Strife and Pride A Campaign Log

The companions spent a brief night in the campsite as they planned their journey in pursuit of Ironjaw's missing fathers. Koverinos urged delay, so that he could enchant his sword against the dead. Mareak suggested that if they did delay as Koverinos suggested, he could return to the dwarven city and pick up his nigh completed armor.

Ironjaw was insistent that they start after his father (and father in law) immediately-- his passion won over his companions, who agreed to make hast in pursuit. From the state of the tracks, Endrin told him that they must have left... about as soon as he and his people crossed the hill heading the other way, almost a week ago.

The next morning they set out, Ironjaw walking swiftly, while his companions rode. The trail was difficult to follow in places, but Endrin and Ironjaw followed them throughout the day... they were almost straight, headed almost due east.

After a long day's journey, they set up a camp inside a shelter conjured by Koverinos. They slept deeply, but were awakened early. After a few hours' travel they no longer needed to look for the steps... they saw the city on the horizon. As they approached, they noticed that there were figures on the walls, exactly as his brothers' tale suggested. They continued closer, until a figure on the wall top pointed their way and rained down fire. The companions scrambled back, then started circling to the north. As they circled, they heard a whistling that grew steadily louder. A wind swept at them from the south, whipping sand at them. Koverinos conjured an air elemental and commanded it to form a protected pocket for us. We crowded close as the sand storm blocked out the sun, tearing cloth and dumping thick sand all around. The elemental pushed the sand back as long as it could... then vanished.

The brunt of the storm had blown by; everyone emerged covered with sand and grit, but alive and unharmed. We hustled around the northwest corner of the town to get out of wizard's line of sight. It seemed a successful ploy.

Centered in the north wall was a gate. We approached it and were amazed as the sand began writhing. The skeletons of snakes... dozens, no hundreds... many hundreds swam through the sand and swarmed at us. We retreated and they followed. Just as we considered a mad dash around them, they slowed, halted, and withdrew toward the city. Koverinos explained that, as they had no mind of their own, they were probably following simple instructions. They'd be a poor defense if they followed every small band away, leaving the city exposed to a rampaging army behind them.

We continued circling the town, coming on its east face. It was long and unpierced by openings. The snakes did not protect this wall, though there were skeletons at the top, armed with crossbows and spears it appeared. Hrsai handed his horse to Kerith and leapt into the air, flashing into the form of an eagle. He spiraled up, higher and higher, remaining out of range of the cruel crossbows. As he climbed, a bright spark at the center of town caught its attention. Higher and higher he climbed... the spark grew too. It was a huge horse, with fire and smoke trailing from its hooves and mane. Hrsai gave out a defiant cry, then circled back down. The flaming horse circled back down, remaining within the town.

The quality of the opposition was dispiriting, but Ironjaw's quest was strong. We followed him as we circled to the south wall. Maybe, just maybe, this would be our approach. Sand was piled high against this wall... there was less than ten feet to climb. Unfortunately, this wall was also defended. We circled around to the south west corner and staked our horses in the soft sand. We marched forward, while Koverinos slipped on his invisibility ring and preceded us.

To our amazement, the defenders didn't fire at us, though they trained their crossbows on us. Two figures, clothed in more flesh than most of the others, called down to us. Ironjaw walked ahead of the other companions, who covered him carefully.

What was strange and confusing was that they spoke to us as if this was a normal town and we were ordinary travelers. This matched with Hrsai's description of market day going on inside the walls... incredibly strange. According to all that we'd heard, the dead had no minds at all... but these seemed to think, and think that they were still living creatures.

Ironjaw parleyed with the "guard captain", who invited them into the city. Ironjaw tricked them out of information by pretending to accept them as alive. The captain jumped down the short distance and spoke closely with Ironjaw. Suddenly, he exploded into lethal action, slashing at Ironjaw with a whip-like tongue. This was evidently the cue to attack; others leapt from the walls to engage him. Mareak and others ran forward to help Ironjaw, though the going was slow in the soft sand.

Fierce battle broke out; Ironjaw suffered a few more scratches, but didn't succumb. As the outliers fell, everyone ran toward the wall and climbed or leapt and swung up the wall. Crossbow bolts and halberds opposed us, but not significantly enough. Hrsai and Endrin lagged behind; Koverinos got some healing from Hrsai.

The battle at the wall entry was bloody... and as we were fighting the dead, the blood was all ours. There were many, many defenders... they weren't skilled, but they did inflict scratches and blows to almost everyone.

As they were cleared, a gout of fire leapt from a nearby building, smashing into the heroes. Endrin fired back, driving the sorcerer (or whatever) back. A huge column of skeletons started marching on our position... Koverinos unleashed a fireball in their midst that took out more than twenty of them. They kept marching...

In this session, we fought a Hag riding a Nightmare and a Rakshasha. Between the skeletons and their powerful support, the PCs were routed. Things turned around when the Rakshasha popped up on the wall to taunt the fleeing characters; Endrin successfully skewered him with a few arrows. Ironjaw and friends, who had been healed in the lull, charged back & killed him. Despite this momentum, they couldn't carry over the wall and push, so they retreated into the hills.

The PCs returned to the town and were met by extensive crossbow fire from the walltops. Their preparations were sufficient; they swept up the walls and threw the defenders down to shatter in the courtyard. The nightmare died in this confrontation as well, though the hag fled.

The hag was tracked into a nearby building, where after much investigation she was tracked to the end of a tunnel she had excavated. Her amulet and the narrow passage made her difficult to kill, but the PCs fought off possession and succeeded.

Now the PCs decided to track down the source of the threat; they wandered through the town (while the undead ignored them, or treated them as if everyone was alive) and came upon a temple at the center of the city. They charged forward and were met by powerful magics (of the lich). When Ironjaw closed, the lich's touch paralyzed him, ending the hope for a quick victory. The heroes gathered Ironjaw and fled, persued by two slow moving barbarians. (They were later revealed to be Ironjaw's father in law and father.)

In the marketplace, potions and magics were purchased at "quite reasonable" rates. Ironjaw was restored to motion, and plotting for a revenge match began. Kerith and Endrin led the purchasing charge and items were scooped up. The decision was made to bed down in town, rather than retreating to the waste again.

While many people bedded down, Kerith and Endrin went on a burglary spree. They returned to the market and bought items with their new gold. Everyone slept (with rotating watches) and awoke, preparing for battle. Hrsai memorized spells to protect everyone from fire, paralysis, weapons, and such. Endrin contributed her own element protection spells. Geared up and magicked up, the group set out for a rematch. Darkness called down indicated the Lich's awareness of the heroes presence. Ironjaw charged down the stairs, seized the Lich, and hauled him back up to be surrounded and beat upon. Kerith used his recently acquired immovable rods to block the rescue attempt from the Lich's followers who climbed the stairs to rescue him.

After much beating, the lich was killed and the barbarians snapped out of the mind control. The city started sinking into the sand; Hrsai and Ironjaw swept into the basement as sand poured in and grabbed as much loot as they could. Koverinos used a spell to prevent the building from shifting away to another dimension. Together the heroes gathered what they could and fled from the town. As they exitted the cursed city's gate, the buildings wavered and vanished.

The heroes returned to their land. Ironjaw was lauded for his rescue, everyone basked in their incredible feat. Then everyone scattered to the societies and responsibilities that claim them between adventures.