20040104 Brighton02

<H1> Brighton County: Into the Mine of Certain Death </H1>
<H2> Role Call </H2>
<TABLE>
<TR>
 <TD> Elverie </TD>
 <TD> 7th/1st Half-Elf Druid/? </TD>
 <TD> Robert Giedt </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Mirto </TD>
 <TD> 8th Human Wizard (Evoker) </TD>
 <TD> Mark Whisler </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Zederian </TD>
 <TD> 5th/1st/2nd Human Ranger/Cleric/Hunter of the Dead </TD>
 <TD> Richard Jacobsen </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Foradun </TD>
 <TD> 4th/2nd Githzerai Psionic Warrior/Soul Knife (8th CL) </TD>
 <TD> Rick DiRicco </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Paxus </TD>
 <TD> 7th Human Cleric </TD>
 <TD> Ray Chiang </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Bimblefin Candytuft </TD>
 <TD> 4th Pixie Rogue </TD>
 <TD> John Speck </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Colin </TD>
 <TD> 16th/6rd Human Fighter/Hospitaler </TD>
 <TD> Jim Yonemura </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Kha'Narek </TD>
 <TD> 5th Githzerai Monk (7th CL) </TD>
 <TD> Matt Miller </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Kristoff </TD>
 <TD> 7th Elf Druid </TD>
 <TD> Keith Farrar </TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<H2> Session Summary </H2>
Colin revives the goblin with some water and begins interrogating the goblin prisoner.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Colin:</B> I've heard he's a pretty big scary guy.
<B>Goblin:</B> Yeah
<B>Goblin:</B> If he was here, you'd be dead
<B>Colin:</B> Is there any place he uses as a base camp.
<B>Goblin:</B> We've got a lot of camps. He just stops where he wants.
<B>Colin:</B> So, there's no place he stays often.
<B>Goblin:</B> Nope.
<B>Colin:</B>
<B>Goblin:</B> Yeah, we've got to move a lot.
<B>Colin:</B> Why is that?
<B>Goblin:</B> Why, the Terror. He'll come into camp and make a mess of things. Plus, we've got to move to hunt, got a lot of deer.
<B>Colin:</B> Where's the nearest occupied camp?
<B>Goblin:</B> Probably that way (points south). There's a couple that way about two days walk.
<B>Colin:</B> What are you doing so far from camp?
<B>Goblin:</B> Well, we was huntin'. Depends on what the big guy says.
<B>Colin:</B> So, the big guy is in charge of the hunting party.
<B>Goblin:</B> There's a bunch of us and one of them in charge.
<B>Paxus:</B> There's more of them?
<B>Goblin:</B> Well, yeah.
<B>Colin:</B> How many?
<B>Goblin:</B> Well, about ten? I don't know exactly.
<B>Colin:</B> They're spread out among the different camps?
<B>Goblin:</B> Yeah. They come around and say, "you're going huntin' with us" and we do!
<B>Goblin:</B> Two days ago, the big one took us hunting. We haven't been back to camp since then. We'd be back now except that we all got killed.
<B>Colin:</B> Hey, watch your mouth!
<B>Goblin:</B> You're right, we didn't all get killed. Maybe I'll live.
<B>Pixie:</B> Where do you want the arrow?
<B>Goblin:</B> Who is that?
<B>Colin:</B> That's a pixie we've got with us.
<B>Goblin:</B> Oh great! I'm really screwed now.
<B>Colin:</B> Are there still goblins at the mine?
<B>Goblin:</B> Not that we know off. We've been saying it was time to go for a while...
<B>Robert:</B> What chased you out?
<B>Goblin:</B> Some big lizards. They're big, bigger than you. And they smell real bad.
<B>Bimblefin:</B> They smell real bad?! (Laughs)
<B>Goblin:</B> At first there were a few, but they suddenly got all organized and then some of them were like the Terror. There were those which were pieced together.
<B>Colin:</B> Anything else?
<B>Goblin:</B> Oh, and the bloodsuckers showed up too.
<B>Paxus:</B> Stirges?
<B>Goblin:</B> Dunno, dead goblins no blood.
<B>Paxus:</B> I see.
