From a History of the Lords of Westmarch - Volume XIV

Session 9 Part 1

PCS

Talos Redwand, 5th level Conjurer
Lutien, 5th level Fighter (Myrmidon)
Brendel, 4th level half-elven Fighter (Swashbuckler)
Eswin, 5th level elven Thief
Kieren, 5th level Druid

NPCs

Shaw Ashcroft, 4th level Ranger (Justifier)

By Lady Myrs Kratys

The companions awoke from some strange shared dream within the armoury of Malgen’s Keep. Eswin, who had been wasting away from some sickness was standing watch and awoke the others when the door to the room came under attack. The travelers quickly roused and armed themselves as the door was splintered from its hinges by a group of patrolling gnolls. Once the confusion died down, they made quick work of the guards.

 
Having gleaned information from the shade of Malgen himself as to the whereabouts of certain magic items in the keep, the companions then descended back down to the dungeon level. Luckily they encountered no resistance on their way, but they did hear the cackling war cries of bands of gnolls who were scouring the keep in search of them.
 
The first place they went was the Chapel of Ysma, where in a small recess at the base of a statue they found a minor artefact known as the Rod of Ysma. They were able to use this device to cure Eswin of his poisoning and to relieve the madness which had recently afflicted some of those who had experienced the shared dream.
 
After that, they headed to Malgen’s Feasthall. Inside was an ornate table with carved oaken chairs and silverware set for twenty six. On the walls hung some of the magic they sought, including a shield, a helm and a shortsword. At the southern end of the room stood two stone guardians, fashioned like large twelve foot tall dwarves with hammers and picks for hands. Having been warned that the guardians had thus far prevented Mullahey and his cronies from absconding with the magical gear, the companions were wary. They were busy thinking of ways the extricate the treasure when Talos the Conjurer grew impatient and started loading the silverware from the table into his magical bag of holding.  As soon as he did this however, the stone guardians came to life and began moving towards the group.  Eswin deftly grabbed the shortsword and Lutien managed to free the shield from the wall, but not before the big warrior was hit savagely by the hammer arm of one of the guardians. Brendel slid down the table between the two guardians and grabbed the helm. Unfortunately, he was also on the receiving end of a vicious blow from one of the guardians. Not wanting to stay and fight these terrible constructs, the group quickly exited the room.

Next up was Malgen’s bedchamber. The room was adorned with statues of the great warrior and put the companions on edge. They were worried that the statues would come to life and attack them, but in the end they were simple statues. Floating on a pedestal in the room was a scimitar. Having heard of this mighty weapon from his mentor Goran Shae, Kieren the druid claimed it as his prize. The moment he touched the weapon however, he was aware that it was imbued with the spirit of an Efreet Pasha from the Elemental Plane of Fire. The Pasha agreed to let Kieren use the weapon for now and claimed that if he proved himself worthy, the Efreet would unveil further powers to him.
 
On their way from Malgen’s chambers to Zelligar’s, the group was ambushed by a gnoll patrol led by a Grueshach sorcerer. They made quick work of the pack however, but not before the Grueshach managed to teleport himself to safety. Inside Zelligar’s room they found two spellbooks and a magical ring which Talos claimed.

Further searching of the dungeon brought them to Carmella’s bedchamber, which was now overrun with refuse. Behind the large piles of trash they encountered three wererats who had been summoned to the keep to aid Mullahey. Their leader, one Skiznit, was not happy with this arrangement and agreed to show the companions a secret passage into Mullahey’s grand audience chamber and help them defeat him. All they required in return was Mullahey’s sceptre. Eswin was suspicious and didn’t like the idea of partnering up with such foul creatures, but in the end the group decided it was their best option for defeating the diseased half-orc priest. Before they confronted him however, they wanted to find and free Brand Kratys. Skiznit told them the key to the extra-dimensional prison was in Mullahey’s chamber at the top of one of the towers of the keep. It was there that the companions headed next.

