Runelords 39.0 - Turning the Tide at Jorgenfist

After having slept the night in the rainy wilds outside Jorgenfist, Eamon and Virgil discussed their strategy going forwards in the early dawn. Deciding that they needed more magical support, Virgil used his Phantom Steed spell to rush back to Fort Rannick where he convinced Luna to join them once more, leaving the huge stone in question under the dubiously effective gaze of Darren, the newest Black Arrow recruit.
Once they were all reunited, the group determined that they had one more effective chance: they could sneak into the base through the so-named spider tunnels and hopefully bypass the undoubtedly heightened security, before Barl and the rest of his forces had a chance to enact more powerful magical wards against them. With that settled, the six set off towards the river canyon where they hoped to locate the cave that Eamon and Shadliss had navigated.
It was evening by the time they found it; Khyrralien climbed up the rockface first with a rope. Sticking his head inside and yodelling obnoxiously, he garnered the attentions of the masses of spiders, which began to swarm over him. Jumping back and diving into the river, the group could see the masses of arachnids swarming around the lip of the cave. Very interested in the strange 'nesting spiders' that apparently lay dormant inside larger husks, Luna climbed up to get a closer look at them. Unperturbed by the creatures, she deduced that they were actually undead; quite intrigued, she captured a bunch in a jar for later study, wondering whether they had been intentionally created or were naturally occurring.
After Khyr and Luna cleared away the majority of the larger spiders, the rest prepared to join them. At Virgil's instruction, they tied their sleeves and pant legs to keep the bugs out, but this only did so much to calm the visceral discomfort the spiders caused. Once they were past, Luna remarked dryly that, if they were somehow self-replicating, she would probably be picking spiders out of her hair forever.
Backtracking as best they could, the group eventually found their way back to the Shivering Ones' forge. Once again, the kobolds were pleased to see that their friends were well, and they remarked that several treants had been moved into the off-limits basement earlier that day. Covering themselves in Invisibility, the group hastily returned to the basement, avoiding the room where the headless Judge had once stood guard and squeezing their way past the molten golem. Once they stood in the hall once more, they debated opening the stone portal which they now ostensibly held the key for. Ultimately deciding that they should strike at Barl while they still had the element of surprise, the group used Dimension Door to enter the study where they had last encountered him.
Deciding that the stage was a poor place to aim, they instead focused on a far corner, hidden behind pillars and shelves. The room was pitch dark, but those with the ability to see through blackness could see that not only had a stone dome had been erected over the stage where Barl's desk had been and that four treants had been brought in to act as guards, but that Barl himself was organizing books mere steps away from them. Sliding into position as best they could without sight, it was the adventurers' turn to strike first without warning. Luna shot an entangling round at Barl and the closest treant, while Khyr blanketed the immediate area with a zone of silence, interfering with Barl's ability to cast spells and Alicia dashed forwards to engage. The others struggled with the darkness, until Khyr caught one of the treants on fire, casting a light throughout the room. Barl attempted to flee, escaping the silence and entanglement; however, Virgil dismissed his flight spell as soon as he cast it, as well as the poisonous fog cloud he conjured. With his magic suppressed, the others quickly overpowered the dwarf, knocking him senseless. It took only a few moments for them to destroy the treant guards after Barl was downed.Category:Rise of the Runelords