<B>Colin:</B>
<B>Goblin:</B> And when the food shipments stop coming from the town, that's when the boss said to go. Plus, they stopped coming for shipments, so we stopped digging.
<B>Paxus:</B> The people used to take from
<B>Goblin:</B> Oh yeah, some of the lizards started breathing fire--that's bad. The walking lizards--some of them have two heads. And the heads breathe fire.
<B>Paxus:</B> Did the heads that breathe fire look the same?
<B>Goblin:</B> Well, definitely lizard-like. Maybe a bit more snakey.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
Bimblefin kills the goblin prisoner.
Zederian is a veteran of the wars here. He has been released from the Black Lions because he had died at the hands of the vampire. An elven priest resurrected him and he had travelled with the elves ever since. From that time, he has been a hunter of the dead since. As a reward for distinguished service to the elves, he was given a magical longbow as a reward. One of the problems that has come about due to this war is the gates to Ravenloft. This has resulted in more undead being created. As a result, there has been a lot of work for him and his fellow Hunters. One of the big problems is that when a head undead has been killed, all the spawn undead become free willed. Generally, Zederian has tried to get most of them at once. One thing that happened recently is that a master vampire of all vampires in the war had died. Sarin II had died a few weeks ago. Several vampires which had been acting as generals became free willed and have all started their own little empires. Zederian has been hunting them down one by one. The force that took out Brighton County earlier was led by one of these vampire generals. He has already killed a few vampire spawn in Brighton County. The spawn killed so far were mostly goblins. The general in this area was a wizard (Artifcer). Zederian has also encountered and killed human spawn, orc spawn, and troglodyte spawn.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Zederian:</B> Hail.
<B>Colin:</B> Hail.
<B>Zederian:</B> I see that I have arrived too late for this fight. I am Zederian.
<B>Bimblefin:</B>
<B>Zederian:</B> Who speaks from the trees.
<B>Colin:</B> That would be Bimblefin. The bravest pixie you'll ever see.
<B>Zederian:</B> And a fine shot as well.
<B>Bimblefin:</B> Yes, I killed their contact with the goblins.
<B>Colin:</B> I am in service to the Kingdom of the Westmarch.
<B>Mirto:</B> Last I heard you were...uh, you're looking better!
<B>Zederian:</B> Yes, with a vengeance. The elves brought me back.
<B>Mirto:</B> Well, I'm glad to hear that they're good for something.
<B>Colin:</B> So, what brings you to Brighton County.
<B>Zederian:</B> Uh, undead brings me here.
<B>Colin:</B> (Sighs) I see. Well,
<B>Zederian:</B> No, it would be the same leader who is creating golems.
<B>Colin:</B> I was hoping it was a stirge.
<B>Zederian:</B> Well, I've slain (begins listing all sorts of vampire spawn). All the generals have become free.
<B>Colin:</B> Yeah, I know Sarin II.
<B>Zederian:</B> How do you know of him? The news of his death is fairly recent.
<B>Colin:</B> I was with Donner when we took him down. Man, we've got a really big mess to deal with down here.
<B>Bimblefin:</B> Boy, I'm sure getting my money's worth from hiring you. I'm going to sleep in a tree--let me know when they're all cleared out.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
During this discussion, Ox piles the goblin bodies and starts a funeral pyre. After some further discussion, Colin decides to see if the smoke draws out any more enemies. When no enemies appear, they decide to camp nearby in the Leomund's Secure Shelter.
That evening, during the second watch Elverie spots some goblins approaching the camp.
<B>Round 1:</B> Two goblins appear out of nowhere and slam Kristoff. Several other vampires move up to the shelter. Colin swings and disperses one goblin vampire. Kristoff turns into a bird and leaves the combat. Elverie swings and hits, but fails to damage her vampire.
<B>Round 2:</B> One vampire drains Elverie's wolf. Another attempts to charm Elverie. Kha'Narek moves to the doorway and opens the door. Colin moves to another vampire and swings killing two more. Zederian gets up and begins Detect Undead. Kristoff delays. Paxus delays. Elverie steps away and turns into a bird. Mirto dismisses the Leomund's Secure Shelter. Paxus then turns one of the vampires. Foradun throws a blade at the nearest goblin.