Continued…

Amidst the Cogs of Mechanus II

Malgen waited a moment after Carmella finished her tale. It is a relief sister, that you have been freed from torment. My guilt has been lifted and yet I still feel that I am not at peace. Why have I not ascended to my rightful resting place?

Carmella looked at her brother sadly. We must be parted for a while longer I fear dear brother. Even now, my time here in Mechanus draws to an end. Soon I will ascend to Mount Celestia to be in the halls of our kin. You will continue on your path in the mortal realm for a time yet.

Malgen looked confused. But I have done what was asked of me. Why am I to be denied my reward in the afterlife? Why do I not get to ascend the mount as well?

Aurax stepped forward. His hollow voice, which seemed to come from some place far distant, answered the warrior. You cannot find peace until your mortal remains have found peace. They currently hang in the halls of Mount Bloodmoon as a trophy for those who lord over that dread mountain. Only when your remains are returned to your family's tomb in Vodymsira will you find peace.

Malgen felt helpless. I don't understand. How is it important to the Lords of Law that my bones be interred with my family?

You are a symbol of order and justice to those who now live their lives out in the mortal realm. If your remains are returned, hope will spring in the hearts of the people and they will fight with renewed vigor to maintain the Law of Inolba. Even now, agents of Chaos and Destruction plot their great march on the lands of men. As the Fifth Age of Man draws to a close, the future of Inolba will be tested. The time is coming when people will have to look to the deeds of legends to gain hope for a new tomorrow. Without this hope, the lands of men will surely be lost.

What agents do you speak of? replied Malgen. Surely the heroes I found in the keep will put an end to Mullahey and order will be restored in the Westmarch.

Aurax turned his pale eyes to meet Malgen's gaze. There are other, more powerful forces at work than the diseased halfbreed. Infyrana herself stands ready to enter Inolba.

Malgen gasped. Surely not her. I thought her long dead.

It is not so. She will return; that has been ordained. And many more will die before her reign of terror ends...

The Madness of Bedla-Ra Concluded

SESSION 8 PART III

PCS

Talos Redwand, 4th level Conjurer

Kieren, 5th level Druid

Shaw Ashcroft, 4th level Ranger (Justifier)

Lutien, 4th level Fighter (Myrmidon)

Brendel, 4th level Half-Elven Fighter (Swashbuckler)

A Tale Told by Lady Carmella

Upon stepping through the door, the travelers found themselves on a small precipice, with an endless abyss before them. Dangling high above the floor, supported by thick webbing the width of a grown man's leg was a pale orange egg about twenty feet in diameter. The shades of lunacy informed the group that their power ended here and that they could go no further. The companions began the slow trek across the webs, careful not to lose their grip and fall into unending nothingness. Kieren used his magical cloak to fly alongside the group.

Spider Creature

As soon as they reached the halfway point between the precipice and the egg, sixteen spider-like creatures descended down the webbing from the ceiling and tried to knock the companions off of the web. They scored several telling blows against the group with their many arms, but the travelers continued on in an effort to reach the egg as soon as possible. Kieren tried to swipe at one of them with his sword, but as soon as he let go of the edge of his cloak he began to plummet into the abyss. Eventually, he regained control of his flight and made his way back up to the egg. More spider creatures swarmed towards the group, but they finally reached the egg and with two mighty blows, Lutein was able to crack it open. A yellowish puss issued forth almost causing several members of the group to lose their footing, but in the end they managed to crawl inside the egg.

Insane Aspect of
Carmella

What they found therein was not what they expected. They were in a vast chamber with darkened corners, In the centre of the room was a large, plush bed with carved bedposts. My broken mind reached out to the brutish warrior Lutein and I uncovered a deep guilt there within. Using this guilt, I manifested a creature resembling his lost beloved, yet twisted in my own fashion. She and I sat on the bed in front of the group half naked and seductive. I slid off the bed and made my way to the half-elf seeking to envelope him in an embrace. He recoiled at my touch however. Using my feminine wiles, I managed to charm him and forced him to attack his friends. Ilsa the vampire, my creation slunk off the bed as well and confronted Lutein, blaming him for her death and her existence as a vampire. Lutein stood protectively in front of the slip of a girl and warned his companions that if they attacked her, he would kill them all.

