DonBrapp attempts to curry favor with Kinison but is demurred and advised to tone down his observations among the Oriothar.

“Maybe they enjoy this tunnel.  Haven’t done so well at liberating themselves yet…”
As the group beds down, Kailute awakens during the night with a strange compulsion toward a room to the northwest.

All are the dwarves are sleeping soundly, including Tokar who’s loud snores echo from the stone walls.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he grabs a weapon and makes his way.  Seated in the far corner is an incredibly attractive human female, dressed in adventurers’ garb but also obviously some sort of ethereal projection.

Raven hair falls to her left shoulder resting on well-traveled spiked leather armor.  Pursed red lips part the alabaster skin of her face.

“Where is he?  WHAT HAPPENED?”  She asks in taught, terse sentences.
“He has gone missing.” Kailute draws himself up, realizing something is amiss but playing along.

“They say the group we planted you in defeated him.  There is no record of him.  They say he has been destroyed.  This cannot be!”

She asks about the Hero’s plans, and if Strahd’s coffin was found.  Kailute dissembles, stating the vampire disappeared and his coffin was never found.

The lady expresses her frustration and anger at Auril and the minions of the frost queen.
“They’re fucking up Zenghyi’s entire plan!”

Kailute informs her that the Heroes are sellswords from Mulmaster, and he is told that as long as he carries the mind-shielding device, he is within reach and support of Strahd’s ally.  She states she intends to reach out to Aldric in Bloodstone, and the forges need to be ignited in order to open the portal.

It isn’t clear where the location of the Arawngate Portal is, and Auril has enlisted the assistance of devils in fighting the demons in the employ of Zenghyi’s minions.

Kailute wakes only the heroes and they gather to discuss the incident.  The half-orc notices the anti-scrying device is colder than normal after the visitation, and quickly relates to the party what she stated and the questions she had regarding Strahd’s whereabouts.

Quilro chews his lip as he considers the loyalty of his Vistani henchman.

“…all evidence suggests Petra to me.”  He says flatly to the group.

“Milan should be hauling our coin from hoard to hole…  so unlikely he’s the time.  The new elf reeks of Harper.  Not thinking those types are that crafty, and the way he handles a bow is a skill most evil elves don’t possess.”  DonBrapp thinks aloud.

After some lively discussion and DonBrapp’s repeated recommendation to have Quilro beat a confession out of his hireling, the group decides to search Petra for evidence of perfidy.
Quilro and Fyrnlocke creep toward the sleeping woman, utterly silent communicating in cant.  The elf stealthily searches her belongings and person, finding nothing incriminating among her robes, pouches, or form.  Quilro palms her Vistani talisman, which while not immediately magical possesses some tribal powers.  He also grabs her traveling spell book which also serves as a journal of sorts.

The two thieves roust the dwarf and hold a quiet conference away from the rest of sleeping party members.  DonBrapp inspects the journal and finds only the ramblings and poetry of a mountain Vistani, in additional to study notes from learning spells.

Quilro creeps back toward the sleeping woman and replaces the inspected items.  Petra rolls over sleeping, and the elf gently shakes her awake.

Awakening with concern, Quilro leads her to where the heroes have met and describes what occurred with Kailute.

Petra confirms the connection with the Vistani and Strahd; but denies any direct fealty to Strahd in her service to the Heroes of Waymeet.  She is shaken by the idea the vampire lord may have escaped.  It appears to the party the woman is not being deceptive.

DonBrapp beings pacing and muttering about waking every last henchman and forcibly interrogating them until the mole is discovered.

Quilro motions to Fyrnlocke in cant that he is worried about invisible spies.

“Perhaps we kill all of them.”  The dwarf states flatly, ruminating on the specter of an insidious insider amongst the Heroes.

Petra looks on with horror as Kailute and Quilro talk the cleric down from his bloodthirsty inquisition.

“Quilro, what is it you require of me?” the Vistani asks of the elf with increasing concern about the sanity of the dwarven cleric.  Quilro mollifies the mageling while DonBrapp retires to a corner muttering about “whenever yer ready to clean the books, let me know!” before retiring to commune.

