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Review Svartaland, Season 03.5

Svartaland, Season 04 Svalskörde / The Cool Autumn

Session 62

The Red-Gold Company turned over the archaeologists to the authorities of Messersachs. Baron Bart Van de Berg examined the papers found on them identifying Hersir Karl Bruni, a baronet from Drasland, as having employed them. The Baron groaned audibly, though, revealing uncertainty about the area's boundaries, even with Krem Kleij's apparent confidence in the shrine location belonging to Messersachs County. The Baron recovered though and was rather dismissive, stating the responsibility rested with the new bondsman and not with them. He advised the party to "let it go" for now, promising that he would consult with the baronet about the detained archaeologists. The company also debated whether or not to surrender certain confiscated items from the archaeologists, mainly a magical haversack, and whether they should reveal that they acquired a cursed necklace, taken off a Xorn. Ultimately they surrendered the magic backpack but kept the rest secret.

During the next five days, the Red-Gold Company scouted locations and occupation rights east of Messersachs for their bastions, cliffside and roadside locations which Baron Bart later approved for construction. The government provided dwarven engineers, masons, lumberjacks, carpenters, as well as building materials at no cost to the party. High-level magic users, however, for spells like "Rock to Mud" were not readily available. Desiring special facilities, such as Workshops and Arcane Studies capable of crafting specialty goods and magical items, the adventurers patitioned the government for hirelings with special skills and knowledge. On their own, they started advertising for and hiring a major domo, cook, guards, and maid servants locally. Lands were then cleared and reshaped for the bastions. Timador also met with the Viscount Ludwich Mefni of Messersachs and his wife, Fru Solphie, at their request. They were aware that Timador had petitioned for the installation of a permanent Teleportation Circle. Solphie was pleased with this, as her own circle in her her home had been conscripted by the military for use during the war. With another nearby circle being established, Solpie hoped that hers could soon be decommisioned and sole control of it returned to her.

The Red-Gold Company next traveled 55 miles overland to Kleinhafen, a port city west of Hartewald. They arrived the night before the Cool Autumn Festival being held on Day 109. After a long rest at the Dragon-shaped castle, they met with skalds (to help document their exploits), artists (for rendering their portraits), and a herald (to review the required ceremony procedures for them to join the Svarta Peerage). Some of the party's family members also arrived to witness the knighting of their children and siblings. Following the actual oath-taking ceremony (and the receiving of wolf-themed identifiction and ceremonial gear), Timador received a Sending message from Shaman Chjell. The goblin chief related to the wizard troubling signs of activity near the pujkes' egg caverns, where Chjell was aware that the company had previously explored and modified an underwater ziggurat. (He also knew that the Company had recently been traveling by ship near the location.) As the Shaman was only somewhat concerned and he didn't indicate any immediate danger--and he likely expected they party would need to be slow trailing by ship to investigate, Baron Bart suggested that "The Red-Gold Knights" first participate in the autumn festival in Hartwalde, socially mingling with regional nobles.

At the festivities, Stroop performed for Princess Fahari of Tief Liegend, and his songs earned 40 gold pieces and her admiration. The Knights also participated in a seasonal magic item auction, acquiring a Potion of Supreme Healing and a Wand of the War Mage +2, while also selling off some of their own redundant or lesser powered items. They elected then to revisit the ziggurat area to see what Chjell was on about. But, the Knights decided to keep the sigil's of the ziggurat's teleportation circle their own secret. Timador cast the Teleportation Circle spell himself instead of accepting the Baron's offer to supply someone to cast the spell for them. However, instead of landing within the ziggurat, the Knights found themselves teleported atop a 200-foot stone pillar in a desolate volcanic wasteland, surrounded by ash, high winds, and a murky night sky. As the pillar top was already occupied by several wooden crates and barrels, several of the party had to steady themselves to prevent from falling off.

The night air was tinged with sulfurous gases, and obscured by a dense volcanic haze. It was 25 degrees colder than from where they had just teleported. Trying to gauge their actual location, they noted that Eyeqweetas was either veiled behind the overcast sky--or it just wasn't up there anymore. Some scattered stars were visible but nothing looked familiar. Searching through the wooden crates, they found food and homesteading supplies. Pinned to one of the smaller sacks was a note from "Vraspir the Variscite." Vraspir's note indicated "Hey: I'm coming back for this stuff soon, and I'd appreciate you leaving it alone. It's just common stuff that I need and took me time to assemble. It's worth 250 gold. If, for some reason you feel entitled to it, just take this bag of gold instead. Or, better yet, leave it all." The party left it alone for the nonce. In fact, Timador added in 25 extra gold coins inside and signed a new note (or appended the old one) with something akin to "I contributed for your cause, signed, The Scarlet Pumpernickel."

At the base of the pillar, a shivering humanoid, Hereward the Rhyme-Ruffler, a bard from Belanore (an elven city on the isle of Kraldjur) was spotted by Stroop and Sagon as they descended and explored. Hereward revealed that his own party of adventurers had recently discovered the underwater ziggurat and it's teleportation circle. They intended to use the location as a base of operations, but, when they tried to teleport back to it, they accidentally teleported to this same pillar instead. Choosing to explore this new location, his group battled with a "frost-fire dragon" in a lava tube cavern a mile or two away to the west. Hereward said he had been magically frightened and forced to flee. Thereafter, having to endure hotter- and then colder-than-expected temperatures, the poorly dressed and equipped Herewald was unable to adequately rest and recovery.

