You have escaped the Dragon's Lair and have found the exit to the Temple of the Faithful, passing the herculean tasks that seemed impossible.

6 Gnomes still live.

Now you stand looking outside, but all you see is mist.  You are near the base of the mountain, and you see trees all around.  The grass is long and bladed all around you, with bushes and the sounds of insects.  But you hear no animals--no birds, squirrels or critters you might expect.

You see a trail cut through the foliage, expecting again that it must be Fingas Hatt and his companion striking a trail. It leads forward and slightly to the left (which we will call northwest).  Otherwise, you can blaze your own trail.

Behind you, the giant mountain dwarfs anything and runs as far as the mist will let you see, which is not more than twenty or thirty yards.

You now must find the Gnome Unther


Your goals are listed here: link to a message in this game

1) Get Cure for the Black Curse disease: (Etag told you that your exposure to the mountain caves means that all of you will catch it in time.  It leads to discoloration around the extremities and lips, and then to madness and violence.)

Step One: The cure requires Lathia berries (aka "earth berries"), which should be in the dragon's lair.  The dragon is called Ozymandius, and has been driven mad with no honor or goodness left in it.  Etag said you will probably have to heal it after drawing it away from the healing lake. YOU HAVE OBTAINED THE EARTH BERRIES

Step Two: The earth berries only last 10-15 minutes when removed from the branches of their bush.  To preserve them longer, they must be soaked in Earthsilver (the healing water), which will preserve them up to 1 day. YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY SOAKED THE EARTHBERRIES IN EARTHSILVER

Step Three:  Find a gnome named Unther in the hamlet of Chikaar at the base of the mountain.  (The gnomes can help you get in his good graces.)

For more details, read the dying words of the Drow Etag here:

link to a message in this game

2) Seek out the gnome Tenvillah: He is a gnome scholar who knows how to cure the Curse.  (Unther will know where he is.  Tenvillah will not be cooperative unless you bring gnomes back safely.)

HERE ARE YOUR EXPERIENCE POINTS.  PLEASE ADD THEM TO YOUR CHARACTER SHEETS. PLEASE NOTE IF YOU HAVE LEVELED UP OR NOT:

This message was last edited by the GM at 19:45, Thu 30 Nov 2017.

Borimer stretches and exults in the sun lost somewhere above in the fog mist. He carefully puts his armor back on, feeling much better for it. A long drink of fresh water and a new beginning...
This message was last edited by the player at 22:17, Wed 15 Nov 2017.

Feeling lucky to have gotten out of that Leo is relaxes but imagines it will be time to move on soon.

OOC: I would have liked to try to kill the dragon, but oh well. Moving on was probably the best decision to keep the rest of us alive.

Kahan dusts himself off as he looks around their new surroundings. "As much as I would love to rest, we really must continue onwards. I have a feeling this disease will not afford me much time to waste," he commented, coughing up a handful of blood. He looked down at it worriedly, wiping it off on his already stained and tattered clothing.

Tahldar breathes in the fresh air and is glad they are out of that damnable mountain.

"Which way should we go to find Unther in the hamlet of Chikaar?  Should we try following this Fingas character?  He seems to know which way to go." the mage says as he expectantly looks to the Gnomes for a response.

Borimer nods, "That's what I was thinking, too." He's glad to be as smart as the wizard now, incredible what a new day and some mountain air can do for a guy.

OOC: I would have liked to try to kill the dragon, but oh well. Moving on was probably the best decision to keep the rest of us alive.

Don't worry.  Your problems with the dragon have only just begun...
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:44, Thu 30 Nov 2017.

The party has only a few moments to take a collective fresh breath and sigh of relief.  You feel how much cooler and less dank it is out in the open, but there is a slight sulfuric smell in the air--not horrible, but not pleasant either.

As you discuss next steps, you hear a roar of anger from deep in the mountain behind you.  The dragon has used its breath and strength of its limbs to push on the now off-kilter pile of rocks that had once blocked its escape. The dragon is attempting to break through the cave in, and you hear its breath weapon slam against the rocks.

Finally, you hear its voice carry eerily down the tunnel, deep and resonant and menacing:  "I will be the end of you."  It then begins slamming against the cave in rocks deep in the tunnel again.  They will hold it back...for now.




As a group, you start to follow the path carved out by Fingas Hatt and his companion, leaving the dragon and the mountain behind.  It leads down into the mist and the forest below.

As you walk down the cut path, you notice the oddness of the grass blades.  They look normal until up close.  Then you can see small red veins.  Similarly, the grooves in the tree trunks seem to have reddish veins running through them.

The moisture of the mist also collects on your skin, more viscous and less watery than you would expect.

In the distance to your left, you hear a strange howl--not like a human or dog but like a deranged animal on the hunt, raising to a high pitch and then following below earshot.  It was at least a couple hundred yards away to your left (off the trail) but still seemed to carry heavily through the mist.

Through the mist ahead, you see something protruding above in the sky.  It appears to be a small settlement atop a rocky hill.  The trail cut out by Fingas leads in that direction.

It will probably take about a half hour to hike to the settlement through the grass.


This message was last edited by the GM at 21:56, Thu 30 Nov 2017.

Borimer scans the mist towards the sound of the hunting beast. He whispers his words "I wouldn't mind heading to that settlement."

"Yes Borimer, lets go after Fingas.  I would prefer to be as far away from that dragon as far as I can, and be done with the berries and the poison.  But once we are healed, I think we should consider not staying at that settlement long.  That dragon is angry and once he's free he'll surely look for us at the settlement first."

Shae says, "Our mission is to find the gnomes who can cure us.  The only way to find them is to find a settlement.  So I think the choice is obvious.  We go to the settlement and hope the gnome we're searching for is there."

Kahan scratches his head, briefly pondering the repercussions of their actions. "I agree, we must go to this village, but I fear the dragon will follow us and destroy it if we linger, or if he arrives after we leave. Shae, do you know of any ways to hide our tracks? Even from a dragon?" he asked, hopeful she would think of something.

You make your way to the village.  About fifteen minutes after slogging through the thick grass, trees and bushes, and the mist is beginning to clear a little.  The settlement is about fifteen minutes away now, a little less if you hurry.

Just as the mist is beginning to clear some, you see a humanoid figure running out to the edge of the village.  You can just make out a large curved horn.  He begins to blow, and you hear the horn reverberate throughout the forest.  They are three long sounds.  Then there is a pause.  Then three more sounds like the moaning of a large, sad beast.

From here, you could probably get the attention of the person up there if you wanted, or you could move slowly and keep under concealment.

"Lets hail him.  We need to hurry and get these berries to the Gnome and he might know where we need to go." Tahldar says to the others.

"Okay, we probably should then," Borimer will lead the way if the group is ready to approach the figure in the gloom

Kahan follows along, still waiting for a response for his question to Shae.

You continue to follow along the path toward the figure and village atop the hill.

He blows the horn again three times.

You begin to notice that, as the mist begins to fade, the red glow in the grass and shrubbery begins to grow brighter until it looks like the plants are beginning to develop blood veins within, and the dots throughout the plants begin to expand outward like pustules.

You are about 10 minutes from the base of the hill when you begin to notice that the grass you are cutting through becomes harder to cut.  The path becomes harder to blaze.

Then, at about 5 minutes from the base of the hill, the figure again blows the horn three times and begins looking through a brass telescope, searching the underbrush as the mist dies down more and more.

He seems to see you.  By now you can tell that it is, in fact, a gnome.  He begins waving for you to hurry, though he is too far for you to hear his voice.

Meanwhile, the blades of grass and leaves of plants are becoming more firm.  You have always called them "blades" of grass, and now they are really starting to be sharp as blades.

The mist is almost totally gone now, and that is when you see what really disturbs you.  The plants and grass seem to be slightly moving of their own accord--not the wind or disturbance of any sort.  They seem to be taking on a swaying, searching movement as though intelligently searching...

The gnome continues to frantically wave at you to hurry.