Petra returns to her bed with a dismissive glance toward Eldara and checking for the dagger under her pillow.

4am 8 Hammer

Draxos awakens early and takes a position to observe the door.

Eldara rolls up on an elbow and eyes the ranger fetchingly.

“Good morning, and well met Draxos.”  She states with a friendly smile.

“Ma’am.”  He nods, keeping his focus on the doorway.

Gathering the blankets over, she stalks forward.

“How long have you known these others?” She inquires in elvish.

She displays a black leather bracelet inlaid with three red rubies of high-elvish craft and claims to represent a powerful organization.

Draxos cultures with his association with the Harpers, causing her to chuckle and disengage.
At 6am the area comes to life with a changing of the dwarven guard, and Draxos begins to warm what foodstuffs are available to make breakfast for all.

As the dwarves file in, the obese Kinison Oriothar shoves his way to the food and grabs the warmest morsel just as Draxos finishes warming it, barely snorting as he engorges his face.
“If you kill gray dwarves as fast as you inhale your broken fast, perhaps there’s hope for the hall after all!” Durnkin chides his obstreperous comrade.

The dwarves report more blue demons to the south.  Fully recharged with the favor of Vergadain, DonBrapp nearly exhausts himself healing all who require his ministrations.

During the mid-day respite, Eldara approaches Quilro when he is away from rest of the group.  While still wounded and battered, she inquires as to why he debases himself with such lesser beings.  They discuss the nature of evil, and when she attempts to preach about the dangers of chaos, Quilro turns and walks away.

Tokar and Durnkin relate the assault on Hillsafar Hall from below to the heroes.  Initially gray dwarves compounded by extraplanar demons, after six weeks the forges went cold clearly accomplished with magical activity.  The Oriothar share what information they have about the chaos in Damara, including the assassination of King Virdin last fall that resulted in the shattering of the kingdom as the petty barons sought to maximize their advantages.

The Oriothar also provide a map to the areas below detailing the royal hall, adjacent chambers and the lower forge levels.  The maps detail a ceremonial staircase to the royal chambers below, while a fire shaft leads to an antechamber below.

While there are certainly pockets of other dwarves below, something has extinguished the forges.

As DonBrapp and Kailute discuss which weapons to assist, Kinison objects loudly and it leads to a showdown between the stout folk;  DonBrapp reaches the limits of his patience and throws down his gauntlets.

“I’ll be dead before a coinfucker tells me how to fight!”  The cleric leaps toward the fighter, but off balance he misses his blow and Kinison catches his foot with ankle and sends DonBrapp flying into a pile of exasperation.

A circle forms around the combatants as DonBrapp throws another miss, the Oriothar deeply interested in the contest of strength and wills.

“Look at the lesser fight amongst each other for the scraps.”  Eldara says to the other elves.

Kinison palms DonBrapp with his hand against the clerics forehead, and the cleric exhausts himself in a futile rage attempting to kick or punch the stout warrior. After another failed attempt to kick Kinison in the crotch, Kailute steps forward to break up the fight.

“Enough!  Bad enough for all dwarves to fight amongst kin while fiends defile your halls  must an orc-man set the example to you for comity and grace!?!”  The antagonizer flips his script, and a peace is made.

Tokar attempts to explain Kinison’s fighting prowess, and DonBrapp directs the thigh bone be provided to Kinison.

“What exactly are the abrupt and strange ways of the McJurgin clan?”

The group assembles to move south in the fight with Kailute, Tokar, and Kinison leading the way toward the unexplored corner of the upper halls.

11am 9 Hammer

Feeling the deep bite of increased magical cold, DonBrapp invokes a magical protection.  Fyrnlocke’s sharp eyes notice a trap that had been activated but not reset. At the end of the hall another ornate stonework brutalist dwarf.

“The church always takes its pull.” Kinison mutters.

Fyrnlocke motions that many things are marching from the east, and Quilro motions to the part.  The human thief knocks his bow while giving the cant for more demons, and they are not fooled by his hide in shadows.  More hulking glabrezu come from the east, and a magical wall of ice seals Fyrnlocke off from the heroes.