The Ranger Shaw strode forward to attack me, but I used my charmed servant Brendel to block his path and vicious stab him. The wizard tried to stop me from advancing upon the rest of the group by ensnaring me in a magical web, but I passed into the etheral plane and easily side-stepped the spell. I then strode toward the mage and used my wiles on him, forcing him to be my servant as well. Luck was against me however, as the druid Kieren cast a dispelling magic over the two charmed companions and they came to their senses.

Lutein fell to his knees before the manifestation of his guilt, offering his life up to her. His offered sacrifice made me lose control over my creation and she fell to the ground crying before crumbling to dust. I was not beaten however. I managed to pick the wizard up and flew into the air, sucking the very life out of him and gaining strength for myself. But as I felt life and power flow back into me, I was struck from behind by an arrow loosed by the ranger, sapping what power I had left. My shell of insanity cracked and broke and I was finally free. As I ascended from that plane of madness, I bade the travelers hurry, for my demesne began to crumble about them.

The sped through the crumbling chambers of my mind and emerged once again on the desolate plain of Bedla-Ra. My liberation cost them however; as St. Tisha had become aware of their presence. In the distance, thousands of Bone Bats and Gibberlings emerged from her manor and began closing in on the companions. As they made their way back to the cliffs of Othon, the passed the crazed gnome once again. The gnome told them to go to the rear of his cottage and look in the stables. There they found four nightmares to carry them back to the portal. Kieren, without a mount jumped on the back of Paltros the centaur.

The race was on. At first the companions seemed to be easily outdistancing their pursuers, but eventually the maddening horde reached them. Bone Bats slashed at them with their claws, trying to tear them from their mounts and paralyze them. Lutein had seen enough. He slew himself right away so that he could wake up again within the keep. The others continued on for another hundred yards or so. Kieren was torn from Paltros' back by the razored claw of a Bone Bat and though he fought off the paralyzing poison, he tumbled to the ashen ground. Gibberlings swarmed about him and threatened to overwhelm him. At that point, one by one, the companions slew themselves to prevent capture and each awoke within the musty confines of the tower which they had fallen asleep in.

That is how I came to be rescued from that dread realm and how the travelers made it back to the mortal realm, dear brother.

The Madness of Bedla-Ra Continued

SESSION 8 PART II

PCS

Talos Redwand, 4th level Conjurer

Kieren, 5th level Druid

Shaw Ashcroft, 4th level Ranger (Justifier)

Lutien, 4th level Fighter (Myrmidon)

Brendel, 4th level Half-Elven Fighter (Swashbuckler)

A Tale Told by Lady Carmella

At last brother, they had gained access to my mind. There in the first chamber, they confronted my own insecurities about how I was viewed by those closest to me. You were there and so was Zelligar. Four times over you two stood in various conversations about me. Two of you thought I was a useless lay-about and were plotting to kill me. Two more saw me as some brazen strumpet and were making plans to steal my virtue together. Others argued over who loved me more. When the travelers entered, one of the Zelligar's confronted them and asked them their opinion of me. One of the travelers began to reply - even though they were warned not to interact with anyone unless absolutely necessary. Their interference drove the Zelligars and Malgens into a fit of rage and the eight assaulted as one. Not wanting to be bogged down by useless combat, the travelers made quick their escape, up a flight of stairs where they were confronted by two doors. Behind one they heard the painful cries of a solitary woman. Behind the other was a chorus of terrified screams. They chose to enter the door with only one scream.

Thus they entered the birthing chamber, where all my pain at the hands of the orcs who captured me was manifested. I lay in a pool of my own juices, bloated beyond comprehension and swelled with the progeny of my captors. Around me stood four orc attendants. As the moments passed I gave birth to half-orcs, scores at a time. Fully grown they emerged from my swollen womb, mad with thoughts of slaughter. Horrified, the travelers defended themselves, cutting down the orcs as the emerged. Several of the cursed brood surrounded one of the shades of lunacy and savaged it. Worried that they death of the shades would dispel the power which cloaked them, the companions ordered the shades to the rear of the line for protection.