"Run!  Run!" Tahldar shouts.

OOC: If we don't think the Gnomes will make it up the hill in time, Tahldar will cast a fly on Borimer (speed 18) to carry them up the hill.  Tahldar still has a stoneskin going from the battle with the dragon with 5 hits left.  Duration of stoneskin is 'special' and doesn't seem to have a time limit that I see.  Only the number of hits.  As he's protected from harm, Tahldar feels he can take the 3 segment time to cast Fly, putting him that much farther back from everyone else.  He moves 120, but if runs into trouble and can't move, he'll cast dimension door to get himself up the rest of the way up the hill.  Of course this is all contingent on casting fly.  If he doesn't have to cast it he will just run.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:39, Tue 12 Dec 2017.

Leo heeds the advice and starts to run quickly toward the gnome.

Borimer urges the gnomes forward and then follows everyone through the blades of grass, watching their backs for attack and making sure the gnomes can make it. If Tahldar casts the flying spell Borimer will take the gnomes up as many at a time as he can.

Kahan felt it was pointless to echo Tahldar's sentiment, so instead simply ran to keep up with the others. If he felt it was possible, he would carry one of the gnomes up the hill.

The entire party begins running.  Those with strength enough to do so have the surviving gnomes jump on their backs.

Several of them seem to begin to understand what is happening.  "Keshnar!" several of the say in distress.  "Keshnar!"

[Language unknown: "Bleintres Eenwhiout! Uranad Rutinestr!"] they also yell.

The blades of grass and leaves begin swiping at the air.

That strange howl you heard earlier returns.  It is much closer this time.  It is not human or dog but like a deranged animal on the hunt.

[Language unknown: "Es hisredted m lohe laris!"] they yell in Gnomish.  Then in broken Common:  "Hurry!" one yells.

You pick up the pace.  The sharp bladed foliage strikes out and hits Borimer, Kahan and Tahldar.  Tahldar and Borimer manage to avoid the worst of the blows (saving throws made).  (Borimer: 4 damage; Tahldar: 3 damage minus stoneskin)  But Kahan takes a slash to the belly, drawing a swath of blood.  (11 hp dmg.)

The path forged by Fingas is of less and less help, but you see the edge of the stony hill and make a final break for it just as the last of the mist is dissipating...

Tahldar casts fly on Borimer, who swoops up two additional gnomes (three total) before flying into the air above the deadly leaves.

The blades and leaves are flying quickly now, making a whirring sound in the air.  They seem to be everywhere, and dodging them may be impossible as your feet step onto sharp blades of hardened grass...

The howl is closer now, maybe just 50 yards away, and you hear the crash of a tree being toppled over, but you cannot see through the thick foliage at what the creature might be.

The grass is now retracting and stabbing out while the leaves spin like saws.

Tahldar is hit twice, his stoneskin absorbing both blows.  Kahan is hit once more but evades the worst of it.  (4 hp dmg.)  Leo is hit three times critically by stabbing grass blades and a saw like palm leaf.  (18 hp dmg.)  Shae is also badly hit by two deadly blows.  (13 hp dmg.)

The gnome being transported by Shae is swiped by a blade, his body cut in two at the waist.  He grunts once before falling from Shae's shoulders.  Another gnome, this one on Kahan's back, is also hit (4 hp dmg) but survives, although he is bleeding heavily.

And then you are clear and climbing the mountain, blood dripping and oozing as you look back once more at the deadly forest that moves and shimmers with life.  By the time you reach the top of the hill, a number of gnomes have gathered.  They look at you with mixed surprise and confusion.

The gnome who blew the horn begins yelling:  [Language unknown: "Tio foat roaren.  Thathifor saeitr ni nona'wiit."]

Another gnome furls his eyes and says, "[Language unknown: "Adek  whekorons?  Enc omos wa unhat?"]

Borimer drops to the ground, letting the three gnomes loose.  The gnomes of the village are looking at him as though he is some sort of deity...or demon.

Shae, who does not speak Gnomish, immediately goes to one of the injured and bleeding gnomes and casts a healing spell on him as a sign that they are all friends here.  She speaks the Elvish word for friend, "Melleth" as she does so.

Kahan drops his gnome off as Shae begins healing him, so he casts a healing spell on himself. After all, a dead healer is a useless one. Once that is completed, he looks around the village and its inhabitants, trying to locate a leader. "Does anyone here speak Common? It would make this much easier," he asks the gathering.

[]

This message was deleted by the player at 11:16, Fri 15 Dec 2017.

Borimer sets down the last gnome and straightens up, his eyes meeting the awe-struck gazes of these new gnomes. Borimer coughs uncomfortably.

The mage Tahldar looks around at the various injuries they have sustained and especially to the poor Gnome that was cut in half.  He nods his head downward in sorrow for the man.  He had survived so much only to be cut down when he was so close to safety.

"I speak Gnomish." he says to the others.

"They call what happened "Angry Earth", and "the fiend in the mist"." he says in reference to the grass.

"They are sending for healers, but are leery of us.  It would seem Fingas and the other man have gotten here before us and they are wondering if our arrival is some kind of omen."

"I will do my best to allay any fears they may have."

Tahldar approaches the group of Gnomes with open palms.

[Language unknown:  "Manwiltic tho saceiein.  O ek menet ivsele her o sonticere forek."]

With a wave towards the surviving Gnomes still with them he adds, [Language unknown: No moun ndame chck it ckosec di stiwheoun nginwe Menineome rianta romvirera ichac earwillatate us peout.  Sa aden it k ounkoreau nait icporo mibe."]

[Language unknown: At stroutnti outlatted ri k semafi Hasortter tost p etiv onewaspro weine powe ulain e lito si intek ekaimo thu urouit fisom a os icisontr it u icaourticich wiwa lar ulacma butereant di lingri nt fi, ntca ee liomiv ck.  Earli lorat il ee eisan hi?  Hiwhe ac caheevca ekwi manil ce e mich ilto."]

OOC:  Tahldar has the secondary skill etiquette at CHR+1 if that helps with the Gnomes.  Plus maybe a bonus since he speaks Gnomish?  (And the group in general for putting their lives on the line to save the other Gnomes, maybe they can put in a good word?)

Leo looks back at the blades wondering how he and anyone ever got out of that.  He takes stock of his wounds and looks for something to bandage up and stop the bleeding.

The gnomes seem in awe of Tahldar's ability to speak their language.  The leader says:

[Language unknown: Tokor comoultiothu be tha fionai.  Onst ouceth utcktr wa he winial whpo.]

He then turns and speaks in very broken Common:  "We call it not Common language.  We call it Ashe Language.  We speak it some.  My name be Unther.  We speak of the Angry Earth over dinner, if you please.  We invite other human Fingas too.  You come, no?"

The surviving gnomes are taken away by a healer.  One of the elder ones who was uninjured says to the leader: [Language unknown: Omeameica linvorine adill nehedi tawhes i.  Elsail te trth en pr sayin, ri eaudi atofilri ad outlo Plfoenal Butio.]  He points up to the top of the mountain you came down from.

While he speaks, you are led to a formal dining hall, which is warm and well lit against the coming night.

Tahldar translates the gnomes speaking.  The uninjured gnome tells of your journey, of your feats in saving them, and of the Black Curse disease that has started to take over some of the gnomes.  And he tells of your taking of the berries and earthwater to cure the disease.

When he talks of the Black Curse, the other gnomes spit on the ground as if to ward off evil.  Then Unther speaks to you in broken Common:  "This Black Curse take over any who went inside cave of the Doomed Temple."  He seems to be indicating the caves you just exited.  "If you no have it now, you have it soon.  Only Tenvillah know how to make cure.  But you must go to him.  You  have no time."

You sit at the table while food is being brought.  You noticed that the village seems to be its own compartmentalized ecosystem, so you are not surprised to see meet and grain at the table.