DonBrapp shatters the wall with dispel magic and indicates to Kinison to come forth.  Draxos charges down the hall and skids to a halt in front of a squad of advancing demons and undead, landing an arrow on one of the multi-armed demons.  The stench of rotting flesh disgusts the party as animated Oriothar shamble forward.

The demons release a volley of magical icicle attacks that pierce magical defenses as well as armor.  Quilro volleys a series of magic missiles and he recoils from the attack but not completely damaged.

The undead dwarves appear to be zombies imbued with more than normal undead energy.

Kailute slams his blade into the ground and stuns himself with the fury of the blow.

Tokar and Durnkin come around the corner as the cleric holds forth the cube of Brapp. The demons make another magical attack against the ranger with flying icicles.

Draxos looses two arrows at the undead until his bow breaks irreparably.

Kailute leads into the remaining duergar to attack.

DonBrapp hoists his cube and calls forth the power of the Brapp and all three of the undead Oriothar explode.

“Doongar!  NOOOOOO!” Screams Durnkin in fury.

The Glabrezu take a line down the hallway to the east.

A volley of crossbow bolts rain on the dwarf and half-orc from the passage to the north.
Duergar arrayed in pale-gray armor form a battle line in the chamber to the north.

“Duergar to the north!”  DonBrapp shouts, as Quilro charges forward shouting his family name.

He thrusts his family blade into one of the demons who is now irate at the accumulated damage.

Fyrnlocke looses two more arrows as the scrum of Oriothar turn the corner and Tokar, Durnking and Kinison rush to the chamber full of gray dwarves.

DonBrapp observes a trio of frost giants garbed in ornate battle armor, far more regimented and apparently magical than that of the giantkin from the rift.

The wounded glabrezu rakes Quilro before disengaging away from the elven thief.
Draxos asks Fyrnlocke for a spare bowstring, which he lowers his bow to collect from his backpack.

The remaining demon lets out a bloodcurdling scream as DonBrapp releases a crushing blow into his should with his hammer.

Kailute continues to taunt but misses his strike, as the does the elven thief.

“Quite the show we’re putting on for our newfound allies!” Mutters DonBrapp, as the sounds of battle reverberate from the northern chamber.

An ice troll wanders surprised from a passage to the near south, his head darting both ways before tactfully retreating back to the south.

The squad of military garbed giants release a series of large, magical crossbow bolts from the east, catching Kailute but barely missing DonBrapp.

Elf and dwarf are struck again as the remaining demon turns to flee, but falls on the passageway in front of the companions battle line.  The three land a repeated groups of blows as it attempts to scurry away.

Kailute pins it to the ground with his weapon, dragging its retreating essence with the blade and eliciting a cacophony of demonic wails before it evaporates.

Quillro rocks the eastern corridor with the concussive blast of fireballs, knocking the trio of giants into the already encroaching walls.

Brapp pulls a scorching gout of fire from the ceiling that disrupts the intraplanar giants and sends them to the farther southern exit, following the retreating demon.  Their retreat is covered by a newly formed wall of ice blocking the passage they retreated to.

The sounds of combat diminish to the north, until a final scream of terror is drowned out by Kinison bellowing “Back to Gehenna with yea, gray rockslugs!”  The decapitated head of a bearded duergar is punted out of the northern chamber as the portly dwarf follows, covered in blood and patting the gore flecked thighbone-mace in his hand.

“She works.  She works.”  He mutters to nobody in particular.

Petra, Eldara and Tomas peer around the corner, while Draxos tends to his bow.  The wall of ice seals off the southern passage to the east, but the corridor continues.  There is a chamber to the north, and a narrower passage due south that the ice trolls were observed departing into.

Noon 9 Hammer

The sounds of combat diminish to the north, until a final scream of terror is drowned out by Kinison bellowing “Back to Gehenna with yea, gray rockslugs!”  The decapitated head of a bearded duergar is punted out of the northern chamber as the portly dwarf follows, covered in blood and patting the gore flecked thighbone-mace in his hand.

