the next two led to balcony seating. The last door opened to reveal private quarters... probably Aglim's room... so I went inside and started searching. Not much of interest beyond clothing and everyday items, but there was a locked chest, and it didn't take me long to pick it's lock. When I opened the lid, my eyes got wide at the sight of lots of gold coins. The first thing I did was get back the gold that I had given Aglim as a downpayment, then pulling out a sack from my pack, I transfered the rest of the gold from the chest to the sack and then put them all in my pack. Nothing else caught my eye, so I headed back downstairs. Sounded like things were quieting down outside. The people who had taken shelter inside the High Temple were now just outside surveying the damage. As I made my way to the front doors, I could see that Vidgath had his cart with him and he was searching around, scavenging the area for discarded weapons and armor. There was a big crowd gathered at the Grove, so I wandered over there. I found Luvana tending to the injured townspeople, with Corny close by. I reached into my pack and pulled out the bag of gold. Figuring that Aglim had pilfered it from the townspeople, I gave the bag to Luvana and told her to redistribute it to the people... hell they probably earned it through all the blood & sweat they put into Aglim's project. Plus maybe it would give Luvana a kindly light in the eyes of the people if she was going to be sticking around for a while. While I asked Luvana if there was anyone that could see to my own wounds, and she pointed me toward a man she identified as Bucor, Corny had grabbed ahold of the bag and was taking a peek inside. He had a look of utter astonishment and disappointment on his face as he said " ...but... but... there's gotta be... almost a thousand pieces of gold in here!!"

As I left Corny behind, almost looking like he was gonna cry, and made my way over to Bucor, waiting patiently for him to finish tending to others, I spotted Taneus, Brynn and that wolf entering into the Grove with some priestly looking fellows. They're looking a little ragged as well. Bucor looked me over, cast a minor healing spell to deal with the worst of my injuries, then treated the rest so they'd heal more quickly with a decent night's rest. Well that sounded good, as I was beat... been a long, damn day! I went over and checked in with Taneus... sounds like everything's settling down... the orcs & Greyfingers are either dead or fled the town... the Gods can see Nerom again... wait... what?!? No, don't tell me... save it for tomorrow. I tell Taneus that right now I need a stiff drink and lots of sleep, and if he needs me, I'll be at the Inn. Leaving Taneus to deal with the priests, I left the Grove and went back to The Stone's Throw Inn. Kaela was still there, having stayed inside and out of the conflicts raging all over town. I came right up to the bar and asked her for 2 tankards of ale. When she placed them before me, I grabbed one in each hand, offered up a toast for Moradin and those that had fallen today, and started drinking heartily from one as I poured the other out onto the floor... which got a stern "HEY" from Kaela. I dropped a gold piece onto the counter, which she scowlingly took as she began mopping up the mess I'd made. Draining the last of my ale, I put the tankards down and headed up to my room. Wasn't long before I wazzZZzzzzz... ZZzzzzz... ZZzzzzz...

To be continued...