A few moments later, Fingas Hatt enters.  "Ah," he says.  "Never thought I'd see you again."  He points to the back of the room, where you notice something for the first time.  The head of a dragon is on one of the walls behind you.  "We slew the dragon and made it safe for the village again.  Unfortunately, Battrus has come down with some sort of sickness.  But the gnomes are happy the dragon is dead.  We should eat up and you can tell me how you survived that dreaded temple of doom."

He sits and waves some gnomes over to give him food and drink.

Kahan followed after the others, once he was certain they wouldn't bleed out after the razor grass incident, and was happy to have a place to relax as the stories of their deeds were retold. As Fingas enters the room, the priest inspects the dragon's head and wonders where it came from. "I seem to remember there still being a dragon that we fled from not an hour ago. Tell me, where was this one you slew?" he asked, wondering what color the dead one was.

Borimer gratefully eats and drinks what the gnomes provide, keeping an eye on Fingas.

Tahldar eschews any dining protocol and eats whatever food is available before he has to go see Tenvillah.  It has been some time since he had good food and the urge to eat overcomes him.

The mage is suspicious of Fingas's claim he and Battrus slew the dragon they just faced.  Especially since he exited the mountain after his own group had, and they did so by the skin of their teeth.  Just narrowly escaping the crystaline spewing dragon.

OOC: Tahldar will take a close look to see if the dragon head is from the one we just faced.  He will try to determine if perhaps it's the right size for the smaller dragon we found in msg#23 from The Last Test - 1.  It was missing it's head...

Leo slowly but deliberately eats the provisions that are provided grateful to have the moment.

When Fingas mentions that Battrus has come down with an illness, one of the gnomes spits on the ground to ward off evil and says, "Black Death."

To Kahan, Fingas responds, "It was in that cave system back there.  Perhaps you missed it because it was dead.  Luckily, you do not need to worry about dragon troubles anymore.  But I seem to recall you were looking for a cure for this plague they call the Black Death, eh?  I could help and we could heal Battrus.  They say those who stay in the caves for too long catch this disease.  So far, I have not contracted the foul thing, but I will do whatever I can to keep Battrus alive."

Tahldar examines the dragon during Fingas' discussion.  The head does indeed match the dragon you previously found frozen.

See msg 23 here: link to a message in this game

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble Fingas, but this dragon head I believe is the offspring of the dragon we faced.  We found it's body in our travels in the caves, but not the head.  Which I see is now here." Tahldar says as he chooses his words carefully.

"We faced the much larger parent dragon, and were able to slip by it.  But it is still very much alive I'm afraid.  We also found it uses a unique breath weapon that turns its victims to crystal.  In all my research back home I have never heard of such a thing.  I know of no defensive spells one could use to protect oneself from it.  Other than a wall of force of course."

Turning to the Gnomes he says [Language unknown:  As ro ameinewil plho ovewheoul poven e ilri ons o ililsa naivni o larforere ec ard stromefor atilo hisus ensiul lliou ckhi, ta tonani not issom.  Fodi he theomehou, beetof of essratout, a ncers eau tillec lllema.]

Borimer continues  to stuff food into his belly while watching Fingas for his reaction to Tahldar's words.

"If we end up facing it again, I would very much like to go back and search through its horde of treasure. There could be some very useful items that have been sitting there for years," Kahan mentions, not wanting to bring up the fact that they were being chased by the dragon when they got here. "We need to talk in private, once we are done with dinner," he adds, eating whatever his stomach will let him before he felt the need to wretch it back up.

When Fingas hears Tahldar speaking in Gnomish to the gnomes, he seems very concerned.  He says in fluent Gnomish:  [Language unknown: "A, u.  Io cati ch timo menintca.  N ut ic essstrstroul. Wa moofie k chulai, elven sonio sinde t ichreahas."]

He says in common to Tahldar, "Why put fear in their hearts?  They were celebrating the death of the dragon that has been their fear for centuries.  And it has never appeared in all these centuries.  Now you will make them needlessly afraid again.  And even if such a dragon is alive--which I did not see--they have not the means to fight it."

He takes a seat, drawing attention back away from the dragon's head to change the subject. "I should like to tell you about this strange world and what you experienced out there in the grass that turned to blades, if you are willing to hear the tale.  It may just save your life.  I have spent the last few days learning what I can about it.  And then we can go search for this cure so that Battrus may live.  They say he has not much time left, perhaps a few days at most.  And several of these gnomes you brought back are infected as well.  We should find the cure for them all."

The gnomes look curiously at Tahldar's statement about the dragon but seem to trust Fingas and are calmed by his words.  They resume their festivities while Fingas turns to see if you are ready for his tale.

"Ignorance won't protect them from anything," Borimer replies. He says nothing about his wineskin full of berries and blue water, instead eating gnomish food and, hopefully, a little wine. He waits for Fingas to tell his tale.

Kahan shakes his head at Fingas' response. "They should be afraid. The dragon is coming and will kill them all if we don't do something to stop it, or lead it away from here. We barely got away with our lives," the priest warns grimly, putting down his food. "This is not the time for tales. We need to find a way to cure this disease, and slay the dragon before we all perish," he adds, more insistently before coughing a few times, showing the signs of his own illness.

OOC: At least, I'm pretty sure I remember you saying he was sick... That was a long time ago.

Tahldar bites his tongue though he wishes to say more.  He finds himself agreeing with his companions with their concerns over giving the Gnomes false hope, but wants to hear what Fingas has to say about what they have found about this new world.  Which is very different from where he came from.  The attacking grass is nothing he has ever heard of and he is sure there must be other things generally benign on his world that are very dangerous here.

Fingas lifts his hands as if weighing ideas in each of them.  "To tell them or not to tell them.  The dragon has not attacked them in centuries.  I saw no dragon and I traversed the same cave as you.  So it is up to you what you tell them."

He then says, "What I have to tell you is what it looks like we are up against going to this Tenvallah character.  The "Angry Earth," as they call it, is from the mist that settles down each morning and lifts each night.  The mist keeps things...normal.  But when it dissipates, the poisoned magic in the earth itself takes hold.  What happens next with the plants and animals depends on the color of the glowing plants--for plants have roots buried in the earth and have adapted to it.

"If the plants have a reddish glow, they will turn to the sharp bladed spikes you saw.  If they have a brownish tint, they will emanate an evil magic that could take many different forms.  If they have a bluish tint, all they touch will be drained of water--even human flesh--immediately.  If they glow yellow, then touching them is touching poison or acid.  And if they glow black..." He pauses.  "Well, they didn't tell me exactly what this means except that it is pure evil.

"But the worst thing is what happens if you are caught down there when the mist dissipates.  If you are not on solid rock, the poisoned earth will transform living flesh so that it is--they called it transformed or morphed--into some sort of inhuman creature without the soul that once inhabited it."

He shudders and then resumes.

"Because of this curse in the earth, no one in this village has been able to travel more than a half day away from this village, which, as you may have noticed, is built on solid rock above the mist to avoid its evil influence.  They do not know how far this poisoned land extends, but no one who has gone out to explore has ever returned--at least not without returning as a monster.

"And speaking of which, they say there is a Fiend of the Mist.  You probably heard it when you were down there.  They don't know what it is, or if there is more than one, but they are terrified of it.  Those who have caught a glimpse of it say it is a giant creature on two legs with deformed clawed hands, boils or other lumps on its skin, and eyes that glow red with evil."

He says after he lets this sink in, "They say this Tenvillah is rumored to be one to two day's journey from here.  They have seen smoke rising from his encampment.  He left this village long ago and now only occasionally corresponds by carrier pigeon.  He will be reluctant to help outsiders and will require a payment or task to be carried out, but will help for the sake of this village.  They trust me and have given me a note to give to Tenvillah.  Together, we can go there, get this cure, and get back here.  But it will be a dangerous journey.

"We should leave as early as possible, so I suggest we do so when the mist rises in the early morning before dawn and go as fast as we can.  What say you?"

"Tenvillah has the cure you say, and he is two days travel from here.  How do you propose to get there if no one has made it more than a half a day from the Gnome village?"  Tahldar asks of Fingas.