“She works.  She works.”  He mutters to nobody in particular.

Petra, Eldara and Tomas peer around the corner, while Draxos tends to his bow.  The wall of ice seals off the southern passage to the east, but the corridor continues.  There is a chamber to the north, and a narrower passage due south that the ice trolls were observed departing into.

DonBrapp ponders having the thieves search the area as Kailute suggests an immediate pursuit of the departing giants and trolls. The cleric begrudgingly begins to make the necessary incantations to deliver healing to the heroes.

Kailute tasks Kinison and his companions to begin breaking through the ice wall.

“I may not like the look of yer face, pig-man but I like the way you deal with giants!”  The portly dwarf bellows before heading east to chop away at the icy obstacle.

The sound of approaching footsteps reverberates off the stonework to the east.

DonBrapp takes up a position just outside an opening to the north, eyes toward the corner.
Draxos advances and pulls his bow taut.

Quilro ducks into the northern chamber to the east, and immediately feels he is not the only creature hiding in the shadows.

The sounds of a loud group of humanoids continues, and Quilro silently casts a spell that illuminates to him the sense of devious creatures observing him and preparing to attack him.
“Unlikely.”  He mutters over his shoulder, surprising the invisible duergar as a squad of wounded glabrezu and hezrou turn the corner and are bemused to find the group laying in wait.

Draxos releases two shots before his bow finally breaks in his hands.

“All unpaid debts fall upon the next beneath my blades!”  Kailute shouts, sinking his weapon into the chest of the nearest demon.  His body is wracked by a blast of frost damage in response to the melee attack.

DonBrapp lays his hammer down and releases a bolt of lightning that shakes the two demons before bouncing off the far passage wall and striking them on the rebound.  The dwarf himself takes a greatly reduced spark of energy that has conducted through the infernal monsters.

Frynlocke misses with two arrows.

Quilro activates a fire shield due to what he thinks are a squad of duergar invisible behind him.

The monstrous infernal claws at Kailute raking his chest before catching his hoof on the floor and falling prostrate.  The barbarian holds his blade out of concern of magical protection.

“Get up here and dispel this nonsense, Gurnkit!”  He shouts but is drowned out by an explosion of magical chunks of ice appearing and barreling down the passageway toward the dwarves to the rear.

Kinison sweeps an overhead blow with Rahadin’s thigh mace and magical energy shocks both target and dwarf with a powerful blow to the demon.

Several more demons round the corner, all displaying a variety of wounds and magical damage to their bodies and equipment.

“What is it that brings you hear, intruder dwarf?” An unearthly voice erupts in DonBrapp’s mind, which the cleric deliberately ignores to focus on the battle.

Quilro notices a similar extrasensory presence as Fyrnlocke sinks a blow.

Kailute delivers a series of attacks sending another demon back to the abyss.

“Another debt payed forward!”  The half-orc calls!

The invisible creatures behind Quilro appear to be waiting for the adventures to exhaust themselves before attacking, and the elf observes a magical glyph of warding in the entrance to the room.  The chamber appears to have been a meeting chamber, and has an expensive red silk rug lines the floor.  As he is exhamining the rug, a wall of ices encloses the chamber entrance.

DonBrapp releases a magical bolt of lightning down the hall, bouncing to the north and nearly slaying one of the demons.  Blooded and bereft of magic, the infernals begin to show a hint of concern.  One of them begins to make summoning gesticulations.

Additional demons begin to jog from around the corner to assist their brethren.

The wounded demon prostrate in front of Kailute begins to scurry away, as the dwarf is again probed by an external intelligence…  which DonBrapp explicitly ignores.  The cleric’s armor is pierced by one of the demons claws.  The dwarf jerks his chest flinging the beast to ground and brings his hammer down on the infernal’s head.

An icy dagger connects to the barbarian, and all notice Fyrnlocke lowering his sword and wandering absent mindedly toward the ice wall sealing Quilro within the chamber to the north.

As Draxos pulls his bow the entire upper assembly delaminates with a loud “SPRONG” and he quickly switches a weapon.

