Session Notes: Blackstone Castle Adventures

### Session 25

After arriving at the crevasse leading to Blackstone Castle at night the party awaits for day before heading down the treacherous stairway. In the morning, their guide leaves with the horses back to Rubicon, while the party heads down the switch-back staircase, covered in snow.

Part way down the stairway, NAGA is assaulted by giant rats. Swiftly defeating them, the party continue down into what appears to be the former crenelated battlements of the castle, outside one of it's towers. Heading towards the door, Xael falls into a pit trap with a giant rat and the body of a frozen goblin. Defeating the rat, they head into the interior of the crumbled tower.

On the wall, pinned by a spear is a goblins corpse. Investigating, Andr'el discovers behind the corpse, carved into the wall in draconic, the name "Ashardalon". Unsure who or what Ashardalon is, he puzzles about it as Uraelle opens a door to the left, where more giant rats greet the party.

Within this new room is a locked stone door carved with a dragon and a keyhole set in the mouth. Xael and Andr'el get to work on unlocking the door, while Uraelle, Tazlynn, and Fenegir head down a separate door off the tower. Exploring rooms off the hallway they come across, one appears to contain some form of plumbing system, and upon touching the iron keg within, a water elemental appears and attacks.

Back-tracking to the tower, the trio enlists the help of Xael and Andr'el in defeating the water elemental. Deciding to take a short rest while Andr'el and Xael work on unlocking the stone dragon door, Xael distributes some healing potions to the party, pays Fenegir for his work thus far, and gathers some remains of the water elemental. Near the end of the rest, Andr'el triumphantly unlocks the door.

### Session 26

After resting, Andr'el explores the end of the hallway Uraelle, Tazlynn, and Fenegir went down, while the remaining party members work on opening the door. Andr'el opens a door into a room with a broken cage, and a kobold named Meepo that's hiding. Meepo tells Andr'el that his clans dragon was stolen by the goblins in a separate section of the castle. Andr'el then convinces Meepo to let his party aid in the recovery of the dragon.

At the stone door, the party wedges some crowbars along the edges and force the door open, where a haunting melody can be heard. heading into the room, the party feels a chill down their spine and form goosebumps on their skin. Fenegir, frightened by the sound, refuses to continue onward, opting to watch the door for a returning Andr'el. Xael takes a slightly smokey orb from a pedestal, placing it within his bag of holding, stopping the melody, before continuing through another door into a hallway. Through the hallway, the party steps on pressure plates in the floor and are assaulted by arrows firing from the wall, though no one is injured. Reaching the next room, a statue of a dragon in white marble with red veins throughout stands on one end. Upon approaching the stone dragon, it speaks a riddle

> We come at night without being fetched; we disappear by day without being stolen.
>
>

Xael quickly answers "stars" and the wall opposite their entrance slides away revealing another room. Within the room, crumbled statues of humanoid figures in the same marble as the dragon sit in alcoves. In one alcove, Xael discovers a secret door leading to a tunnel. Opposite the way they entered lies spiked pit.

Approaching the pit, an imp appears and pushes Xael into it yelling as it flees that it's watch over the dragon priest is over. Uraelle and Tazlynn make quick work of the imp as Andr'el rejoins the party. Recovering Xael from the pit, the party leaps across, with Fenegir going through the tunnel to reach a room of cracked violet-hued marble tiles with a tomb sealed with rusted clasps and locks, carved with deep imagery of dragons. After resting the party opens the tomb, a mummified dragonborn appear and begins attacking. Defeating the dragon priest, Andr'el leads the party back to Meepo who offers a cooked rat to Xael. Meepo then leads the party to Yusdrayl, the kobold clan leader.

Negotiating with Yusdrayl, the part discovers the Redwaters went off in the direction of the goblins, and haven't been heard back from. Yusdrayl also agrees to reward the party with a selection of goods should they recover the stolen dragon, and sends Meepo along with them.

Taking goblin prisoners for exchange, the party proceeds down a set of hallways to a room with a dry water fountain. Speaking a command word, water begins pouring from it, which the party quickly connects. Opposite the fountain sits a door, touching the handle, a scythe blade nearly slashes Xaels hand off. Andr'el, reading the inscription, inspires Uraelle to splash the door with holy water, causing the door to glow before opening on its own. Within the room stands 5 sarcophagi and an alter. Xael loots the alter, finding a small mythral whistle that when blown, reanimates one of the skeletons. Attempting to goad the skeleton, Xael proceeds to destroy it and the remaining ones in the standing sarcophagi.