"This sounds like a wonderful place," Borimer said between (or during) mouthfuls, "Perhaps I could take a flight over the area and see what we're looking at on the way to Tenvillah. If you're able to cast that spell again."

"I guess you could use fly to go up very high and try to find areas of rock to move to.  You would have ensure you have a safe destination to go to before leaving an area you think is safe.  Sort of a leap from from lily pond to lily pond, but in this case rock.  But I would think those that have tried to leave here would have done much the same thing and it didn't help them.  But even if you are successful in this way, it does nothing to protect you from the roaming monsters they speak of." Tahldar say in reply to Borimer.

Fingas says, "To travel, we would have to find a very safe place, or clear one out, before we make camp to weather out the dangerous change.  Someplace with rocks, obviously.  If you can fly, that helps you, but you have to come down eventually, right?  And the question is what could you even see since it will be a thick forest covered with an even thicker mist."

"Sounds dangerous, but it must be done.  We'll have to be careful and not go too far from a safe spot as we move.  The last thing I would want is to get caught without a section of bare rock to flee to."

"When do we leave?  The sooner we get this done the better.  I would like return here to rest for a while and study.  And once I feel ready, maybe deal with this dragon once and for all."

"Yes, we'll have to deal with this wyrm sooner or later anyway, whether we want to or not," Borimer said, finishing his meal.

"Is there anything else we can learn from the gnomes before we go?  We need to track down all information we can."  She tries to ask about any other details, landmarks, or tricks of staying alive in this land.

A younger gnome seems to be arguing with the elder for a few moments as you start your planning.  Finally, the elder gnome comes forward and says, "My nephew, Geebo, he say he take you to Tenvillah.  Say he know the way.  Foolish boy.  Too dangerous, I say.  But he say he know and can get you there.  I say okay, but you take good care of him, yes?  He may be foolish young boy not yet in hundredth year, but he my brother's son."

The leader spreads his hand out, indicating the rock.  "Geebo learn magic from Tenvillah many years ago before Tenvillah leave village.  Geebo go out in mist often, knows dangers.  Geebo also have good spells for survive mist.  He make earthsoil rock for to stand on.  Avoid the magic consuming you, it does."

He looks at you expectantly, as if waiting for you to accept Geebo on this trip.  "Geebo not speak too good Ashian Language, but he good boy."
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:17, Thu 15 Feb 2018.

"How many times can he use the magic that makes the soil good to stand on? Or can we all stand safely with one spell? And how long does this magic last?" Borimer didn't like being responsible for a child but was grateful for the help despite his reluctance. "I'm not sure we have a choice but to take the kid if even just for his knowledge of the way to Tenvillah."

is he the nephew or the son?

"We could use the help." Tahldar says in reply to the elder Gnome.  "I don't mind if he comes, but be aware it sounds like the trip will be very dangerous.  I'll do my best to protect him, but I can make no guarantee for his safety."

He tells you that the spell can be used once per day and covers an area about 10 feet by 10 feet.  He urges you to sleep and he will wake you when the mist comes so you can promptly start your journey.

* * *

You are woken early the next morning and start on your way.  You descend from the tiny village on the rocks and into the mist.  The mist itself is a bluish tint, and the leaves ad fronds have a bluish glow as well.

Geebo does not speak much.  His Common (Ashian) is very halted, but he points and leads you with enthusiasm.

Before long, the village is well behind you and lost behind the mist.  The boy leads you along rough trails for awhile--trails that don't last well with the cursed magic.

Then after awhile, you stop to take a break and eat.  The boy points slightly to the left and says, "Cliffs there."  He then points slightly to the right and says, "Mud and stream there.  Easier but take longer."  He looks to you to decide which way to go.

Fingas says, "We must go fast.  I say we take the cliffs.  Battruss won't last too long if we take the safe cowardly way through."

You resupplied at the hut and have about 5 days' food packed away, as well as whatever supplies you wanted to bring.

Borimer misses his wings, "We could fly up the cliffs, or if the spell lasts long enough, I could fly us up the cliff a few at a time. I'm up for trying to go faster, but will do whichever we decide."

"I am loathe to take the cliffs, but the sooner we are on safe land the better.  This place is extremely dangerous and I want nothing more than to be on solid rock."

"We do have access to a large amount of climbing gear. Pitons, rope, grappling hooks, and carabiners as well. I am not skilled in traversing such terrain, so I'll leave that to you big strong manly types," Kahan chuckled, giving them whatever equipment they wanted out of the portable hole or his own equipment stash.

Shae is fairly light footed and trained in scaling cliffs.  She opts for that.  "I can turn into an eagle or bird if needed, so it's not a problem for me."

Your party decides to go toward the cliffs.  It takes awhile to get there, but when you do, you see what was concerning.

First, the cliffs are vertical.  There are vines and plants all the way down, but you don't know exactly what that means in the way of finding purchase for your feet, much less how stable the plants are if you had to hold onto them.  The plants also have that steady glow that you know means danger once the mists clear.

But the other problem is that you can see down the cliff without mist obscuring vision for only about 50 feet.  Beyond that, the mist hides both how far down the cliffs go as well as any potential lurking danger down there.

Geebo leads you to one area where there are long vines.  He tugs on them to show you they can hold substantial weight, and then he throws them over the edge.  "More vines down below.  There is rock ledge we go to.  I never go past ledge before. First time.  Other clansmen try.  None ever return."  To show you he is not afraid, he grabs onto one of the vines and begins shimmying down.

"You follow Geebo, yes?" he says as he descends.  He waits about 5 feet down to make sure you will follow him.  [Note: if you have another idea to go down, he will follow your lead.  He is just showing his bravado, probably to qualm his own fears as well.]

Now that you are out of the mist at the edge of the cliff, you see that there are about two hours left until nightfall, which means not long until the mist dissipates and the danger arrives.

Borimer looks dubiously at the vines and the significantly smaller individual holding one ready to descend. But having no better ideas was normal for the large warrior. He takes hold of a vine and pulls it to test its strength.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:36, Wed 28 Mar 2018.

"Anyone need a spider climb spell?"

OOC:  I will cast spider climb and begin to climb down.  With the spell he won't need the vines to aid him.  If any other party members speak up, Talhdar will cast the spell on them prior to casting on himself.

Shae says, "I will climb down the vines, but if any emergency comes up, I will transform to bird form and try to help.  But as a bird, I won't be able to talk or use my hands or anything like that so I will do my best to avoid that."  Shae then takes hold of a vine to start making her way down.  The half-elf druid is significantly smaller and less weighted down than Borimer.

She jokes to him, "If you fall and I need to help, I'll transform into the largest bird I can, though I can't say if a bird can carry your weight if I have to carry you."

"Well, you could probably carry my weight.  But I could use a spider climb.  I don't quite have the reach as some others might." Leo looks down and doesn't look forward to this prospect.  "I guess climbing down this is better than the alternative." He looks over and makes sure Borimer's tests demonstrate that the vines are strong enough.

"How far down is your Feather Fall effective, Tahldar? If I remember correctly, I still have a usage of that spell stored in my Rod," the priest asks, testing the stability of the vine while he waits for an answer.

"When I cast it my feather fall should last about seven minutes.  At a rate of 120 feet a minute.  The problem is we don't know how far down that goes.  Will the feather fall last long enough is anyone's guess."

"My spider climb lasts twelve minutes and your rate of movement will be faster than feather fall.  If you want that instead."

Borimer shakes his head, "I hope it's a really large bird." He hears the wizard's offer of assistance and finds himself hoping for feathers instead of spiders, "I wouldn't mind one of those spells, thanks."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:58, Sat 31 Mar 2018.

"I can cast the Feather Fall in a matter of seconds, so I can wait until I'm closer to the ground. Feel free to cast it on Borimer. He will be more useful with his feet stuck to the cliff anyway, in case these vines come to life and try to strangle us," the priest responded with a nod. Once they were ready, he headed down after the gnome.