Kailute delivers a crossways slice that severs the demons’ spinal cord and sending its torso sliding off his hips before dissipating into a purple mist.

“All debts transferred forward!”  He yells.

Quilro turns himself invisible, and he senses the energy change of his unseen companions.
The dwarf releases yet another lightning bolt, but not as powerful as the last that ends two of the demons, three more remaining.

“Are you being sent by the Zhents to punish Zhengyi for his treachery?”  The voice again probes the dwarf.

Durnkin and Kinison fall upon the remaining demons; the portly warrior catching one of them under the chin and decapitating one.

“Remember the first hammer of Oriothar sent you back to the abyss!”  Kailute yells, as the remaining demons appear to supplicate themselves to the heroes.

Remaining invisible, Quilro searches the northern chamber for hidden compartments.
“Show yourselves and I will let you live.”  The elf states coldly, and the shape of four gray dwarves appear from within.

“Lay down your weapons.”

“Where do you expect us to run?  We keeps our weapons.  We would rather take our chances in the halls than crawl through our refuses.”

Observing the strange situation, the duergar attempt to parlay.

Outside, the voice continues to warn DonBrapp that the demons may attempt to make a bargain, but the one speaking controls all in this area.

The duergar agree to put down their weapons if they are protected from the vengeance of the dwarves.  Quilro slides his sword through the neck of the leader, and the remaining three immediately acquiesce to the elf.

“Now we understand each other.  Break through the wall, and you might live.”

Once the duergar break through the ice wall, Quilro directs the Oriothar to bind them.
The wounded demons begin to plead their magical skills until Kailute steps forward and states “The best service you could provide me is tell your kin Kailute sent you back to the abyss!” while cleaving the demon in half.  Kinison steps forward to dispatch the second.
“Spiderfuckers!”  Kinison spits, looking to the bound duergar.

The voice again inquires as to DonBrapp’s intent, as the Oriothar celeberate a small victory with the assistance of the heroes.


DonBrapp walls his mind only to the vision of the companions’ treasures being tracked across the mountains by the Bloodstone lads, and he can sense shadows circling above.

DonBrapp inspects the chamber, paying particular attention to the red carpet.  The room was decorated in a style venerating the dwarven goddess Shandilar.

Before the cleric too vigorously attempts to loot the space, Durnkin advises DonBrapp his tone and enthusiasm might be tempered before the treasures are looted.

Chagrined, the cleric turns to delivering healing to his companions.
Tomas dispels the magical confusion on Fyrnlocke as Kinison slaps the duergar for information, enjoying the sport.

“Another rug, Master dwarf?” The mage-cleric asks DonBrapp as he assists with healing.
Kinison relays the information gleaned from the duergar.  Ruled by sub demon lord named Jartha.

The royal level is 60-80 duergar military encampment below; several demons are fighting the devils below who are fighting for Auril.

The forges need to be lit to open a gate.

“We’ll need to restart the forges!” Durnkin and Kinison shout.  The forges were fired by a planar rift from the demi-plane of fire.

The duergar are on the defensive from ambushing devils and pockets of Oriothar.  What once appeared to be a quick and easy victory is now a quagmire.

The main royal chamber is flanked by side chambers, east and west occupied by the duergar.
The fire pits in the chambers are rift-connected to the chambers below;  but have a negative impact on magical weapons.

The last Oriothar pockets may be in the western corridor.

6pm 9 Hammer

Durnkin and Kinison provide a lay of the halls remaining in the upper levels of Hillsafar.  Kitchens and clerical chambers to the NE.

Fyrnlocke provides Draxos his bow.

Kinison fashions a neck pole for the duergar and forces them to lead from the front, stepping upon any traps that may bar the way.  They prompt an invisible gas trap, and one pushes through a spinning blade trap.  Kinison laughs.

The room is a protocol chief for external relations.  The group plunders the relatively untouched appearing room.

A beautiful brown bear rug lays upon the floor.

Fyrnlocke and Quilro delicately check the room for traps and compartments and locate a pressure plate beneath the rug which yields a dwarven container with a scroll of recall.  It is unclear where but somewhere below to the royal chamber, either to the apartments or a side chamber.

