The Conquest of Frey: Chapter 1: Game 8

Game Master: Dave
Game Edition: D&D 3.5
Players: Andrew, Elijah, Jeff
Starting Level: 5  
Current Level: 8-9

Quote of the Evening:
"Aaaaand Back to Bodie!"
*cut to Bodie lying unconscious on the table*

Introduction

Tom Could not join us for this game, so his Drow Barbarian Sayer took a back seat this game. However the Duergar Necromancer Dwannis Muck-Mug (Andrew), the Drow Fighter Raskavas (Jeff) and the Duergar Bard Bodie (Elijah) stood triumphantly before the masses, Raskavas raising the severed head of Malik Vloren high!

The crowd cheered! It was a sweet moment of victory, but it was short lived. 

Scene 1 The Illusion Fades. The Mysterious Island Reappears.

As the crowd surged, a strange thing happened. A spell of illusion that had effected the whole village faded. The mighty wizards tower and fortress that was Bellwick's town hall melted into a smaller building, and the tower vanished. Memories returned to Dwannis and the rest of the locals minds, and the head that  Raskavas held faded into the rotting head of Aris Vloren.

It seemed that a spell of illusion had created the wizard Malik Vloren out of the dead body of his brother Aris. Malik Vloren was the Apothecary's apprentice that Dwannis killed in Conquest of Frey Game 1, and was Aris' younger brother. Everyone's memory had been changed to remember Malik Vloren as a powerful wizard, and some dark force had been using Aris' dead body to do it. We had not defeated the master, only another puppet. The master was clearly a powerful necromancer and illusionist, and Dwannis knew defeating him would be his first true step towards power.

As the realization set in, the mysterious island fortress that Raskavas and Bodie had spotted in Conquest of Frey Game 3 again rose from the deep.

Scene 2 The Attack on the Harbour.

As the island fortress appeared, two ships with black sails arrived seemingly out of know where and attacked Bellwick's harbour. Rallying the Troops, Dwannis, Raskavas and Bodie, ran to see what the trouble was, while Sayer ensure that the Town hall remain guarded.

As the Trio reached the docks, they saw a horde of orcs and goblins rushing off the boats, 10 of them turned to Fight Dwannis, Raskavas and Bodie.

Normally a band of goblins and orcs wouldn't be a problem for medium level characters, but they had just finished a boss fight. Raskavas was Injured and so was Bodie, Dwannis was uninjured but almost out of spells.

Despite their weakened condition, the party used their skills to their advantage. Dwannis used his remaining spells to scare, shrink and weaken the enemy while Bodie and Raskavas held the front line; slaying any orc or goblin foolish enough to get close to them.

As the battle raged, Raskavas had dropped both of his blades and finished his final foe by grappling him, and then beating him to death with his fists. Even Dwannis had to use his +2 hammer to smash a few orcs and goblins. As the dust settled, and the last of the monsters fell, Dwannis and Raskavas found Bodie lying unconscious on the ground, covered in wounds. 

Scene 3 Bodie is Injured. Taking Stock of Bellwick's Town Hall.

Raskavas ordered his men to carry him back to Bellwick's town hall as carefully as they could.

They laid him out on the large table in the center of the room and Dwannis called for a healer. There was none in the village any more, but the Cleric Doris still remained at Frunner's. Raskavas agreed to go get her and headed off towards the harbour.

Dwannis ordered Sayer to watch over Bodie and began to explore the town hall.

It was a far cry from the impressive structure provided by the illusion spell. There was an audience chamber, a small library, and a bed chamber. Dwannis quickly claimed the building as his own.

He first explored the library, searching for an magical artifacts or spell books. He still had the piece of the black cauldron that the puppet Malik had scattered the pieces of in Conquest of Frey Game 7. However, he had no idea what is.

The library held no clues about the black cauldron, but he did find 3 books that would teach him the spells Identify and Detect Scrying, perhaps those would help him. Dwannis began to study these spells, but the library only had a desk and no chair. He ordered two of his men to go into town and get him a nice chair, and then took the books to his crude throne and continued his studies.

Scene 4 Return to Frunner's. No One is Safe.

Raskavas returned to the harbour to find the ships with black sails the orcs and goblins had attacked with had vanished. All that remained was a 40ft fishing boat. Raskavas quickly found volunteers to crew the boat, and disembarked towards Frunner's.