As the bodies of my children began to mount and still more issued forth from me, the companions realized the only way to stop the deluge of half-orc flesh was to slay the source. Lutein the mercenary barreled through a pack of half-orcs and mounted my prostrate form. Using his mighty ax he slew me and put an end to the torrent of bastards. A little shocked and horrified, the companions moved on. The passed through another door, where they were about to face their own greatest fears.

In the grand ballroom, they were confronted by four portraits; one of each of them. As they moved closer, the pain began to run down the pictures, transforming them into those closest to them. Kieren the druid was confronted with his mentor Goran Shae. The wizard Talos was confronted with his own father. Shaw the Ranger was confronted by his commander who had been slain years ago. Brendel the half-elf was confronted by his friend, who had caught the wrong end of a lightning bolt which he himself had avoided. And Lutein was confronted by his childhood friend, the son of the Duke. Each stepped out of their frame and advanced upon the party.

Goran Shae the Treant

A desperate melee ensued wherein the companions were sorely tested and nearly bested. Brendel was the first to slay his demon, the two fencing high above on a chandelier. He managed to land the killing blow, which sent his friend tumbling to the floor sixty feet below, wherein he exploded in a writing mass of black tentacles. Kieren saw his master Goran Shae transform himself into a giant Treant and begin pummelling him with huge fist of solid wood. Thankfully, Kieren was able to summon the power of lightning to him and in the end blasted his mentor into a shower of splintered wood. Talos tried hiding from his father by turning invisible, but the crafty old man dispelled the illusion. Old Valthun Redwand then hammered his son with a fist of stone. Talos dug deep within himself and managed to immolate his father with a clever combination of a spell of grease and burning hands. Shaw was beset by his old commander and two dire wolves. The wolves flanked him and savaged him several times with their vicious fangs, but in the end Shaw managed to break away from them and slay his commander. Lutein was assaulted physically and emotionally, as the Duke's son hurled insults upon him about indiscretions with his late wife. Lutein traded several vicious blows with the cocky noble, but in the end decided to back off and disbelieve the apparition. Without a willing foe, the Duke's son simply melted from existence.

Weary and battered from their ordeal, the companions made their way up the winding staircase toward my innermost mind. Thinking the worst behind them, they opened the door into the inner sanctum, where the most tortured part of my mind dwelt. I was there where they would make their last desperate attempt to free me from my curse...

Continued...

The Madness of Bedla-Ra

SESSION 8 Part i

PCS

Talos Redwand, 4th level Conjurer
Kieren, 5th level Druid
Shaw Ashcroft, 4th level Ranger (Justifier)
Lutien, 4th level Fighter (Myrmidon)

Brendel, 4th level Half-Elven Fighter (Swashbuckler)

A Tale Told by Lady Carmella

All was as you have said, brother. The five, they crossed through the portal and found themselves standing upon the cliffs of Othon overlooking that desperate realm of Bedla-Ra. Awaiting them on that great precipice were the five Shades of Lunacy who were to act as their guides and use their own power to shield the travelers from St. Tisha’s gaze. Paltros the Betrayer there was, that wild centaur from Felgoth Forest who found perfection to be an anathema to beauty and despoiled his own forest; Ferramunga Blackboots was there as well, that dread pirate who had become so paranoid that he slew his own crew; and Dougan the Lord of Rats, a foul necromancer and pupil of Syngal the Black, who had dared read from the Forbidden Tomes of the Necromancer Kings of old; Arthan the Cannibal stood among their number too, that hunter who had donned the skin of a bear and been cursed with lycanthropy; and finally there stood Beornhelm the Bloody, that Blood Knight from Althyria who became obsessed with drinking the blood of his fallen foes; he who had been slain by the hands of the very men he know sought to guide through this realm.

