April 11, 2009 - The Stormhammers kill some undead and duergar, and befriend a lonely ogre!
While resting, the party discovers that the battle standard they found is able to magically copy a symbol or emblem pressed against it, so they imprint it with the Stormhammers logo from one of their cloaks. Also, Yggdrasil is poking around in the ruined bookcase while the others are sleeping/eating, and discovers some loose papers with journal-type notes written on them by Triel.
The first entry is about how she received a divine message from Bane telling her she must destroy Cauldron by flooding it. She notes that this is odd - normally Bane's guidance comes to her while she is in prayer.
The next entry details how she plans to steal the wands of control water, knowing from experience that the city's churches have stopped making them and knowing someone will have to leave and buy some from another city. She also plans on hiring someone to steal the decanter of endless water from Orak's Bathhouse, as that will be added insurance. Triels also notes that she was foolish to doubt Bane's instructions, as everything is coming together perfectly.
The third and final entry notes that the cult has successful acquired the decanter of endless water from Drakthar, and her spies have reported that the wands of control water will be arriving at the Lucky Monkey that night. She plans on leaving immediately. She has also written that she is concerned about Tarkilar recently, for he seems preoccupied and distracted lately with some strange ritual he has been researching. She wonders if he has another agenda in addition to Bane's plan.
The party examines their map and realizes they never explored the other double doors in the hall with the murderholes. They decide to head back there to make sure there's nothing waiting to ambush them. They edge along the walls by the pit trap and avoid triggering it, and swing open the doors (which aren't locked, and actually aren't even closed all the way.) As the doors open, Yggdrasil realizes that some kind of seal has just been broken, keeping something contained inside. They hear moans and groaning noises and smell the stench of undead flesh.
Inside the room is a large high-ceilinged workroom / forge area, though it appears to have been deserted for quite a while. A number of rotting zombies are inside, as well as a hulking ogre zombie and two poltergeists, and one feral, agile ghoul that exudes a terrible stench. Cram immediately incinerates all but one of the rotting zombies in a single fireball, and also lights a large workbench on fire. Lover charges the ghoul but misses, and the ghoul rakes him with a claw, immobilizing him, and then savagely bites him (dazing him). The poltergeists quickly reveal their ability - to use ghostly force to throw enemies back through the air. They try to hurl Huron and Snake Eyes back through the open doors onto the still-active pit trap, but they both resist the effect. Cram is hit moments later though, and goes sailing out through the doors and lands on the trap, but manages to catch himself on the edge.
Huron & Snake Eyes slam the doors shut (with Cram outside) so that that can't happen again. Thunderbomb meanwhile is taking on the ogre zombie, easily deflecting its meaty fists and striking back. The ghoul fights Lover and Yggdrasil, dazing and slashing them with its claws. Huron joins the fight against the ghoul. Lover moves to fight one of the poltergeists but it reacts as Lover draws near, hurling him back to the floor onto some loose rubble. Cram gets up, opens the door and comes back in and acid arrows the ghoul, but misses. A poltergeist then hurls Snake Eyes through the door and into the pit, and he falls 10 feet and lands heavily on the poisoned spikes. Bonesaw helps him out and they both re-enter the room. Something knocks the ogre zombie up onto the flaming table, and Thunderbomb follows it up into the flames. The zombie is too stupid to leave so it remains on the table, burning. Thunderbomb drops it, but it reanimates moments later and starts attacking him again.
Lover pursues one of the poltergeists into the rear of the room, moving next to the ash-filled forge. He is surprised when it suddenly activates, and roaring flames start shooting out of it. He moves away, but a poltergeist hurls him back into the forge, knocking him prone. He takes a lot of fire damage and is stuck there. He manages to get out, but then Snake Eyes (who is still poisoned) is hurled into the forge by the other poltergeist. He is reduced to negative hp by the fire damage and is quickly in very real danger of dying. Thunderbomb uses a daily ability that teleports him over by the poltergeist, and he runs over to Snake Eyes (provoking an attack from the poltergeist, which misses) and using an action point to pull the bard out of the forge and dump him into the water trough. However, Snake Eyes is still in severe danger of dying (1 of 3 death strikes, and 5 hp away from reaching his bloodied hp amount in negatives...and he has 5 ongoing poison dmg on his next turn.) The rest of the Stormhammers finish off the other monsters and cluster around him, trying desperately to heal him.
DM: Ok, Mike make your heal check on Jamie so he can make a save against the poison. (Mike succeeds). Jamie: (fails save) DM: Alright, Corey you're next. (Corey succeeds.) Jamie: (fails save) DM: ...okay, Dale? (Dale succeeds) Jamie: (fails save) DM: ...um, okay Cam...you're next. (Cam succeeds) Jamie: (fails save AGAIN) DM: Wow. Apparently Jamie, you suck. (Fortunately Justin went next, healing Jamie of a massive amount of hit points so the poison dmg was irrelevant.)
After the fight, Thunderbomb heads over to a pile of rubble had been thrown onto during the fight. He pulls out a dust covered cloak he noticed at the time - it is a Cape of the Mountebank. Cram and Snake Eyes debate who should wear it. Snake Eyes takes it in the end. They also found some treasure scattered around such as a block of pure mithril and a small pouch with some coins and gemstones.