He arrived, narrowly missing the dock with the hull of his boat, and was then swarmed by Drow and Duergar wanting news of the battle. he told them that they had won the day and that they should return to Bellwick as soon as they were able. They cheered, and Raskavas passed through them searching for the cleric.

Doris the Cleric was in her tent, and she agreed to come to the town hall and heal Bodie, and anyone else in need, with that Raskavas and Doris returned to his boat and they sailed back to town.

And this is where our Quote of the evening comes from as Dave our DM, cuts to Bodie lying on the table.

Raskavas and Doris arrived to find Dwannis studying in his throne, and Bodie still on the table. The priest healed Bodie as best she could and tended to the wounds Dwannis and Raskavas had sustained in the fight.

As Doris finished her duties, she left to tend to other wounded around the town. AS she left, one of the men that Dwannis had sent out for a chair returned, but he was not himself. He was slumped and his eyes glowed blue. Before anyone could react, the zombie drow smashed the chair he was holding over Dwannis' head. Raskavas drew his blade and slashed the creature dead.

The realization came that Bellwick had not yet been won and no one was safe until they found out what was on the mysterious island. But before they left, Dwannis would need to sleep and replenish his spells, and the Drow and Duergar survivors would need to be rounded up for their protection. Sayer set about making camp out from the Town Hall while Raskavas and Bodie went into the city and collected an stragglers.

Bodie Raskavas had no trouble rounding everyone up, and even killed a few surviving Elves and Dwarves for good measure. After their Adventures they returned to the Town hall, posted watches and slept themselves

Scene 5 The Battle of Bellwick Harbour. The Dragon Turtle.

The Following day the three awoke, gathered 5 of their men and left Sayer in charge of the camp. They went to the harbour and went aboard the 40 foot fishing ship that Raskavas had used the other day.  The men prepared the sails and Bodie and Dwannis surveyed the seas 
between them and island. 

As they looked, 5 ships materialized in the distance heading fast towards the harbour. Dwannis had a plan, he would use 3 of his fireballs to deal with the ships, and then if they could get close enough, use Burning Hands on the other two. It was classic JADE plan; bold, daring, ill planned and slightly suicidal. The men readied the sails and Raskavas took the helm.

Right away, Raskavas had trouble controlling the ships as it was tossed about in the surf, and Bodie took controlling steadying the vessel and piloting it the rest of the way.

Dwannis stood at the Bow of the ship readying his Fireballs as the orc and goblin ships came towards them. The first three were lit a blaze and stopped dead in the water, but the other two proved more of a challenge.  Some brilliant maneuvering from Bodie, which earned him a seafaring skill, got us in between the two ships. Dwannis was able to kill most of the goblins and orcs with some help from the wind and a Cloud Kill spell, But Raskavas, who was not immune to poison, had to tie a rope around himself and jump over the side to avoid the toxic fumes.

Dwannis lit the two Goblin ships on fire and Bodie maneuvered them away from the gas, and pulled Raskavas back on deck. He was shaken, claiming he had seen a shadow in deep. This is what he described:

Unrolling the sails, Bodie sped their ship towards the island, hoping to out run the beast. Before they could reach the shore, a Dragon Turtle  burst to the surface, sinking the wrecked orc and goblin ships and rocked the party's boat with a huge wave.

Bodie was on fire, and kept rolling natural 20's to navigate the ship and piloted the boat through the wave. The dragon turtle then turned and rammed ship. As the five men they brought with them went flying over board, Dwannis had a half-minded idea to put an necrotic cyst in the creature, maybe then he could kill or control it. It seemed like the only choice. He never got close enough though.

They were some ways off shore when two massive tentacles rose from the beneath the waves and pulled the Dragon Turtle down below as it cried in terror.

For several minutes the water went calm.

Scene 6 The Island Fortress is on top of a Giant Octopus! 

Everything was still for a moment, and Bodie turned the ship once more towards the island, moving a little slower then before. It was clear that the fortress was on top of a giant octopus, and the three waited.

The tentacles rose again, this time trying to grab the ship, but Bodie rolled another 20 and dodged the blow.  

The wave from the tentacle hitting the water pushed the boat onto shore, beaching the party on the mysterious island.

And that is where we left off.

Conclusion

We got pretty banged up on the boat ride over, and we barely have any healing magic. Dwannis used most of his deadly spells, and the men we brought with us are dead. 

Are we ready to face the challenge of the island? Probably not! Are we going to give it try? Absolutely! Victory of Death!

Tune in next time as we battle away through a fortress on top of a giant Octopus.