Borimer groans inwardly when he hears his friend's advice, "He's right about keeping my feet planted, go ahead. Give me the spiders..."

The group stands around deciding how to descend and finally decides on spells to help everyone down the cliff face.  Only Shae braves the vines to save a spell.

Geebo marvels at your spell abilities and gratefully takes an offered spell to help him descend.

The spells are cast and just as they are finished and you look over the cliff one final time, a shadow passes over your head.  At first, you think it may be just a cloud, but looking up, you see to your horror that it is the dragon Ozymandius.  He has escaped the tunnel cave in.

Just when you think it may have passed by without noticing you, you see that the dragon starts circling, just as a vulture or hawk might do before swooping down on its prey.  You realize that you stand in one of the few openings in the mist.  From the dragon's perspective, it sees an expanse of mist with few openings, and one of those openings is where you stand.

Ozymandius lets out a shriek from above that pierces the preternatural silence that seems to cover the misty land.



You need no further incentive to descend.  Using the magic cast upon you, everyone starts down and before long disappears from the dragon's view and into the mist.  And you still descend...and descend some more...

Only trees now poke out from the mist as you go down deeper and deeper into the mist.


It is several hudred feet to the bottom of the valley.  You make it there without incident (and quite quickly), thanks to the spells protecting you.

At the bottom, you are greeted with a morbid sight.  Skeletons of gnomish people lay about, probably fifty in all.  Many seem to have fallen from a great height.  They are all grouped around the base of the cliff.  Except for tattered remains of clothes, they do not have any equipment or anything of worth.

You are now deep in the mist again and cannot see far, but one skeleton catches your attention.  It is separate from the rest, about 30 feet away from the base of the cliff.  Upon close examination, you see that the skull and bones to the body are there except for the limbs.  All bones below the hip and all bones extending from the shoulders are gone.

Geebo starts to panic, and begins taking deep breaths.  "What horror is this?" he says.  "What evil?"

The clothes of the dismembered skeleton appear to be of better quality--or at least newer--than those on the other skeletons.  His shirt is buttoned and still intact, and about five feet away from him is a bronze shield that has been broken in half by some great force.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:06, Sat 14 Apr 2018.

"We must continue, find shelter...or a better place to fight," Borimer said, gripping the ivory pommel of the Godkiller. He felt bad for the gnome's dead kin, but the wyrm was alive and hunting those who still lived. "We must continue."

Kahan looks visibly shaken by the sighting of Ozymandius, and it shows in the haste in his climbing. When they reach the bottom, he begins looking for tactical ways to retreat or find cover from the beast in case it chases them. "I am sorry for your loss, Geebo, but I am sure we will find whatever caused these deaths sooner rather than later. We seem to be cursed with bad luck, so be prepared for the worst. We need to find shelter, though, and soon. Perhaps an area free of mist as well," he commented, watching upwards for any signs of the dragon through the mists.

OOC: How long until dark?

Tahldar shudders at the sight of the Dragon.  He climbs as swiftly as he can down the vines and is glad he cast spider climb on the majority of his party.  Time is of the essence when you have a Dragon on your tail.

Once landed he is somewhat not surprised to see broken bodies at the bottom.  It was a long and dangerous climb.

He looks at the armless and legless Gnome and is not sure of what happened to him.  Something ripped the mans limb's off and in this crazy land it might have been just about anything.

"Should we get to somewhere safe soon?"

Shae casts a detect magic spell on the shirt of the dead gnome and inspects the shield.

"We probably should."  Leo looks around and keeps watch while the others investigate.

Shae casts detect magic and finds that the shirt of the dead gnome is magical.

The broken shield is not magical, but upon inspection, an inscription has been engraved on the inside of the broken shield.  The inscription is in Gnomish but half of it is cut off because of the shield being broken in two.  What you see is (translated):

...to avoid the Keshnar;
...in the meadow of mist,
...pointing tree.
...at Gnome's Head Rock.
...in stone,
...enter down the tunnel.

The inscription was put there by ordinary hands as if trying to copy it down to remember, not as if a riddle or elaborate inscription.

Trailing away to your right (east), you see large footprints.  They are old but are so deep you can still make out their faint outline.  [No rangers or any specialties in animals/monsters or tracks?]  They lead from the skeleton to the broken shield and then to the east.  Upon further inspection, you see similar footprints going straight ahead (north) and others going to your left (west).  Whatever killed this gnome and tore apart its limbs was large with feet the size of the broken shield.

In Gnomish, Geebo exclaims in fear, "The Fiend of the Mist."  You remember the sounds you heard the night before and the gnomes fearing this fiend.  Its howls had been nerve wracking.

As you contemplate this, a loud crashing sound startles you.  It was like something crashing to the earth a hundred yards to the west.  You hear a deep yet familiar voice cry through the mist, "I will find you!"  It is Ozymandius.  He has landed in the woods and mist but is just as blind as you.  Visibility is limited here to about 30 feet.

Two Hours Until Dark

The cliff face is to the south.  You can go in any direction north, east or west.

Borimer has already withdrawn the Godslayer, his head swiveling to the west when Ozymandius calls out his threat, "Shall we go that way..?"

Tahldar says to Borimer in a hushed reply, "No way am I heading west to the dragon."

Speaking to Geebo he says "Which way to Gnomes Head rock?  Take us this way if you know."

OOC:  Head to Gnome Heads rock if Geebo can take us.  If he doesn't know then head east to avoid the dragon.

Borimer is happy to oblige and prepares to follow Geebo.

Geebo is very frightened at this point.  "I have never been this far before," he says. "I know not what these words mean or where to go."

Fingas has been watching and observing.  He seems very curious about you and he even mimics Borimer's heroic unsheathing of his sword.

"We cannot go south because of the wall," he says aloud, "and west is the dragon, which we can deal with later.  East and north are the footprints.  If we go east, we stay along the side of the cliff but we might get cornered if that dragon goes our way.  I say we follow the footprints north.  What say you?"

He is trying to maintain calm and composure as a leader, but you can tell he is very frightened.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:44, Wed 09 May 2018.

Tahldar remains calm and steadfast despite the presence of the dragon and the strange and aggressive nature of the world they find themselves in.  Which is odd since the mage is likely the physically weakest among them, and is short and light of weight.

In the absence of any knowledge of which way to go he says, "North is fine.  Hopefully we'll find this Gnomes head rock.  Especially since dark is coming and we need to find a safe place to stay."

Acknowledging that the dragon likely will find them he adds, "If the dragon happens upon us, everyone stick to me.  I can use a shield of force to protect against it's breath, which if it touches you will turn you to crystal."

OOC:  Move north as quick as we can.

Leo nods in agreement as far as going north.  "There doesn't really seem to be an end to this but persevering is about our only option."

Borimer nods and prepare to head north. He un-heroically sheathes his sword.

You head north with Fingas leading the way and Geebo sticking near Borimer and Tahldar.

The mist is thick, and the dragon is nowhere to be seen.  You hear its garbled squeals occasionally, and then the howl of something unknown to your left.

The fronds of the grass, leaves, and all plants are starting to grow a deeper blue, matching the bluish tint of the mist.  You recall that once the mist dissipates, anything touching the plants will be drained of water, according to the gnomes.

After about 15 minutes of walking, the mist clears a bit, revealing a meadow and a strange tree.



"Tenvillah tell me of this tree before," says Geebo.  "We on right way to Tenvillah."  He seems a bit more jovial again but then realizes he doesn't remember which way to go from here.  "Tenvillah say, 'You follow tree to come see me.'  This tree, maybe?"

1.5 hours to the clearing of the mist.

Fingas says, "It could also be the pointing tree in that broken riddle we found on the shield:

...to avoid the Keshnar;
...in the meadow of mist,
...pointing tree.
...at Gnome's Head Rock.
...in stone,
...enter down the tunnel.

"But we don't have the whole riddle or know what it will take us to.  But if it helps us avoid the Keshnar, it's definitely worth following."