They decide to next check out who's eating and making noise in the kitchen area. Bonesaw sneaks up and peeks inside, and sees two gnolls, two bugbears, and a human eating at some regular tables at one end of the room, and at the other end is an ogre sitting at a large table and eating, by himself. The ogre is sitting on a large stone, with a second stone vacant next to him, and is slurping from a giant bowl of stew, using a human-sized bowl as a spoon. The Stormhammers have a quick discussion and figure that the ogre is an outcast and has been shunned by the others, and as such he might be willing to join or at least work with them against the other cultists. Cram disguises himself to look like Triel and Snake Eyes gets ready to just walk in with him (since he looks like a ninja, and can speak Giant like the ogre.) The rest of the party lurks in the hallway, ready to spring into action.
Cram walks into the doorway boldly and stands there, surveying the room. The gnolls glance over at her and then turn back to their food. Snake Eyes walks in towards the ogre and starts chatting with it. The ogre seems pretty dumb, but then again it is an ogre. One of the gnolls looks back towards "Triel", confused as to why she is just standing there - but Cram makes a sharp gesture at it and it quickly looks away. The bugbears and human don't really notice/pay any attention.
Snake Eyes climbs up on the empty rock/seat next to the ogre and whispers a few lies at the ogre, such as the gnolls stole his shinies. The ogre seems more confused than anything else. Cram walks over towards it and together, they manage to convince the ogre that the others in the room are traitors. The deciding factor is when Cram quietly tells the ogre to "kill them all" in Triel's voice using Ghost Sound (the only thing he heard Triel say). The ogre nods as sneakily as it can (not sneaky at all, but no one else is paying attention.) and grabs its greatclub (a log) and walks up behind the gnolls. The human, the only other one facing the ogre, sees this about to happen but happens to have his mouth full of chicken drumstick at the time and can't get out a warning in time. The ogre crushes one of the gnolls into the table and the fight starts.
The gnolls leap up, furious, and attack back. The bugbears whirl around, shocked, but then Snake Eyes hits one with a misdirected mark attack that looks like it came from the ogre (by hurling the ogre's unfinished bowl of soup) and the bugbears snarl and attack. Snake Eyes makes sure to grab a hunk of meat from the bowl as he throws it and starts eating it. The bugbears draw shortswords and move towards the ogre, turning invisible as they do and sneak attacking it. The ogre starts taking some good damage from the multiple attackers.
The human guard is very confused, so Snake Eyes and Cram run over to him and yell at him to attack...the gnolls and bugbears! Because they are traitors. The human is not sure what to believe, but after a moment of pause, it does as "Triel" commands. One of the bugbears turns to fight the human, and the other three continue fighting the ogre. The ogre becomes bloodied, but Snake Eyes heals it. This happens twice during the fight. One of the bugbears manages to see through Cram's disguise, but just as his eyes widen in shock the ogre crushes and kills him. The ogre defeats starts destroying the two gnolls with some assistance from Snake Eyes and a shock sphere from Cram. The remaining bugbear decides enough to enough and runs off, turning invisible again. Outside in the hallway, the Stormhammers hear a horrified gasp come from just in front of them, so Thunderbomb and Huron leap forward, attacking wildly. Thunderbomb connects and kills the invisible bugbear. The rest of the party rushes into the kitchen and helps finish off the gnolls. The human guard freaks out but then surrenders.
Huron & Snake Eyes: You can join us or die. (pause) WE GOT DEATH STAR! WE GOT DEATH STAR!
The human reluctantly (and with great fear) joins them.
They poke around the kitchen and find a bit of loot the cultists were gambling with. The ogre, who gets healed up by the party, is sad that his friends are now dead. The Stormhammers manage to cheer him up by saying he can come back to the surface and join them. He says his name is Thag.
Cram: Okay, I'm going to go out into the hall and dismiss the Triel disguise. Mike: I ask the ogre what his name is. DM: He says his name is...Thag. Justin: ...did he say his name was fag? Ogre: ARE YOU CALLING ME A FAG!!?! DM: Cam, you come back in and everyone is dead.
The DM then changes his mind and ogre's new name is Thog. He says that he doesn't like to fight but Triel made him. What he really likes to do is cook. The Stormhammers gasp at hearing this, and numerous players rush to offer him a chef hat with the Stormhammers crest (they don't fit, of course.) The party (with Thog, and the captured human guard prisoner) go back to the burned-up barracks to rest.
They ask the prisoner where the best loot would be kept. He tells them where Tarkilar's chambers and the treasure is, and also where a small smithy is. They decide to attack the smithy. They burst in on a pair of duergar, who spring to the attack. Through a curtained off doorway they hear more noises, and Lover runs over to investigate. Behind the curtain is another pair of duergar, one of whom is wearing a heavy blacksmithing apron and seems to be a leader of sorts. There is also a snake-construct made of iron plates and spikes, who lunges to the attack. They make short work of the duergar, dispatching them all with relative ease. The leader tries to hide in the forge fires, relying on his fire immunity, but the party soon coaxes him out and kills him. At one point Yggdrasil is fighting a duergar in melee, and Cram charges over to help, spending an action point. He rolls a natural 20, and then another natural 20 for his second attack. He chops off both the duergar's arms and kills him instantly. The shocked duergar (who when bloodied, grows to large size) doesn't even have time to grow before he flops down dead.
Afterwards they find a leather-bound ritual book containing two rituals - Enchant Magic Item and Control Normal Fires. They also find a third wand of control water on the body of the duergar blacksmith.
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