Bedla-Ra, Realm of Mad Souls

From their vantage point atop the cliffs, the travelers saw the gray ashen waste of the realm spread out below them. They spied the Towers of Velinax, where the soul of that mad Emperor dwelt in constant battle with himself. They also saw the writhing forest of tentacles where dwelt the mad druidess Enora, who had dared to gaze beyond the stars at the maddening horrors imprisoned there and was so afflicted herself. Finally, they beheld the manor of St. Tisha, overlooking the churning waters of the Cacaphonic Sea. It was she who they needed to avoid at all cost, for if she became aware of their presence, she would mobilize the whole realm to capture them and add their souls to her number. The shades warned that above all, the travelers should avoid being captured, for that only led to endless torment. If it came to it, they were to slay themselves so that their essences could return to their physical bodies on the material plane.

Before descending the cliff, Paltros drew the travelers’ attention to a manor of white marble that lie a few miles from where they stood. That was my manor, my mind taken physical form. They would have to find a way to enter that sad place to rescue my mind from the madness that infected it. Four of the companions jumped into a magical bag, while the other transformed himself into a bat and carried them down to the base of the cliff and the plain below. Halfway down the descent, the bat was attack by Chytheron the two headed serpent and guardian of Othon who dwelt within the rock face. The beast’s two eyeless heads emerged from the cliff face and in a frenzy tried to devour the poor bat. Its needle-like maws snapped all about the bat, as it flew desperately to escape. Finally, Chytheron’s mouth tore into the creature, but it managed to hang on to the bag and eventually elude the guardian. Once it reached the base of the cliff, it let the others out of the bag and transformed back into the druid Kieren.

The travelers then made their way across the barren plain toward the Copse of Despair which lie in front of my manor. They could not tell how long the journey took, for the sky seemed to constantly change above them from a deep purple to a light violet and then an inky blackness. The moon too changed from a crescent sliver one moment to a fat harvest moon the next, which seemed to grin maddeningly down at them.

Finally the travelers found themselves at the edge of the grey copse of skeletal trees. A small cottage of decayed timber stood nearby, and on a porch in front of it sat a gnome in a rocking chair smoking a pipe. He was muttering about some invention he called the dream machine and how his family had laughed at his ideas until he could take it no more and put them to sleep until his work was done. The travelers asked the gnome the quickest way to my manor. Coming out of his own conversation, the gnome introduced himself as Wolga. He then told the travelers that the quickest way to the manor was around the copse but the only way to get into the manor was through it, for the key to the manor lie within a diseased black oak at the small wood’s centre.

The Tree of Woe

Without a choice, the companions entered the wood. The skeletal trees seemed to take their presence as a threat and their clawed branches reached out to grab at the travelers, always just at the edge of sight. Thankfully, they were not attacked and the companions soon reached the centre of the wood. Just as the gnome had foretold, there at the wood’s centre stood an immense black oak tree, bloated with disease. On the ends of six thick branches dangled the heads of those from my life; your head was there brother, as was Zelligar’s; and mother and father were there as well. So was the head of my maidservant Daphne and that of the despicable orc chieftain who had taken me as a concubine when the keep was taken after the Battle of the Smoldering Skies. In unison all the heads screamed out that they were the key. The branches upon which they hung began to shake furiously and the tree itself tried to swing them at the companions. Dodging the blows from the maddened oak, the Ranger Shaw Ashcroft and the Soldier Lutein made for the tree’s heart while the others took aim at severing the heads from their branches. With two mighty blows the warriors managed to split the tree asunder and it fell to the ground lifeless. The heads continued their insane argument over who was the key. The companions cut the heads free from the branches and packed them all up into their magical bag to take with them.

Having read my diary which you supplied them with, the heroes guessed that one of these heads truly was the key to entering my demesne. When they came out of the Copse of Despair they found themselves at the foot of my manor. A large, iron-bound door prevented entrance. It was carved in the shape of a demon’s head whose maw stood agape waiting for something to be placed within. The travelers guessed that one of the heads needed to be placed in the creature's maw for the door to open. But which head was the key? 