"We might as well try going east. Or, right. Whatever direction that tree is pointing. Without the rest of the shield, we can't be sure what it says in the directions," Kahan agrees with a shrug.

"Yes, let's follow the way the tree points, and hurry.  We don't have a lot of time."

OOC: Go east (assuming the tree points that way).

Borimer gives the pointing tree a dubious glance before continuing in that direction...

Leo nods in agreement and is anxious to get moving.

You move out of the mists to follow the pointing tree.  This is when the dragon spots you.

It slams down 30 feet away, ready to attack as its head lowers and it bares its teeth.

"Gaaah!" Tahldar shrieks in fear at the sight of the Dragon.  Desperate to get away he begins to cast.

OOC:  Tahldar will try to capture the Dragon in a half sphere Wall of Force.  He is 9th level so can create a half sphere with a radius of 13.5 feet.  It will last 19 minutes.

Borimer tries to ignore the coldness in the pit of his stomach and charges the dragon...

Shae spreads herself out away from the others so as not to give the dragon a grouping of individuals to attack with its breath weapon.  Moving about 30 feet to the right, she casts a spell as she moves.

Leo attempts to move to the side and hide in shadows hoping the dragon is distracted by the charging warrior.

Leo sneaks into the shadows.

Tahldar casts, but the dragon is far too large to fit within the half sphere and the spell fails.

Shae is also casting.

Meanwhile, Borimer is running headlong toward the dragon.  The dragon rears back, ready to release its breath weapon on Borimer…

And then Shae finishes casting, and a giant wall of thorns flies up from the ground near the dragon, blocking everyone except Borimer from its view.  This distracts the dragon, which releases its breath on the wall of thorns.  A huge column of thorns turns to crystal and then collapses with a tinkling crash to the ground, leaving a gaping hole in the five foot thick wall.

Borimer reaches the dragon, striking out with Godslayer and hitting twice.  The dragon is taken aback by the attack and the damage to its chest and leg, and swipes with its claws...

...hitting Borimer across the chest and knocking him back directly into the wall of thorns, where Borimer is further hurt by the claw length thorns of the wall.  (24 total damage.)

While Borimer begins to compose himself, the dragon steps back and begins rotating to get everyone in its sights for the next round so they will not be blocked by the wall of thorns.  In the process, its huge body knocks down the pointing tree, which has probably stood there for centuries.

Tahldar is disappointed his spell failed but is glad to see Shae's was more successful even if didn't hold up for long.

"Split up!" Tahldar shouts as he sees the Dragon prepare another blast.

OOC: I will cast a dimension door to get on the other side of the Dragon from the rest of the PC's.

Kahan moves as quickly as he can to whatever side is less densely populated as he pulls out his Rod and begins casting.

Borimer slides off of the thorny impalement, its sharp pain almost eclipsed by the giant claw marks across his chest. He lashes out with the ebony obsidian-like blade.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:44, Fri 15 June 2018.

Shae moves to get a clear view of the dragon before starting to cast another spell.

Leo looks for an opening when the Dragon is looking the other way.  He goes for a back tab if possible or just a sneak attack or whatever is his best option to get maximum effect before the dragon swats him away.  ;^)

Sorry about my delays.  Have been traveling with family.  That, plus the fact that this site is now blocked by my firm, makes it more difficult to post.

The party begins to split up to distract the dragon as Tahldar suggests.

Tahldar casts a spell and instantly arrives at the far side of the dragon, a little too close to the tail than expected, but safely.

Kahan moves aside and casts directly from the Rod, and flames reach out and strike the dragon, injuring its underbelly.  (10 hp dmg)

Borimer strikes three times, hitting twice, and his obsidian blade makes streaks of blood pour from the dragon. (40 hp dmg)

Leo moves in close where the dragon isn't looking and makes a solid stab to the belly of the dragon near where it is now seared with flames.  (12 hp dmg)  (NOTE: Cannot do a backstab on a creature more than a size larger than your character.)

Shae casts a spell (needlestorm), and instantly the small twigs and needles of the tree before you fire out at the dragon.  Due to the area affect of this attack, Borimer and Leo are also in the line of fire but are somewhat shielded by the size of the dragon.  (Borimer suffers 6 hp damage and Leo suffers 5 hp dmg.)  The dragon is hit by a far larger number of needles and branches that spray it and stick between its scales and into its wing.  (27 hp dmg)

The dragon squeals in pain at these myriad attacks, swiping its tail...

Leo dodges the tail but Tahldar is hit and knocked back into the trees.  (12 hp dmg).

The dragon pounds its wings and rises into the air, stepping back and demolishing the "pointing tree" behind it.  Writhing in pain, it disappears into the sky, leaving you a little worse for wear, but now you know you have done it some solid damage.

And even more, now you don't know of any place the dragon can go to heal itself from its fresh wounds.

You see something shiny near where the tree was crushed by the dragon.

And Geebo has been standing in the background watching this with awe and fear.  The young gnome's eyes are wide.  "You fear no dragon.  This is a sight to behold."

Leo moves off to some cover not liking his scalding but feeling a bit lucky that it wasn't worse.

Not sure if this matters or was taken into account but Leo's weapon has the following effects: Poison (Blade Always Poisoned) (User always immune to the dagger's poison.)
Bleeding (When removed, chance to cause bleeding (per rules).)

Borimer pulls twigs and assorted flora from his skin, "Not sure about that my friend, I have a healthy fear of every dragon."

Kahan looks to Tahldar to see if he needs healing. He will bandage everyone's wounds if they feel like there is enough time before the fog returns. "We do not fear anything, really, more just... respect the amount of danger they pose. This dragon is not the most powerful enemy we have faced, but that doesn't mean we can leave our guard down," he corrected the fighter with a grin.

Borimer chuckles while Kahan binds his wounds, "True enough. It's that dead knight that killed me with a single word that keeps me looking over my shoulder."


i'm down almost 40 hp, probably need some spells or we won't have much of a meat shield left :)
This message was last edited by the player at 15:50, Thu 12 July 2018.

Talhdar will take whatever healing Kahan provides.  As the cleric mends his wounds he says "I see something by the tree that we should take a look at."

Shae keeps looking up at the sky wondering if the dragon will return.  “Lets see what’s by the tree and then get the the safety of the fog as raw as we can.  That could have gone a lot worse: and maybe next time it will.”

You inspect the base of the tree where you saw something shining.  What you find makes you take a step back in shock.  You see a skeletal arm which must have belonged to the gnome without any limbs.  On its hand is a human-sized gauntlet of shiny metal.  Still attached to the forearm is a second portion of the shield which was broken at attached by leather, which has now decayed.

You turn the shield over and read the inscription.  The bottom left corner of the shield is still missing, but this lets you fill in more blanks from the clue that the gnome had apparently been following:


Follow north and be stealthy...to avoid the Keshnar;
Where there is a clearing ...in the meadow of mist,
Follow the direction of the ...pointing tree.

 ...at Gnome's Head Rock.
 ...in stone,
 ...enter down the tunnel.

The large creature footprints continue north, but the tree had been pointing to the east.

Geebo sees the gauntlet and says with horror, "This was Master Hambro.  He left to see Tenvillah with his warrior gauntlets.  Tenvillah must write these instructions on shield.  I never know this til now."

Fingas says, "You handled that dragon very well.  I was just getting ready to jump in and help when it flew away.  This will make a fine story over a banquet."

Borimer sneers at Hatt's promise of aid and addresses the others, "Do we want to follow the footprints north or find Gnome's Head rock?"


its been so long i honestly don't remember if we already know who the footprints belong to or where gnomes head rock is, or if fingas actually has a good excuse for not being in the fight :)

"I say we go east. Those footprints might lead to a dead body, or worse," Kahan responds, blatantly and intentionally ignoring everything Fingas has to say. So far he has done nothing but bluster and make things worse.

"East it is.  I think that is the way to Gnomes head rock." Tahldar says as he looks over the shield.

"If we can get some down time I have many tales to tell.  But first lets get this mission done."