Yrsa cured the bard's exhaustion, and the company, after talling a short rest themselves, rode their pair of magic horses to where Hereward had indicated--to confront the dragon (and possibly recover the magical gear... I mean, the bodies of Herward's companions. In the tunnel, Timador's owl scouted ahead and discovered a giant fire lizard and two Salamanders, sparking combat. The owl--taking damage--was lost in the conflict. Yrsa hit back gainst the fire-based creatures with Sacred Flame, Kime struck with force arrows, and Voglefest (transformed into a Giant Ape) dealt massive damage. From the south then, a largish red and white colored dragon arrived. Sagon raced forward to fight it directly and Stroop and Timador landed ranged damage via Eldritch Blast and Lightning Bolt. The dragon's attacks and breath weapon wounded everyone in the front ranks, but Timador's final Lightning Bolt struck it down. The dragon's death scream was anwered with an even louder scream heard echoing throughout the caverns, hinting at an even greater threat nearby, possibly the dragon's mother.

The next session will be held live and take up immediately from there. It is difficult, however to determine what day and time it actually is, possibly around 18 o'clock. If they surviive, the Red-Gold Knights is able to long rest whenever they wish.

Session 63

Whatever made the roar that came from the southern area did not attack immediately. Yrsa took the opportunity to cast some healing magic and then moved farther back. She witnessed the cavern entrance to the east, the one the knights had descended into the lair, suddenly covered over with a wall of ice. As there still wasn't a direct attack, the party did what they could to heal themselves further with potions and Keoghtom’s Ointment. Then a 20-foot radius sphere of blinding ice particles appeared, almost totally obscuring the yet-unexplored westward cavern. Arrows and missile weapons were shot and tossed into the freezing mist, perhaps hitting something within or beyond, as a nine foot tall blue-skinned woman with icy white hair--and a two-handed sword--stepped out of the mist toward the monk. She appeared hurt in the left shoulder. She slashed at Sagon, and a melee ensued, with most of the adventurers getting in at least some hits against her. The monk managed to knock the frosty woman prone, and that seemed just enough physical damage to also disrupt her polymorphed form.

An adult white dragon appeared in her place, a bit cramped in the narrow tunnel, but she was still able to squeeze and squirm and right herself. She breathed out a cone of frost. Many in the front ranks took considerable damage and Stroop was frightened by the dragon's aura. The knights took advantage--as the dragon was constrained--to more easily strike against her. As soon as she could, though, the dragon repositioned her wall of ice and frosty sphere, and, immune to its effects, she stepped inside of the sphere and used her long reach and tail attacks to bite and slash out at her nearby opponents. The visually obscuring nature of the frosty sphere tipped the scales and now it was the party members who were attacking at a disadvantage against her.

At one point in the contest, when the party was split by a wall of ice, Timador managed to cast a Dispel Magic spell on the frosty sphere. But, just moments before, the dragon, who had found herself badly wounded, sought to retreat by employing Misty Step to teleport herself 30 feet away into the western tunnel. As all of the party members had moved back to avoid her attacks and breath weapon, they didn't see or hear her movement. Then, on her next action, she filled the cavern in front of her again with another frosty sphere.

Believing the dragon nearly defeated at this point and not wishing her to escape, Sagon raced through the freezing damage and through to the other side and found her in a cavern junction. The wide shaft angled northwest toward the exit. Also, a cul-de-sac chamber stretched back toward the east where the knights were still positioned. The dragon used her breath weapon and tail attacks on Sagon, dropping his hit points to dangerous levels. But, as the party members were telepathically linked, the monk was able to relay the dragon's position and the cul-de-sac cavern's dimensions back to the others. Timador readied his lightning bolt using a 5th-level slot, and he waited for Yrsa to Stone Shape an opening through the cavern walls and into the cul-de-sac. Yrsa created a hole through the stone allowing the wizard a view of the dragon. The lightning damage was enough to finish her off.

The party then headed south deeper into the caverns, making a quick search for threats before attempting to rest. They also sought to discover what the crashing sounds heard in that direction were. Kime had seen the dragon's Wall of Ice quickly melt away and believed that other masses of ice in the otherwise volcanic lair were likewise doing so. They ventured down a wet and slippery tunnel, which joined up into a metal tube lining a vertical shaft. Icy chunks were dropping down and piling up at the bottom. A glint of plate armor was seen under some of the pile. A sword also dropped down. A rope was tied to Stroop and he slid down the tunnel to get a better view of the situation and to retrieve the sword using Mage Hand. Then, as Sagon on another rope slid down to assist Stroop with heavier items, their combined weight was enough to trigger a pressure plate concealed in the cavern floor beneath the wet slush. The seemed to trigger the flooring of the metal tube to flop open and downward, and the icy mass fell 160 feet down into magma, which was rather cool, but still hot enough to destroy most anything dropped down into it.

Sagon climbed up to get a better look at the ceiling area, and saw bodies and adventuring gear frozen inside the ice (apparently the dragon's larder/refrigerator). He was also able to perceive a chamber further back and up and over, and he noted in the ice where the dragon likely burrowed through the ice and then refroze the openings behind her. Stroop and Sagon did what they could climbing up to save the items before they dropped into the magma--tying ropes to what they couldn't physically handle themselves. Kime remained behind fartherest up the shaft to anchor support ropes, but Timador also went down to help ensure the others saved the best stuff by casting Detect Magic. Two magma mephits also appeared, coming up from a side chamber in the shaft from further below. Even wounded and depleted of most of their spell slots, the Knights were able to kill these minor foes quickly using cantrip spells.

The session ended there with the party members having achieved enough experience for 11th level. It should be, by their reckoning about 19 or 20 o'clock on Day 109. They can Long Rest at any time they choose. But whether they choose afterward to explore further is up to them.

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