Grungir's Decision

SESSION 17 RECAP

PCs

Talos Redwand, 7th level Conjurer
Dubner Ogrebane, 5th/6th level dwarf Fighter / Cleric (Champion)
Eswin, 6th/6th level elven Thief/Fighter
Shaw Ashcroft 6th level Ranger (Justifier)
Brendel, 6th level half-elf Fighter (Archer)

 

NPCs

Brundhilde, a Frost Giant Princess

From the Wars of Empire Chapter XXXVII: The Mad King's War

With the Stone of A Thousand Winters Destroyed and the unnatural blizzard at an end, King Leonis' army began preparations to march on Caer Terma and end Althyria's invasion of Beltigost. Having warned the king of the prophecy given to them by the Three Sisters of Fate and the Mad King's secret alliance with the Frost Giant King Grungir, it was decided that the companions would travel ahead of the army into the northern mountains to return the Grungir's daughter Brunhilde to him and hopefully break the alliance. Leonis' army would split into two and follow a day behind. The main force would march straight on Caer Terma, while the smaller force would circle through the mountains and flank the Althyrian force.

It was decided that Lady Tyra and the druid Kieren would stay behind at Northax while the others pushed ahead. A troupe of rangers had gone into the mountains three days prior to scout out the pass, but had not returned. The companions were tasked with finding out what happened to the Rangers and then somehow making contact with Grungir.

About a day into their march, they discovered the slaughtered remains of the rangers and their horses. As Eswin went up to investigate the scene, the snow exploded around him and ten Yetis ambushed the party. After recovering from their initial surprise, the companions made quick work of the savage brutes however and they were once again on their way.

Grungir, King of the Frost Giants

After that, it was not long before they located the mountain pass. As they traversed the pass, they were once again ambushed, this time by a band of mercenaries sent by Ragan Doon to prevent them from  making contact with Grungir. The leader of the mercenaries, an Iskal berserker by the name of Rolf Greybeard, was accompanied by two ice bears, and shadow mage, two archers and a winter elf assassin. The battle was treacherous along the narrow moutain pass and Rolf's savage attacks reined down on the dwarf champion Dubner, as the Icebears tore into Shaw and his new winter wolf companion. Talos squared off with the shadow mage, while Brendel made short work of the archers and then set to battle with the elusive winter elf who had a cloak that allowed him to turn into a gust of whirling snow to escape attack. In the end however, the wild Rolf, despite his savage prowess, fell to the ancient hammer of Dubner, as Shaw severed the limbs off of the ice bears. Once again, the companions proved vicorious.

With the assassination attempt foiled, Brunhilde then led them to her father's camp. A tense negotiation ensued. Grungir agreed to quit the field of battle while the companions tried to convince him to join their cause. In the end, Grungir decided it would be settled by combat. If the heroes could defeat his champions, he would agree to aid them.

In a large icy chamber, the heroes faced off against Hakon, a Frost Giant champion and his mate, Sheldira, a Frost Giant Witch Doctor. The battle proved to be less climactic than anticipated, as Talos summoned black tentacles to wrap up the Witch Doctor, while the remaining companions reined blow after blow upon Hakon, felling him without too much trouble, Though once again the sturdy dwarf Dubner took quite a beating. With the companions victorious, Grungir severed the heads of his champions and declared that he would aid them in the coming battle. Together they would make a desperate assualt on the Mad King himself at Caer Tema, the Fortress of Endings.

 

The Stone of a Thousand Winters

SESSION 16 RECAP

PCs

Talos Redwand, 6th level Conjurer
Dubner Ogrebane, 4th/5th level dwarf Fighter / Cleric (Champion)
Eswin, 6th/5th level elven Thief/Fighter
Shaw Ashcroft 5th level Ranger (Justifier)
Kieren, 7th level Druid
Brendel, 6th level half-elf Fighter (Archer)

NPCs

Lady Tyra, a noble from Samarra with a mysterious past
Brundhilde, a Frost Giant Princess

 

From the Wars of Empire Chapter XXXVII: The Mad King's War

Having secured the release of the Frost Giant Princess Brunhilde and a new mysterious ally in Lady Tyra of Samarra, the companions made haste to the castle of Northax where King Leonis and his army were camped out. A Thulian elder informed them that the mad king and his army had taken control of the northern border fort of Caer Terma and that his armies were laying in wait for Leonis' troops. To make matters worse an unnatural blizzard had arisen making troop movement all but impossible for the time being.

Movement was slowed by the blizzard and the companions were forced to march at a snail's pace. On the way to Northax, they were accosted by a Grueshach savant and several snow wraiths, which they easily overcame. The next night, they were attacked by a force of Blood Knight scouts mounted on Basilisks. The battle with the Blood Knights was only slightly more difficult, as Eswin used his medallion to charm six of the basilisks and a well timed slow spell by Talos made the Blood Knights easy pickings for the other heavy hitters of the group.

After two and a half days of hard travel, the companions finally reached Northax. There, they apprised the king of the prophecy of his death and of the secret alliance between the Frost Giants and the mad king. From there, it was determined that the unnatural blizzard needed to end before any troop movement could be made. Leonis' scouts and wizards had picked up a magical flux to the east and guessed that the source of the blizzard was in that direction.