Leo shrugs.  "East is fine with me."

Sorry.  Delays are my fault.  I can't even begin to say how much is going on in my life right now, but I want to keep this going.

That said, the footprints belong to the large creature in the mist that the gnomes are afraid of--the creature that ripped apart the gnome.  That and the dragon are the two things you primarily are concerned about here, as well as what happens when the mist clears if you are not on solid rock at the time.


You take the broken shield and head to the east.  You walk for over an hour, almost two, and you begin to think that maybe you misread the signals.  You also begin to think that soon the mist will start to dissipate and you will be left on this grassland with nowhere to stand for safety.  The constant mist surrounding you and cutting off your line of sight also makes it all the more tedious.  That tediousness is only occasionally broken by the instant panic that seizes you when you hear the dragon shriek somewhere overhead.  The mist seems to dim its senses, including smell, or you are sure it would land right on you.  You minimize discussion to avoid attracting the dragon.

Then, suddenly, the grass yields to a wall of rock.  You see in the rock the faces of the gnomes.



Geebo suddenly gets excited.  "We almost arrive, we have.  I remember this."  He then shuts his mouth and covers it with his hand.  It is not the sound of the dragon you hear next.  It is the hideous howl of what the gnomes called "the fiend of the mist," and it is right behind you.

You spin but see nothing in the mist.  Then you feel a slight tremor in the ground.  It is not the earthquake.  It is the pounding on the ground of something large approaching you--charging at you.

You will have only seconds until it arrives.

Kahan begins casting as he steps backwards towards the rocks. "Geebo, run on ahead! Get help if you can," the priest insists.

As Tahldar moves as fast as his legs allow, the mage casts invisibility on Geebo, then himself.

OOC: Run and look for somewhere that is defensible, ie a rock passage that is narrow and not easily passable by a large creature.  I will cast invisibility on Geebo and then myself if there's time.

Shae runs up to the rocks to gain higher ground.  Her ancestral spear is ready to strike out as she prepares to cast a spell.

Borimer draws his sword and turns to face the charge of whatever terror is upon them. This may give his companions time to seek shelter from which to attack the creature. Borimer braces for the worst and pushes back thoughts of the dragon hearing their combat.

Leo follows Shae in hopes of finding cover and to find a place to stay out of sight until the best course of action is more clear.

Kahan begins casting.

Shae and Leo run up to higher ground, followed by Geebo, who is frightened and huddles between the rocks.

Fingas steps up to the base of the rocks, sword raised to help Borimer.

Tahldar runs up to Geebo and casts invisibility.  The gnome huddles between the rocks but then disappears from sight.  Tahldar then casts invisibility on himself as he stands a little up in the rocks beyond Shae and Leo, and he disappears from sight just as the creature comes into view...

At first, you see the mist swirl and its whorls spin like pinwheels as something moves through the trees to the open ground in front of the rocks.  Then you see it and see that it is something out of a nightmare.

Its body is formed as if from steel blades.  Each part of its form is as sharp as the sharpest sword--blades stemming from every part of its body.  Standing nearly 20 feet tall, even its metal claws are as large and deadly as longswords.  And although roughly humanoid in shape, the figure has four arms. Its eyes blaze red but there is life in there.  This is no simple golem.



It looks down at you from its towering height above and then rushes at Borimer with the speed of a demon...

Kahan's entangle spell takes effect, surrounding the creature with tentacled growths from the ground, but they only have a momentary effect on the bladed creature, which cuts through the entanglement with its blades.

But Kahan has bought you precious moments to think about how to handle this creature and get the initiative for the next round.

Geebo, meanwhile, is mumbling in terror, "Keshnar!  Keshnar!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:32, Mon 08 Oct 2018.

"Oh, this is gonna hurt...one of us anyway..." Borimer strikes out twice at the bladed beast.

"I think I know why Geebo was so afraid now..." Kahan comments as he begins casting, stepping away from the creature as he prays to the gods that Borimer isn't cut to ribbons in seconds.

Tahldar wishes he was closer to Borimer to give a stoneskin.  But he's not and his options are limited.

Knowing his invisibility will end, he decides to cast anyway.

OOC:  Cast a 9D lightning bolt on the creature.

Leo shudders at all the blade but tries to find a position behind the creature for a sneak attack if possible in the hopes of getting in one solid attack in before being impaled by blades.

Shae begins casting...and then steps out to join the fray with her ancestral spear glowing with power.

ROUND ONE

Borimer rushes the creature with his sword and swings it mightily.  But Borimer finds something he is not used to.  The long blades extending from the creature's body swipe aside the sword.  Borimer cannot reach the underside flesh of the creature with his sword and Godslayer is effectively useless.

Kahan is casting...the metal blades of the creature begin getting cold.  (0 hp dmg first round, 1d2 on second round, and 1d4 dmg per round thereafter.  This creature is not a golem, so it has a body of flesh deep within the blades.)

Tahldar casts lightning bolt...(saving throw made/half damage)...the creature jolts in place for a moment as the shock hits.  (22 hp dmg.)

Leo successfully sneaks around behind the creature unnoticed.  Unfortunately, the whole creature is covered in blades and a backstab (without a very long weapon) may not be possible.

Shae casts a spell, and her spear glows brightly as she rushes into the fray.

Fingas sees that Borimer's sword did no good, and he sheathes his own sword and runs to higher ground on the rocks.  He pulls out his bow to attempt to shoot.  "We need something to get to the flesh beyond the blades," he calls out to you.  "Short weapons are useless."

Shae stabs with her spear, and the long weapon finds its mark, although she comes perilously close to impaling herself on the blades.  (13 dmg.)

Two arrows fly from Fingas.  One bounces harmlessly off the blades, but the other slides between the blades to the flesh beyond. (8 dmg.)

The Keshnar strikes out with its four bladed arms...twice at Borimer and twice at Shae.  Borimer is hit once but dodges the second blow by falling back.  (15 dmg)

Shae is too close to evade and takes two crushing blows.  She is lucky to dive down (saving throw made) just before the Keshnar seeks to engage her in a bladed bear hug that would have left her nothing more than a pincushion.  (26 dmg.)

The Keshnar next makes a loud roaring, screeching sound that you remember hearing in the forest.  This time, it is directed at the rocks.  A cone of wavy air--like the air in a heat wave--flies from its maw.  It strikes Fingas as though a wall of force has slammed into him, and he flies back against the rock, barely keeping hold of his bow.  (6 dmg and stunned for one round)

The Keshnar then turns its attention to those surrounding it...
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:40, Wed 17 Oct 2018.

Tahldar does not care that he is now visible.  He casts another lightning bolt in a desperate attempt to fell the creature.

OOC:  Tahldar will cast another 9D lightning bolt at the Keshnar.

"This is probably a long shot, but..." Kahan muttered as he pulled out his Wand of Paralyzation and aimed it at the Kreshnar.

Shae steps back to cast a spell.  The druid waves her hands and focuses her energy down at the ground of the creature's feet.

(Casting Earthmaw. 1d4 dmg per caster level and +3 AC to anything standing on it.  19 or 20 means swallowing the creature whole and burying it 2d4 feet beneath the ground.)

Earthmaw causes a patch of ground 10 feet in diameter to open and form a gigantic mouth with stalactite teeth. The mouth springs forth on a short serpentine neck, much like a water weird, and attacks once in a direction the caster dictates.

Borimer falls back a step when the creature strikes him and then scrambles back another 20 feet before drawing his bow and firing off two arrows...

ROUND TWO

Tahldar begins casting...

Borimer is retreating slightly and pulling out his bow...

Shae is casting...

Fingas is stunned from the strange attack of the creature and is recovering from the wall of force that had slammed him against the rocks.

Leo pulls out his shortbow to shoot from behind...

More lightning flies from Tahldar's hands, lighting up the air and causing crackling all around.  The hit is dead on. (Saving throw failed.  32 dmg.)