### Session 26

Continuing onward, the party finds themselves in a room blocked by an iron portcullis. Andr'el melts the metal away, and the party then comes across a hallway filled with caltrops. Xael, ordering the goblins to gather the caltrops after Andr'el blows the majority of them towards the wall, is caught off guard as the goblins make a run for it into the next room, and finds a group of bugbears waiting behind a 3 ft tall brick wall.

As combat ensues, Xael conjures the use of darkness, preventing the bugbears from easily targeting him, as the goblins continue towards the half wall in the dark, and are accidentally slain by the bugbears. Knocking the remaining goblin unconscious, Xael leaps the wall into melee range with the bugbears, while the remaining party remains behind to supply ranged support. Upon defeating the bugbears, the party discovers the goblins have been keeping some kobolds prisoner, as well as a gnome, Erky Timbers, who was asked by Father Fusespark to accompany the Redwaters. However, while running from a nest of giant rats their elven companion, Karakas, was lost and the rest were captured by the goblins. Told the humans were wanted by someone named Belak, Erky was left behind and has been using his divine gift to keep himself alive.

Afterwards, the party enlists Erky to heal them where possible, as the party encounters a room with hobgoblins, making quick work of them.

### Session 27

Continuing down a hallway, Uraelle nearly falls into a pit. Using spider climbing slippers, she opens the door to the other room, trashed with broken furniture, trophies of various creatures and humanoids on the walls, poor taxidermy work, with areas of debris, walls, and floors pockmarked or melted. In a corner, the party discovers the missing dragon, Lajavara, a wyrmling green.

Giving tribute and negotiating with Lajavara, the party works out an agreement. Lajavara will no longer be a pet to the kobolds, will allow the party to live, and occasionally lend treasure to the party if the returns are greater treasure; in turn the kobolds will serve Lajavara, the party will remove the goblinoids from the castle, and seek treasure for the dragons horde.

With a warning to not return until the goblins are exterminated, Lajavara gives the party an ivory tube with dwarven runes. Within, a crumbling message with map, describing where to find the lost caves of Khundrukar.

Continuing through a smokey hall, the party opens two doors at once, revealing Goblinville through one, and a group of hobgoblins through another.

### Session 28

As combat initiates, Uraelle focuses on the hobgoblins while the remaining party guard the door to Goblinville. As spears and arrows are slung at the party, the non-combatant goblins flee. Andr'el, in a side hallway, repels the attack of a hobgoblin before rejoining the party in the smoke filled hallway. Xael attempts to take out the leader, but they seem to have no qualms about throwing other goblins in the way.

Closing the door to Goblinville, Xael braces against the door, Uraelle and Tazlynn finish off the hobgoblins in the side room. As the door is breaks open, a few goblinoids filter through. Fenegir engages in combat as Andr'el launches a devastating line of fire, incinerating most of the goblins, leaving an opening for Xael to approach the leader and finish them.

Exploring the previously hobgoblin occupied room to the side of the smoke filled hallway, the party finds a passage back to the kobolds. Deciding to rest in Goblinville, Xael bars off the doors the non-combatant goblins fled through. While moving piles of rocks to block the door, a door opens to a separate room, revealing the goblin chief, Durnn, and his guards.

Sneaking close and firing off some crossbow bolts, Xael takes out one of the guards, who falls into a large deep pit in the center. Andr'el launches off a fireball, taking out a large number of guards in the room. Uraelle misty steps across the pit, entering melee with the leader. As Tazlynn, Xael, and Andr'el continue to provide cover fire, they take down the Durnn's cleric. Before the party can celebrate, Uraelle falls to the Durnn, and Fenegir heads in to provide assistance. As goblins filter out, Tazlynn and Xael take them out. Soon, Fenegir falls as well. Durnn heads out, and Tazlynn finishes him off.

Taking a long rest, the party recovers treasures, with Xael hiding a Redwater signet ring.

### Session 29

Preparing to travel down the large hole in the center of the goblins throne room, Xael inserts some pitons and ties off some ropes, reaching most of the way down. Uraelle, using spider walking boots, attempts to reach the ropes end, slips on the slimy edges of the hole, but catches herself. Hammering additional pitons into some cracks, Uraelle completes the rope-way down.

Upon reaching the bottom of the hole, the party finds themselves in a mostly closed off cavern on a bed of mulch, mildew, decayed bodies of animals, and some vines already entwining themselves around the hobgoblin that fell down the hole. Fenegir is pulled under by something, and while prodding the hole, Xael loses hold of his quarterstaff as a shambling mound appears and releases the unconscious body of Fenegir. As Tazlynn is pulled in by the shambling mound, some twig blights appear, but mostly just annoying the party. Escaping from the shambling mass Tazlynn soon falls in combat with the creature quickly behind. The party uses potions and recovers the health of the fallen comrades before continuing down a square hallway.

