Session 14: Into the Great Swamp

Battle rages at the standing stones. Rhin and Mannon, back to back face down two black blade wielding foes; Mannon distracts them while Rhin executes a sweeping attack with his dwarven waraxe felling both enemies in quick succession.

Away from the melee Alton summons black fire that reaches up from the ground enveloping the cultists that are attacking Krius. The cold flames crackle and burn the berserkers with cold arcane energy. They stagger out of the flames injured but determined to fight on.

Further back from the fray, a cultist savagely attacks Prophit, the blow is deflected by the clerics shield and the black blade shatter into a thousand pieces, undeterred the foe launches himself at Prophit only to meet his end via Prophit’s war hammer.

Back on top of the hill of standing stones a thunderous voice booms out. The orc cleric glares at Mannon and launches into a tirade about what blaspheme to the name Pyraxus the halfling unbeliever has committed. "You wear the mark of Pyraxus but profane his name, time to meet your doom little one", and with that the orc's hammer rains down on Mannon.

Avoiding the worst of the hammer blow Mannon staggers away from the orc, he then delivers a punch of his own and sends a blast of eldritch energy slamming into the orc. Using Mannon’s distracting attack Rhin uses the flat of his axe to knock the large hammer out of the evil cleric’s hands.

Further up the hill Krius takes advantage of the confusion among the ranks of the berserkers and dispatches them as they escape from Alton’s black flames. With the last of the cultists defeated the heroes converge on Rhin and the now unarmed orc.

The cleric of evil backs up, pulls a dagger, spits out a curse, and continues to fight on. Once again Rhin winds up and delivers a vicious blow with his axe dropping the cult leader to the ground. With a last dying breath the orc utters "I Torslack give my life to you Pyraxus" and as his life blood spills out a bolt of lightning strikes from the sky sending out a electrical blast that catches the heroes in hot electric fire, an act of vengeance of Pyraxus.

With the foes defeated the group decides to hunker down for the rest of the night in the copse of trees at the foot of the hill of stones. The miserable rain makes sleep difficult but soon the morning sun lights the day.

As morning sun breaks Krius cleans the sight of battle, burning the vile patrons of evil on a makeshift pyre and destroying their foul black blades. As he and the rest of the group descend the hill of the standing stones they notice wagon tracks leading away from the site of last night’s ritual heading east towards the small town of Isenford. Knowing that their ultimate destination lies east they decide to track the wagons to their source.

Two days uneventful travel follow, but on the morning of the third day as the rest of the group sleeps Rhin notices shuffling forms coming from the east. He kicks Krius awake and thinking them undead they cautiously approach the shambling forms.

As they close they notice these are not the undead, but sickly refugees fleeing from raiders and a blight poisoning their town from the nearby swamps. They speak of a dragon, a witch queen, black blades, and other horrors infesting the fens to the east of their town. Krius shares food and water with the refugees and sends them on their way.

Soon the rest of the party is roused and on the road. By mid day they reach what is left of Isenford, now an abandoned a forsaken place. Nothing but diseased and murdered village is found, so the group rapidly crosses the ferry across the river and continues east.

On the other side of the river the wagon tracks the group had been following are quickly found again but soon veer off the trail into the misty swamps. Throwing caution out the door the group follows into the blighted swamp.

As they enter the fens fog surrounds them limiting sight to a mere thirty feet or so. They find a series of raised hillocks connected by crude recently fabricated bridges lead deep into the muck and thick decaying foliage. As they cautiously cross yet another bridge they hear the sounds of battle ahead followed by abrupt silence. Then out of the fog the galloping of a horse. Trailing behind it, an unidentifiable half of a body, legs still caught in the stirrups, entrails spilling out. It gallops off into the fog away from whatever horror lies ahead, then quiet.

Krius comments on how that is never a good sign as he and the rest urge their horses and donkeys forward. As they advance the low hanging mist lifts to reveal a scene of death and destruction. Scattered dismembered bodies of orcs and tipped-over, shattered wagons filled with manacled slaves, crushed or also dismembered litter the green hillock. They begin to examine the gruesome scene more closely.

No sooner do they begin investigation when whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, the flapping of great wings is heard, the grayish orb of the sun of momentarily blotted out and a great diseased black dragon descends from the sky.

An aura of abject terror overcomes the animals, they bolt away from the great beast. Even Rhin and Mannon flee for their lives vanishing off into the mist.

The dragon bares its fangs and claws as Alton, Krius, and Prophit prepare spells and weapons to engage the great beast. The order of decay and corruption rolls off the dragon as it lunges forwards, its huge claws rending Krius.

Alton summons a giant wasp to distract the dragon as Prophit summons healing magic to close the paladins wounds. As Krius, Alton, and Prophit prepare to continue their fight against the putrefied dragon, Rhin's senses return to him and turns around and change back to battle. Mannon continues to flee with as much speed as his halfling legs give him.

Rhin catches up with the rest of the group. As he does the dragon rears back, draws a deep breath, opens its mouth wide and belches forth a disgusting glob of bile, rotten flesh, and diseased phlegm. The disgusting glop covers the heroes but inflicts no apparent injury.

Rhin and Krius step forward, sword and axe make their mark on the hide of the dragon. As their weapons hit the beast a hollow sound echoes from under its thick skin. The dragon seems to take little notice of the wounds being inflicted, rears back on its haunches, seems to howl at the sky, then takes flight heading in Mannon's direction.

Mannon calms his mind and turns around to find his friends only to hear a flapping of giant wings just above his head. The black dragon seemingly distracted by some unknown force ignores him and flies by into the depths of the swamp.

Eventually he catches up to the rest of the group. They back track, gather their animals, then return to the scene of battle to examine the carts, and bodies of the orcs and slaves. Nothing of value is found, but in searching the remains of the slave caravan they notice two more bridges leading off into the mist...

The characters present:
* Alton (Aaron), halfling shadowcaster
* Mannon (Dave), halfling swordsage/warlock
* Prophit (Jeff), human cleric
* Squire Krius (Matt), human paladin
* Rhin No-Clan (Jim, absent ran by Matt), dwarf warblade

Rumors and clues gathered (this session):
* Necromantic black blades found.
* Wagon tracks lead from standing stones to Isenford.
* Refugees from Isenford tell of a blight coming from the swamp, slavers, a dragon and a witch queen.
* Isenford wiped out to the last person.
* Something in the swamp is creating a diseased corruption

Treasure found (this session):
* 7 gold claw pendents (picked up by Mannon)
* black blades (destroyed by Krius)
* Glowing blue cool to the touch magic warhammer (used by Prophit)

Foes/traps/tricks overcome (this session):
* 4 kobold skirmishers
* 6 berserk cultists of Pyraxus
* Torslak, half-orc cleric of Pyraxus
* Destroying black blades (bonus XP)
* Encounter with diseased black dragon

Experience gained (this session):
700 each player