 

Leaving Bunhilde and Tyra at Northax, the companions set out to end the blizzard. A day's travel north and east brought them to an old crag, atop which stood a rune-carved obelisk pulsing with frigid magic. Around the obelisk, five Grueshach savants and a Grueshach elder savant were chanting magical spells. The base of the hillock was guarded by two winter wolves. The battle was met, and Dubner charged into the midst of the Grueshachs around the spire swinging his mighty hammer. Eswin, with his basilisks, managed to turn two of the Grueshachs, to stone, but the rest remained unharmed. While most of the companions dealt with the remaining Grueshach savants, Shaw managed to tame one of the winter wolves, as Dubner went toe-to-toe with the Grueshach elder, supported by the magical arrows from Brendel's mighty bow.

The Remorhaz Emerges from the Snow

Just when it seemed as though the battle would be a cakewalk, the Grueshach elder summoned a Remorhaz from below the frozen ground. It burst forth behind Brendel and immediately tried to swallow the half-elf whole. Eswin sent his basilisks in to turn it to stone, to no avail. The mighty Remorhaz continued pounding merciliessly on the back ranks of the companions, and the fear of defeat began to creep into their minds. Just then, Kieren summoned mighty bolts of lightning from the sky, severely wounding the Remorhaz, but in the process killing all of Eswin's new basilisks. As lightning bolts continued to rain down on the Remorhaz, it finally fell. Moments later, Dubner put his hammer upside the head of the Grueshach elder and the day was won. After defeating the Grueshachs, the companions easily destroyed the Stone of a Thousand Winters and the magical blizzard came to an end. With their quest complete, the companions headed back to Northax to discuss their next steps with the king.

An Infernal Debt

SESSION 15 RECAP

PCs

Talos Redwand, 6th level Conjurer
Dubner Ogrebane, 4th/5th level dwarf Fighter / Cleric (Champion)
Eswin, 6th/5th level elven Thief/Fighter
Shaw Ashcroft 5th level Ranger (Justifier)
Kieren, 7th level Druid
Brendel, 6th level half-elf Fighter (Archer)

NPCs
Snot Gristlebeard, dwarf slave

From The Wars of Empire Chapter XXXVII: The Mad King's War

While resting up in the Forgeworks of the Tower of Kel-Arath, the party was re-joined by the druid Kieren and the Half-Elf archer Brendel, who had followed their trail from the ruined village of the Thulians. After speaking with the free-slave dwarf Snot Gristlebeard, they learned that Wyrlish, the Fire Elementalist held the other crystal needed to activate the portal to the elemental plane of fire where Brunhilde was being kept captive.

The ascended the tower and after easily defeating some Blood Knights and recovering some magical gear, including a ring, an earring, a medallion, several potions and an iron flask of some sort, they by-passed a riddling door to gain access to Wyrlish’s sanctuary.

The bald fire elementalist was ready for them however, being alerted to their presence by a floating eye in the previous chamber. He was ensconced behind a wall of fire and had several hell hounds and fire mephits protecting him. A battle ensued where the bulk of the heroes whittled down the hounds and mephits, while Dubner the dwarf and Shaw the ranger jumped through the wall of fire to engage the fire wizard. The wizard scorched them with his flame spells, but their recently recovered rings of fire resistance made his attacks less formidable. Once they managed to batter down the wizard’s mirror images, they made quick work of him.

Salamander Turn Keys

After healing themselves, the party activated the portal and entered the plane of fire on the side of a volcano. The lavanous mountain was riddled with cave entrances which Snot informed the party were prison cells. The prison, Zatal, was lorded over by an Efreet Pasha and garrisoned by Fire Salamanders. As the party entered the chamber which housed the cell of the Frost Giant Princess Brunhilde, their presence was uncovered by a laughing demon face carved into the cell door. Once the alarm was raised, four Fire Slamanders, two Flaming Skulls and a Fire Giant emerged from a nearby passageway and began assaulting the party.

The melee was a vicious affair and the party found themselves quickly overwhelmed by the reflecting magic resistance of the Flaming Skulls and the mighty blows of the Fire Giant. Eswin the elf backstabbed the giant, but that only proved to enrage the beast who chased him down a hallway and with one mighty blow nearly took off the poor elf’s head. Quick thinking by Dubner saved him however; using his earth ring, Dubner managed to raise a stone wall between the giant and the elf.

While the giant was distracted by the wall, Kieren turned himself into a bear and tore into the giant’s leg. The other companions were tied up with the Salamanders and the Flaming Skulls. The conjurer Talos was having a terrible time scoring blows, as the skulls continually reflected his spells back on the party, but he did manage to conjure some hobgoblins to prolong the battle and tie up some of the Slamanders. Dubner stepped up to the giant and began reigning blows upon the brute, but it seemed the beast was too hardy for even that. Having been sorely wounded himself, the dwarf used the magic of his ring to descend into the rock for sanctuary.