The Druid Kieren believed that my love, Zelligar would be the key. He placed Zelligar’s head into the mouth of the beast. Zelligar laughed insanely at the druid before exploding and sorely wounding the poor druid. The newest companion of the group, the Swashbuckler Brendel, believed Daphne’s head to be the key, for it was she who I shared my deepest secrets with. The cagey half-elf had deduced correctly and once Daphne’s head was placed in the creature’s maw, it was swallowed whole and the door slid open.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the heroes entered the manor and began their journey through the darkest recesses of my tortured mind. What they found within would challenge their wills and assault their very sanity.

Continued…

Amidst the Cogs of Mechanus

A Prologue to Session 8 - The Madness of Bedla-Ra

The Fortress of Disciplined
Enlightenment

The ghost of the man once known as Malgen glided effortlessly through the ordered halls of the Fortress of Disciplined Enlightenment in the heart of that Immortal Plane of Law known as Mechanus. He passed several long-bearded Guvners on his way who were too involved with their mathematical formulae to take much notice of him. At last he came to the door he sought. In front of it stood an obsidian behemoth wearing bronze plate mail that was as wide as it was tall. As Malgen approached, the creature’s eyes began to glow behind its visored helm and it rose up to its full twelve foot height.

                Marut VIII. By the order of Aurax you may enter.

Aurax the Inevitable

  Malgen passed through the cog-like door and entered the room beyond. Like the rest of the fortress, this room was Spartan, but well organized. Charts of various sorts, written in languages beyond Malgen’s ken covered the walls. On a marble table in one corner stood a model of the cosmos. In the centre of the room, a large creature resembling a centaur stood in front of a plush velvet sofa. It was the colour of ivory and had two wings of beaten gold emerging from its back. Its face, as smooth as porcelain, with milky white eyes, was expressionless. Behind the creature someone sat on the sofa, but the great equine’s bulk prevented Malgen from discerning who it was.

                Aurax, Malgen said, I am saddened and grieved to announce that my quest has failed.

The Inevitable named Aurax turned to face Malgen. As he did so, Malgen could hear the click and whizz of thousands of gears turning. Aurax’s face remained expressionless, and when he spoke his voice seemed to echo as the sound of someone in a vast empty chamber.

                It is not so. Those you tasked with completing this quest have proven successful.

Malgen’s face lit up at the Inevitable’s words. Hope was kindled in his heart.

                How can that be? They all died. I saw their souls return to their physical bodies myself.

A voice like honey sounded behind the Inevitable.

                They did die. But it was by their own hands. And done after their charge was complete.

Aurax stepped away with a flourish, revealing a beautiful raven haired young woman sitting on the sofa.

                Carmella?

                Yes brother, it is I. Freed at last from the sickness that infected my soul thanks to your effort and those whom you charged with seeing the task done.

Carmella

Malgen glided forward to get a better look at his sister. She looked just as he remembered her in life: a radiant, but delicate beauty. Guilt washed over him at the thought of all her spirit had endured over the course of the last five centuries.

                I found them in the Keep, he began. They were the first good souls to enter in centuries. Tired and bloodied from their battles, I found them resting in one of the towers. I coaxed five of them from their sleep and bade their consciousnesses rise and take physical form. The sixth, an elf, was awake and suffering from some wasting malady that demanded his full attention; and so I was not able to enlist his aid. I then led them through the portal to that realm of mad souls known as Bedla-Ra where I knew you to be imprisoned. That was the last I saw of them. Tell me what happened once they entered that ever-transient realm of the Nightlady.

                As you wish, brother.

Before she picked up the tale where her brother left off, Carmella paused and her face took on a ponderous expression, as one trying to remember a dream which has faded from memory, or relate a tale experienced by a person unfamiliar to them.

