Session 18: Tactical Retreat

Krius lifted up the fallen ogre's blade and it magically sized itself to suit it's new master. He examined it carefully and noted markings on it...one signifying it's creator Graah and another bearing the mark of the goblin craftsman known as Backra the Sharpener.

The halflings grabbed a nearby ladder and in the process of bringing it to their comrades in the pit it shattered into splinters within their grasp. They looked upward to an adjacent rooftop and perched above them was a young, red-haired woman with a line of duplicates about her.

She told the group that she was the apprentice of Kyleth who would be displeased if she saw the destruction the group brought to the witch's minions. She bid the group to leave one of their own behind, and go on a quest to retrieve a demon skull from the lizard men to replace the value of the witch's lost guards and blacksmith. She threatened to awaken her master should the group fail to comply.

The group tried to trick her but she resisted their attempts and while the two parties debated, a small demonic creature flitted over to the girl and they conversed for a moment. Krius noted the creature as a Quasit, and deeming it's kin to be far too fiendish to make deals with, immediately sounded a call to arms.

Rhin scrambled out of the pit, Mannon sprinted forward and fired an Eldritch Blast at one of the mirror images, making it vanish. Krius sloppily threw a javelin at the girl which she handily avoided, but realizing the battle would quickly turn against her favor retreated calling out an alert to her master.

Prophit hauled Krius out of the pit, and the group quickly debated their next course of action. Their pack animals and the slaves were in the possession of the witch. The group climbed over the walls with a ladder and saw a boat lashed to the bridge ahead.

The group crossed the bridge halfway and an attractive elven maiden flew overhead on a broom. The group dropped the ladder and scrambled off into the swamp. They found their way back to the Hermit's hut as the night fell upon them and the fog grew thick. There was some debate about where to go and what to do but they ultimately decided to setup watches and let the casters get their rest.

In the night, the Quasit found the party, dropped an acid flask on Krius and retreated...spoiling the group's location. The group decided on some bold action and returned to the fort to hide nearby.

They approached the fort as quietly as they could, and drew themselves around to the side and proceeded to the back. They neared the back and both Prophit and Krius felt a sinking feeling of foreboding.

Krius peered around the back and saw a gaping maw in the earth where the ground looked blackened with blight. He grew dizzy and fell to the ground, suddenly finding himself in the middle of a massive battle. He stood alongside a group of barbarians who attacked a demonic being that towered over them. They launched themselves upon the beast, and Krius cut down across it's neck, dealing the killing blow. It tumbled to the ground bleeding in gouts, and the blood seeped into the earth blackening it with an earthly taint.

Krius awakened, got to his feet and saw the befouled marsh bubble and froth. From the blighted land a creature rose up, as if the earthen blight had birthed a terror. It looked upon the paladin and screamed a call that shook the foundations of the fort...

The group no longer made any attempts at stealth as they ran back to the bridge. They scrambled onto the boat that was lashed by the water's edge and pushed off into the mist beyond. Looking back they could see the witch and her guard on the rampart of the tower, laughing at the group as they hastened away...

They moved along in the water for and hour before they found a rocky beach that would be their camp for the remainder of night and into the morning. A sheer rock face loomed over them and in the wall was a head-sized opening. Through this opening, some distance back the group could see a treasure...but they had no means to reach it.

They noted the location before they left and pushed off to travel back towards where the lizard men's lair was marked on the map. It wasn't long before they found signs of civilization. They stopped the boat and moved up a path upon which they were able to find reptilian footprints in the muck. Following this trail a short distance, they came upon some hand worked planks that bridged the gap between the small islands.

As they crossed, the water exploded in frothy action, and the bridge showed itself for a trap. Lizard men ambushed the party from the murky waters with nets and crude cutting instruments. Fire, ice, blades, shadows, and mace fell into their reptilian targets until the battle was over. The battered party could see that retrieving the demon skull from these creatures would not be easy...and apparently, the lizard men were expecting them.

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 Dave and Matt), dwarf warblade

Rumors and clues gathered (this session):
* Krius had a vision of crawling into a giant oven and being "flash fried".
* Krius had a second vision of leading a barbarian hoard against a powerful demon slaying it, where the body landed the beginnings of blight began.
* Markings on Graah's sword indicated that it was sharpened by "Backra the Sharpener", an infamous goblin blademaster and the best non-elven blade sharpener in 100 leagues, know to supply many a villain with vicious weaponry.
* A small six inch hole with a 40 foot tunnel in the side of a cliff leads to apparent treasure.

Treasure found (this session):
* none this session (Krius' pack donkey captured by the witch so the large sized torque was lost, among other supplies)

Foes/traps/tricks overcome (this session):
* Confrontation with Maeve, Lady Kyleth's young cocky apprentice (no XP, undefeated)
* Flyby attack from Loki, the witches Quasit (no XP, undefeated)
* Confrontation with corrupted earth elemental and vision (no XP, undefeated)
* Running away from the witch's compound (bonus XP)
* 4 Lizardmen(2 down, 2 remain)

Experience gained (this session):
150 each player