The Fire Giant Prison Guard

In a desperate attempt to save the party, Kieren the druid called upon Imladris, the Efreet Prince spirit bound to his scimitar. The spirit of the Efreet froze time and offered Kieren a bargain. He would summon the power to defeat their foes, but the druid would owe him a debt. With no other recourse, the druid accepted the Efreet’s offer. Once time was unfrozen, the group dashed behind the stone wall created by Dubner while some terrible entity was called forth and ripped their enemies to shreds.

In the ensuing chaos, the door to Brunhilde’s cell was torn off its hinges and the Frost Giant was freed. The company limped back to the portal from which they came and returned to the prime material plane, battered and half-dead. Their inability to defeat the might of the Fire Giant and has lackeys stung them sorely, but they resolutely began to march across the frozen tundra of Galibur towards the encampment of the King of Beltigost to join the battle against Old Althyria. With the Frost Giant Princess in their possession, perhaps the alliance between Althyria and the Frost Giant King Grungir could be broken and the tide of battle turned in favour of Beltigost.

 

The Tower of Kel-Arath

SESSION 13 RECAP

PCs

Talos Redwand, 6th level Conjurer
Dubner Ogrebane, 4th/4th level dwarf Fighter / Cleric (Champion)
Eswin, 6th/4th level elven Thief/Fighter
Shaw Ashcroft 5th level Ranger (Justifier)
NPCs
Sulla, Osmir, Hafren, and Rhovar, 2nd level Thulian Warriors

From The Wars of Empire Chapter XXXVII: The Mad King's War

The fate of the Battle of the Plains of Galibur rested not in the camps of the two monarchs who stood across from each other on that frozen plain in the winter of 606AT, but with a band of mercenaries in Perrinwall.

Having secured passage through a Godain Way Gate, these sellswords found themselves in a ruined village hundreds of miles from home. Their task: to rescue the daughter of the Frost Giant King Grungnir and break the alliance between the Giants and the mad king who had taken her hostage, in hopes that the Giants would quit the field of battle and tip the scales towards Beltigost. But freeing the Frost Giant Princess Brunhilde would be no easy task. The mad king's vizier Ragan Doon had secreted her away in the Tower of Kel-Arath and the heroes would have to storm the tower to free her.

After stepping through the Way Gate, the travelers found themselves in unfamiliar territory. The ruined village was home to a tribe of freemen who called themselves the Thulians. The travelers treated with the Thulian elders and secured guides who would take them to Steamcloud Vale, where the Tower of Kel-Arath stood. Four of the travelers, along with four Thulian warriors made the trek. The remaining two companions, the Druid Kieren and the Archer Brendel stayed behind to broker a further alliance with the Thulians, in the hopes that they would join the battle on the side of Beltigost.

Bitterwind the White Dragon

The trek across the frozen plains was uncomfortable, but within a day, the travelers found themselves in Steamcloud Vale, where the winds of winter never touched. A mile distant they could see the great stone tower rising 500 feet into the air, its summit carved into the likeness of a dragon's head. The made their way to a ruined chapel at the southern end of the vale under cover of darkness and were set upon by a creature of legend, they thought no longer existed. A white dragon crawled out of a underground cavern ready to devour them whole. Two of the Thulians immediately quit the field and fled, so great was the dragonfear, but the others stood their ground. The mighty ranger Shaw hit the dragon with a blow that wounded it sorely as the wizard Talos used his magics to slow the great beast. The dragon, caught by surprise at the resourcefulness of the companions took to the air and tried to escape, but was brought low by their arrows.

As the companions skinned the dragon for valuable resources, riders came out of the tower to see what the commotion was about. But darkness proved to help the companions as they ambushed six blood knights and made quick work of them.

They then set out for the tower itself, which proved more difficult than anticipated. As they closed in on it, they were beset by giant bolts shot from ballistae mounted on the tower. Two of the shots made quick work of Hafren and Sulla along with their mounts. Eight became Six as they entered the tower.

Azer Forgemaster

Inside the tower they surprised a blood knight guard and made quick work of him. They then descended to the forges in the bowels of the tower where they met with two blood knights, eight dwarves with flaming beards wielding fiery hammers, and a snivelling little dwarf - who they later learned was named Snot Gristlebeard.

The fighting was ferocious, with the blood knights cutting bloody swaths into Shaw and Dubner, bringing them close to death, and the flame-bearded dwarves (Azers) taking care of the final two Thulians and pressing Eswin and Talos to the limit. Talos magicked some fire beetles,  which distracted some of the Azers and Eswin darted in and out of their attacks, striking home when the opportunity presented itself. In the end, though badly wounded, the four companions proved victorious and rescued the snivelling dwarf slave Snot who informed them that the Giantess they sought was not in the tower, but kept in a fiery place beyond this world. The only way to get there was to ascend to the top of the tower and use a magical gate there. The problem was, the gate was guarded by a fire elementalist named Wyrlish and his pack of Hell Hounds. Believing themselves to be too sorely wounded to take the fight to the elementalist right away, the group decided to rest in the forges, regain their strength and pan their next move.