<B>Round 3:</B> The vampires attack Colin, with one attempting to charm him. Kha'Narek does a flurry of blows on a nearby vampire but fails to wound it. Colin attacks the nearest vampires and kills two. Zederian turns the last two vampires, but Mirto hits it with a Scorching Ray misting it.
<B>Round 4:</B> The vampires begin to flee, but Zederian follows up with a special turning that kills two vampires.
The group heads towards the mine. The road appears to have had lots of traffic, but it appears as though there has been little recent traffic. At the mine, there are signs of where sentries would sit around the mine entrance.
Colin asks if anyone would scout out the mine entrance. When no one volunteers, he decides to check the area out himself. As they close near the entrance, they hear a deep booming noise start coming from deep within the mine. Colin peers inside one of the sentry posts, but it's dark inside the structure. There are six iron bands on the outside of the door. Colin uses his X-Ray Vision. There appears to be a hole in the floor about 3 feet across, but there is nothing in this room. There appears to be a large iron bar behind the door. Colin examines the other side and sees the same thing.
The party decides to go in. A few minutes in, there appear to be many bloodstains in the hallway, as though there were a big or several big battles. The corridor has two side passages and ends with an elevator. As the first four are about to go down the central elevator, they hear a roaring noise come from the rightmost elevator. Colin decides to lead the group down the rightmost elevator instead. He goes down with Zed, Kha'Narek, and Mirto.
As they hit the bottom, the tunnel appears to continue in the same direction. There is about 30-40 feet of solid stone before it becomes roughly hewn earth. Zederian identifies some traffic along this way--it appears to be unshod reptilian feet along with signs of dripping blood and something heavy being dragged through. Some of the dirt has blackening (soot or lampblack). The next group goes down the shaft (Kha'Narek, Foradun, and Farendil).
Mirto notices that the tunnel construction is very much consistent with troglodyte digging. The straight line behavior is very consistent with golem direction. It seems likely that it's a flesh golem troglodyte doing the digging. Kristoff notices that the path of the line heads in a straight line to the druid grove. About 400 yards down, there is a side passage about 15 feet wide. The blood trail appears to continue straight ahead. The side passage ends and there are two creatures heavily chained to the wall. They look to be reptilian creatures, but with multiple snake-like heads. They look to have the body of an older troglodyte and they each have four snake-like heads--none of which match.
Colin notices that some of the heads have the reddish tint of Pyrohydras while others have the greenish tint of the Laeneraen swamps. It is unclear what will happen should the heads of these golem-ized heads be chopped off.
<B>Round 1:</B> Everybody retreats down the corridors using various modes of transportation. Mirto casts Dimension Door, taking the Githzerai with him while the druids and the pixie fly down the corridor. The rest of the group exits as quickly as possible on foot.
<B>Round 2:</B> There is a flickering bright white light at the end of the corridor. Mirto identifies the Wall of Stone at the end of the corridor--he Lightning Bolts it. Kha'Narek attacks the wall, while Foradun throws three blades. The fliers buzz past the rest of the walking people.
<B>Round 3:</B> Colin and Zederian see some snake heads peer around the corner and breathe fire. Paxus takes Farendil and Ox and Dimension Doors to the mine entrance. They appear right next to the Wall of Stone. Kha'Narek attacks, but minimally damages it. Foradun continues to chip away with two more blades.
<B>Round 4:</B> A fireball hits Colin and Zederian, knocking Zed unconscious. Meanwhile, Ox and Farendil attack the Wall of Stone. Mirto waits. Elverie (in eagle form) squawks out a Stone Shape spell, removing about half the wall. Colin heals Zederian and brings him back conscious. Zederian continues on down the corridor. Kha'Narek and Foradun leave outside. 
<B>Round 5:</B> A Lightning Bolt hits Colin. Most everyone moves out of the mine entrance.
The next few rounds have Colin being hit by a Magic Missile and a Fireball. As they make their way up the shaft, they're hit with an Acid Fog spell. Zederian casts Mending on the chain links as they escape. Mirto casts Dispel Magic but doesn't affect the fog (10th level). Bimblefin casts Dispel Magic and removes it (15th level).
<H2> Foes Fought </H2>
Several Goblin Vampires<BR />2 Flesh Golems<BR />Troglodytes<BR />~14th level mage