Reaching a large, square, blood covered floor of a room, Xael disguised as a twig blight, sneaks up to a wooden board covered in weapons before waking a bugbear, who blows a whistle, calling forth his three dire rat pets. Defeating the bugbear, the party takes a moment to look about the room.

### Session 30

Investigating the south door, the party follows a 10 foot wide passage about 80 feet to a ravine in the earth bisecting the hallway, separating it it by 15 feet and offsetting it by 10. Uraelle uses misty step to cross the ravine and searches out a place to set a piton. Xael tosses across a piton tied to a rope, and Uraelle sets the piton in a hole that once acted as a anchor for a wall sconce, tying the rope off to it. On the north side, Xael hammers a piton into a crack, tying off the rope as well, with Andr'el fixing the knot to ensure it holds.

Xael is the first to walk across, but as he reaches the halfway point, the knot on Uraelle's side slips through the eye of the piton. Xael leaps as he notices, reaching the opposite ledge as Uraelle catches the rope before it falls.

Helping Xael up, they re-affix the rope and the remaining party crosses, with Fenegir remaining behind, giving the excuse to guard the north side of the rope in case anyone should approach.

Continuing around some corners, the party reaches a stuck stone door. With some effort and pry bars, Xael and Tazlynn force the door open, revealing a prayer room to some type of demonic dragon. As the party defaces the crumbling mosaic and topples the statue, Fenegir sends message to Xael about sounds coming from the chamber they just left.

The party re-crosses the ravine and meets up with Fenegir near the door, now closed. Peeking through, Xael spies some miconids, and identifies them as Basidia and their circle. Throwing wide the door, the miconids approach and release their spores, allowing them to speak with the party. Basidia informs them that their circle had arrived a few days ago, but had to clear a cave-in that the furry creatures had caused. Still seeking a place to call home, the party convinces Basidia to remain in the bloody chamber until they clear the remaining lower section of Blackstone castle.

Through the door to the east, the party enters a chamber with six adjoining doors. Through each door, they spy bugbears performing various tasks, from experiments, to repairing armor, to resting. Xael locks the rooms containing bugbears, Uraelle sets out ball bearings and Xael places out caltrops near the doors. Unlocking one of the doors to a room containing barrels, Xael splits them with some thrown hatchets and Andr'el lights the liquid on fire. Quickly locking the door, the bugbears inside burn to death while the remaining bugbears either unlock their doors or break them down.

Overwhelming the bugbears with their tactics, the party disposes of their foes before taking a rest.

### Session 31

Passing through a small room, the characters reach a large hallway covered in soil and all manner of plant life. The vaulted ceilings crumbling, and the walls, covered in mud and vines, displaying a worn fresco of metallic and chromatic dragons at war. Of the few doors in this hallway, the party heads to the northern one, opening into another hallway of equal size and of similar description.

Xael, checking the northern door yet again, opens it to discover a small garden being tended by a bugbear with a scythe. Closing the door, the party comes up with an elaborate plan to frighten the bugbear with an illusory dragon, that Xael is running away from. Putting the plan into motion, Xael enters, carrying a broken orb above his head, Andr'el creating an illusion, and Tazlynn casting a gout of fire from its head.

Frightened, the bugbear ran through a side passageway as the party chased after, Fenegir walking behind. The chase passed a through a room with a statue of a demonic dragon, which startled Andr'el enough to drop the illusion The chase continued through a small closet full of books, into a stairwell room that passed under the garden area, up into a long hallway, and around a corner before Xael finally caught up and stabbed the bugbear, yelling "dragon", but not before a goblin poked his head through a door, seeing the party approaching.

### Session 32

Propping the dead bugbear up against the door, Xael holds the door shut as the party prepares for combat. On cue, Xael opened the door, a bugbear charging through and swiftly being killed. engaged in combat, the party quickly deals with the remaining bugbear and goblins. Within the room, the party sees the southern wall caved in, revealing a floor covered thick in brambles, with violet tinged light coming from pustules of fungus on the walls and ceiling. It appears the goblinoids were sorting twigs when interrupted.

To the north, the party unlocks a door leading into what appears to be the private study of someone, with many historic almanacs describing the growth of plants and taxes collected. While searching, Urielle comes across a book titled "Treasures of the Fire Lords". Leaving the study and exploring the southern section and spying the branches of a dying tree further in, the party proceeds to slowly cut through the sickly briers which leak a viscous fluid. Andr'el comes up with an expeditious process of freezing the thorny briers before hacking into them.