Beneath a beautiful statue of Moradin is found an adamantine rod, and a dwarven breastplate inscribed with dwarven runes.

8 charge hold monster rod; breastplate of Althidar.  Charisma bonus with good or neutral humanoids.

The group doubles back to the original defensive chamber.

Tomas begins to roll the bear rung over his shoulder and making his way to the defensive position.

DonBrapp furiously reviews the receipts of treasure, raising a particular eyebrow of interest over the astral sword secured to Kailute’s back.

White silver ring with sculpted cloud is identified as a ring of protection.

Quilro examines the obsidian rod taken from the Major Domo lieutenant, and realizes it has the ability to negate the magic effect of an item for eternity.

Kailute recalls he never saw magical beasts of the wild have their magic impacted on the steppes of Vaasa.

10pm 9 Hammer

“Be nice to put every one of them spiderfuckers on a spike.”  Kinison snarls, ripping into some of the remaining bread and food in the defensive chambers of northwestern Hillsafar.
“Perhaps Spell-Lord Azuth will bless us with the glory of the weave.”  Tomas offers, leaning the rolled bearskin rug against the wall, and propping the dwarven breastplate of Althidar atop it.
DonBrapp
 and the mage-cleric tend to wounds, as does Buldo the Oriothar cleric of Moradin.
Durnkin and Kinison review the information from the duegar, who remain bound and flung in the corridor outside.

Recap of the state of conflict in the Halls and the region, as well as orient to the current level and its unexplored antechambers.

It remains unknown where to the scroll of recall will bring the party below.
DonBrapp nearly snoozes off before he awakes paralyzed in the audience of an infernal humanoid, dessecated demon seating awkwardly in a dwarf sized overstuffed chair.
The dwarf is tempted by the idle riches of Hillsafar not being worked at such loss.  He is showed the state of chaos and disorder in the valley.

The demon strikes an offer to get the forges lit, but DonBrapp continues to resist.
Onyx ice elementals slink just out of view.

DonBrapp infers the opponent is a general in a demonic army below a named demon’s sphere of power.

The dwarf observes an pair of powerful pauldrons acting as magical armor.
The group heads south.  DonBrapp casts a silence on the restraining device keeping the two remaining wounded duergar at bay.

Quilro skirts ahead to check for traps.  He detects dwarven enchantments for detection of movement within the passage.

Fyrnlocke signals Quilro to check his equipment, and there indications his equipment was rummaged.

Quilro dispels the internal magic system.

Fyrnlocke explores the corner and signals “infernal danger!” readying his sword.
Both mages crouch and release lightning bolts down the corridor.  The air is thick with ozone and scorched infernal swampy flesh.  The enormous bipedal toads step forth wielding obsidian spears.

The demons are sliced open by Kailute’s blade attacks as Draxos arrows bounce of the infernal beings hide.

The demons respond with attacks on the thief and barbarian.  Fyrnlocke delivers a riposte as the ranger continues to volley arrows.  To his disappointment the arrows slide across the beasts flesh and armor without effect.

Kailute presses his attack angering and further injuring the demon pair.

Kinison and the Oriothar follow behind awaiting the signal to engage.

Draxos bathes the infernals in what appears to be billowing green flames, and Quilro shouts his family name while charging forth with his ancestral blade.  The demon’s eyes go wide in pain, dropping hits weapon and pulled its enormous toad arms around the thief-mage in an attempt to pull it east down the corridor.

The other demon also attempts to disengage as Kailute steps forward to attack, slicing the arm from the beast while nicking Quilro.

A freshly enscorcelled glyph marks the floor where the demon was apparently dragging Quilro.
DonBrapp looses his hammer but fails to strike one of the foes, but upon recovery his aim is true crushing the demon’s shoulder.

The demon thrusts its hand out calling forth a series of magical ice missiles at the dwarven cleric before disappearing down the passage to the south.

Kailute cuts one of the gray dwarves from their pole and throws the evil humanoid into the glyph, observing it becoming magically slowed.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 15:12, Wed 23 Feb 2022.