Continued…       

From a History of the Lords of Westmarch - Volume XIV

SESSION 7

PCS

Talos Redwand, 4th level Conjurer
Kieren, 5th level Druid
Shaw Ashcroft, 4th level Ranger (Justifier)
Eswin, 5th level Elven Thief
Lutien, 4th level Fighter (Myrmidon)

Aldereth, 4th level Half-Elven Priest of Brom the Battlelord

NPCS

Boy, the man-at-arms

Part 1

By Lady Myrs Kratys

Six they went to the maw of the mountain,

To rescue the son of the Kratys Lord;

Six they went to bring law to the mountain,

Fell beasts they fought and put to sword.

In the early hours of the day, the travelers arrived at the base of Malgen’s Keep. Luck was on their side, for none roamed the battlements to spy their approach. Foregoing the main gate and the undercroft, they climbed into their magical bag and had the druid Kieren turn himself into a bat and fly them up to the empty battlement on the second level. Entering a door they found there, they came upon a group of diseased gnolls and slew the unprepared beasts easily. Moving further into the keep, they became trapped in a chamber with two iron portcullises. From holes in the ceiling above, they heard the cackling of more gnolls, who proceeded to pour boiling oil down upon the attackers. Grievous wounds were suffered by all, before the burly fighters were able to lift a portcullis and the group could find safety on a flight of stairs leading up. Not soon enough however, as their torch bearer, an unfortunate soul from Kratys Keep they named simply “boy” had his very flesh melt away from his bones before he could reach the safety of the stairs.

Cursing their loss of secrecy, the five remaining adventurers poured into the room at the top of the stairs. Twelve ugly, disease marked gnolls awaited them. In the corner a bound prisoner in plate mail struggled to free himself. The heroes jumped into battle, but were not as quick as the gnolls. Three of the gnolls took off through doorways to the north and east. A ferocious melee took place, with the diseased beasts trying to grab our attackers and dump them into pots of boiling oil. In the end however, the companions prevailed and managed to rescue a half-elf warpriest. The priest, one Aldereth, was one of the surviving members of Brand Kratys’ band and agreed to help the companions in their quest to rescue the lord’s son. They were six in number once again.

After ferreting out some of the gnolls that had taken flight, the companions found a spiral staircase that led to the depths of the castle. There they found a sealed magical portal which they believed led to Brand’s prison chamber. It was confirmed later by a survivor gnoll that Brand was being kept in a place that is not a place. The key, our companions believed, would be in the possession of the new lord of Malgen’s Keep – a half-orc priest of the diseased demon lord Gornadhun by the name of Mullahey.

Mullahey the Half-Orc,
Blood of Malgen and Blessed of Gornadhun

Back up the spiral staircase the companions went. They came to a room with three figures pantomiming at cold stoves, who took no notice of the companions. Eswin, the Tuathan thief strode up behind one and stabbed it in the back. Too late the elfish adventurer realized when the undead zombie exploded in a plume of yellow dust. Eswin’s lungs were coated with a vile poison and he began choking to death. Kieren strode forward and was able to slow the poison with his magic, but the elf’s time to find a cure was limited.

They pushed on into a grand chamber with a large balcony surrounding it. Inside an obese half-orc sat upon a throne laughing at the small band who dared to raid his demesne. Twelve diseased gnolls popped out from beneath the balustrade of the balcony firing a rain of arrows down upon the group. Two bison headed Grueshachs also looked on from the shadows, preparing to unleash their fell magic. Lutien fired his musket at the fat half-orc, but missed. Seeing the odds stacked against them, the companions closed ranks and made a strategic withdrawal from the room. Best not to fight the diseased Mullahey on his own terms.

Trying to throw off any pursuit, the companions made their way higher up into the keep. They passed through a room littered with garbage and were assaulted by two horrendous beasts with tentacles. Having already been injured, the adventurers fought desperately and with strength of will and sword arm managed to overcome these fetid guardians. The ranger Shaw Ashcroft, betrothed of Lord Kratys’ daughter was afflicted with some rotting disease during the battle, and the company was forced to hobble on. They ascended some more stairs and found themselves in a small armory. There, they barricaded themselves in and tried to take care of their wounded.