Soon, a person approaches from the cleared area surrounding the tree, the briers moving around him. Identifying himself as Belak, he tells the party he tends the grove of the Gulthias tree, grown from the splinters of a steak used to slay a vampire. The tree produces two fruits a year, one during the summer solstice that cures all ailments, and another during the winter solstice that produces an incurable toxin. Belak proposes the party joins with the Gulthias tree as supplicants, like the other two he's recently acquired. Xael, thinking to dupe Belak, offers his sword, which Belak tosses into the briers. Startled by this action, Xael climbs in after the sword as the party enters combat with Belak.

Approaching from the tree, both Sir Bradford and Sharwyn Redwater enter combat with bark-like skin, being recent supplicants of the Gulthias tree. Defeating Belak first, the party then tries to subdue the two supplicants. Climbing on some rubble for a better vantage point, Andr'el tosses a fireball at the tree. A deep growl fills the cavern as the tree moves and the briers shake, small twig creatures appear surrounding the party.

### Session 33

As twigblights appear from the briers the Gulthias tree pulls it's roots free from the soil and lumbers towards the party. As combat progresses, the tree launches the twigblights at the party, but with a final strike, the tree is split and the bodies of Sharwyn and Sir Bradford, along with those of the twigblights, become dormant. The party then retreates to a safer location to rest before retracing their steps and exploring a few more rooms, defeating various creatures within and ensuring a safer place for Basidia and their circle. Informing the circle of what lies through the various chambers, the party then scales the interior of the sunken tower, returning to the top level of Blackstone Castle.

### Session 34

As the party finishes their climb, they are greeted by Meepo, who is guarding the sunken tower. Discussing among themselves, they decide not to visit Lajavara and instead ask Meepo to lead them to Yusdrayl, the kobold chieftain, telling her the area below is clear. Carrying the bodies of the two remaining adventures Sharwyn and Sir Bradford, the party braves the cold weather, heading back to Rubicon.

They Arrive in Rubicon after the sun sets, and only a few buildings into the town, they are confronted by guards asking as to why they are carrying a dead body. Informing the guards that they had been tasked by Kerowyn to assist in exploring Blackstone castle, the guards hesitantly escort the party to Redwater Manor.

Passing the inn, Oscura notices the escort and follows, curious as to what is happening. When the party reaches Redwater Manor and speaks with the Baroness, Kerowyn asks a few questions regarding the other missing adventurers, specifically Talgen Redwater, and whether his signet ring was returned. Andr'el, attempting to play against the baronesses grief, withholds the ring in hopes of a greater reward. Not seeing one forthcoming, he decides not to return signet ring, but Xael steals the ring and returns it.

Watching the events unfold outside the throne room, Oscura convinces guards she is with the adventurers. The party, unsure who this bird creature is, deny at first until Xael see's she has an array of jewlery. When near the party, he attempts to steal a necklace but is observed by Oscura and stopped..

The party is then given a reward for returning the bodies as Mervin is called to court and asked to teleport the bodies to Stracili for eventual transport to Daramir so the bodes can be raised from the dead.

Party rests at inn, the party finds out that Oscura wishes to join the party, hoping they'll head to warmer climes. In the morning the party heads to a bakery for baked goods, Xael insisting a stuffed muffin is a calzone, and into to Mervin’s Magical Muftis for teleportation to Stracili.

Once in Stracili, the party is greeted by Proclin before splitting up.

Uraelle first heads to Local Exotic Goods, finding the shop nearly rebuilt, before meeting with Tazlynn to head to the Golden Dawn Campus and investigate the Gultias tree, finding some information about the Blue Druids and how they relate to the tree.

Oscura and Fenegir wait at the Stony Gaze Tavern, drinking.

Andr'el and Xael head to the orphanage, donating some gold, and a few weapons, before meeting up at the Stony Gaze Tavern, where Tazlynn and Uraelle have headed to after their research.

Uraelle, thinking of looking for an alchemist to identify a few potions, is reminded by Andr'el of the Cobalt Flask where Zaira works. Xael and Oscura work out an agreement of employment before attempting to sell Oscura a dagger she can't afford. Deciding to find an affordable one she heads to Smithy, and speaks with Horken about purchasing a dagger. Showing Oscura an exceptional dagger she can't afford, she instead invites Horken out to drinks that night.

While drinking with Horken, Xael infiltrates Smithy disguised as Horken, but meets Shoomma waiting for her apprentice to return. Sensing his deception is failing, he attempts to stab the old dwarven woman, only to be tossed out on the streets. After finishing drinking, Oscura walks Horken back, who is quite taken by Oscura.