Borimer and Leo fire arrows.  Leo makes a critical hit right in the back of the neck.  (Natural 20, triple damage.  18 dmg.)  Borimer also hits with his arrow.  (5 dmg.)

A patch of ground 10 feet in diameter opens into a giant mouth with stalagtite teeth beneath the creature when Shae's spell finishes.  The creature is too large to be swallowed up by the hole, but it does slow it down and do some damage.  (16 dmg.)

Kahan gets his wand out and sends a ray at the Keshnar.  One of its four arms drops limply to its side.  Otherwise, the wand has no effect.

With its three remaining arms, the Keshnar turns quickly and leaps out of the gaping maw, landing near Leo.  The Keshnar is riddled with arrows and its blood is a brownish-black, almost a tar color, as it falls to the earth.

The Keshnar strikes out three times at Leo...

Luckily for Leo, only one of the bladed arms hits its mark, but still, a blow from arms and claws made out of blades is no small thing.  Leo sprays blood as he falls back into the darkness of the trees and mist.

The Keshnar spins around again while being pummeled by arrows and spells and again lets out a wall of force screech.  This time, Borimer and Kahan are both lined up in its way.  The screech...

...deafens Borimer, who temporarily cannot hear.  He is also thrown back violently by the wall of force.  Although he does not hit the rocks, the bow is knocked from his hands and he takes 17 dmg.

...Kahan is farther back.  He is not deafened but is not so lucky with the rocks.  He hits them hard.  (24 dmg.)  He manages to hold onto his equipment.

The Keshnar is badly hurt and is now more angry than ever.

Whether the result of its screeches or the time of day, the mists around you begin clearing up.

You remember what that means.  You must be on solid rock to avoid the effects of the "Angry Earth."

Leo is the farthest from rocks (1 full round move), followed by Borimer and Shae (1/2 round move).

Kahan and Tahldar are near the rock area (a few steps).  Fingas and Geebo are safely on the rocks.

Based on his last experience, Leo moves to the farthest point he can and still get a shot off.

Tahldar moves as quickly as he can to the safety of the rocks.

OOC:  If he can do it, Tahldar will cast magic missle (5 missiles for 5d4+5) at the Keshnar after getting to safety on the rocks this round.  Casting time is 1 for magic missile which is pretty fast...

Everything narrows to a distant ringing in Borimer's ears and the blood flowing from his wounds. He attempts to grab his bow and run to the safety of the nearest rocks.

Hoping to finish off the creature in front of them, Kahan casts another spell as he tries to make it to the rock before the fog dissipates too badly.

Everyone begins moving toward the rocks as the fog dissipates.

The creature, badly wounded now, begins staggering backwards as Kahan and Tahldar hit it with fire based and magic missile attacks, which both strike their mark.

It disappears, stumbling into the trees, with a howl of consternation that reverberates around you.

With the creature gone, you look about the rocks. You remember your goal is to find Tenvillah, the wise yet reclusive gnome, who lives somewhere in these parts.  Geebo studied with Tenvillah, and he looks at the rocks.

"Geebo seem to remember, though it has been thousands of fogs past."  You recall that they called the young gnome a child even though he was about 100 years old. If a fog is once a day, it has been a number of years.


You recall the shard of directions carved into the broken shield:

...to avoid the Keshnar;
 ...in the meadow of mist,
 ...pointing tree.
 ...at Gnome's Head Rock.
 ...in stone,
 ...enter down the tunnel.

Geebo inspects the rocks, squinting to see if they look like gnomes as he remembered.  Then he says with a smile, "This be Gnome's Head Rock.  We find tunnel up there."  He points to a ledge just behind the "gnome" rock.

To your left, you hear the injured Keshnar scream again its deafening howl as the fog continues to clear.  It is farther away now.

Then another sound chills you to the bone.  The scream rises again, loud and angry, but this time it comes from your right.  It is the answer call of another Keshnar.

Geebo stiffens.  "The fiends of the mist," he says in fear, leading you up to the ledge.

Apparently, the commotion and the clearing fog has attracted yet another visitor.  You see a shadow pass over you and look up to see Ozymandius circling above.  The old dragon is preparing for a pass at you in which he will unleash his deadly breath.

You scramble to the ledge with Geebo and then stop.  He is staring at the ground.

"The tunnel," he says, pointing at a mass of boulders and rocks.  "It cave in."

As the mist is gone, you remember the flora had a bluish tint, and the warning you were given was that anything that touches the plant life when the mist is gone will be drained of water, even human flesh.

But now you are standing on a ledge on top of a massive cave in and a dragon is about to pelt you with its deadly breath.  There are rocks to take cover behind, or you can jump down to the ground below, or whatever actions you think might help.

(In the picture, you are standing at the area slightly left and below center.)

"Find cover!" Tahldar commands as he takes action, both to protect himself and hopefully drive off the dragon again.

OOC: Tahldar will make for the nearest rock for cover, and cast a magic missile (5d4+5, range 150 yards, casting time 1).  In hopes he can drive off the (previously wounded and hopefully still) dragon before it gets it's breath off.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:05, Sat 10 Nov 2018.

Kagan pulls his Rod of Absorption out and begins casting.

Shae runs to take cover behind the nearest rock pillar and looks around for a potential alternate entrance.  Her ancestral spear is at the ready and she is murmuring various animal forms she might take right at the moment to escape this madness.

Leo attempts to take cover behind the rocks assuming that such is more cover than he is already shooting from.  For the moment he will try and stay totally hidden as opposed to trying to get a shot off or anything else.

Borimer clutches his side and considers options for surviving the wyrm. He immediately realizes there aren't many and attempts to take cover by leaping to the ledge behind the 'gnome rock'.

As Kahan begins casting, as the dragon swoops down, and as the new even larger spiked monster closes in from the forest, all seems lost.  But when Geepo sees Kahan casting, he seems to come to life, remembering that he himself had spells to help protect you against the changes in the earth.

He begins casting in his own language, pointing at the ground.

The spell does not go quite right--or maybe it goes too well--because the earth all around you suddenly begins to fall and turn to mud.  You feel yourself falling as though in a slow motion cave in as the rocks and dirt turn to mud with a slimy and then liquid consistency.

And as you fall, the dragon's breath hits the stone around where you just stood moments before, and you see the giant spiked creature launching itself from the ground and swiping at the dragon, hitting it with one giant arm and sending the dragon flying away with a shriek as gobs of its blood fall around you.

Then all is dark as you fall and slide, landing with a clump in near total darkness with a landslide of mud and rock behind and above you.

You manage to jump to a side passage, rolling from the mudslide into a passage, which then soon becomes completely dark as the entrance is covered with mud.

You push the mud away from your clothes and weapons and try to see in the darkness.  Before the mud blocked the light, you thought you saw skeletons and skulls all around.

But now it is just dark and smells of dirt.

You hear something approaching from what must be the far end of the pitch black corridor.

Heaving a sigh as they, once again, managed to barely avoid a grisly death (this was becoming a rather unwanted and far too common occurence), Kahan cleans himself off as best he can before he notices the sound of footsteps. "Geebo, please tell me that is your mentor coming..." he muttered as he fingered the shaft of his mace.

Borimer wiped the mud from his eyes but could see nothing. He kept them closed and focused instead on the sounds of the approaching something, relying on his training for fighting in the dark...

Tahldar rolls as best he can with the tumbling through the mud, glad at least they are now safe from the dragon but he shudders to think how dirty he must be.

Looking to get his bearings he pulls forth his dagger and casts a light spell upon it.

Addressing whomever is approaching them he says something in Dwarvish, and then in Gnomish.
[Language unknown:  Tausfofo.]
[Language unknown:  Seilieac.]

OOC:  Tahldar will cast a 0 level light spell on his dagger.

"I can see it - seems to be slightly larger than me and warm since as I said, I can see it. Course it could be something else. " Leo whispers.  Leo looks to see if it seems to be carrying anything threatening or otherwise sneaking up on us.  If it seems to be friendly, he calls out in common, "Hello friend.  It seems we are stuck down here just as you are?"