Session 19: New Elves on the Block

Note: As of this session we have switched rule sets, and are now playing under 4th edition rules, hence some of the minor (and not so minor) changes in characters.
The lizardmen, easily defeated, were examined during the calm after the battle. Rhin turned over one while Krius and Mannon poked and prodded the others. They were young. Likely out on their first raid to acquire man-flesh to eat and man-bones to wear. Krius noticed that each of the lizardmen had a large brand etched into their chest. It was of a demonic five eyed skull. Ominous, considering their quest was to find just such an item.

No time to lose the group gathered their possessions and continued roughly westward, the direction of the lizard tracks. Soon the tracks faded into murky, polluted swamp water. The group trudged on through the fetid, foggy mists for hours, eventually stumbling upon a new set of tracks. They soon realized those tracks were their own. They were lost.

Once again they set off, but this time sticking to a more southerly route. Travel through the muck of the swamp was slow and treacherous. Soon the dank fog thickened along with the setting sun. Plans for another damp night were made. The group found the driest, highest point they could find, picked the watch order, and hunkered down for a miserable night.

The evening went by remarkably quiet. Alton and Mannon took the first watch, but very little stirred in the darkness. Next up Krius, then Prophit, and last Rhin. The dwarf spent the bulk of his watch obsessively studying an ornate dagger he had pulled from the boot of one of the Mountain Kings orc's he had felled in battle shortly after the group entered the swamp. Alton began to stir, so he quickly hid the knife under his cloak and looked over his comrades.

Alton began to writhe and squirm in his sleeping bag, dreams wracked his sleep. Then, right before Rhin's eyes Alton began to grow, his hair lengthened and turned a pale ash grey, his skin turned a dusky shade of almost black. In a few moments it was over, Alton was no longer a small halfling, but had transformed into a tall female dark elf.

This turn of events bemused Rhin more than it alarmed him and he reasoned it was undoubtedly the halfling's own fault for dabbling in dark shadowy magic, however he decided it was time to wake the rest of the party.

As the rest of the group was roused from an awful nights sleep, they immediately noticed the dark elf in their midst. She was struggling to escape from too tight halfling clothes and a halfling sized sleeping bag.

Krius took up sword and shield. Prophit and Rhin stepped back to watch events unfurl, while Mannon flanked the drow woman. Alton, not yet aware of his transformation was perplexed that his clothing and bed roll had shrunk during the night. He was also startled that his friends had taken a hostile attitude towards him.

Alton was as mystified as his friends were. Asked to explain he began to recount a very bizarre dream he had had that night, one in which a beautiful dark elven maiden riding a giant spider approached him, offered him the secretes of shadow all for the mere cost of "bearing her mark". Knowing it was only a dream, and being curious as well as hungry for knowledge of the workings of arcane shadow he agreed to her terms.

Krius didn't buy this vile dark elf's story. As a champion of law and civilization he wanted no business with the drow. He scowled, concentrating on detecting evil in this creature claiming to be Alton, but he had had a dream of his own. It it, his goddess Justicia had punished him for consorting with such rabble and taken his ability to detect evil, she bid him to redeem himself through acts of valor. Naturally he assumed this dark elf was sent here by his goddess as a test of his worth.

Alton, sensing things were awry pleaded and attempted to convince his friends of his true identity. They barraged him with a series of questions that only he would know the answers to. He answered everyone one them exactly correctly, but still his friends remained weary and suspicious.

As the argument over Alton's identity went on the sound of arrows thudding into something solid followed by a low moaning roar were heard off to the west just out eye sight in the thick fog.

Krius suggested to the drow claiming to be Alton, that he...she, whatever prove her...his worth and lead the way towards whatever event was transpiring just out of sight.

With trepidation Alton turned towards the sound and was soon obscured by the fog. Just off in the distance, two forms. One small and quick, the other large, slow, and plodding were engaged in a ranged battle. A quick and agile elven warrior was feathering a large beast that was composed of rotting swamp debris with arrows. He would fire an arrow, then run along a narrow causeway staying just ahead of the beast, unfortunately for him, he was almost out of dry land to run along.

Alton let out a shout alerting his companions of the danger ahead. He then attempted to summon one of his dark magic arrows, but to no avail, it seems his magic had transformed as well.

Krius and Mannon, itching for a real fight charged into the fray. Mannon shouted an arcane curse at the beast, while Krius just trudged through the muck as fast as he could with Rhin and Prophit right behind him.

The elven warrior, unsure of what new dangers were emerging to harass him next ignored the insane curse invoking halfling appearing from the mist and concentrated on the danger at hand. He fired another volley of arrows at the swamp abomination.

Krius, Mannon, and Rhin were soon upon the giant beast while Alton and Prophit sent spells and prayers at it from afar. Two large tendrils of the monster attempted to smother the paladin and pull him into its maw, his shield and armor saved him from harm, this time.

Rhin delivered a mighty blow with axe as the elf fired more arrows into the creature. Alton and Mannon continued various arcane attacks only to hear Prophit mutter a prayer to his mysterious god, the swamp monster was enveloped in holy burning light, shuddered, and fell to the ground moving no longer.

The characters present:
* Alton/Morrainna (Aaron), drow wizard
* Mannon (Dave), halfling warlock
* Prophit (Jeff), human cleric
* Squire Krius (Matt), human paladin
* Rhin No-Clan (NPC, ran by DM), dwarf fighter
* Elarios Amanodel (Mark), elf ranger

Rumors and clues gathered (this session):
* Lizardmen had ritualistic scars of a fived eyed demon on their chests.

Treasure found (this session):
* None

Foes/traps/tricks overcome (this session):
* 1 Swamp Monster

Experience gained (this session):
60 each player